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:11/28/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore 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 had work to replace a water pump on a 2012 VW Beetle completed on 11/28/23. I was given an estimate of $1563 before taxes based up on parts and 4-4.5 hrs of labor. The work was completed in less than 3 hrs. While I appreciate they were able to work quickly, the labor charge on the bill was $943. I asked the admin person what the labor charge was per hour and she said $205/hr. This means the labor charge should have been somewhere around $615. I asked her about it and initially she said there was a second technician, but then pretty much immediately tried to walk that back. She went to talk to the service supervisor whom came out and talked with me. Although it wasn't discussed with me nor does it say it anywhere on the estimate, he said that the work was flat rate work, so regardless of how long it takes him he still gets paid $943 or $314.33/hr. Volkswagen has been doing water pump changeouts on this model for at least a decade. They know exactly how long it should take and unless this was a **************** that does work 30% faster than the rest of the humanity, then they are fraudulently padding estimates to bilk customers

  Business Response

  Date: 12/05/2023

  Our ****************** is a flat-rate shop where repair times are all given a specific time allotment to complete the repair and is fair for all customers.  This flat rate time allotment is created by a third party.  If a repair is given one hour time allotment and we take five hours to complete the repair, the customer would only be charged one hour.  Conversely, it the repair takes 30 minutes, the customer is charged one hour.  The customer's complaint is for the later example.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/03/2024

   Yes, I would like to reply. 
  
  Volkswagen of Tacoma continues their deceptive business practice.  If they know a flat rate job takes 60% of the time that is proposed by this "3rd party", then they should make the appropriate adjustments to their billing and provide that as feedback to this "3rd party" (probably Volkswagen of America).  Their hourly rate is $205/hr and they worked on my car for less than 2 hrs.  The are continuing to be dishonest and should be penalized as such.
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/22/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore 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 purchased a used 2016 Kia ***** LX from ** of Tacoma (Larson) on 2/25/22 with ****** miles on it. It had passed their inspections as a reasonably functioning car. ***** miles later the head gasket blew on 10/9/22. A qualified auto shop found a warped head, leaking valves, and a leaking water pump. The shop concluded the car must have been damaged when I purchased it. The shop recommended finding a replacement engine and the cost would be $10,000-$1*****.I contacted ** of Tacoma to see if anything could be done (pay for repair, buy the car back) and they refused. They said it wasn't under warranty (it came with a 3-month, ***** mi warranty, which had expired). The Larson group offers a lifetime limited powertrain warranty for cars purchased with less than ****** miles and within 7 model years, so I had missed this warranty by only 110 miles! ***** I don't know if they willingly sold me a damaged vehicle, I did expect in good-faith they would do something for **** ended up losing the purchase price (over $16k), towing ($200), and shop work to disassemble the engine and diagnose it ($1.3k). I could only sell the car as-is for $1,300. I kept in contact with the ** of Tacoma representative, *********************, as he asked management and then their insurance company. All answers were "No."

  Business Response

  Date: 01/03/2023

  The coverage on this vehicle was expired.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/03/2023

   
  Complaint: 18630530
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The issue isn't the coverage elapsing, it was that it was purchased assuming it was a functional car, but it wasn't. The damage in the engine wasn't apparent at purchase, but a customer should be able to purchase a car without it blowing a head gasket after ***** miles. A reputable business should be willing to do something to rectify the situation instead of allowing the consumer to lose $16,000 when it wasn't the customers fault.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****************

  Business Response

  Date: 01/23/2023

  Our position has been clearly stated.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/23/2023

   
  Complaint: 18630530
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  They have done nothing to compensate me for the purchase of a damaged vehicle. They don't have to admit fault, but they should also understand that I lost $17,000 on a vehicle I only drove for 8 months. I believe it only fair and in good faith to offer me some compensation for my purchase.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****************

  Business Response

  Date: 02/07/2023

  Our position on this case has been stated and remains unchanged.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/12/2023

   
  Complaint: 18630530
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  It is still not a good business practice to sell a damaged car without compensation.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/19/2022

  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 bough a vehicle through them and they required I buy a system for the center brake light and theft. I paid $300 for the center brake light through my loan. The system was either not put in or not working. I contacted them and told them i wanted my money back for the center brake light. I called multiple times and left voicemails with no call back. I finally got ahold of the sales manager *********************, he said the check for the $300 was on his desk and he was sending it out. I never received any checks.I waited over a month for the check to come but it never did. I began calling and leaving him more voicemails. He never returned my call so I called multiple times to speak with the general manager. I was told by staff he was in a meeting every time and they would give him my name and number. I never got a call back. I called and spoke with the front desk lady and she stated she would look into it and would call back by the end of the day. Never got a call back I am currently paying interest on this amount and they will not give me my money back. The dealership is almost 2 hours away from my house. I just had a newborn child and back to work. I can not just drive up there.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/06/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore 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 wanted to buy a new car for a long time. Major repairs are now an issue. But now that prices of everything are sky-high, I decided to wait to buy and just pay for repairs to run my car a little longer until our country recovers. June 21, 2022, I took my 2012 Volkswagen Jetta to the Larson Autohaus for services that cost me over $2,405.94. One of the main services I requested was the *** It had been blowing hot air for a few months. The invoice stated that they performed a "leak test", the type of test was not specific on the invoice. They fixed another issue, and the ** was working again. 2.5 weeks later the ** started blowing hot air again. Whatever they fixed the first time wasn't the main cause. About 1 week later I made an appointment to get it looked at again. July 28, 2022, they performed a leak test. This time the invoice was specific, a UV light inspection. I was told it would cost $871 to repair!I was upset. We were in the middle of a heatwave and my car is my only mode of transportation. I asked to speak to the Services Manager, but he went to lunch. I left him a voicemail message requesting a callback. He called me, I explained the situation, and he asked what I wanted to happen because his guys "did their job". I told him I wanted my ** repaired and I shouldn't be responsible for any charges because according to my invoices, they failed to perform a thorough leak inspection the first time. He kept saying he wasn't going to fix anything and then started making condescending remarks. I paid over $2,400 the first time so that I could get a little more life out of my old car and I didn't even get an apology! He then offered to cover 10%. Not fair at all! They basically found the first problem they encountered, put a "band aid" on it, did not specify what type of inspection they did, but made sure they were specific on the second invoice, and now they want to charge me almost $900 for something they should have caught the first time.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/08/2022

  *** complainant brought her 2012 Jetta with ******* miles in on 6/22/22, for several repairs along with an A/C diagnosis.  We found the refrigerant was low, requiring a recharge and pressure test of the A/C system.  We performed the recharge and retested. *** system tested successfully. 

  She returned her vehicle on 7/28/22, reporting the A/C was not working again.  We found the low pressure hose leaking and in need of replacement.  *** service advisor gave the customer an $1100 estimate for repairs and the customer walked out without acknowledging whether they wanted a repair.  When the service manager called the customer she insisted that we cover the repair because it was hot out and she had no A/C.  As her business is important to us, we reduced the estimate down to $871 for the repair and we were going to cover the evacuation/recharge of the refrigerant.   

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/28/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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.

  On March 30, 2022 my son ********************* took my **** VW Beetle in to have the windshield wipers fixed and not even 2 months later I was coming home from a doctor *********** and it started to rain and then pouring rain!THE WIPERS did not work and it was a very dangerous situation!My son has called the service repair manager several times and I have left a message, because they do not answer phones very much?NO REPLY NO return calls I either want my wipers FIXED or they can return the $612.37 they charged for NOT fixing my car!Very upset customer my son is handling this mostly because I was hospitalized in March with heart attact and I am trying to stay calm, but $612.37 is a lot of money for NOTHING being fixed LARSON needs to make this right OR PEOPLE need to know what kind of a Business LARSON is cheating customers and NOT returning calls maybe BBB can wake them up to treat customers bitter?*********************** ************ *************** or my son ********************* ************

  Business Response

  Date: 06/08/2022

  The customer came in for us to diagnose the issue with the car.  Turns out they had a water leak at some point leading to a rather expensive wiring repair to get the wipers to operate as designed.  The customer declined the additional repairs and asked for a refund for the installed part that did not fix the car.  We submitted that check request yesterday which will be processed for the customer.   The customer was content we were making it right for refunding them for a repair that did not fix the issue.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/08/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:

  I have NOT heard anything from the business other then the BBB response

  YES I ask for a refund for something NOT being fixed and was told it would have to be submitted and approved by higher up management

  I will be a happy customer WHEN I receive a full refund.

  I have heard nothing from business regarding this refund issue

  still waiting?

  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** Or ********************* Or ************