Mobil 196 Hillside Service Center Inc.

Review: My car was towed to the station without me after the exhaust system cracked and fell apart on me while driving.

It happened on a friday and I was unable to shop around for repair shops. The next day I attempted to call the shop and only one of the 4 phone numbers reached a person. The others were out of service. The working number only reached a person after three attempts.

When I spoke with the company I was informed that it was in fact a dispatch service and that they would have to have the station call me back.

When I was called. I was bullied into paying 450 dollars to weld my exhaust system back together. I asked a few questions as to the nature of the repair but the mechanic, [redacted] was very short with me. Pressuring me to just agree to the repair before they closed shop. I refused the offer to replace the system for 1300 directly but needed to confirm with the second car owner about the repair. Unfortunately I felt so pressured to fix it asap since the shop was far from me and I needed to use it that I did not fully research the nature of the repair.

I was told by [redacted] that the repair would take an hour and that it would cost $450 I thought that sounded high but I reluctantly agreed after my questions went vaguely answered. I thinking for that money I should have everything checked out. I asked for him to make sure that there was not anything else that would need attention. I was again brushed off and he hung up after reminding me that I was to get it done by 4pm or wait till monday.

About an hour later he called saying it was ready and hung up the phone without answering any questions. At that point I had found out that that repair should not cost more than an hour of labor which varies by shop but is a posted price.

The next day I picked up my car. And received a bill that not only was not itemiezed. There was zero information about anything he checked or any information I asked. I asked the cashier about their pricing policy and he was flustered. However since I was a Sunday there were no actual mechanics on site. The cashier claimed to have zero power to resolve my issue.

I did demand that he tell me the hourly rate. It turned out to be $99.95 and hour with a $15 dollar lift fee. With my car having been on the property for 2 partial and 1 full day at their $20 a day storage rate the repair at most should have been $175 plus tax not almost 300% more.

The repair as I was told involved cutting off the rusted portion of the exhaust system and welding a new pipe on. A repair that I was assured was compliant for nys inspections. Which I'm still unsure of since I was told that I could also replace the catalytic converter for $1300.

I called the station the next day, and received a call back from [redacted] himself. he was hostile and started describing how hard a job it was to weld on the exhaust. pointing out that it was in fact under the car and they he had to cut metal and light a torch.

I asked directly why it was that it cost me more to have my car worked on after being towed there by AAA than it would have been if I had driven in. He told me I agreed to the price and that was it. I asked why I did not get an itemized bill with the cost of parts and labor. he stated that I did. My bill only has a 450 labor charge on it and no material costs. I asked him why he charged me $450 for an hour of labor and he claimed that it took him 2 hours. I then asked why he only quoted me one hour. I did not have the chance to remind him that even if I took two hours the quote was for one and he could not charge for more time without approval from me.

During the conversation, he became more aggressive and argumentative, yelling at me and insulting me. He then stated that I was the reason that he never does favors. I broke down the price of the services he rendered from the prices posted in his shop. He hung up on me after telling me that he was not giving me my money back at all.

I have since been having trouble reaching anyone one at all after one woman who refused to identify herself until I explained who I was after being transferred.Desired Settlement: I would like the business to honor their posted service price and refund all of the overcharges. I only agreed to one hour of labor and as posted it is $99.95.

Business

Response:

Hello [redacted] - this is in response to the complaint made by [redacted]It seems that there was a misunderstanding between the customer and the personnel at the site. It should have been fully explained that the labor may be an hour plus parts.However, be that as it may - we sincerely apologize for the misunderstanding and would refund what the customer thinks is fair. Her car was towed in with a broken exhaust pipe. When she picked the car up, this was fixed.We firmly believe that the customer is always right and we always try and do the correct thing.I am awaiting your guidance as to what you think is the fair amount of refund.Regards[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and request a refund of the overcharge of $335 + taxes paid on that amount.

Sincerely,

Review: Business unfairly and abusively charged me $500.80 to replace left axle on my vehicle. Charges were broken down as follows $139 .99 labor (at $99.95 hr.), $239.99 left lower control arm, $119.99 left front axle and taxes bringing total to $500.80.

1. industry prices for lower control arm range from $88 -$110; the business marked up the price for the product 150% above market price.

2. left front axle range from $60-$80; the business marked up the price for the parts/product 50% above market/industry price

3. Labor on the vehicle did not exceed an hour; business charged additional $30 for labor

The business unfairly charged me between $150 -$200 above market/ industry practice for replacing the axle on my vehicle.Desired Settlement: I would like the business to refund or credit $150 -$200 that it overcharged me. 196 Hillside Service Center, Inc. practice is unfair, deceptive and abusive.

Business

Response:

While we sorry to hear the customer is upset, he was not overcharged. It is perfectly reasonable for an auto repair business to charge a standard markup on the parts we install. We did not charge him anymore that he would have paid had he gone directly to a Honda dealership for the repairs. We also provided the customer with free towing to our station and an additional $29.99 discount on the final invoice total. The customer mentioned to the manager that he could buy the parts cheaper online, but then he decided not provide the parts himself and instead okayed the work with the parts we purchased from our supplier at the prices charged.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:[Your Answer Here]

Respondent business made false statements without any proof. (1) it is not standard markup for a $60-80 parts to be markup to $240. (2) The service performed and price charged is not the same as I would have received at an Honda dealership - business made statement without proof. It stands to reason that Honda would not charge me $350 for the parts as business did. common knowledge that parts are cheaper at the the dealership. (3) The business towed my car the night before to my home (I paid $70), and then I was towed to the to the shop for repair for repair the next day; manager statement is that tower is free for everyone. (4) The 29.99 discount does not change that fact that I was overcharged $150 -200 because of the markup for the parts which is not industry practice. Since the business does not deny the charges and did not provide proof of industry standards, the business should refund the amount it overcharged me. Saying that a Honda dealership would charge the same is comparing orange to apples. Is the amount charge to me the same for all customers by the business and is it standard practice in the industry? The business has not provided proof that the answer to the aforementioned questions are yes. The business should provide it records to the Revdex.com for inspection.Thank you.

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Review: On Wednesday, August [redacted], 2015, my dad got a flat tire. I quickly called [redacted] where they sent a [redacted] member to come and remove the flat and put on a spare tire. The [redacted] member asked if we wanted to replace our tire, and if so, he could bring us to a nearby location. We asked him if the location he wanted to bring us to had our exact tire, and if so, what the cost would be. The [redacted] member called the shop, where I spoke with a man named Mamo, where he confirmed that he had my exact tire, and also gave us a price. After arriving at the shop, we waited for 3 hours at the shop, where we started to question what was going on and what was taking so long, being that they said they originally had our tire. Mamo then tells us he is waiting for the tire to arrive. Getting a little annoyed, we stated that he told us he had the tire already, and if he didn't, he shouldn't have told us he did, because we would have went elsewhere. I then asked him if it's the exact tire model I originally asked for. He tells me it is not the same model, but everything else is the same and it should be fine. I asked him the model of the tire he had, but he never gave me a straight answer, only saying that mine was the G91, so the one he has is something "similar". I then asked if the VALUE was the same (because I didn't want to get a cheaper tire than what I originally asked for while paying the same price), and he told me yes. After waiting a total of 6 hours, we get our tire fixed, and I go home to research the tire he gave me, and found out the value of the tire he gave me was almost $100 less than the value of the tire I originally asked for. I call him back the next day and ask if I could replace the tire he gave me with the tire we originally agreed upon, and he told me I would have to pay an additional $10. That is ridiculous - after first lying to us about having the tire, to keeping us there for 6 hours, to lying again about the value of the tire he gave us, something needs to be done!Desired Settlement: I would like Mamo to correct his wrongs by giving us the tire we deserve and initially asked for at NO EXTRA CHARGE. Yes, he gave us $12 off, but that was because we waited there all day, for 6 hours, when changing the tire should never have taken that long. He lied about having our exact tire, he then lied about the value of the tire he was giving us, and now he wants to charge another $10 for giving us the tire we initially asked for.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,