Magic Valley Tires, Inc.

They did not complete the work satisfactorily. I brought my car to Magic Valley tire because it was squealing from an old belt. They said on the phone they did not have the part. I bought the only one available at [redacted]. I brought the car in. They looked at it and told me changing the belt would fix the squealing, but that the entire compressor needed to be changed. That it would soon seize up, and snap my new belt. I was quoted $600. The receptionist I later find out was on vacation. I bring the car back at their 1st available appointment. Only to be told my quote was way off. that [redacted] is the only one who knows how to use a computer, and that it will be closer to $850 before taxes. I said that is crazy. Can we get it any lower? After negotiating we settled on $700. I picked up the car a day and a half later than promised. My total was $726 plus the price of buying my own belt. The very next day it is still squealing just not as often. I call back the next morning. I am told that they can not look at the car until the following week on Monday because they don't have any mechanics at all Thursday or Friday. I bring the car in Monday. I am told that the belt is new and tight, and that everything is functioning correctly. I say if it were, it would not squeal. The receptionist uses a familiar excuse, that she isn't a mechanic so she can't help me. I ask to talk to the owner. He comes around, I very politely ask why it still squeals. He informs me that my part was cheap and "no good". That I need to buy [redacted] brand. I say that if that is the case I should have been told that before you put in on my car. He points his finger at me and says, "YOU are the one that bought it." I said because you didn't have it. I was told when I asked about you guaranteeing your work that, "I trust [redacted] parts". he says I could have let them order the part that was better. I was never offered that choice, and didn't know I needed to. When I mentioned I'm not the mechanic, and he is supposed to be the professional he said. I promised to fix the compressor and I did. I said no, because if it were done right it wouldn't be squealing, which was why I brought it to you in the first place. Then he insulted me saying "I don't know what else to tell ya, Sweetheart" while walking through the doors to the shop, where I'm not allowed to follow. So I left to take my business elsewhere. Desired SettlementI want my car to stop squealing when it starts up. I'm not sure if this was due to a bad belt or if the compressor that they put in was faulty but I expect them to fix the problem that I paid them good money for.Business Response As a small business we work hard to achieve satisfaction with all of our customers. As Ms. [redacted] stated she brought her vehicle in due to a squealing noise. After diagnosis it was determined that her belt was faulty and needed a new one but that the AC compressor was weak as well and as is known in the automotive field when an ac compressor fails it can cause the belt to break. The head technician explained the diagnosis to Ms. [redacted]. He did not quote her an exact amount and gave her his best estimate due to the flow of traffic in the shop that day. When Ms. [redacted] arrived for her appointment the office manager gave her an exact estimate of the work that was to be completed before the technicians began working on her vehicle to insure she was satisfied with the amount. As is our company policy, we do not repair any vehicles without proper authorization from customers. The items changed on Ms. [redacted] vehicle are as follows, Belt (customer supplied part), AC Kit (includes; ac compressor, drier and expansion valve.) The detailed quote was more than the technician had estimated so the office manager graciously gave her a discount on the labor, Freon and parts to come closer to an amount that the customer could afford. As stated before, we do not repair any vehicles without customer authorization so at any point in this discussion of the quote Ms. [redacted] had the opportunity to decline the repair and seek another facility. Ms. [redacted] agreed to the finished quote and we began repairs of the above mentioned quote. The office manager explained to Ms. [redacted] that the shop was completely booked at the moment and just as soon as a technician and bay was available that we would have her car in. She stated that that was ok and had her partner pick her up. This repair was completed on 7/28/2015. Ms. [redacted] came back to our facility on Monday, 8/17/2015 with the complaint that her belt was squealing. After diagnosis the technician explained that there was no problem with the belt or the ac kit that had recently been repaired, the belt is simply squealing. It is not uncommon for different brands of belts to squeal occasionally. This does not mean that there is an actual problem with the belt. The office manager explained the diagnosis to Ms. [redacted] and she failed to understand. The office manager began to explain how the quality of a part can differ by brand and just as the quality of brake pads can vary and give you more noise and brake dust on an organic pad rather than a ceramic pad so can be said with a belt. As an automotive repair facility we are able to order different quality parts just as a consumer walking into a parts store can do. The belt was unavailable to us on this day but was stated to Ms. [redacted] that it could be ordered. She insisted she had a belt and asked if we could just use it. We agreed. We do not under any circumstances judge a customers choice of brand that he or she chooses to purchase. She insisted that it was the only one available in the area that day and did not want to wait for another. As any other business we do as the customer requests. After the technician came into the office and reiterated what the office manager had stated about purchasing a better quality belt the customer became extremely upset and stated that she felt it was our fault that she purchased that belt and that we should have notified her to purchase another one. As stated above, we do not under any circumstances judge a customers choices. The customer was upset and continuously chastising the technician who was trying very politely to explain to her the issue. The technician then excused himself and told her very politely, "I don't know what else to tell you, sweetheart." In the business of automotive repair it can be difficult to explain terms, functions of parts and other technicalities to customers who are unfamiliar with this field of work. We do our very best with every customer to take our time and explain in detail each and every diagnosis. Unfortunately, Ms. [redacted] was not willing to listen and chose to blame our facility for her purchase. We take pride in our business and after nearly 20 years serving this community we do not find it fair to have Mr. [redacted] (Ms. [redacted] partner) to post on our business [redacted] page that we are "rude and incompetent". We, as a company, understand Ms. [redacted] concerns but once again we did not purchase the belt. We have told her multiple times during her last appointment to visit the part store in which she purchased the belt and have them exchange her belt for one of a different brand. We will be more than happy to install the belt at no charge to Ms. [redacted]. Unfortunately, since the belt was purchased by Ms. [redacted] and not by Magic Valley Tires we can not return it for her. Once again, we take pride in our company and as a small business we seek the approval of our customers and the referrals they give us. We sincerely apologize to Ms. [redacted] if she misunderstood our diagnosis and we will try our best to help her in any way possible in the future. Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)In Magic Valley Tire's response they claim they could not give me an exact quote due to the flow of traffic in the shop that day. I was the only one in the lobby. I saw one other customer the whole time I was there, and he left after one question. I understand what an estimate is. If you say it will be about $600, I assume it could be somewhat more or less. When I came back I was told the reason I was given such a bad estimate, was that [redacted] the receptionist was gone for a week, and that she is the only one that knows how to use the program that gives you an exact total. Her total came out above $900. That is more than just a little wiggle room. That is 50%. After I went over every aspect of what I was being charged for, I got them to agree to $726. I was also told that [redacted] would get ahold of someone in charge. That she could lower the price of the refrigerant by just recycling what I had instead of replacing it. She would try to get it closer to the original quote. Yes, I could have taken my business elsewhere, but I had waited 4 days for a open appointment, and I would have to wait even longer when I need a working vehicle. That is why quoting a vastly different price is problematic. The shop was completely booked on 7/23 when I came in originally. I booked an appointment at 9am 7/27. I brought the car in with the promise that it would be done by the end of the day. I called to check on the process several times with no response. At 3pm I got a voicemail saying that work had not yet started, and that it wouldn't be done until 7/28. I informed their receptionist that my boss had picked me up that day and she could do the same Tuesday, but she couldn't take me home, and that it had to be done by noon, which is my lunch hour. I was told that would be fine. On 7/28 it was not done by noon, it was not done until just before closing. I had to pay for it over the phone at work so I could pick it up after they closed by having them leave a key under the mat. As for calling the problem a "simple squeal" it is not. It can be heard from across my neighborhood. I am afraid to leave too early in the morning, because I am afraid of waking my neighbors. It is overpowering even with the windows up and radio on. The noise is the original problem that I came in for. I have since taken the car to a master technician who is certified. He told me that the belt I had put on was a good brand and that the [redacted] brand should not make a difference. He said that no mechanic should charge you such a high figure and then neglect to fix the original problem. The office manager didn't explain anything to me. She said several times, "I'm not a mechanic. I don't understand how any of that works. If you want, you can wait and speak to the mechanic." I understood what they claim happened, I just didn't believe it. It is not an occasional squeal it happens every time I start the car in the morning, and then at random times throughout the day. I did not already have a belt. I am not in the habit of stocking random automotive parts. I was told they didn't have the part I needed, and that I could get it at [redacted]. I did so. It was the only one they had. I even asked if the belt was okay and the mechanic said he trusted [redacted] parts. Not once was I told it was cheap, or old, or even to let them order one. After I complained, I was told all of the reasons why the problem was my fault. I believe the only reason that Magic Valley Tire is blaming the belt is that it is the one thing that they do not have to guarantee. I strongly suspect that the belt was not at fault, because the car was making the exact same noise before they did any work to begin with. Not once was I told to exchange the belt at [redacted]. Instead the mechanic kept repeating that the squealing was normal, that it wouldn't hurt anything, and that I could continue to run the air despite the noise. I have an appointment on 9/8 with a master technician. Who upon first checking the compressor on 9/4, found it low on refrigerant, with no leaks, and that the compressor itself had seized up. The reason is unclear until the appointment, but I do not think if the work had been done correctly it would have gone out so quickly. So after $726 we are without air. The mechanic and I do not have a familiar relationship, it is unprofessional for him to address me by anything other than my name. His use of the name "sweetheart" right before storming out of the room, mid conversation, was sexist and insulting. I never raised my voice, I let the mechanic finish his sentences, and waited to explain why I disagreed with his statement. He however started raising his voice to me, pointing his finger at me repeatedly while he yelled, "You bought the belt!, You decided to use it, not me!" That's when I told him I did so under his advice. Then he stormed off. Magic Valley Tires never offered to change the belt until after the complaint had been received. In conclusion I did not misunderstand anything in my dealing with them. If there is any misunderstanding at all it is on the part of Magic Valley Tires. They clearly do not understand how to give an honest estimate, how to stand by their work, or how to treat their customers with respect. Their response to my complaint is nothing more than a serious of implied insults and outright lies. Final Business Response We are once again addressing the complaints of Ms. [redacted]. As stated previously we guarantee all our work. This is the first we have heard of her AC system not working during my reading of this complaint, If the customers AC system is not working then she needs to bring it to us immediately so that the issue can be resolved under her warranty terms. If the customer does not bring the vehicle in for the repair then there is nothing more we can do. We do not warranty work that is repaired by another shop. What that means is . . .we will not send a check for the work to be repaired at another facility. The repair work done to Ms. [redacted] AC system is still under warranty and we will be more than happy to repair any problems there are with the system and will also change her belt free of charge just as mentioned in our previous response. All Ms. [redacted] needs to do is schedule an appointment and we will see to it that any problems be repaired under her warranty terms. Her 90 day labor warranty is still valid as well so it is crucial that she has any needed repairs done as soon as possible. As for Ms. [redacted] statements that we were not busy, that statement is completely false. We are a full service automotive facility which means we do a variety of work. These services range from oil changes to transmission rebuilds. Just because there are not always customers in our waiting area does not mean that work is not being done. Most of our customers have to drop off their vehicles because they know and understand that some repairs take much longer than others. And regarding Ms. [redacted] statement that Mr. [redacted] (owner) was sexist by calling Ms. [redacted], "sweetheart" is completely appalling. One thing our customers will tell you is that we treat them all as family and we speak to them just as we speak to our own brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles. Most customers enjoy and appreciate being treated like family and we will continue to run our business with that sense of love and respect for every person that walks through our doors. We have been in this business for nearly twenty years and we pride ourselves in our work and how we treat our customers. If Ms. [redacted] has any further questions or would like to schedule her appointment to have the warranty work completed she will need to call our office immediately at the number listed below. Thank you, [redacted]XXX-XXX-XXXX