Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  12/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had my car towed to smooth finish auto and collision in mid-October 2022 due to it not starting. The owner/mechanic told me that he would take a look and keep me informed. Days went by and smooth finish told me that he had to order a part “ECM” and had to reprogram it and this could take days I was told. As smooth finish knew that I was in desperate need as this is my only mode of transportation to and from work. I had to call everyday as they kept delaying the supposed repairs. Meanwhile the owner had said to me “whatever it is, it won’t be over a thousand dollars. I thought “how could he put a number on an unknown resolution?” As they supposedly worked on my car I started researching the issue as well. A week went by and I hadn’t found a resolution the owner called and said the car was ready and I owed him $1280 dollars. I went and paid him in full, as he insisted that I pay cash. I thought that was outrageous due to the fact that the so called ordered part wasn’t due in for days. In fact it was only one day after he said it could take a while for the part to arrive and be programmed. He told me that I should get a new battery also, so I drove away and bought a new battery for $160. About one month later I had the same issue again. But free paying $1440 I found that smooth finish replaced nothing, hadn’t programmed anything, only disconnected the battery and reconnected it to correct the malfunction. I returned to request an invoice to explain the false charges that I had incurred as well as view the old part that was replaced and he refused to give me either and angrily telling that “this is how business is done and you don’t know anything about what I did!!” He then threatened to call the police if I didn’t leave the property. Also I had to return a second time because he and his crew lost the 2nd set of keys that they requested during the initial repair. But he intentionally falsified repairs, overbilling me due to lack of knowledge at the time.

  Business response

  01/26/2023

  ***** ****** ****** ************************** ***** **** *** *** **** ** **** ** ******** ********* *** ******** *** ******************** ********************** *

   

   

  *** ******

   

  We take pride in our honesty and openness throughout all steps of the repair process. When you brought your car in as a repeat customer in October we were happy to see you again. We also informed you that we were experiencing a busy period and that we would diagnose and complete the repairs to your car as soon as possible. We are extremely empathetic of the fact that our customers’ cars affect their daily lives, and you were no exception. As you know, your car was towed in, not even starting.

  As soon as we had diagnosed the problem, we informed you of the issues and how they would be repaired. When it comes to electrical issues, we refrain from giving a ball-park figure as they can be extremely complex to diagnose and repair. While we do understand that it can be frustrating to wait for your car, we do draw a line when it comes to harassment and threatening language. Unfortunately, your calls turned into such abuses and we decided that it was best to wrap up what we were doing and terminate our relationship.

  Despite having to terminate the relationship we decided to install a battery, for free (in addition to the other repairs that were made), and you were able to drive your vehicle away (something you couldn’t do when your vehicle was towed in). It was on the day you were picking up the vehicle that your friend informed us that you had crossed the jumper cables which had caused the problem, information that would have saved both of us time.

   We are sorry that you were frustrated with the standard repair process but we wish to terminate our relationship. We will not be issuing a refund as you were only charged for what had been done (excluding the battery) and we do not work for free as you requested in person and in your current complaint.

   

  Sincerely,

  **** ******

  Co-owner of Smooth Finish Auto Collision Repair

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