J. Tippett Enterprises, Inc.

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
This isn't a matter of simple financing. Whether or not I have the money is not the issue... the issue is whether or not I should have to pay again for work that was performed and did not hold up. 
Prior to the May 2014 visit that Scott refers to, I had visited the shop 2x - while still within the warranty period - and was told there was nothing wrong with the transmission. They even took it in and said they had to adjust the computer the one time (less than 2 weeks after the work was done) and that was all that the problem was. When I still had issues and stopped in a couple of months later I was told that it was "normal" and that it might "feel" different for a while as it had been re-built. I accepted this and trusted them as the experts. Again, both incidents were well within the warranty period. However, once the warranty period ended and I returned, they then agreed that there was a more major problem. After this visit in May they informed me that they thought it was the torque converter - a part that was replaced during the rebuild. I was skeptical of this and took it for a second opinion. This is why no work was done in May. Upon that second opinion, the shop said they did not see anything to indicate a torque converter malfunction and said I should return it to Cottman as it had an internal issue. After returning to Cottman and being promised that no work would be done until they spoke with me first, the torque converted was cut apart and it was discovered that there was no problem with it. This is now how my vehicle sits.
I simply asked for Cottman to stand behind their work. A major internal failure should not occur in such short time if the work is done properly. The fact that I was told it was fine, the problem was misdiagnosed, and work was done without my permission have caused me to lose faith in this company. Now the offer they present me with is to spend more money with them and hope that it is better the second time around, or to have them put it back together in the same broken condition that it was in. I see no way that they can possibly re-assemble a "broken" yet driveable transmission in the exact way it came in. I truly feel they have made this situation even worse and left me with 2 unacceptable options. 
At this point I would ask that they refund the money and leave the vehicle as-is so that I may have it towed to another repair shop.
Regards,
[redacted]

------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Scott S[redacted] <[redacted]>
Date: Fri, Sep 12, 2014 at 2:50...

PM
Subject: complaint ID [redacted]
To: [redacted]
   Dear [redacted],
           This letter is in response to complaint # [redacted]. [redacted] had us tow his truck to Cottman so we could evaluate a drivability issue. Upon receipt of the vehicle, we were able to slowly drive the truck into the shop under light throttle. Our initial inspection revealed that the transfer case ( 4 wheel drive unit) had an internal problem. We were unable to move actuator for different manually between ranges after removing electrical actuator motor.
  I called [redacted] to advise him that we found a problem with the operation of the transfer case, and he authorized an internal inspection of this component. Quoted price for this inspection was $350, which included labor charge to install transfer case in the truck after repairs. The internal inspection revealed damage to the internal actuator (range selector) mechanism and a transfer chain that worn well beyond acceptable limit and close to a complete failure.
  [redacted] was given 2 repair options and authorized us to install a remanufactured transfer case @ $1830.91 plus tax. This charge included R + R labor charge. During the post repair road test, the truck initially drove well , but began to lose power after 10 minutes of driving. I had also noticed evidence of a small leak or fluid residue below the vehicle. I was uncertain whether fluid was residual or leakage , but knew for certain the truck was not ready to
  deliver. My calls to [redacted] throughout the day Friday, September 5 were unanswered. I was out of town Saturday, but stopped by the shop Sunday and advised him that the truck had a leak and performance issue. I told him that I had concerns with the transfer case and/or transmission and needed to disassemble the truck to find the problem. I advised him there would be no additional charge for disassembly or reassembly. He was aware of my intent
  to take the truck apart the following Monday. Monday, we removed the transmission and transfer case as an an assembly and Tuesday morning, discovered additional problems with the transmission. I called [redacted] Tuesday AM and advised him of my findings, and made 2 proposals to repair transmission problem which reflected a great compromise in cost, I also encouraged him to either visit the center so he might examine the problems/damage
  to both his transmission and original transfer case. He said transportation to the center was not available, and declined to have me e-mail any photographic evidence of the problems with his truck. He then advised me to HALT all work. Since then, all communication from him has been directed to Cottman's home office and the Revdex.com.
        I believe [redacted] has a lack of understanding regarding the sum of the repairs necessary for his truck to be reliable. I believe our discovery of a second problem has resulted in a lack of trust or faith in the authenticity of any communication we have by telephone. I would ask that he arrange to visit the center so we could both review the problems with his truck. With knowledge, he could choose a repair which suits his need for the truck to be reliable, and
   alleviate any concerns he has regarding cost. The best way for 2 people to solve a problem is for them to examine it together and arrive at a solution that makes sense.
   I look forward to resolving this complaint quickly.
   Regards,
   Scott S[redacted]

September 11, 2014
Dear [redacted] and [redacted],This letter is in response to your letter ot Wednesday, September 3. The warranty tor the transmission in [redacted]’s [redacted] has expired in time and mileage. His request for a refund is denied. The failed component was manufactured by Ford and we had no control over its' manufacture. I advised [redacted] at the time he authorized us to do the internal inspection of the transmission that there would be a cost to repairing it.I have, for longer than 30 days, had [redacted]'s vehicle in our shop with the transmission disassembled pending our reaching an agreement to solve the problem with his car. To date, he has contacted outside parties ( Revdex.com, Cottman Home Office) regarding his truck, but has never expressed an interest in visiting the shop so he could understand the nature of the failure, or consider our proposed repair. I am in a position where I need to be able to have his truck moved from the shop. I would propose the following:1) Have [redacted] visit the shop, look at the transmission, and negotiate a cost to do out of warranty repair necessary for his truck to be reliable.2) I would reassemble the transmission in its original condition , install it in his truck and replace all transmission with new fluid. Because no repair would be done, Cottman would waive any charge related to the inspection of his transmission or its1 reassembly.I need to have this matter concluded within 10 days, no later than September 21, 2014. If [redacted] does not contact me personally by September 21, Cottman will withdraw any offer to repair his transmission at a discounted price . I would reassemble the transmission in its’ original condition , and reinstall it so [redacted] could pick up his truck.I will forward a copy of this letter to [redacted] at the address listed on the Repair order for prior repair.Regards,Scott S

-------- Forwarded message ----------
From: [redacted] <[redacted]>
Date: Mon, Aug 11, 2014 at 3:02...

PM
Subject: complaint [redacted]
To: [redacted]
     [redacted],
           I, Scott S[redacted], am the manager of Cottman Transmission. Any future correspondence should be directed to me. My E-mail address is [redacted].
     on 1/31/2013 [redacted] picked up his vehicle, a 2004 [redacted] SUV. We had overhauled his transmission and replaced the torque convertor, as well.
     This repair was the least expensive of his 2 repair options. The warranty for the service performed was 12 months or 12000 miles, whichever comes first. The
     mileage on the vehicle at the time of delivery ( 01/31/2013) was 120068 miles.
          In May of 2014, [redacted] returned the truck to our shop so we might check a fluid leak and noise coming from the transmission. I advised him that the warranty period
     was up due to time (3-4 months) and mileage ( 4000 miles over the 12000 mile limit ). I advised him that I could not fix the truck for free. I told him I would charge $450
     to remove and reinstall the transmission and would charge him much less for any necessary repair in consideration of his past repair. I suggested that if the repair was
     limited to replacing the torque convertor or replacing seals, he should expect a $650-700 bill. Mid July of 2014, [redacted] returned the vehicle to us for an internal inspection
     of the transmission. The transmission was low on fluid and still noisy. An internal inspection revealed a planetary assembly had failed and there was subsequent damage
     that had occurred from being driven with a low fluid level. I called [redacted] and advised him the cost to repair the transmission would be $1500 plus tax. The cost I quoted him
     is $1000 less than I would charge if I had not previously worked on his truck.
          [redacted] was initially offered 2 repair options when his truck was serviced. The first option (Remanufactured transmission) was $3346 plus tax with a 2 year warranty. He chose the second, less expensive option of an overhaul @$2955.16 plus tax with a 12 month 12000 mile warranty. The failed part that was manufactured by [redacted]. This failure was not due to an assembly error of our shop.
          I will respond to this complaint in one of 2 ways. I will offer to repair the truck for $1500 plus tax with an additional 1 year warranty, or reassemble the broken transmission install it in the truck at no charge with no repair performed. (At that point, it will still be leaking and making noise). If [redacted] declines to have us repair the truck at     this time, our offer to repair it for $1500 will be withdrawn.
          If [redacted]'s greatest obstruction to having us repair the truck is the fact he has no money, I can refer him to a company that does financing.
     Please call with any Questions,
     Regards,
     Scott S[redacted] (manager) [redacted]1

Review: On 8/26 our 99 [redacted] suddenly acted up and only went 40mph most of time, sometimes acted normal. We DROVE it to a garage and they diagnosed the transmission. on 8/28 we called Cottman Transmission, a transmission specialist, and they offered a free tow to shop and an estimate. It was drivable, but slow.They diagnosed the transfer case. They said it would be $350 to drop it and find out for sure. We agreed. On 9/2 they called and said it would be $1800 total for a rebuild with 2yr warranty and it they would have it ready in a few days. We agreed and would pick it up Friday or Monday. We heard nothing. No calls on caller ID. Then on Sunday,9/7,(a non-business day) we get call from Manager, Scott S[redacted] that there is a leak in our just rebuilt transfer case. They would drop it for no charge and it may cost us a little more for a few parts.I heard nothing, called them at closing on 9/8. He told me the transmission was out and apart on their bench. I was angry and speechless. They did NOT have permission to take out transmission and take apart. I said HALT all work. He was to call me in morning. He did not. I called him and he told me it would be $1700 for rebuilt transmission. There was apparently no problem at first diagnosis, suddenly there is a leak and now I am on the hook for $3500. This is a transmission specialist who couldn't diagnose a transmission problem. I called the corporate office. I spoke to [redacted], director of consumer support at [redacted]. I discussed the situation and he said he would see what he could do. He offered a $200 discount.I am NOT satisfied. I did not give permission for transmission to come out. Now I have 3,750 bill with no options. The whole problem is that they are transmission specialists. Why didn't they know it was the transmission from the start and give us an appropriate estimate. We would not have chosen to have work done to a 1999 at this price.Desired Settlement: We would like to negotiate a lower price, since we were not given a good estimate and they removed a major part and took it apart without consulting us and would like a longer warranty. We do not trust them and are concerned that other things may be damaged.

Business

Response:

------- Forwarded message ----------

From: Scott S[redacted] <[redacted]>

Date: Fri, Sep 12, 2014 at 2:50 PM

Subject: complaint ID [redacted]

To: [redacted]

Dear [redacted],

This letter is in response to complaint # [redacted]. [redacted] had us tow his truck to Cottman so we could evaluate a drivability issue. Upon receipt of the vehicle, we were able to slowly drive the truck into the shop under light throttle. Our initial inspection revealed that the transfer case ( 4 wheel drive unit) had an internal problem. We were unable to move actuator for different manually between ranges after removing electrical actuator motor.

I called [redacted] to advise him that we found a problem with the operation of the transfer case, and he authorized an internal inspection of this component. Quoted price for this inspection was $350, which included labor charge to install transfer case in the truck after repairs. The internal inspection revealed damage to the internal actuator (range selector) mechanism and a transfer chain that worn well beyond acceptable limit and close to a complete failure.

[redacted] was given 2 repair options and authorized us to install a remanufactured transfer case @ $1830.91 plus tax. This charge included R + R labor charge. During the post repair road test, the truck initially drove well , but began to lose power after 10 minutes of driving. I had also noticed evidence of a small leak or fluid residue below the vehicle. I was uncertain whether fluid was residual or leakage , but knew for certain the truck was not ready to

deliver. My calls to [redacted] throughout the day Friday, September 5 were unanswered. I was out of town Saturday, but stopped by the shop Sunday and advised him that the truck had a leak and performance issue. I told him that I had concerns with the transfer case and/or transmission and needed to disassemble the truck to find the problem. I advised him there would be no additional charge for disassembly or reassembly. He was aware of my intent

to take the truck apart the following Monday. Monday, we removed the transmission and transfer case as an an assembly and Tuesday morning, discovered additional problems with the transmission. I called [redacted] Tuesday AM and advised him of my findings, and made 2 proposals to repair transmission problem which reflected a great compromise in cost, I also encouraged him to either visit the center so he might examine the problems/damage

to both his transmission and original transfer case. He said transportation to the center was not available, and declined to have me e-mail any photographic evidence of the problems with his truck. He then advised me to HALT all work. Since then, all communication from him has been directed to Cottman's home office and the Revdex.com.

I believe [redacted] has a lack of understanding regarding the sum of the repairs necessary for his truck to be reliable. I believe our discovery of a second problem has resulted in a lack of trust or faith in the authenticity of any communication we have by telephone. I would ask that he arrange to visit the center so we could both review the problems with his truck. With knowledge, he could choose a repair which suits his need for the truck to be reliable, and

alleviate any concerns he has regarding cost. The best way for 2 people to solve a problem is for them to examine it together and arrive at a solution that makes sense.

I look forward to resolving this complaint quickly.

Regards,

Scott S[redacted]

Review: Here is the email I sent to Cottman Transmission after speaking to the local shop who did the repair on my vehicle.

"I took my vehicle in to the local Cottman for a transmission rebuild in January of 2013. The service listed on my invoice stated: remove, check, install. Cottman overhaul, service grade II, includes bronze servo sleeves, reverse servo piston, overdrive planetary, sonnax pump flow control valve, overdrive band, reverse band, fluid. Solenoid block. Torque converter.

I paid more than $3,000 to have all of this work done and chose Cottman as I expected it to be the best place for this type of work. However, I immediately had issues with it and had to return before the 2 week check up as the transmission shifted very hard and allowed RPM's to climb very high before shifts which were not consistent. After they took it in and made some adjustments I was told it was fine and took it home. The transmission still did not feel right and I contacted the shop again but was told it was "normal" and nothing to worry about. I took their word for it and continued to drive the vehicle. At my state inspection this year the technician informed me and noted on my service invoice that there was a leak at the bell housing. I contacted my local Cottman again and they looked at it and said that it could be the torque converter (which I had paid for a new one to be installed when the work was done) but he couldn't say for sure until he took the transmission off and he would have to charge me for that. So I took it for a second opinion first. The second opinion was that it was NOT the torque converter but rather something inside the transmission. This mechanic informed me that he would not want to work on it and charge me and that I should go back to Cottman as it had only been 16,000 miles since the overhaul. So this is what I did. I talked with Scott at the same Cottman shop again and he said he would take a look at it and do as little damage financially as possible. I asked him to notify me prior to doing any work that I would be charged for. He assured me that not only is it bad business to just go ahead with work but it was also illegal. So I dropped it off a week later when he said he would have time to look at it. A week after I dropped it off, I called to check on progress to find out they had not even looked at it yet. He assured me he would the next day. The next day Scott called me and said he had the vehicle on the lift and that he had cut the torque converter open only to discover there was nothing wrong with it. He said that there were metal shavings and that he needs to take the transmission apart again and re-do much of what he did last year. All of this at a cost of an extra $1,500 to me. Not only was I shocked to hear this, but now I am stuck with a vehicle on a lift without a torque converter which was perfectly fine to begin with. I am extremely dissatisfied with the service, the quality, and the unwillingness to stand behind their work!

I realize that Cottman is a nationwide chain, and I know the company has a good reputation. I believe this is the type of thing you would want to know about and eliminate from happening to others. I am really not sure where to go from here... I do not have the money to fix this and my vehicle is not driveable. Please contact me with any advice on how to proceed. Thank you very much."

I received a call back from Cottman 2 weeks later (although their website ensures a response in 24 hours) in which they informed me that they could do nothing about it, that they were a third party and just the franchise license company. They said it is between me and the shop and that they cannot force the local shop to fix it.

Our vehicle has now been there since July 8th.Desired Settlement: We are simply looking for the company to stand behind their work. There is no reason for a transmission to go out just over a year after a full rebuild. If they are unwilling to fix it I would request a refund so that I can have someone else do it.

Business

Response:

-------- Forwarded message ----------

From: [redacted] <[redacted]>

Date: Mon, Aug 11, 2014 at 3:02 PM

Subject: complaint [redacted]

To: [redacted]

[redacted],

I, Scott S[redacted], am the manager of Cottman Transmission. Any future correspondence should be directed to me. My E-mail address is [redacted].

on 1/31/2013 [redacted] picked up his vehicle, a 2004 [redacted] SUV. We had overhauled his transmission and replaced the torque convertor, as well.

This repair was the least expensive of his 2 repair options. The warranty for the service performed was 12 months or 12000 miles, whichever comes first. The

mileage on the vehicle at the time of delivery ( 01/31/2013) was 120068 miles.

In May of 2014, [redacted] returned the truck to our shop so we might check a fluid leak and noise coming from the transmission. I advised him that the warranty period

was up due to time (3-4 months) and mileage ( 4000 miles over the 12000 mile limit ). I advised him that I could not fix the truck for free. I told him I would charge $450

to remove and reinstall the transmission and would charge him much less for any necessary repair in consideration of his past repair. I suggested that if the repair was

limited to replacing the torque convertor or replacing seals, he should expect a $650-700 bill. Mid July of 2014, [redacted] returned the vehicle to us for an internal inspection

of the transmission. The transmission was low on fluid and still noisy. An internal inspection revealed a planetary assembly had failed and there was subsequent damage

that had occurred from being driven with a low fluid level. I called [redacted] and advised him the cost to repair the transmission would be $1500 plus tax. The cost I quoted him

is $1000 less than I would charge if I had not previously worked on his truck.

[redacted] was initially offered 2 repair options when his truck was serviced. The first option (Remanufactured transmission) was $3346 plus tax with a 2 year warranty. He chose the second, less expensive option of an overhaul @$2955.16 plus tax with a 12 month 12000 mile warranty. The failed part that was manufactured by [redacted]. This failure was not due to an assembly error of our shop.

I will respond to this complaint in one of 2 ways. I will offer to repair the truck for $1500 plus tax with an additional 1 year warranty, or reassemble the broken transmission install it in the truck at no charge with no repair performed. (At that point, it will still be leaking and making noise). If [redacted] declines to have us repair the truck at this time, our offer to repair it for $1500 will be withdrawn.

If [redacted]'s greatest obstruction to having us repair the truck is the fact he has no money, I can refer him to a company that does financing.

Please call with any Questions,

Regards,

Scott S[redacted] (manager) [redacted]1