ComplaintsforTech One Automotive

• Initial Complaint

  09/19/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Please see the attached PDF for my detailed complaint..

  

  Business response

  09/20/2023

  We will be glad to resolve this issue, ***** refuses to speak with anyone but me and I am out of the state almost permanently. He has called and spoke down to all of our service advisors.

  My manager will be following up with BBB as well as calling Town North Nissan.

  He has never mentioned to me a problem with the throttle body. We have been unable to duplicate the overheating problem and when I spoke with him last, he said it did not overheat the last couple days.

  He has been verbally abusive to every one of our employees that he has spoke with. He will need to be willing to speak to our service manager *********************** for this matter to get resolved.

  Thanks,

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

  Tech One Automotive

  Customer response

  09/20/2023

  Complaint: 20623593
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  It is false that, He has called and spoke down to all of our service advisors and He has been verbally abusive to every one of our employees that he has spoke with. I have recorded all of my interactions with Tech One automotive for months now, due to the lack of trust I have in them after the ongoing issues with my vehicle, which I had to escalate to the business owner to even begin to get them properly addressed. I am more than happy to provide those recordings to the BBB, and would be attaching them to this complaint, but the BBBs website doesnt allow attaching audio or video files. Additionally, the shop has video surveillance, so Id be interested to see any recordings during which Tech One alleges I spoke down to or was verbally abusive towards their staff.
  
  The owner ***** did not make any mention of my being verbally abusive during the July 28, 2023, meeting, because I was never "verbally abusive". I maintained a professional tone up until the last couple of phone calls I made to them in September, which admittedly did have a tone of righteous indignation. After two years of them kicking these issues down the road, that tone is justified. Despite my indignant tone, I never used any abusive language with any of their employees, nor did I ever speak down to any of the service advisors. In fact its been quite the opposite, with the *************** and the service advisor ****** speaking down to me when I continued to complain about the ongoing issues with my vehicle. This is why I've escalated to the owner. This response via the BBB is the first I've heard that ***** is out of state almost permanently, and in any case there are phones out of state with which he could have contacted me since mid-August.
  
  Its notable that the business response to their first BBB complaint is to lie to the BBB about the customer lodging the complaint, and I believe the BBB should consider suspending their accreditation, as this constitutes Retaliation. I mean Retaliation in the legal sense; for instance, when an employee files an OSHA or EEOC complaint against their employer, and then the employer engages in Retaliation by firing the employee. Retaliation is against the law and I would hope its also against the BBBs code of conduct / ethics. I am exercising my rights as a consumer to complain, because escalating to the ** and the business owner resulted in more unfulfilled promises. Escalating to the BBB has now resulted in them lying about me in a failed attempt to ***** responsibility. 
  
  It is also false that, He has never mentioned to me a problem with the throttle body. As I stated in my complaint, I have complained about issues related to the October 2021 repair since they did that repair, during nearly every single interaction I had with the shop. Just because We have been unable to duplicate the overheating problem and when I spoke with him last, he said it did not overheat the last couple days does not mean that the overheating problem has been resolved. 
  
  Ive also asked for my full service records as PDFs on multiple occasions, including via text message, and have never received them. In May 2023, I had already escalated to the *************** about these ongoing issues. On May 10, 2023, at 3:39pm I was texting with their service advisor ***** and texted, Also ***** was supposed to email me all my invoices/ service history with y'all. On May 12, 2023 at 2:25pm I again texted, And would y'all please email me PDFs of all my service records / invoices? ***** had said he would, I haven't seen them yet. This is yet another unfulfilled promise from Tech One, specifically their ***************. I respectfully request that Tech One attach my full service records as PDF's to this BBB complaint.
  
  I look forward to hearing from Tech One Automotive that theyll be providing me with a loaner car as promised, while they replace the idle air control valve and the water pump / fan clutch assembly, which they should have done in October of 2021. Im happy to upload the audio and video recordings that I have into a ****** Drive folder for the BBBs review.
  
  Regards,
  ***********************

  

  Business response

  09/22/2023

  *****, if the items below are what you are asking for at this time, I will be happy to get this done for you. I really want to make sure that you are taken care of at the end.

  "I look forward to hearing from Tech One Automotive that theyll be providing me with a loaner car as promised, while they replace the idle air control valve and the water pump / fan clutch assembly, which they should have done in October of 2021."

  I will communicate with you through text message in our shop management system while I am away from the shop. We will get the parts coming and I will text you by Monday morning at 10AM with an update. If the parts are here at that time, I will schedule you in and have a loaner car for you.

  Customer response

  09/27/2023

  Complaint: 20623593
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  *****, I am not comfortable closing out this BBB complaint as of yet, and I don't want to let the 6-day response period expire which would close it automatically.
  
  I appreciate that you are stating you "really want to make sure that you are taken care of at the end"; but, given how long this has dragged on and the efforts I've had to make to get these issues addressed, I won't be assured that it is fully taken care of, until there's completed follow-through on what has been promised. That includes what was promised both during our phone conversation on August 15, 2023, when we agreed that the shop would keep my truck to use it as a "daily driver" for a week or so to ensure these intermittent issues are addressed; and, taking the truck to Town ************ to have them double-check the engine work, including with a compression test and a coolant pressure test.

  I would also like some clarification on the warranty. Your website states the warranty is 5 years or ****** miles, at ************************************ . There used to be signage in the lobby saying this as well, before the lobby was remodeled in the fall of 2022 (there is now a TV where that sign was hanging). I've attached screenshots of the services page, as well as photos from ****** Maps that show the 5 years / ****** mile warranty promise on the shop's courtesy shuttle in March 2021, and on that wall in September 2022. (I'm unsure what the wall sign used to say underneath the painter's tape that is shown in the photo; to my recollection, it had that tape there when I became a customer at your shop.)

  I would appreciate it if you would please provide detailed documentation of the warranty. I texted the shop to request this yesterday (Monday September 25th at 4:18pm), "Meanwhile if y'all would please email me my service records and warranty information I'd appreciate it." They emailed me my service records today, but I didn't receive anything about the warranty.
  
  Additionally, for the BBB's reference, I've provided those service records, as well as a printout of a Gmail I sent to the shop on August 17, 2022, regarding the truck overheating when it was sitting at idle. This coincides with a bunch of AC work listed in the service records on August 17, 2022, and I believe it coincides with the courtesy inspection listed for August 26, 2022 as well. I

  I was able to drop the truck off this afternoon and ***** had the loaner available for me. Thank you for that. I'm sorry I couldn't get my vehicle there sooner but I had a busy couple of days at work, and I've been sick with allergies.

  Last week I spoke with the Town ************ service writer *************************; she scheduled a placeholder appointment for my vehicle this Saturday, September 30th, at 7am. So if she hasn't heard from me by then, she will check back. If I recall correctly, she also said that the placeholder appointment means that Tech One could drop the truck off with them on Friday before ******************************* closes at 5pm, and then their techs could take a look at it on Saturday, since they work a full 8am-5pm day on Saturdays.
  

  Also I was looking at the folder on my computer that I've kept for this vehicle since I got it. I have PDF's of the factory service manual. It is 23 separate PDF's that are 40 megabytes total: one for each system on the vehicle; plus, an index and a foldout. I would be happy to email them to the shop if that would help here at all. I downloaded them several years ago and I'm not sure that they're available online anymore.
  

  Regards,

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

  

  Business response

  09/27/2023

  That sounds good, we will drive it for a while when we are finished and give you an update. The warranty should be stated on your invoice but we will give you an invoice that states the warranty when we are finished,

  Thanks

  Customer response

  10/02/2023

  Complaint: 20623593
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  *****, please send along the full service history, all of the original invoices, as soon as possible. I've made multiple verbal and written requests for this documentation. 

  Per the attached text message, the shop staff seem unaware that they are supposed to be taking the truck to *** at *****************, and searching for a clock spring replacement. 

  Regards,
  
  ***********************

  

  Business response

  10/03/2023

  We emailed your vehicle history report to you at ************************** on 09/26/2023 at 9:54 AM. 

  Let me know if that is not the correct email address. 

  This is the email we have on file.

  We have not found the correct clock spring yet.

  We have replaced the parts that you have requested as a gesture of Goodwill.

  We are in the process of test driving your vehicle and documenting the drive time as well as the time sitting at idle. We do not want to let the car go until we have put enough miles on it. 

  We have performed a compression test on it and videoed the results that we will send to you as well.

  We will be glad to drop the vehicle off at *****************, but we will need our loaner car back first. We legally can only loan it out when we have a customer's car in our possession.

   

  Customer response

  10/08/2023

  Complaint: 20623593
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  I don't agree that it's a "a gesture of Goodwill" for Tech One to finally be correctly performing a repair after: two years of my reporting issues on an ongoing basis; my escalating to the ** in May, at which time I requested full copies of all my invoices which I still haven't received; my escalating to the owner in July, at which time I again requested full copies of my invoices which I still haven't received; the shop failing to address the issues in July, so during a phone conversation in August the owner agreeing to get me a loaner and keep the vehicle for an extended period and then that promise not being fulfilled; my having to find out myself by speaking with other mechanics that the tuneup was never completed properly; and, my having to file a BBB complaint to get these issues addressed. And let's not forget that your initial response to my BBB complaint was to attempt to lie to the BBB about my engaging in unprofessional conduct, even while your company continues to engage in unprofessional conduct. The staff at the shop were sending me texts trying to get me to take the vehicle back last week, which shows a continued lack of communication on expectations that you've set, but not met, as the owner of the business. Meanwhile my elderly dog has been at risk of heat stroke during trips to the vet, because of the engine overheating and the ** not cooling properly. "A gesture of Goodwill" would be reimbursing me for the extra gas money I've been spending during the last two years when gas prices were at unprecedented highs.

  *** at ********** ****** said that if your staff brings the vehicle in at 7am when they open, they can work on the vehicle while your staff waits. She expects they will need about 4 hours. Given all the hours and inconveniences I've had to deal with over the last two years, I think that is a reasonable request. If Town North ****** finds issues with the repairs that Tech One performed, then Tech One will need to take vehicle back anyway.

  I am again requesting complete invoices for all of the transactions I've had with your company to be emailed to me. What the shop sent was a summary that did not include the full invoices, including not listing any warranty information. Further, I do not want to return the loaner vehicle until I'm assured that the repairs have been completed properly. If that means I have to reject your response to my BBB complaint every week until all warranties have expired, then I will do that every weekend for 3 years after the last warrantied repair. I hope that Tech One can locate the correct clock spring and get it installed, and test the cruise control, plus drive the vehicle daily for at least a week as you agreed to do in August - before taking the vehicle to Town North ****** for them to test it. Feel free to contact *** in their service department to schedule dropoff of the vehicle when it is ready for them to test it. 

  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

  

  Business response

  10/10/2023

  We are driving your car daily now to make sure issues are corrected., When I met you in my office, you mentioned that you were ok with the clock spring not getting replaced since it is no longer available, and you did supply us with a used steering column that had a broken clock spring. Anytime a steering column is not mounted to vehicle such as when it is in a salvage yard or being delivered from the salvage yard - the steering can be turned freely which can cause the clock spring to break. We will however continue to wait for the correct clock spring to become available and install it when it gets here. I'm sorry that you were not satisfied with the records we sent you and I will make sure we send you the entire invoices.

  All the best,

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

   

  Customer response

  10/15/2023

  Complaint: 20623593
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  *****, I'm unsure why you'd reference the terms of the agreement we made when we met in your office, since your company did not make good on those terms. Furthermore, we made that agreement when I had confidence and trust in your shop's ability to properly diagnose and repair my vehicle; that confidence and trust has been eroded, and continues to be so by your ongoing responses to the BBB complaint, including lack of responses. I still haven't received the full invoices and warranty documentation that I've been requesting since at least May. On Wednesday at 12:23pm you texted, "***** this is ***** , we are still testing your vehicle i will have an update on Friday." I didn't receive any update on Friday. 

  Regardless, I did tell your service advisors that they were welcome to procure the parts however they wanted, and **** them up to put them on my bill; they stated they could not procure parts from ***** I was originally led to believe that replacing the steering column would fix the cruise control, but then after the steering column was replaced and the cruise still didn't work, I was told that it wouldn't fix the cruise and it needed to be replaced because it was causing loose steering. Your statement still doesn't explain why the clock spring that originally came with my vehicle was broken when the steering column was replaced. Per the factory service manual, and other mechanics, there's no reason for the original clock spring to be broken when the steering column is replaced. 

  Regards,
  
  ***********************

*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. ↩