Quality Auto and Truck Repair

Requested repair to Chevy Truck not done,other work done that was not requested, bill not itemized,questions regarding parts used not answered by [redacted]On Wed., Sept. 18, 2013 we took our Chevy Truck to [redacted] owner of Quality Auto & Truck to have it repaired for unreliable starting, to install new spark plugs, and to have the tires rotated. On Wed., Sept 25, 2013 we went to pick up the truck as we had been told that the starting repair had been completed. We were also informed that we needed a front end alignment, and so we made the trip to the [redacted] Shop in [redacted] recommended by Mr. [redacted] of Quality Auto to have this work done. However, upon inspection by the [redacted] shop we were informed that the vehicle was perfectly fine, and needed no front end alignment. They charged us $20 to tell us this.I drove back to Quality Auto and Mr. [redacted] and informed them of the fact that no alignment was needed at all and that the trip was a total waste of time and money, to which no response was forthcoming from Mr. [redacted].Upon inspection of the receipt it was discovered that much work had been done to the truck that had not been requested. Specifically we had been charged for:Three (3) sets of collector gaskets. Why three sets of gaskets were put on the truck rather that the traditional one set is difficult to understand; furthermore the truck needed no gaskets whatsoever as this work had just been done by another very competent mechanic.Labor to replace the lower radiator hose. But it was discovered that Mr. [redacted] of Quality Auto had in fact put no hose on the truck at all. We drove out with the same hose we drove in with, he did no repair, so what did we pay for?Since there was no mention on the receipt of the tires being rotated, we asked Mr. [redacted] of Quality Auto if they had been. His answer was that he didn't know. This information is important to us because there is a tire rotation schedule you must adhere to. If you don't know if the tires have been rotated, you don't know where you are in the schedule, and when to rotate them next.We had asked for part numbers on the receipt as we keep a book on the vehicle, but Mr. [redacted] of Quality Auto gave us no part numbers. When asked what spark plugs he put in the truck his response was once again that he didn't know.The bill was high, $309.44, and Mr. [redacted] asked us to make the check payable to him personally, [redacted], rather than to Quality Auto & Truck. We paid the bill and left.On Fri., Sept. 27th we found that the truck didn't start. We called Mr. [redacted] of Quality Auto and left a message on his machine indicating that the truck still didn't start, and of course this is what we brought the truck in for. Mon. Sept 30, 2013: We took the truck to a competent mechanic who fixed the truck's starting problem by replacing the ignition control module. He charged us $143.31. He did a very good job. The truck starts fine now.Mr. [redacted] owner of Quality Auto had never returned our phone call of Sept 27th concerning the fact that the truck had not been repaired by him for the starting problem we had brought it to him to fix, so on Fri. Oct 4, 2013 we called him to tell him what the fix had been -- namely to install an ignition control module. His response was that it couldn't be the ignition control module, but clearly he was wrong, as the proof is that the vehicle starts quite reliably. We called Mr. [redacted] of Quality Auto on Wed., Oct 9th to tell him we were very unhappy with the lack of repair, and for being charged for incomplete work, and for work we did not request. To which he responded that he was "honest!" We pointed out that he hadn't fixed the truck for what we brought it in for, and that we had never asked him to do the other work he had padded the bill with. Again, his only response was that he was "honest!" We again asked him if he had rotated the tires and what spark plugs did he put in the vehicle. His unsatisfactory response was that he did not know.Complaint continued in settlement section...Desired SettlementRefund of $329.44 = Consumer's Desired Resolution:Complaint continued...Finally on Wed., Oct 16th it occurred to us to check the radiator fluid level, since we knew that Mr. [redacted] of Quality Auto had taken the lower radiator hose off at least twice with no hose to replace it. Upon inspection it was found that the radiator was a gallon low on fluid. Mr. [redacted] called Mr. [redacted] of Quality Auto to ask him about it, and his response was to get angry and shout that he was "[redacted] and never call me again," and violently hang up the phone. Subsequently, Mr. [redacted]'s son [redacted] who had done some of the work and whose name is on the business card to call, interceded in an effort to calm his father down and achieve a resolution. We had asked for a small concession for the inconvenience and extra expense incurred by us at Quality Auto & Truck. But Mr. [redacted] of Quality Auto would have none of it. He told his son to "Stay out of this," and no concession was forthcoming.We are very unhappy with our experience at Quality Auto, and the charges made to us by [redacted]. The vehicle's starting problem was not repaired by Mr. [redacted] of Quality Auto, and the vehicle was returned to us with the same problem it was brought in for. However, we were charged for the repair that wasn't done. Other work was done that was not requested and not needed, and we were charged for that. The receipt was not itemized with part numbers; nor were the old parts returned to us for inspection as requested. Questions concerning the work were never answered, and the wild goose chase for an unneeded front end alignment was expensive and time-consuming. Furthermore, Mr. [redacted] was very rude and not at all helpful.All receipts, business cards, and telephone conversation transcriptions are available.The total cost to finally get the starting repair done is:$309.44 to [redacted] $ 20.00 to [redacted] Co. for NO alignment $143.31 to repair starting problem $472.75 TotalConsumer's Desired Resolution:1) Refund of $329.44Business Response Sept 18, 2013 [redacted] brought 1971 Chevy Truck to me for a Tune Up and diagnosed a starting problem. After I first checked the carburetor and choke, found that it was stuck and not closing properly. I also noticed that the carburetor was not the correct part for this model truck; and this causes an excessive amount of gas in the engine, which would cause it not to start. Spoke to [redacted] and explained what I found, he gave me a verbal agreement to do the work. I made adjustments to the float in carburetor. I found one burnt spark plug wire that possible could cause the truck to miss and repaired the burnt wire. As a routine Tune-up I checked the timing but no adjustments made. Please note that my conversation with [redacted] was quite extensive in an effort to fully explain what needed to be done and what I did found out and repair.While examining the engine, I noticed that there was an exhaust leak; it needed to be greased; tires (which were new tires of a good quality) was starting to wear on one side; and lower radiator hose was old and dried out and needed to be replaced. Spoke to [redacted] again and explained each of the above situations and what I could do to repair them. Again a lengthy and detailed explanation of what I proposed to do. [redacted] agreed verbally.Work preformed: put grease in fittings, check the front end and found no loose parts but one loose wheel bearing. I recommended that [redacted] take his truck to a reputable tire and alignment shop to have the truck checked for alignment so the tires would wear more evenly. The reason I recommended [redacted] to go to this mechanic, [redacted] he has 40 years experience and is experienced in working on late model Chevy trucks, and recently finished a complete restoration of a 1971 Chevy truck. (Please note that [redacted] took the truck after I finished working on the truck and is working properly) [redacted] found the alignment off a little bit; this is in contradiction to the statement that [redacted] gave in his report to NC Dept of Justice. Even though [redacted] was standing right there all the while [redacted] was checking the alignment. [redacted] asked, [redacted] what he wanted to do, but [redacted] responded, "The truck was driving fine" and declined the alignment and paid $20.00 and drove off.Other work performed: In order to repair the exhaust leak the header gasket needed to be replaced. I recommended a better quality header gasket rather the one that was recently installed on the truck, since it was torn already and causing the leak. The better quality gasket comes in a set of 3 parts that are installed together to last longer and not tear unpressured and friction. I explained to [redacted] in great length and detail what I proposed to do; and [redacted] verbally approved the work to be done.The next work performed was to repair the lower radiator hose. [redacted] verbally authorized the repair and order hoses from two different vendors, with the hopes that one of them would fit properly. Unfortunately neither hose fit, possible reason was the radiator was the not the standard part for this model truck and may have been modified or changed. I called and explained the problem of the hoses not fitting properly and suggested a flexible type hose, [redacted] agreed to the purchase of the flexible hose. But this hose did not fit properly either, the hose ends were not the right size fittings. Please note that it takes a lot of time to find the correctly fitted hose for a radiator that has been changed. I called [redacted] and explained that I could not find a properly fitting hose to go on that radiator and that I was going to put his old hose back on. He could not understand why a hose could not be found for his truck.While waiting for radiator hoses to be delivered; I rotated the tires and tightened the wheel bearing in the front end and since the tires were off the truck I checked the brakes and they were ok. Please note that in the description of work done, on his receipt, it did not state the tires were rotated but I told him verbally and [redacted] had a record of the date and mileage, on the receipt, for his tire rotation schedule. [redacted] was so concerned about the rotation of the tires but declined having the truck aligned so the tires would not wear out improperly. On Wednesday Sept 23rd [redacted] came to pick up the truck and take it to [redacted] at the tire alignment shop. [redacted] questioned the bill and I explained again all that I did. Since I could not find the proper radiator hose, I did not charge for the part. The labor for a Tune-up; adjusting the choke and carburetor and float level; installing spark plugs; replacing the fuel filter; replacing the gasket would normally take 4.5 hrs Please note that the truck has headers instead of regular exhaust manifold, this makes installing spark plugs difficult; I only charged him 2.9 hrs @ $75.00 p/hr. Although time was spent on the lower radiator hose and checking brakes and wheel bearings, it really was in included in the labor price of $215.00. The truck was here for 7 days and when it left here on Wed Sept. 23rd, the starting problem that I experienced was fixed, obviously the problem he experienced I did not fix; the exhaust leak was fixed and the truck was running fine and there were no leaks from the radiator or the hose.[redacted] called after hours on Friday Sept 27th and left a message about the truck not starting, he called again on Saturday and Sunday. We are not open on the weekends, on Monday when I spoke to [redacted] he stated, "That he would take the truck to an expert". I offered to look at it again and see what else would be causing the truck not to start. [redacted] insisted on taking it to an "expert". I asked that he let me know what they found. On Friday Oct 4th, [redacted] called to let me know the truck was fixed and that the ignition module was replaced. When [redacted] brought the truck to me, we only talked about the carburetor and choke and not the lack of spark from ignition module. Usually the problem happens when the engine is hot and not when it is cold. The work I preformed was not related to the ignition module, this was an additional problem or an intermittent problem. [redacted] requested a $100 refund because he felt that I did not fix his truck. I explained again in great length what I did but [redacted] was determined to get a $100 refund. I was starting to get very upset from [redacted]'s insulting accusations and I told him that I would get back to him after I have time to think about what to do. I said "Good Bye" and I hung up the phone since the conversation was not accomplishing anything positive. I had become very upset and I was having an anxiety attach as a result of the conversation and I needed time to calm down. Please note that I am a healthy person, according to my doctor's examine a month ago; if I was not healthy I would have had a heart attack that day! Minutes after I hung up the phone [redacted] kept calling back. [redacted] wanted to get his $100 refund so he called the shop phone all day long, we could not do any more work that day since the phone never stopped ringing. My son did answer the phone once and tried to explain to [redacted] that I would call him back when I had time to calm down and think clearly. He was not happy with that and still insisted on getting a $100 refund. I called the phone company to have [redacted]'s phone blocked but that did not work; he repeatedly called on the phone. He would not give me the chance or the curtsey of time to be able to think of a resolution to the problem. I only wish I made a call to the police and filed a complaint against him for harassment.About a month later [redacted] claims that I broke the radiator and caused it to leak. As stated before there were no leaks on the shop floor from his truck after I worked on it. It will have to be proven to me that how I caused leaks from the radiator a month after I worked on it. As stated earlier the old original lower radiator hose was put back on because a new hose would not fit. Since [redacted] took the truck to some else and they replaced the radiator and they were able to get the properly fitted lower radiator hose to fit on the proper radiator. The part # on the bill, from the other repair shop, for the lower hose is the same part # on the 2 hoses I tried to install. This is proof that the radiator was the incorrect radiator for his truck; because the factory hose fits fine, as it should. It should be his responsibility to pay for the maintenance to his truck. He does not have the right to make these false claims and exaggerated statements without any proof that I did anything wrong to him or his truck. [redacted] is mad that I would not refund him the $100 initially and he is still trying to get all his truck repairs done at my expense!I hope that I have been able to exConsumer Response We are sorry we missed your December 28th response date, but the mail was delayed by the holidays and we are responding at the first possible opportunity today on December 30th.[redacted] of Quality Auto in Hillsborough NC has conceded nothing, therefore, his response is unsatisfactory. [redacted] and [redacted]