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My letter regarding repair bill and response

750 views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  j2rossit 
#1 ·
Hi guys. Thanks for all your comments on the last post. I wanted to make sure I wasn't crazy in my interpretation of the experience and it was good to get your opinions. There were a couple comments that old cars come at a cost, which I agree with. But consensus was that I was ripped off. So I asked for a refund and you can read the response here. If a lot of you think I'm being unreasonable I'll back off... but otherwise I'm ready to go the distance and fight this. Probably not really worth my time considering the payback, but like they say somebody's gotta stand up to bullies! Maybe it'll make them think twice about the next customer.


ORIGINAL LETTER

Subject: Request for $1694.58 refund

Dear sir,

The recent repairs on my vehicle were unsatisfactory. Despite the time and expense, both the heating controls and braking system operate worse than before.



Without mentioning your facility specifically, I have shared information about my repair experience with an industry agency, including the invoice details and correspondence between us.



They were very concerned about the duration, cost, quality, and customer service associated with the repair. It did not meet the industry's goal of professional service and fair value for services rendered. More importantly, they were alarmed to learn that I was given a very short time to pick up and drive away a vehicle that was unsafe for the road.



I have been encouraged to file a formal complaint which could result in an investigation. The complaint would name all individuals who were in contact with my vehicle. Even if there is no immediate investigation, one can start later if there are multiple complaints.



I plan to file my complaint on Thursday, July 14. If I receive a refund for $1694.58 before then, I will be satisfied and not file a complaint.



RESPONSE

Hi : not sure what the issue are as we talked about the heater core leaking and it was fixed ?? The control mechanization has other work to be done but is not a safety issue ?? We replaced both front wheel cylinders as dis cussed - they were leaking on the floor ? Not sure what the issue is as we went over the detail . Please explain?


MY REPLY

On June 7 I asked for four items to be addressed:



1. Oil change, which I presume was done



2. Heater core, which I also presume was done.



3. Heat/vent controls. I told you it always worked OK to get heat and vent but it wasn't perfect, so maybe it was time to have a look. You mentioned you were very familiar with the units and you'd investigate. My understanding is that you did some cleaning and checking, then you told me it would make a good winter project or that I might like to take it apart myself. Now all it does is blast heat and I can't control anything, so it is worse than before. I can only assume you did not even test it before or after, even though you had my car for 23 days and billed a lot of hours on it.



4. Brakes. I mentioned that it was losing fluid and you suggested the front wheel cylinder replacement, which I agreed to. However when I picked up the car you said that it still needed shoes and that "you didn't know anywhere in Canada where we could get them". You also said it would pull to the right when stopping and you "weren't sure how I'd drive it that way". Well you are correct and it is not safe to drive the way it is.





Additionally, I have shown your invoice to multiple experts and they believe you have grossly overcharged me for parts and labour. Some joked that you served me a "never come back" bill which is ironic, as I actually gave you that option part-way through the process. Others used verbs that I will not use in this email.



Despite all this I realize it is an older vehicle and don't mind paying more for expert service. I don't even mind if it takes 23 days. And I can even tolerate unprofessional or rude service. But what I cannot tolerate is that the work isn't done right, the car is even worse than before, and now having to find someone else and start over. That is why I want a refund.



THEIR REPLY

Sorry you feel we have done something wrong . The heater core labour and the front wheel cylinder labour times are from an industry Labour Guide. These were the only labour times that were invoiced. The time to do a preliminary investigation on the heater controls was not invoiced. The heater core and front wheel cylinder parts were ordered as per your request - we did provide options for the job which we discussed with you and you opted for the parts which we ordered. An oil change was done, the heater core and wheel cylinders were replaced as per your request.



We talked about climate controls on the June 27th e-mail thread (27/06/206 ). I mentioned that we would look into the control head, which we did. The control head system needs to be disassembled and reworked due to age .



The shoes in the front should be replaced in future but are not unsafe since the material is thick. I test drove the vehicle and did not find the vehicle unsafe. Drum brakes are not as aggressive as disk. I discussed these issues with you.



Sorry for the time delay - I mentioned we were extremely busy and that we would not get to it right away (please refer to your email thread dated (17/06/2016). We offered to return the vehicle prior to commencing the work - refer to e-mail thread ( 17/06/2016). On June 22nd you asked for an update -I provided the progress - that we had parts for heater core and would not looked into brakes till work was finished with heater core . You mentioned in the e-mail heading (I need the 68 Cadillac for the long weekend). We dropped everything to accommodate your request. Refer to e-mail thread (27/06/2016) with the information on the brakes . We removed and replaced two front wheel cylinders - parts were received Wed June 29th evening - (we stayed late to disassemble hardware) - serviced front brakes and finished front wheel cylinders Thursday, June 30th at 12.47 pm - test drove and called you for pick up - refer to e-mail thread (30 /06/2016).



You can imaging my disappointment to receive your e-mail (06/07/2016). No other communication except to threaten the shop and employees . Not even a phone call. Then to doubt and discredit what we have done in your e-mail of today was even more disappointing.



Feel free to phone the shop to discuss the issues and arrange a time for a test drive. We would welcome an opportunity to test drive the vehicle with you to address your concerns
 
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#2 ·
Sounds like they are open to making it right. I'd let them have a chance to fix it to your satisfaction... At least the brakes. They shouldn't pull if you had new wheel cylinders installed other than maybe needing to be bled again or having a collapsed brake hose. Did they check for that?
 
#4 ·
Sorry... the original amount I shared did not include tax. My refund request included it.

I don't have any way to break up the labor for what was satisfactory vs. non-satisfactory. I suppose I could drop off a few parts. But at the same time it is worse than before and I need to spend time and money getting the new problems fixed.
 
#6 ·
I agree. A full refund is quite out of order. The few items that were dealt with satisfactorily is what you should agree to pay for. You said initially that one set of front brake shoes were saturated with brake fluid. That shop should have known that the front brake shoes should should have been replaced. And if they don't know where in Canada replacement shoes can be obtained, I would doubt that the "mechanic" assigned would have had the expertise needed to install and adjust them properly.
You do owe the shop the opportunity to address your issues to your satisfaction. But in my opinion, they owe you the opportunity to supervise their efforts. If you have any friends who are conversant with such repairs, I suggest that he ride shotgun with you.

Best of luck.........R.
 
#8 ·
I think their response is very professional. I would call the owner/manager, and ask to set up a meeting. Bring the car, and your bill. Go over everything, and let him explain why the price is fair. When you get to the wheel cylinders, ask what his cost is, and what the retail is. Garages mark up parts, and that's ok. Just know what the mark up is.

Have the car put on the lift, and pull a wheel and drum. If the cylinders had just started to leak, the shoes don't need to be changed. If they soaked the shoes with brake fluid, they should be done.

Bottom line? I've said it before... if you don't want to work on your own car, you better have lots of money to pay someone to do it. You can buy a lot of nice tools for $1500.
 
#9 ·
I saw the other thread, but I'll write my response here since it seems more current.

The shop most likely did not install the bottom of the barrel cheapest wheel cylinders for the car. If they have a reputation they want to uphold, putting the cheapest brake parts on a car is probably not on their mind when they saw the car. Even on Rockauto, the ACDelco front cylinders are $140 CAD plus tax after shipping. And most parts are actually more expensive here in Canada even at the trade price than they are at Rockauto. I work at GM and I often find myself ordering most of my stuff from Rockauto because the cost of the stuff up here in Canada is shockingly high. I doubt they went as far as to put ACDelco cylinders on, but my point is I can guarantee they spent more than $10 on the wheel cylinders.

I agree with talking to the guy more about what is up with the car. From the sound of it they rushed it at the end to get it back to you. Their response implies they didn't look to see what was needed for the breaks until after your ultimatum to give the car back. Then they had to wait for the parts and probably payed the "I need it now" price. I guess they couldn't get the shoes in time for when you wanted the car so they skipped it. My opinion is that the last minute rush was avoidable as they could have been planning the break work before the heater core job was done, but they assumed they had plenty of time. Having just done the wheel cylinders in my 68, I can attest that getting them adjusted right so that it doesn't pull is a lot of finicky work. Take it to a large empty parking lot and adjust, drive, adjust, drive, adjust, drive, until you are happy, something they probably didn't do that evening.
 
#10 ·
You can't expect a full refund when they did work. What you should have said is you want to discuss the prices with them and you might have better chance of getting something back. The response they gave you makes it sound like you had options for some of the parts such as the wheel cylinders and heater core and you went with the expensive stuff. If that's not the case or they didn't give you any prices before they did the work you might be able to get something back there if you can show them that you can get the parts easily locally for a lot better cost.
 
#11 ·
Hi guys. I greatly appreciate each and every one of your responses. It has been difficult deciding what to do next.

Despite what looks like a very detailed professional response with dates and descriptions, it is far from what really happened and I am able to back it up. I've decided to go the distance and not bring it back for a second chance or discussion. Spent enough time and money there.

I'll be sure to post the outcome but it'll likely be a while! Thanks again guys.

(and Jay... you actually made me look up training courses online... maybe once the kids move out!)
 
#13 ·
The biggest thing you need is confidence (and tools :)). whatever you need to get you that confidence is what's important. For me, it was a friends Dad who encouraged me to work on my first car and would show me a trick or two here and there. After I moved away for university I learned most of it on my own with the help of the internet and clubs I joined.
 
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