Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  02/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  In September 2023, I went to Rod's Master Auto Tech for a 200 point inspection of my vehicle that he said would cost around $200. The service manager said he found several problems, including something wrong with the brakes that he said made it illegal to drive. I asked him for a quote for the services he said it needed. He sent a quote. I told him I needed the quote broken out by parts and labor. Instead of sending me the quote, he just did the work and then charged me $8,347.21.I told him this was unacceptable that I didn't authorize the work to be done to my vehicle. I asked for evidence he had done the work and used quality parts. He said the belts were Bando, but they weren't, they were cheap ********* Amazon. I asked for receipts for the parts he installed. He said he shredded them. I said I'm not satisfied with this. You can't do work I didn't authorize to be done.He said, "Pay the bill or I'm keeping the truck." He had already told me he found a buyer for it. I began to call the ************************* and he asked me to leave. I got in my truck to leave and he stood in front of my truck so I could not leave and called the police. The police said if I didn't pay the bill I could be investigated for felony theft of services.I was left in a situation where he was either going to sell my vehicle, I was going to be arrested, or I had to pay. So I paid and filed a dispute with the attorney general and the credit card company. The attorney general couldn't help and the response from ***'s contained many inaccuracies, claiming to have followed the law, but they didn't. So I'm filing this complaint, because this business has acted in violation of the law, completing services to my vehicle I did not approve, nor did they provide any evidence at all that the work was done or the quality of the parts, or the legitimacy of the parts installed on my vehicle, having "shredded the receipts" for the parts.I seek a full refund of $8,347.21.Thank you.

  Business response

  03/13/2024

  *************************** contacted Rod's Master Auto Tech immediately after acquiring a 1991 **** F-250 from a local auction on September 14, 2023. He sought a thorough post-purchase inspection to understand the vehicle's condition. After conducting a comprehensive digital inspection, Rod's Master Auto Tech provided ******* with a detailed report containing 182 pictures capturing pre-repair, repair process, and post-repair stages. Following a thorough review lasting over 20 minutes, ******* engaged in a 30-minute conversation to discuss the inspection findings and his intentions for the truck's use. He expressed interest in using it as a farm vehicle on ******************** Island, but was open to selling it if the repairs were too costly. Estimated market value was discussed, with Rod's Master Auto Tech suggesting a potential selling price of $20,000, compared to over $100,000 for a new truck of similar quality.
  
  During the inspection review, significant maintenance concerns were identified, including low coolant, deteriorated brakes causing leftward pulling, and leaks in the oil, transmission, and power steering systems. ******* agreed to further investigate these issues during a subsequent conversation on September 19, 2023. The initial inspection cost $252.94, but subsequent diagnostics and repairs raised the total to $1,068.25. Rod's Master Auto Tech diligently compiled estimates, prioritizing safety and quality with premium parts backed by a limited lifetime warranty.
  
  After deliberation, ******* approved repairs including front and rear brake system replacements, brake fluid exchange, transmission cover plate resealing and fluid exchange, gas pedal adjustment, and replacement of all three drive belts. Throughout the process, real-time picture uploads and transparent communication ensured ******* remained informed and engaged. When repairs were completed, *********************************, representing Rod's Master Auto Tech, met ******* to facilitate safe vehicle retrieval. ******* sought price matching and raised concerns about part costs, discussions ensued to clarify the considerations of quality and compatibility. Unfortunately, the exchange escalated, reaching a point where ********* threat of legal action necessitated his removal from the premises, involving the intervention of law enforcement.
  Evidence of documented communications and invoice revisions supported Rod's Master Auto Tech's position, prompting ******* to settle the bill to avoid criminal charges. Subsequently, the matter was addressed with the ************************* to ensure legal clarity and closure. Throughout the ordeal, Rod's Master Auto Tech maintained professionalism, prioritizing client safety and ethical business practices.

  Customer response

  03/17/2024

   
  Complaint: 21289619
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I want to state up front, that Rod's Master Auto Tech said my truck needed $24,869.68 in repairs. He charged me $8,347.21 for repairs he completed, without authorization, while concealing the fact he was doing repairs at all, by telling me he was still working on the inspection. At 4:08 PM Tuesday, September 26th I received a text from him saying, "From Rod's Master Auto Tech: Good afternoon *******. I just wanted to give you an update on the ***** Everything is going great. There are updated pictures if you open the inspection back up. We are hoping that it will be fully completed tomorrow. I will give you another update around lunch time tomorrow. Please call me if you have any questions."  I was waiting on the cost breakdown of parts and which parts he was planned on using so that I could evaluate his repair proposal, while in reality, he was sticking me with repairs he was doing in secret without even telling me.
  
  Well, he did not update me around lunch time the next day. The next communication I received from him was 2 days later when he said my truck was ready to be picked up and I owed him $8,104.09. Now, you might wonder why he would take the risk to do over $8,000 worth of work to the vehicle without authorization. It's because there was zero risk to him. He was going to get my money or my truck and the first thing he told me when I went to retrieve my vehicle was, "Hey I found a buyer for your truck up north. If you ever want to sell it, let me know." Why was he even finding a buyer for my truck? The evidence suggests the reason he allegedly found $24,869.68 worth of repairs needed was to intimidate me into giving the truck to him and walking away from an $8,104.09 repair bill he had encumbered upon me without authorization and in violation of the law.
  
  He told me during a 49 minute phone call going over that $24,869.68 worth of work, how much he loved the truck and his brother had one and how he had always wanted one and he was telling his friends and family what an awesome truck had come into his shop.
  
  When I tried to resolve this issue with him the first time, the day I picked up my vehicle, I told him I was not satisfied with his professionalism and business ethics in regards to his violating my rights and my vehicle with unauthorized work and parts of unknown quality he could find no possible way to validate claims of being "premium parts."  When I insisted what he did was wrong and demanded he make it right, he said very sternly, "Pay the bill or I'm keeping the truck."
  
  Rod's Master Auto Tech's business practices are completely unethical. He didn't want to inspect my truck or fix my trick. He wanted my truck.
  
  Rod's Master Auto Tech's response to my complaint with the BBB is unsupported by evidence and contradicts the facts. The evidence shows Rod's Master Auto Tech did not get authorization to perform these repairs or the more than 10% overcharges in violation of the law, nor did he use premium parts as claimed, nor did he complete the repairs properly, which resulted in damage to my vehicle, nor did he care about customer safety, like when he left the rearview mirror in the back seat, nor did he use transparent communication at any time during our engagement, including by shredding the receipts for the parts before I even returned to pick up my vehicle. No information about the parts was ever provided. Despite his claims, Rod's Master Auto Tech has, in fact, continually operated outside any bounds of professional and ethical business practices.
  
  If Rod's Master Auto Tech was transparent about the quality of these parts, he would provide the brands and part numbers for the parts. He has not done that, because it will prove he used low quality parts that he charged 4 to 12x the retail price for. For a $10 brake hose he charged me $120. The rotors are $133 for a set of two. He charged $628.88 for them. It's obvious why Rod's Master Auto Tech did not get approval for the work in advance, because he knew the customer would not approve low quality parts at premium prices. Charging $551.90 to replace 3 fan belts is not even close to reasonable and it was more than 44% higher than his estimate of $382.50. That is illegal. He did not get approval for the original repair, nor the over charge. The exact brand and part number of fan belts he installed sell retail on amazon.com for $42.36 combined. He charged me $332.68 for them. He said the belts are Bando brand. They are not. The brand and part number are clearly visible on the low quality belts he installed on my vehicle without approval! Rod's Master Auto Tech said it would cost $395.06 to replace a fuel filter, when in fact, I paid a total of $44.54 at another shop to have that done, including tax.
  
  It is not ethical to make false allegations of felony theft of services to the police, because your customer does not want to pay for repairs he did not authorize and no evidence was given the repairs were completed to his expectations with quality parts. I told Rod's Master Auto Tech he did not follow the law and that gave me a legal right to leave with my vehicle. He stood in front of my vehicle, while he called the police. Rod's Master Auto Tech's response says, "Unfortunately, the exchange escalated..." Rod's Master Auto Tech is the one who escalated this dispute every time, beginning by doing the repairs without authorization and then slandering my reputation to the ****************** If it is unfortunate, as he says, then he should stop escalating it and refund my money.
  
  If Rod's Master Auto Tech was ethical, he would not have shredded the receipts for the parts. If he was professional, he would have gotten approval for the repairs before ordering any parts and beginning work on the vehicle. If his communication was transparent, as he claims, he would have informed his customer that repairs were being completed, instead of saying he was still working on the inspection. He would have kept the customer's old parts for inspection, he would have provided boxes for new parts, and detailed information about the parts the customer asked for in advance of any parts being ordered. Or just any evidence at all that he, in fact, did install premium OEM parts on the vehicle as he claimed he would when the customer dropped off the vehicle on the first day, when he said he could probably get all Motorcraft parts, the high quality OEM **** brand of parts.
  
  The evidence shows, in fact, that Rod's Master Auto Tech made every effort to conceal the facts of the case, fraudulently represent low quality parts as premium parts, overbid on work items and then hurriedly complete the work before the customer could approve parts or get second opinions and competitive bids. The evidence, including ****** Reviews for Rod's Master Auto Tech shows a pattern of behavior whereby they force customers into no win situations using shady business practices.
  
  Rod's Master Auto Tech claims, "Rod's Master Auto Tech diligently compiled estimates, prioritizing safety and quality with premium parts backed by a limited lifetime warranty." There is no evidence for this claim. No evidence of any warranty was given to the customer. The customer has had to pay out of pocket to repair damage to his vehicle from incompetent workmanship performed by Rod's Master Auto Tech. Including seized brake calipers, overheated rotors and calipers from excessive friction, brake fluid overheating which damaged the hoses, master cylinder, and brake booster among other system components. The shoddy workmanship from Rod's Master Auto Tech on the brake job was diagnosed and a temporary solution was implemented by Canadian tire to allow the customer to drive the vehicle home. Many components of the brake system must be replaced before it will be safe to tow ****** as needed.
  
  I am waiting on resolution to this case, so I can afford to replace the damaged braking system components and make the vehicle safe to haul heavy equipment. Which is why I told Rod's Master Auto Tech premium parts were needed to ensure I could use the vehicle for its intended purpose safely. The low quality parts and poor workmanship from Rod's Master Auto Tech has significantly compromised the integrity of my vehicle.
  
  Rod's Master Auto Tech said my truck needed $24,869.68 in repairs. The estimate included no information about which parts would be used or even what the parts would cost. He said many of the repairs were "due by mileage," because there was no record of the work having been done on the Carfax report, not because he inspected the vehicle to see if the parts needed to be replaced, as I requested. Much of the work he claimed the truck needed, was disputed by subsequent inspections by professional auto repair shops, including the $2,500 radiator he said it needed. Other shops said the radiator is fine. Rod's also did not identify several parts that needed to be repaired, including the tie rods, fuel tank, glow plugs, glow plug controller and harness, or the fuel pump which failed recently, leaving the vehicle inoperable for months while I find time to fix it myself.
  
  Rod's Master Auto Tech's behavior during this episode is so absurd it's almost comical. Rod's Master Auto Tech has me out of $8,347.21 and still it is so ridiculous I still cannot contain my laughter at the vast difference between their claims and reality as indicated by all the evidence. Rod's Master Auto Tech has provided no evidence to support their claims at all. In fact, the shop owner said himself he shredded the evidence to support the claim he used "premium parts" on my vehicle. The parts are on the truck, so it's easy to disprove his claims. He says he has 180 photos, perhaps, but if so, it is for work that was never authorized in the first place, and he charged well over 4x what the work is worth. Even if a small claims court decides to split the difference, he has still overcharged me by double for work that probably didn't even need to be done and left my truck in worse shape. It's a total scam.
  
  I can provide copies of several inspections and repair invoices at the BBB's request from 4 independent vehicle repair shops to validate my claims above and below.
  
  Of the $24,869.68 in repairs Rod's Master Auto Tech said my truck needed, he did $6,199.31 of those repairs without authorization, leaving $18,670.37 worth of work he said still needed to be done. I took the truck to a professional diesel repair shop. They inspected the vehicle and fixed everything they identified that needed to be done for a total of $4,930.57, which I paid on November 14th, receiving a commercial vehicle inspection certificate indicating it is safe and legal to drive commercially. Those numbers suggest Rod's Master Auto Tech charged me more than 3.8 times more than competitive bids, and since Rod's Master Auto Tech said work needed to be done that did not need to be done, and he descarded the old brakes that were on the vehicle, it is forever impossible to know if the brakes actually needed to be replaced at all. His workmanship on the brakes damaged my vehicle. It is in worse shape than when I took it to him.
  
  It is interesting that I paid $5,000 for the machine and he said it was worth $20,000 and then claimed it needed $25,000 in repairs. That adds up to zero. It's almost like he was inflating the repair order to make the truck not worth it to me to keep. Like I would be better off if I just sold it to him and walked away. Or he stuck me with repairs I didn't authorize, and then I refused to pay the $8,000 in unauthorized repairs he did to the truck and let him keep my truck or sell it to some buyer he had already found up north.
  
  I probably should have just driven off. Now he has my money and I have to fight to get it back, while exposing his shady business practices within the system we have. It's the police themselves who recommended I file this complaint with the BBB before proceeding to next steps.
  
  The evidence suggests he knew his rates were inflated and unacceptable. He wanted to force me into the no win situation of losing ************ freedom, or my $8,347.21. That actually what he wanted was my truck is the only explanation I or anyone I know can come up with. Other mechanics have told me it's a typical kind of scam shady mechanics run on their customers, when they want their cars.
  
  None of it makes any sense to me. I just want to do a good job for my customers. I have no idea why Rod's Master Auto Tech would behave in this manner, but professional and ethical business practices are nowhere in the ballpark.
  
  It is clear that Rod's Master Auto Tech, despite claims, does not have any interest in resolving this issue in a professional and ethical manner. I tried to resolve it with him on the day I retrieved my vehicle, the next business day when I called and he said, "I guess you're gonna have your lawyers call my lawyers" and hung up on me within 30 seconds, when he made unsubstantiated claims to the police and the ************************** then when he made unsubstantiated claims to the credit card company and now to the BBB.
  
  He keeps saying the same thing, that he has photos of the repairs. Maybe so, but none of those repairs were authorized, so that evidence is moot.
  
  All the evidence refutes his claims. None of it adds up and the only evidence he says he has is 180 photos, but again, it is for work that was not authorized, and done while he told me he was working on the 200 point inspection, which I never got. I still don't even know what ************************** what the results were.
  
  On the day, when I picked up my truck and he accused me of having authorized these repairs and I very clearly said, "No I did not!" He responded sheepishly, "... well how am I going to pay my repair technician?"
  
  I said, "I don't know. I didn't tell him to do the work. You did."
  
  When I asked the police to remain on the scene, for my protection and as a witness, so I could pay the bill and keep my truck and my freedom, in hopes of later recovering my funds through the legal system, and went in to pay (which in retrospect, I should not have done), I overheard Rod's Master Auto Tech tell the police, "Usually now in situations like this, they just cancel the check. What do I do then??" If I remember correctly, the police told him he could take me to small claims court. Now, in retrospect, I think I should have just left with the truck and let him take me to court or let them arrest me under false pretenses. I'd have an even stronger case. It looks like I'm going to have to take him to court, because he clearly isn't cooperating with the BBB either, despite Rod's Master Auto Tech's response to the Attorney General saying, "We are committed to addressing [*********] concerns and finding a resolution that satisfies both parties." No they aren't. There is a negative correlation between their words and reality.
  
  At every step, Rod's Master Auto Tech has refused any effort to find a resolution. I have given them at least 5 opportunities to address my concerns. They have not made one attempt to do that, not even in the slightest. "Pay the bill or I'm keeping the truck." Is the only resolution he suggested. That's why we are here.
  
  From his statement to the police, this clearly isn't the first time Rod's Master Auto Tech has put themselves in this position, so they must be quite experienced in fleecing their customers, so I am excited at the opportunity to expose the unethical business practices of Rod's Master Auto Tech and maybe protect some customers in the future.
  
  I do genuinely hope we can resolve this case with the BBB and Rod's Master Auto Tech refunds my $8,347.21 before this complaint escalates any further.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************
  
  

  Business response

  03/25/2024

  I would like more information as to how many times we will be responding to the same complaint? We already handled this via attorney general as well. 

*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. ↩