Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/25/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I paid $2222.66 to AAA Auto Repair Center at **** *********, ********* ****** on 5/16/2023 Work Order # ****** My car broke down in ***** and this repair shop promised to do the repairs necessary to get it back running. The day I was supposed to pick it up, they tacked on another part last minute (an extra $652.78 for a fuel pump.) They failed to repair the car on time, pushing the pickup time to much later. They didn't let me test my car until after I had paid them.At the shop, I tried to start it and the check engine light was still on and it was sputtering and in no way "road ready." I had no choice but to get my car to a second mechanic. The second shop told me that AAA had thrown parts at my car and upsold me by three times what the parts and services actually costed. They had also failed to disconnect the battery while installing the alternator causing all of the sensors to malfunction. They had also negligently installed the alternator, leaving bolts loose, which is extremely unsafe. So they had not done proper diagnosis or repairs, and also installed the parts negligently. The second mechanic told me that the car hadnt even needed a new fuel pump as the problem had been electrical not mechanical. The second mechanic can be contacted at *************, if you would like to reach them. A quick ****** review search will show that this business has done similar things to other clients and that mine is not an isolated incident. They have scammed people and provided negligent and damaging service before. My money has been tied up over this case for months now, and AAA keeps delaying the process, so now I am involving BBB. AAA Auto Repair Center should absolutely be held accountable. I have attached receipts from both shops, the scammers and the mechanics that actually helped me fix my car, as well as a second opinion letter from the mechanic that had to fix AAAs shoddy work.Thank you for reading and thank you for helping,***********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/14/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  6/7 Brought car in as A.C. blowing hot. Instead of adding freon or repairing fans, they put in ALL NEW A.C. SYSTEM DESPITE FACT THIS HAD BEEN DONE 11 MO. PRIOR By a shop in L.A. Told them I would be driving to L.A. & back. Told them engine lite on. They charged me $3332.74 yet A.C. BLEW HOT TO L.A & BACK. Took to engine mechanic in L.A. Said 3rd one misfiring when tested engine. Brought car back 6/30 2ND TIME. Told them a 2nd time about engine light. This time they said needed to replace new FANS (condenser fan assembly) for A.C. They charged me $968.08. Had to order parts so took car home over wk.end (only took to grocery str.) Asked Jovan (Mgr.) for old parts. Said only hold 7 days & already sent to recycling cnt. 7/3 brought car back in 3RD TIME. 7/5 They said need to replace CYLINDER HEADS as blew gasket. They charged me $6340.45. Have refused to provide rental car & continue to extend date my car will be released. I have had to cancel numerous Dr. and dentist appointments for my ************** had to get rides to P.O., *********, had to have groceries delivered, cancelled dinner invitations, and have many out of pocket expenses/costs now due to having no car. 3 CONTINUOUS TIMES NOW they have found things to replace in order to get my A.C. cold so have HAD MY CAR IN THEIR SHOP (in & out) FOR OVER A MONTH NOW with a bill currently at $9,673.19. NEARLY $10,000 JUST TO GET MY A.C. COLD for a **** car I paid $13,000 for 13 yrs. ago! They are taking financial advantage of a female senior citizen.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/18/2023

  7/21 made another excuse/delay on my picking up car, as promised. I sent tow truck to pick up car. They refused to release it. It was only when I threatened to call police to report their attempt to "steal my car" they provided me a rental car until 7/26  when I P/U car. While there, told ****. dashboard lites still on. A.C. still not working. Said lites just needed to be adjusted. A.C. would get cold when I drive car. $10,000 & 6 wks later I'm back where I started!

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/04/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  UnresolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  TRANSACTION DATE: 12/02/2021 AMOUNT PAID: $636.06 BUSNINESS COMMITTED: Warranty, advised additional diagnosis, would work with repair shop to resolve issue. NATURE OF DISPUTE: Carburetor clog and fuel leak! Poor carburetor repairs resulted in vehicle not operating properly, problems previously did not exist. Safety, dangerous symptoms! Additional expenses & time to resolve issue. DID BUSINESS TRY TO RESOLVE PROBLEM: No, the business denied all responsibility. ACCOUNT/ORDER/TRACKING NUMBER: Invoice # XXXXX, Work Order # XXXXXX 12/2/21: Initial repairs Jolt & jerk after shifting. Sound of stuck air flow, clogged somewhere & not passing smoothly. Felt speed and gear change didn't align. Smelt gas. (Assumed more drive time for repairs to settle in. Tested in different driving conditions locally. Freeways, streets, stop/go, different speeds, gears up/down, etc...local drives that allowed me to drive continuously.) Not my daily driver. It's an RV. Strategically plan routes over time. Now certain of the above symptoms. 4/26/22: Contacted AAA (Donnie), explained above. Pointed to warranty & miles driven since repair. Advised bring to shop near me to get another opinion. If related to work they did, would work with shop to resolve issue. Inspected by several shops in L.A. including ***** Service Auto Repair, ******************, Inc., and **************** & Auto Repair. All concluded at least, carburetor clogged. No longer offered repairs, only fuel injection. 6/13/22: ******** diagnosis. Carburetor clogged & fuel leak! 6/14/22: Emailed diagnosis to AAA (Donnie) and put in touch with ********. 6/17/22: Donnie told me over the phone AAA not responsible for anything and refused further action. ******** confirmed this as they spoke with AAA. A-Z repairs would take minimum 3+ weeks as need to order part. 6/24/22: Repairs done few days later by **** Carburetor Service. No jolt, ****. Air flow fluid, no lag, no gas smell. Issue resolved.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/21/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/08/24) */ We repaired vehicle and advised the Member that Her fuel system was contaminated due to age of the vehicle. We provided her with an diag that the fuel system needed to be cleaned, 7 Months after we repaired the vehicle the member called and said she was having issues, we suggested that she take it to a local repair shop for diagnostic, we have not heard form the member recently. Consumer Response /* (3000, 10, 2022/08/30) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) **************************************************** (***) ******** ************@gmail.com August 30, 2022 Ms. ********** BBB Complaint Department **** Jones Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89118 (***) 320-4500 Case #******** Dear Ms. ****: AAA Car Care Plus is not being truthful. I notified AAACCP as soon as I was sure of the symptoms and was in contact with them the entire time, including taking the vehicle to an independent local repair shop as suggested by AAACCP. The diagnostic result was provided to AAACCP as requested. The independent diagnostic clearly states there is a fuel leak in the carburetor. After all, they refused to work with us to resolve the issue, refused the warranty, and told me it wasn't anything they had done. Only at this point, the only time, and the first time AAACCP gave the reason as--my fuel system was contaminated. Contrary to their claim that I was told and aware of this apparent fuel system contamination at the time of the initial carburetor diagnostic and repairs. This is not true! I have included a detailed account of events and documents in support of Case #********. 12/2/21: 1978 Toyota Chinook RV carburetor rebuilt during a road trip at AAA Car Care Plus, **** S. Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89118, (***) ********. 4/26/22: Contacted Donnie at AAA Car Care Plus. Explained after carburetor rebuild, there's a noticeable jolt and jerk shifting and then lags. Also, felt and heard the sound of stuck airflow/something clogged somewhere and not passing through smoothly. Likewise, smelt gas. I had never experienced these symptoms until after the carburetor rebuild. (I explained initially I thought it just needed more drive time for the equipment to settle in since it's not my daily driver. After returning from my road trip, I decided against taking it on further long-haul road trips. I tested it in different driving conditions locally. Freeways, local streets, stop and go, different speeds, using all the gears up and down, shorter local drives that would still allow me to drive continuously, etc. Now I was certain I was experiencing the above symptoms.) Donnie advised me to bring it to a shop near me to get another opinion. And if it's related to the work they did, they would work with the shop to resolve the issue. (I contacted several mechanic shops in the Los Angeles area including ***** Service Auto Repair in Monrovia, CA, ******************, Inc. in San Gabriel, CA, and brought it in on the spot to ******** ******** and Auto Repair in Pasadena, CA. Upon two impromptu inspections, at the very least, the carburetor was clogged. While these shops did carburetor repairs at one point, they sent me away saying they no longer offered this service as most vehicles are fuel injection now. They suggested other shops.) 6/13/22: ************** diagnosis at **** E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107, (***) ********. (I found a shop offering carburetor repair services.) The diagnosis found there's a fuel leak in the carburetor. Additionally, the technician questioned how or if the rebuild was ever done. I became very worried! Only inspection/diagnosis. No work was done. 6/14/22: Emailed Donnie at AAA Car Care Plus with to ************** diagnosis. Also informed him that ************** may contact him. (If requested, I can forward the actual email to you if the upload is not clear enough.) 6/17/22: Donnie told me over the phone they are not responsible for anything and refused to do anything. At the same time, ************** told me they had spoken with Donnie confirming AAACCP refused any responsibility citing fuel system contamination. A-Z explained this is an excuse and an attempt by AAACCP to shift the focus off the carburetor. (A-Z could better explain since it was a conversation between them.) ************** informed me it would take a minimum of 3 weeks for the parts to come in. From there, they can make the proper repairs to the carburetor. Subsequently, I continued to look for a mechanic who could make these repairs ASAP because the fuel leak worried me and was dangerous! 6/24/22: The repairs were ultimately done a few days later by **** Carburetor Service at **** N. Figueroa, Los Angeles, CA *****, (***) ********. Shifting is smooth, no jolt or jerk, airflow is fluid, no lag, and no gas smell. Issues resolved. Please see the uploaded documents. I believe a very fair and reasonable outcome is for AAACCP to give me a refund of $386.06, the difference between what they charged me ($636.06) and the subsequent additional repairs I had to make ($250.00). Sincerely, *********