Artistic Auto Body Inorporated

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted] Dear Revdex.com, Upon reading the response from Artist Auto Body, I was not surprised by his answersFirst, thing I was given an estimate of $9,to repair my automobile to pre-accident conditionsI was never told or suggested not to do the repair as it looked like he wanted the workHe worked with me to educate me about the salvage process and how he would repair my car and promised for this money it would drive properlyI was never told about extra costs or was I asked to give authorization on any changesI never asked for anything for free and I was always a good paying customerI payed all but $of the original repair costsI never once threatened George or anyone in his shop, they are in no danger from me! I did tell him I was praying for his shop to closeEnclosed please find a copy of his original work order that was signed by me to finish the work on my vehicleHe never mentioned that his repair went six (6) weeks past scheduled pick up and that no attempt was ever made to give me a new date for pick up or was any loaner car offeredHe never once returned phone calls once original payment of $3,was made and I only payed an additional $6,so I could drive the vehicle off his premises and take it to our garage for a first inspection since the accidentI was told that I needed a new seat and that was the only way it could be repaired and the old seat could not be used (He was emphatic about this point)Upon final pick up I noticed the old seat was put back together and put back inWhen asked, he told me a new seat was $2,He is obviously used to lying to his customers and when a repair ends up being difficult it is suddenly the customers fault for calling him in the first placeI signed an agreement for work for $9,and payed $9,just to retrieve my vehicle that I felt was being held hostageAgain, I never once asked for any repairs to be done for free and only expect to pay for what was done properlyTo answer the question about the dates changing for the time of finishing the repair, I spoke with George shortly after I took physical ownership of my vehicle and told him I would not be bringing the car back to him until the fall and that mostly the vehicle would remain garaged, He agreed I have been a Master Finisher for the past thirty years and have extensive knowledge of Finishing all surfacesOur business specializes in onsite repairs of all kinds, fixing and refinishing any damaged surfacesI was appalled to find drips on the side of the doors after paying 9,to retrieve my vehicle and then under close inspection to find all the repairs done half way and to see my perfect rugs having bonding compound in them including the matsIt is still in the rugs and mats and will not come outI had no idea that at Artist Auto Body the customer must dictate quality controlI was relying upon him to do his job, at which he failed horribly! I have witnesses as to the condition of this vehicle prior to the accident and to the level of care this car had been given daily up to the accidentI also have witnesses to the phone call George is speaking of and I am very sad for his behavior trying to intimidate clients throughout his repair processNot to mention the fact that he uses half truths and lies through in his business practiceI tried to remedy this with George throughout the six (6) weeks of waiting for my vehicle past the due date, including asking his partner Nick to sit in on the process of which he flat out refused to be involvedI asked him aren't you partners in this business and he said he had nothing to do with my vehicle that it was George's responsibilityI have Broken pieces of plastic and all the records and evidence, including the car itself as evidence of a botched repair jobBefore this accident I barely had to hold the steering wheel and after it is a chore to drive having to make constant changes in the wheel as you drive, even to the point of it not being the safe driving vehicle it once was Regards, [redacted] ***

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved] Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: Dear Sir The demands made by this business are ridiculous and false Regards, [redacted] ***

I am responding to this complaint to the effect that in addition to the vehicle owners profanity laden phone call to me where he wished harm upon myself, my business and it`s employees and also stating that he is praying for it`s failure still owes a balance on the original repair invoice of over $dollarsI still have parts here that I purchased from *** as a good will gesture to install on the vehicle but have not been able to do so as the vehicle owner has continually put off bringing the vehicle in to finalize repairsIn addition to the aforementioned facts, the owner has added items to his list the I believe may or may not be accident related and expects us to replace these items for freeIf the vehicle owner believes that there is additional accident related parts that require replacement he would have to pay for them out of pocket as the repairs to this vehicle were done on a contract basis and as far as the insurance company is concerned owes nothing as the car was declared a " total loss"The responsibility is solely upon the vehicle owner if he elects to have items added to the repairs to the vehicle to pay for the parts agreed upon.
I will gladly make an effort to attend to these needs but only after an apology is made by the vehicle owner in relation to the ill will and disgusting language I was subjected to in our last phone callHow does one invoke by prayer to wish harm to another person anyway.
Sincerely,
George *M***
Artistic Auto Body IncChester Pike
Prospect Park, Pa

*** *** came in for an estimate to repair the front bumper of his vehicle a *** ***I looked the car over while still in one piece and he was told that the front bumper cover was damaged to the point where I felt we could not properly repair itI told him that the ***
front bumper assembly was a very difficult area of the car to repair due to it`s construction and the way all the parts fit together and the fact that the bumper is held together with plastic retainersI gave *** *** my copy of the estimate to try to repair the bumper cover and replace the parts I could see were damaged or missing at the time of the estimate *** *** said he did not want to turn a claim in for damage to his insurance company as he stated that he`s already had a couple of accidents and did not want to get them involved at this time AND did not want to pay for a new front bumper cover AND asked that we just repair it the best we canAt that point I went over the estimate with him line by line and tried to explain what was involvedHe agreed to bring the car in when parts were in and upon disassembling the front bumper he was notified that the bottom area of the bumper cover was literally torn off and that we had to wait for the lower grille to come so that we could bolt the grille into place on the damaged cover so that we could begin repairing and reshaping the cover before we painted itMy original estimate in hours was for hours repair time that actually took hours but we stayed with the original time to repair however the repair took an extra day due to the fact that we did not have the new lower grille here the first dayHaving the lower grille was crucial to try to repair the lower cover as it was needed to reshape the part that was mangled*** *** then complained that he thought we were replacing the bumper cover but then told me that he did not understand my estimateAt that point I tried to re-iterate what I had gone over with him about he not wanting to pay for a new cover nor get the insurance company involved and at that point he was becoming very agitated and accused me of fraud and lying to him When I asked him if had my estimate that clearly stated on line to repair and NOT replace the cover he replied that he did not.
*** *** also asked us to do an estimate for repairing hail damage that was all over the car which we didIn returning the car to *** ***
he did not allow us to properly clean the vehicle after marking the hail damages with a water based crayon as he was in a hurry and insisted upon leaving before any proper cleaning could be doneAfter picking up his vehicle *** *** called and complained that there were clips missing on the lower engine shield and he returned with the car and we immediately put the car on the lift and replaced plastic rivets ( out of ) that were not replaced on the lower engine shield by one of my techs and also polished a small paint blemish off the bumper coverI apologized to *** *** for the oversight and offered to clean the exterior of his vehicle to which he replied that we were "hacks" and didn`t know how to repair cars and so onHe left in a hurryThe next day *** *** called again very agitated and stated that something looked an "inch off" and also said that for what we charged him we should have replaced the bumper cover ($396.00)I said to *** *** that I would look over the car and see what he was talking about and correct anything that was off but he refused and instead gave me an ultimatum that I would have to pay another shop to have the car fixed right or else and launched into an expletive laced barrage of insults and threatsAt that point I hung up my phoneI have my original estimate on hand and the supplement estimate also where I removed the price of the front spoiler from the cost of the repairs and also repaired the lower radiator support damage that was not visible until the bumper was removed and no charged *** *** for that alsoI have digital photographs of the repairs and the damage along with the parts receipts alsoAt this point I do not know if *** *** hit something again with the front of his car and he refuses to even let me look at the car to see what he`s complaining aboutIf there is something wrong I will be glad to fix it if it`s not new damagesSincerely
George M***
Artistic Auto Body Inc
*** *** ***

George twisted the story and outright lied at the endInitially he told me he was replacing the bumper coverI thought $was reasonable for this type of repairIt was not until he called me while in the middle of the repair that he stated that he was repairing the bumperIf you look at the estimate, he uses the following abbreviation for repair instead of the word "repair": "Rpr" Didn't know that meant repair since he told me he would replace the cover during the estimate
The totals on the actual estimate are as follows:
Part = $
Body Labor = hours @ $48.00/hr = $
Paint Labor = hours @ $48.00/hr = $
Pain Supplies = hours @ $30.00/hr = $
So he lied about the hours labor in his replyHe really charged me hours for this jobI thought this was excessive for a bumper replacement but I though if it looked new and the paint match nicely, etcI would go with it
This *** was less than a year old and therefore had no pain blemishesWhen I went to pick up the car after the initial repair, his wash guy had tiny micro scratch/swirl marks all over every inch or the carYou could see they were in a circular patternI spent my weekend trying to wax them out but wasn't entirely successfulI never asked him to wash the car, or put any kind of chalk marks on it for hail damageIn fact I never asked for a hail repair estimate until after I picked up the carNow for the good partI went to the *** dealer the next week for an oil change and the mechanic called me into the shop and showed me that most of the fasteners that hold the chin spoiler(part fixed) on, were missing and half of the spoiler was detached from the car altogetherI took picturesHe also noted that the body shop used textured pain and there was a large drip markIf I never took this car for an oil change, I would have never seen this shotty workThe fasteners are very expensive, so I believe Artistic left them out intentionally because there is no way even the layman could miss the fact that the part wasn't properly fastened to the carI think they did this because it saved them a lot of moneySo I took the car back on my way to workGeorge agreed it was a mess so he said he re-fastened everythingI was in a hurry to go to work because it took him an hour to do this so I didn't inspect the workI trusted that George fixed thishe had one of his guys wash my car again even though I asked him not to, then I watched the wash guy rub a patch of dirt into the side door so that's how I got the original scratchesI noticed a day or so later that the right side of the chin spoiler was misaligned with the fenderI verified this wasn't right by another body shop that will fix my hail damageI spoke to George over the phone a day or two later and he defended his workI tried to explain that I was going to go to another shop and fix his mistakes and I expected a refund to pay the second shop for their workI didn't want to take it back to him because I don't believe he is capable of fixing this and I fear he will damage my car worseGeorge kept talking in circles about how it was just a repair and he would look at it etcHe lied when he said he cursedI never once raised my voice or cursed at him but I did call him/his shop a bunch of hacks because that's what they areGeorge then hung up, and I went on with my dayHe attacked my character by lying about the expletives part which is kind of a low thing to doBut I'm coming to expect this from GeorgeThey charged top dollar for a bumper replacement but gave me a half *** stripped down repair that wasn't even finishedThey scratched every inch or the car's pain on top of everything elseI will go to a reputable shop and get an estimate to correctly fix the bumper and the paint on the carIf George doesn't want to cover it, I will have no choice but to take it to small claims courtI'm not even charging him for my time and gas for going back to his shop and being late for work and writing up this letterI probably will have to start charging for me time @ $per hour if this continues to drag on

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the responseIf no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:
Artistic charged me a $to essentially install a new chin spoiler*** purchased the part itselfGeorge told me he would replace the bumper for this amountAnything short of replacing and paining the bumper and I would have just gone somewhere else and given them a couple hundred dollars to do the same job better and keep the car's pain in tactI checked with *** Auto Body which is a high end shop that deals mostly with exoticsThey had replaced the front bumper about a six months agoI spoke to a *** rep and he said that he would charge $1,to replace a bumper on my vehicle
He said the bumper cover itself is about $The part that Artistic installed was about $
Here is what I believe happenedI believe George realized that I was planning to pay out of pocket so he realized that he would have no insurance adjuster telling him what he could charge
He did tell me he would replace the bumper and this made sense because he charged me accordingly. He later told me he repaired the bumper in a phone call when I asked him whether it was doneI thought, great, it will be a lot less money now
I later found that he didn't even fasten the part on the car and you could only tell this by putting it on a liftThe paint also had drips and the texture was wrongThe mechanic at the *** dealership pointed this all out to meI took it back and George tried to fix it, but the spoiler is still offThere is a gap between the right fender and the spoiler that shouldn't be thereI can't afford the gas and time off work to keep going back there and had him take over an hour just to mess up again and scratch up my car when he tries to wash itHere's what works for me:
I think $is more than enough to cover this repair, especially since George said in a previous message to the Revdex.com that he only charged for three hours of laborThat would be $+ parts according to the estimate ran $408( I guess he charged me for the fasteners he decided not to put on the first time). The rep at Cavello agreed this is reasonable
So I will want a refund of $This is more than fair as I am not asking for the $I have to pay to have the car professionally detailed in order to get the scratches out that Artistic causedI am also not asking for $50/hour in my time and the $in gas it cost me to go back to have the part actually fastened to the car(which still isn't done right)Regards,
*** ***

[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]
Dear Revdex.com,
Upon reading the response from Artist Auto Body, I was not surprised by his answers. First, thing I was given an estimate of $9,200.00 to repair my automobile to pre-accident conditions. I was never told or suggested not to do the repair as it looked like he wanted the work. He worked with me to educate me about the salvage process and how he would repair my car and promised for this money it would drive properly. I was never told about extra costs or was I asked to give authorization on any changes. I never asked for anything for free and I was always a good paying customer. I payed all but $200.00 of the original repair costs. I never once threatened George or anyone in his shop, they are in no danger from me! I did tell him I was praying for his shop to close. Enclosed please find a copy of his original work order that was signed by me to finish the work on my vehicle. He never mentioned that his repair went six (6) weeks past scheduled pick up and that no attempt was ever made to give me a new date for pick up or was any loaner car offered. He never once returned phone calls once original payment of $3,000.00 was made and I only payed an additional $6,000.00 so I could drive the vehicle off his premises and take it to our garage for a first inspection since the accident. I was told that I needed a new seat and that was the only way it could be repaired and the old seat could not be used (He was emphatic about this point). Upon final pick up I noticed the old seat was put back together and put back in. When asked, he told me a new seat was $2,000.00.
He is obviously used to lying to his customers and when a repair ends up being difficult it is suddenly the customers fault for calling him in the first place. I signed an agreement for work for $9,200.00 and payed $9,000.00 just to retrieve my vehicle that I felt was being held hostage. Again, I never once asked for any repairs to be done for free and only expect to pay for what was done properly. To answer the question about the dates changing for the time of finishing the repair, I spoke with George shortly after I took physical ownership of my vehicle and told him I would not be bringing the car back to him until the fall and that mostly the vehicle would remain garaged, He agreed. 
I have been a Master Finisher for the past thirty years and have extensive knowledge of Finishing all surfaces. Our business specializes in onsite repairs of all kinds, fixing and refinishing any damaged surfaces. I was appalled to find drips on the side of the doors after paying 9,000.00 to retrieve my vehicle and then under close inspection to find all the repairs done half way and to see my perfect rugs having bonding compound in them including the mats. It is still in the rugs and mats and will not come out. I had no idea that at Artist Auto Body the customer must dictate quality control. I was relying upon him to do his job, at which he failed horribly!
I have witnesses as to the condition of this vehicle prior to the accident and to the level of care this car had been given daily up to the accident. I also have witnesses to the phone call George is speaking of and I am very sad for his behavior trying to intimidate clients throughout his repair process. Not to mention the fact that he uses half truths and lies through in his business practice. I tried to remedy this with George throughout the six (6) weeks of waiting for my vehicle past the due date, including asking his partner Nick to sit in on the process of which he flat out refused to be involved. I asked him aren't you partners in this business and he said he had nothing to do with my vehicle that it was George's responsibility. I have Broken pieces of plastic and all the records and evidence, including the car itself as evidence of a botched repair job. Before this accident I barely had to hold the steering wheel and after it is a chore to drive having to make constant changes in the wheel as you drive, even to the point of it not being the safe driving vehicle it once was. 
Regards,
[redacted]

[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:
Dear Sir
The demands made by this business are ridiculous and false.
Regards,
[redacted]

Dear [redacted],I will reply to the issue concerning [redacted]'s [redacted] in detail but first, [redacted] no longer owns Artistic Auto Body and has nothing to do with this matter. My name is George *. M[redacted] and I am the owner along with my partner Nick T[redacted] and have been since December...

2010.I will attempt to reply to the issues as they appear on page 2 of your letter to me.[redacted]'s vehicle was involved in an accident on October 28th 2013 and deemed a “ Total Loss “by his insurance company which was [redacted]. The vehicle sustained rather severe damage to the left side doors and hinge pillar area as well as damages to the right rear suspension from impacting a curb during the accident. The original tow from the accident scene was done by [redacted] Auto Body in [redacted] Pennsylvania. When I went to retrieve the vehicle at the tow yard I saw that the body was resting on the ground as the right rear suspension was broken off and 2 of the tires on the right side were flat. I was carefully able to get the car onto my rollback and avoid any new damage to the vehicle in transporting it to my facility. The vehicle, although a 2011 model, had unusually high mileage on it (73960) but [redacted] insisted that we find some way to repair the vehicle as he said that he “loved” his car. I had explained to him that while not advisable there was a way he could settle the loss with his insurance company and retain ownership of the vehicle but when repaired the vehicle would have a salvage title. I then wrote a preliminary estimate of damages that was acceptable to [redacted] and we began to order parts for the car. Some of the parts used in the repair as is common in the industry were from a salvage yard and some were new OEM parts from Hyundai. Upon teardown it was evident that there was more damage visible and at every step in the process [redacted] was notified. -I will try to address the issues as they appear on page 2 of your letter. I will state they are not in a chronological order but as they appear in the letter. [redacted] by the way has never paid the repair bill in full but has been driving his car since 3/10/2014 without any major problems. The unpaid balance on the original repairs is in the amount of $1718.53 on a total of $10,718.53. I have attempted to resolve any issues that were raised with the repairs and have offered to inspect the brakes on the vehicle when convenient to [redacted] but the brakes were never part of the repair to begin with. This was an issue I believe was raised in April of 2014 but [redacted] has never brought the car in and keeps extending the appointments out to future dates that never happen.[redacted] was in Europe during some of the time the car was undergoing repairs and we had an approximate date of his return but we had experienced problems in the final stages of repairs concerning the rear suspension and alignment of the vehicle. At our expense we attempted to get the car to align properly 3 times but it became evident that we had to replace the rear suspension cross member to get the rear suspension to align properly. This part was not quoted in the original estimate of damages so we paid for, performed the labor and paid for the third and final alignment at no cost to [redacted] as a “good will” gesture. This was done to factory specs and I have the alignment print out sheet for proof in my file.I do not know of any plastic pieces that were “glued” together in the repair process however [redacted] did mention that he, and I quote, climbs under his car every time he drives it and checks for any possible damage that could have happened while driving the car. This vehicle has plastic splash shields and various plastic underbody panels that in my opinion have wear and tear scrapes and minor cosmetic damage that I concluded were not accident related therefore were not replaced due to the accident.[redacted] mentioned that there was red primer on his carpets yet when I saw the car in April I was unable to document any foreign substance on the carpets nor do we use any primer or material that is red here in the repair process. The only material or paint we use that is red is if the vehicle is red. The vehicle [redacted] owns is white. I also at the time offered to take his car and have it professionally cleaned and detailed.The windows on [redacted]'s car have an aftermarket tint and the original door glasses were transferred to the replacement doors during the repairs. I specifically told [redacted] if the tint was scratched to have the tint on the window in question re-done at a tint business of his preference and I would reimburse him that amount. The same offer was extended as far as “if” there is a hole in the rug which I have not seen as of yet.The driver's seat back rest was replaced as noted on the original estimate with a used part then reconditioned. I have photos and receipts for the part in question. A used seat back rest was installed to keep the repair costs down.The panel to the right of the gas pedal is the center console in the vehicle. There was no damage to that part of the vehicle nor anything implied on the original estimate as far as damage nor should that be related to anything damaged in this accident nor did we do anything to this area in the repair process.[redacted] states that there is compound on the passenger side rear rugs. Compound is a semi-liquid material that is used to polish new paint to a high gloss in conjunction with an electric buffer. The repairs to car were on the left side and after seeing the car in April 1st was unable to determine any “compound” in the rear carpets, real or imaginary.I did see what [redacted] refers to as drips in the paint on the left doors and upon the last time I saw the car told [redacted] that it was a simple procedure to sand and buff the doors where the clear coat was applied a little too generously on the edges and remove the flaw. The door channel molding was replaced with a new [redacted] part at no cost to [redacted] previously. I had also purchased new from [redacted] some trim pieces for the interior that [redacted] had mentioned were damaged and have had them here since April 2014 for which he never returned. I might also mention that there may indeed be some minor damage on [redacted]'s car that is accident related but in my best effort to write a real and actual damage report, items I deemed not related to this specific loss were not noted, not repaired, nor charged to the owner. I would also mention that we installed a new battery ( $158.95) in [redacted]'s car before he took possession of it at no charge to him.My last phone conversation with [redacted] in attempting to reach a conclusion as to what will please him along with what we are responsible for unfortunately ended with me hanging up on him after I was verbally assaulted and cursed at and then threatened as to my well being and that of the well being to my business and it's employees in the form of physical harm. Evidently [redacted] has been driving this vehicle most likely every day with no major problems occurring other than what is imagined. I truly feel that no matter what we do or give away trying to reach a fair conclusion to this matter, will continue to go unappreciated or never end. We have performed a repair to what was a “totaled” vehicle to industry standards with very few minor flaws that I have offered to remedy while never being paid in full for the original repair. This vehicle after the repair was inspected and the repairs approved by an inspection station licensed by the state of Pennsylvania for the specific purpose of vehicles that were deemed a total loss and returned to safe use.In closing I will mention that I would be happy to furnish any receipts related to the repairs along with photographs of the vehicle before, during and after the repairs.Sincerely,George M
Artistic Auto Body Partners Inc.

Unfortunately I and my partner Nick both at different times explained to this person what the content of the estimate meant. I took the time before we ever touched this car to tell [redacted] that I was REPAIRING the cover as he stated that he DID NOT want to make a claim for the damages due to his claims history. I have not and will not ever mis-lead people as to what repair vs. replacement is and DID NOT do this with this man. I also explained to [redacted] a second time during the course of repairs that I could not finish REPAIRING the cover until I had the lower grille here so that I could attach it to DAMAGED cover and re-shape it before completing the bodywork ! This man at every stage of the repair was unwilling to even take a few moments and listen to either my partner or myself as to the content of the estimate that he had in his possession which was explained in detail three seperate times.
He also gave us his permission to do a HAIL DAMAGE estimate on the car which involved marking the damage with a water based yellow marker. He saw that procedure while at the shop and we then washed the markings from the vehicle before he left. I did say to him that after the hail damage repair process was done the car would be completely cleaned and detailed there by removing any cosmetic flaws to the exterior. Every thing we tried to do for 
[redacted] was forced into being a RUSH job as he is extremely impatient by nature and does not even listen to the answers of his questions with out interrupting and complaining about every thing. [redacted] seems to have his own unfounded ideas as to what he thinks he hears but due to his impatience clearly has other answers that he may truly believe. He obviously has the thought that the price clearly stated on the printed estimate he had in his possession must have included a bumper cover but it did not. My estimate of the damage was not a mistake but surely his interpretation of the printed facts were. I can not do anything more than clearly explain to my customers what the estimate means after I put it into writing for them. 
I will be open to attending to the needs of this person but only if there is a willingness by the customer to understand what is actually in the printed description. 
He also mentioned that he was not happy with the previous repairs that were done on the vehicle at yet another shop.

Review: I had a small dent in my front chin spoiler(lowest part of the front of the car) on my [redacted]. I took it to my local [redacted] dealer. I purchased the part and the dealer said they could put it on for a couple hundred dollars. I agreed but they weren't able to secure it very well. They didn't charge me for labor. Driving hom the next day, the part came off altogether, so now I was forced to take it to a body sop because the part covered the radiator and engine compartment. I took it to Artistic auto Body and George the owner said the whole bumper needed to be replaced and he would do it for around $1,200. This was lot more than I thought it should cost, but he agreed to replace and pain the entire bumper so I thought that wasn't too bad. I brought the car in and later found out over the phone that he only repaired the bumper. I went to pick the car up and noticed there were paint swirl scratches all over every inch of the car. The car was only 11 mos old and I usually washed it by hand to avoid this I didn't think he would wash it and cause this problem. That wasn't part of the deal. A few days later, I took the car to the dealer for an oil change. The mechanic came and got me and showed me that the part Artistic put on my car wasn't fastened on all the way. There were at least four fasteners missing, plus the part was hanging loose on one side. Also there was a large pain drip on one side of the car. The pain was also not buffed. It had a rough texture. I took it back to Artistic and the owner George agreed that the job wasn't done. I tried to fix it but in the process misaligned one side of the part so there is a gap between this part and the fender. On top of that, they tried to wash the car again and swirled it badly again after I had hand waxed a lot of the scratches out. I saw the wash guy run on a dirt patch so I knew he had made all the swirl marks. I called George back but he just agued with me.Desired Settlement: I explained to George what I wanted the last time we spoke.

1. go to a different auto body shop and fix Artistic's repair, then have George reimburse me.

2. Pay for a detail shop to buff the swirl marks his wash guy caused.

3. Give me a $500 refund to bring the bumper "repair" more inline with the industry going rate.

Business

Response:

[redacted] came in for an estimate to repair the front bumper of his vehicle a 2014 [redacted]. I looked the car over while still in one piece and he was told that the front bumper cover was damaged to the point where I felt we could not properly repair it. I told him that the [redacted] front bumper assembly was a very difficult area of the car to repair due to it`s construction and the way all the parts fit together and the fact that the bumper is held together with plastic retainers. I gave [redacted] my copy of the estimate to try to repair the bumper cover and replace the parts I could see were damaged or missing at the time of the estimate. [redacted] said he did not want to turn a claim in for damage to his insurance company as he stated that he`s already had a couple of accidents and did not want to get them involved at this time AND did not want to pay for a new front bumper cover AND asked that we just repair it the best we can. At that point I went over the estimate with him line by line and tried to explain what was involved.

Review: While driving the automobile normally it pulls to left and when applying brakes it pulls dangerously to the right almost forcing the vehicle off the road. Other non safety issues are almost too numerous to list in this complaint; I will list the major issues. Vehicle was not ready when promised and was only paid for by customer only to regain possession of the vehicle in order to figure out what needed to be done to fix the improper repairs. Vehicle was not finished properly and extensive property damage was done to vehicle that had not occurred prior to being in the possession of Artistic Autobody. Numerous pieces of plastic on the vehicle where broken and glued together. Rug and mats where ruined, Tinting on windshield was scratched and not replaced, driver window was reinstalled improperly and caused further scratching to the window tinting. Rug had compound on it that can not be removed, a hole in the rug from the original accident was not replaced(as promised). Seat was promised to be replaced and instead the old seat was put back in and glued together, it is now falling apart. Panel to right of gas pedal (clips were broken on the plastic piece and rather than replacing the part as promised it was glued back together, it is now falling apart as well). Rear passenger side rugs have compound on them that will not come clean, both front and rear drivers side doors have drips in the paint and the door channel molding is coming off.

Feels as if the chassis was never fixed properly. Before the accident there was nothing wrong or broken; the car drove str[redacted]ht without having to adjust or correct the steering wheel. Now it has to be adjusted constantly while driving and basically feels unsafe to drive. I have many witnesses to the performance and maintenance on this vehicle all that will attest to how the vehicle drives entirely different now.Desired Settlement: The car needs to be repair properly as was originally promised, and all damage that occurred during care of Artistic Autobody needs to be repaired as well.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted],I will reply to the issue concerning [redacted]'s [redacted] in detail but first, [redacted] no longer owns Artistic Auto Body and has nothing to do with this matter. My name is George *. M[redacted] and I am the owner along with my partner Nick T[redacted] and have been since December 2010.I will attempt to reply to the issues as they appear on page 2 of your letter to me.[redacted]'s vehicle was involved in an accident on October 28th 2013 and deemed a “ Total Loss “by his insurance company which was [redacted]. The vehicle sustained rather severe damage to the left side doors and hinge pillar area as well as damages to the right rear suspension from impacting a curb during the accident. The original tow from the accident scene was done by [redacted] Auto Body in [redacted] Pennsylvania. When I went to retrieve the vehicle at the tow yard I saw that the body was resting on the ground as the right rear suspension was broken off and 2 of the tires on the right side were flat. I was carefully able to get the car onto my rollback and avoid any new damage to the vehicle in transporting it to my facility. The vehicle, although a 2011 model, had unusually high mileage on it (73960) but [redacted] insisted that we find some way to repair the vehicle as he said that he “loved” his car. I had explained to him that while not advisable there was a way he could settle the loss with his insurance company and retain ownership of the vehicle but when repaired the vehicle would have a salvage title. I then wrote a preliminary estimate of damages that was acceptable to [redacted] and we began to order parts for the car. Some of the parts used in the repair as is common in the industry were from a salvage yard and some were new OEM parts from Hyundai. Upon teardown it was evident that there was more damage visible and at every step in the process [redacted] was notified. -I will try to address the issues as they appear on page 2 of your letter. I will state they are not in a chronological order but as they appear in the letter. [redacted] by the way has never paid the repair bill in full but has been driving his car since 3/10/2014 without any major problems. The unpaid balance on the original repairs is in the amount of $1718.53 on a total of $10,718.53. I have attempted to resolve any issues that were raised with the repairs and have offered to inspect the brakes on the vehicle when convenient to [redacted] but the brakes were never part of the repair to begin with. This was an issue I believe was raised in April of 2014 but [redacted] has never brought the car in and keeps extending the appointments out to future dates that never happen.[redacted] was in Europe during some of the time the car was undergoing repairs and we had an approximate date of his return but we had experienced problems in the final stages of repairs concerning the rear suspension and alignment of the vehicle. At our expense we attempted to get the car to align properly 3 times but it became evident that we had to replace the rear suspension cross member to get the rear suspension to align properly. This part was not quoted in the original estimate of damages so we paid for, performed the labor and paid for the third and final alignment at no cost to [redacted] as a “good will” gesture. This was done to factory specs and I have the alignment print out sheet for proof in my file.I do not know of any plastic pieces that were “glued” together in the repair process however [redacted] did mention that he, and I quote, climbs under his car every time he drives it and checks for any possible damage that could have happened while driving the car. This vehicle has plastic splash shields and various plastic underbody panels that in my opinion have wear and tear scrapes and minor cosmetic damage that I concluded were not accident related therefore were not replaced due to the accident.[redacted] mentioned that there was red primer on his carpets yet when I saw the car in April I was unable to document any foreign substance on the carpets nor do we use any primer or material that is red here in the repair process. The only material or paint we use that is red is if the vehicle is red. The vehicle [redacted] owns is white. I also at the time offered to take his car and have it professionally cleaned and detailed.The windows on [redacted]'s car have an aftermarket tint and the original door glasses were transferred to the replacement doors during the repairs. I specifically told [redacted] if the tint was scratched to have the tint on the window in question re-done at a tint business of his preference and I would reimburse him that amount. The same offer was extended as far as “if” there is a hole in the rug which I have not seen as of yet.The driver's seat back rest was replaced as noted on the original estimate with a used part then reconditioned. I have photos and receipts for the part in question. A used seat back rest was installed to keep the repair costs down.The panel to the right of the gas pedal is the center console in the vehicle. There was no damage to that part of the vehicle nor anything implied on the original estimate as far as damage nor should that be related to anything damaged in this accident nor did we do anything to this area in the repair process.[redacted] states that there is compound on the passenger side rear rugs. Compound is a semi-liquid material that is used to polish new paint to a high gloss in conjunction with an electric buffer. The repairs to car were on the left side and after seeing the car in April 1st was unable to determine any “compound” in the rear carpets, real or imaginary.I did see what [redacted] refers to as drips in the paint on the left doors and upon the last time I saw the car told [redacted] that it was a simple procedure to sand and buff the doors where the clear coat was applied a little too generously on the edges and remove the flaw. The door channel molding was replaced with a new [redacted] part at no cost to [redacted] previously. I had also purchased new from [redacted] some trim pieces for the interior that [redacted] had mentioned were damaged and have had them here since April 2014 for which he never returned. I might also mention that there may indeed be some minor damage on [redacted]'s car that is accident related but in my best effort to write a real and actual damage report, items I deemed not related to this specific loss were not noted, not repaired, nor charged to the owner. I would also mention that we installed a new battery ( $158.95) in [redacted]'s car before he took possession of it at no charge to him.My last phone conversation with [redacted] in attempting to reach a conclusion as to what will please him along with what we are responsible for unfortunately ended with me hanging up on him after I was verbally assaulted and cursed at and then threatened as to my well being and that of the well being to my business and it's employees in the form of physical harm. Evidently [redacted] has been driving this vehicle most likely every day with no major problems occurring other than what is imagined. I truly feel that no matter what we do or give away trying to reach a fair conclusion to this matter, will continue to go unappreciated or never end. We have performed a repair to what was a “totaled” vehicle to industry standards with very few minor flaws that I have offered to remedy while never being paid in full for the original repair. This vehicle after the repair was inspected and the repairs approved by an inspection station licensed by the state of Pennsylvania for the specific purpose of vehicles that were deemed a total loss and returned to safe use.In closing I will mention that I would be happy to furnish any receipts related to the repairs along with photographs of the vehicle before, during and after the repairs.Sincerely,George MArtistic Auto Body Partners Inc.

Consumer

Response:

[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]

Review: [redacted]

Dear Revdex.com,