54th Street Auto Center Inc.

11/*/
Dear *** ***
Your vehicle was towed to our repair facility on 10/**/for a no start conditionThe vehicle was checked the following day on 10/**/where we determined that the battery was dead and that the vehicle had a charging system problem
No repairs or services were performed on your vehicle while it was present at our repair facility.
You claim that “your regular mechanic” told you that the alternator in your vehicle had been tampered with and a wire had been cutI cannot confirm nor deny that someone had tampered with your vehicle however I can confirm and assure you that it did NOT occur at our repair facilityThe comment you made about us taking advantage of people is offensive, absurd, and untrueWe have heard stories from many of our customers of how their vehicles had been tampered with by parking garage attendants, valet attendants, a mechanically inclined friend, or even a “helpful guy on the street claiming to be a mechanic” just to name a fewFor you or “your regular mechanic” to say that we had tampered with your vehicle is unfair and hurtful because anyone including “your regular mechanic” could have been the one who is responsible for this misconductWe are a third generation AAA Approved Auto Repair service station that has been in business for over yearsWe have hour video surveillance covering every inch of our establishment inside and outAll of our repair work is guaranteed through the AAA.
Regarding the comment you made about online reviewsWe repair hundreds of vehicle weekly and do our best to make all of our customers happyWe urge all of our customers to please let us know if they are not completely satisfied with our services so we can make it betterWe want to preserve good relationships with all of our customersI’m sorry you feel this way and hope you can offer us another opportunity in the future
Sincerely,
*** ***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ***, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:
the 54th Street Auto Center has a vested interest in protecting their business and clearly would not admit to any wrongdoing/tamperingSuggesting a mechanic I trust and have known for years may have done damage is equally insulting to me. Having spoken to the owner via telephone, it is clear that this will not be resolved via Revdex.com and I will seek to pursue other avenues for restitution
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above
Sincerely,
*** ***

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ***, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:
[Your Answer Here]
It's evident that *** street can not provide the original diagnostics report, and without the original NISSAN dealer parts returned back to me on March *** of which I had asked for, this issue will continue to be a he-said/she-said matterIt's absolutely absurd that the only way to refute the poor service and bogus AAA warranty sold to me that day is to attack my character and accuse me of not taking responsibility for my only working vehicle of which I sat in *** st Garage for hours waiting for them to completeI certainly didn't complain when I handed over my payment same day and no one chastised me for making funds available immediately I trusted that this company backed by AAA working in the best interest of the customer but this shop puts good mechanics to shame. All matters could easily be resolved with proof of the diagnostics report that supposedly was executedfor hours; not a estimated bill*** Street garage has a reputation for their bait and switch tactics; reviews on Yelp.com and Google can support thatAnd it's not their first time mishandling and mid-diagnosing vehicles for an easy pay dayI'm glad that this public information because this garage is horrendous for disparaging remarks to a customer instead of laying out the facts through Revdex.comWhere is the paperwork for the diagnostic report and not an estimated billFurthermore, refusal of giving me my original NiSSAN parts should have been my first indication that this shop was suspicious in their tacticsIf it's my vehicle (that I supposedly am irresponsible for) then I should have the right to parts your staff removed to take up with the dealer since my car was still under warrantyI will continue to state the truth: *** street changed the battery and alternator on my vehicle which stalled at approximately 5:am (I can show you the proof on that too because my GPS tracks my car movements) and it took over hours to have a tow (which AAA will vouch for) and so my battery died waiting on the hill in the cold on *** *** between Riverside and West EndYour lead mechanic called me at approximately am and asked for authorization to diagnose but they think it was the alternatorBy the time I arrived at approximately 10:am the car was sitting there undiagnosed stillFrom 10:to pm I sat in that garage working with your service reps on obtaining warranty info, speaking to NISSAN and decided against Nissan advice to tow the car to them trusting your *** street staff to get it doneSure I drove out of there but with the same issues (bucking of the car, vibrations in the pedal and steering wheel, a sense of the car ceasing at any time) just like it did just before the original breakdowndays later I drove the car to work: same route I do everyday and each day, the same issues aroseI called to complain to absolutely no answer back (I can show you proof from my cell phone records)days later the car repeated the same mannerism as the original breakdown and completely ceased again; this time miles from my homeHow is it, that you fixed the supposed problem but I have the same symptoms, same mechanical errors? Because *** street never fixed the car they just did the bare basics to reset the vehicle and get me out of their garage knowing that I live minutes away and prolly wouldn't see them againSHAME ON THEM! Even after the breakdown I called hem, emailed gem and still absolutely no answer until I flagged the expense on my credit card; now everyone (*** Street, AAA and this character on this thread) has the gall to proactive about keeping the funds from fraudulent activity. Sure cars breakdown all the time; this isn't my first car and so I know better than thatYes even year old cars like mine have trouble but if once situation is fixed, a completely different issue arises with different mechanical errors that wouldn't repeat the same transmission problems I'm years old and had an assortment of vehicles new and old in my lifetimeSo spare me on the insultsBut to have the SAME PROBLEM, SAME SYMPTOMS, the lack of assistance, the refusal to provide me original parts, not providing me with copies of the diagnostics and poor customer service to top it all, shows me that my truth that this was shoddy operation with shoddy mechanicsThe only time your company was concerned is when the payment was held.
In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above
Sincerely,
*** ***

To whom it may concern, In response to the second complaint filed by [redacted] is misinterpreting the facts and making false claims because she upset that her vehicle developed another problem that she has to take responsibility for. 1. The report that [redacted] received from the dealership couldn’t possibly state that the problem has ALWAYS been the transmission because it’s an invalid statement. The dealership, or any repair facility for that matter, would only be able to determine what the current fault is. Any fault that occurred in the past would be unknown to them and impossible to diagnose. This complaint is simply illogical. 2. We would be more than happy to show [redacted] the test results that confirmed the faulty alternator and dead battery. We can also show her the sophisticated equipment used to conduct these tests and even provide her with an example to help her better understand the process by which alternator problems are diagnosed. 3. [redacted] did not request to see the diagnostic reports at the time of service nor was she charged for the diagnostics as she claims in her complaint. She was only charged to replace the faulty alternator and the dead battery. 4. Contrary to [redacted]’s complaint she did not ask for her old parts. Old parts are available upon request to all of our customers. Had [redacted] requested the old parts within 2 weeks time after picking up her vehicle, we would have supplied her with them. After two weeks all old parts are sent out to be recycled. It’s unfortunate that [redacted]’s vehicle developed another problem but [redacted] Street Auto Center cannot be held responsible for every new problem that develops on the vehicle just because we replaced her alternator in the past. She has to accept the fact that her vehicle developed a new problem, which is completely unrelated to the alternator problem that occurred prior. To conclude, had we not replaced the faulty alternator and battery, [redacted] would have never been able to drive the vehicle out of [redacted] Street Auto Center in the first place. We invited [redacted] back to our repair facility to show her exactly how the alternator diagnosis was determined to help her better understand what happened to her vehicle. She refused. [redacted] has already attempted to stop payment on the transaction. After a brief review, her credit card company denied the chargeback and found her claims unfounded based on the facts described above. The alternator that [redacted] Street Auto installed in [redacted]’s vehicle, which she paid for, is operating perfectly fine despite the new transmission problem that occurred, therefore there is no reason to pursue this complaint. If you have any further questions or concerns feel free to contact us at any time. Sincerely, Laura S[redacted]

To whom it may concern, [redacted]’s 2014 Nissan Sentra was towed into [redacted] Street Auto Center because her vehicle broke down on her while she was driving and it could not be restarted. After running diagnostics, our technician determined that the vehicle had a faulty alternator which caused the...

battery to discharge which resulted in the vehicle breaking down and inability to be restarted. (See test #1 attached) Our service manger called [redacted] to advise her of the faulty alternator and bad battery and present an estimate for replacing them. [redacted] authorized [redacted] Street Auto Center to replace the failed components on 3/**/17 @ 9:11am by phone. [redacted] was NOT charged for diagnostics as she claims in her complaint, she was only charged for the replacement of the faulty alternator and bad battery. (see paid invoice attached) After the repair was completed a second test was done to confirm that the new alternator and new battery solved the problem, which they did. (See test #2 attached). The technician and quality control technician road tested the vehicle approximately 30 minutes each and no problems were reported. The vehicle was operating well at this time. [redacted] picked up her vehicle on 3/29/17 at 4:28pm. About one week later [redacted] contacted [redacted] Street Auto and stated that the vehicle had broken down again. Because the vehicle broke down in a similar fashion, she believed that the new alternator had gone bad, which is a logical assertion. We advised her that if the new alternator had gone defective, she can have the defective alternator replaced at any repair facility of her choosing, under our warranty program, at no cost to her. (see AAA warranty documentation attached). Our nationwide warranty covers repairs for AAA members for a period of 24 months or 24,000 miles, which ever comes first. Approximately one month later, [redacted] took her vehicle to another repair facility, Mizzoni's Auto Body, to have the alternator checked and replaced under warranty if it tested defective. We stayed in touch with both Mizzoni's Auto Body and [redacted] to insure that the problem was handled correctly. Mizzoni's Auto Body's test results revealed that the alternator we installed was working just fine and something else had caused the vehicle to break down this time. It’s unfortunate that her vehicle developed another problem but [redacted] Street Auto Center cannot be held responsible for every new problem that emerges on the vehicle just because we replaced her alternator in the past. We advised [redacted] that although the vehicle broke down twice in relatively close time periods, it must be noted that there are so many different reasons that can cause a car to break down. This can be difficult fact for the average automobile owner to understand. She has to accept the fact that her vehicle has a new problem, which is completed unrelated to the alternator problem. The second break down allegedly occurred due to a transmission problem which is an entirely different problem that was not present while the vehicle was in our care. A transmission problem would have easily been detected by either the repair technician or quality control technician during the road tests. [redacted] is proposing that the transmission problem caused both the first and second break downs to occur and the alternator failure was a misdiagnosis. [redacted] is misinterpreting the facts and making false claims because she upset that her vehicle developed another problem that she has to take responsibility for. Had we not replaced the faulty alternator and battery, she would have never been able to drive the vehicle out of [redacted] Street Auto Center in the first place. We invited [redacted] back to our repair facility to show her exactly how the alternator diagnosis was determined to help her better understand what happened to her vehicle. She refused. [redacted] has already attempted to stop payment on the transaction. After a brief review, her credit card company denied the chargeback and found her claims unfounded based on the facts described above. The alternator that we installed in her vehicle, that she paid for, is operating perfectly fine despite the new transmission problem that she is facing therefore there is no reason to pursue this complaint. If you have any further or concerns questions feel free to contact us at any time. Sincerely, Laura S[redacted]

Has got some of the RUDEST employees ever known to man. I live on the same block as this place they constantly leave their engine idling for long periods of time past midnight. They play read loud obnoxious music from their tow trucks outside on the streets with the windows down all night. One employee even made a personal phone call from the tow truck through the truck speakers!!! All of this happens way past midnight. Super loud and RUDE with no common decency.

Review: Towed to the shop on a Sunday night after technician could not start my car following AAA call. Towed to 54th St Auto Repair- since my regular mechanic, who was closer to the site of my car, was closed- where they told me on Monday morning that among other things I needed both a new battery and Alternator. Did not believe this to be issue as battery had been charging (the function of an alternator.) Paid to tow it to my mechanic who checked battery and alternator, and in inspecting the alternator, called me and stated that the alternator was tampered with, showing me a "cut" wire that could not have occurred naturally through wear and tear. Having read other online reviews, this is a highly unethical and illegal company that takes advantage of people. I plan to take them to small claims court if I cannot resolve this via Revdex.com.Desired Settlement: To be refunded to cost of towing and repair for unnecessary alternator.

Business

Response:

11/*/14

Dear [redacted]

Your vehicle was towed to our repair facility on 10/**/14 for a no start condition. The vehicle was checked the following day on 10/**/14 where we determined that the battery was dead and that the vehicle had a charging system problem. No repairs or services were performed on your vehicle while it was present at our repair facility.

You claim that “your regular mechanic” told you that the alternator in your vehicle had been tampered with and a wire had been cut. I cannot confirm nor deny that someone had tampered with your vehicle however I can confirm and assure you that it did NOT occur at our repair facility. The comment you made about us taking advantage of people is offensive, absurd, and untrue. We have heard stories from many of our customers of how their vehicles had been tampered with by parking garage attendants, valet attendants, a mechanically inclined friend, or even a “helpful guy on the street claiming to be a mechanic” just to name a few. For you or “your regular mechanic” to say that we had tampered with your vehicle is unfair and hurtful because anyone including “your regular mechanic” could have been the one who is responsible for this misconduct. We are a third generation AAA Approved Auto Repair service station that has been in business for over 50 years. We have 24 hour video surveillance covering every inch of our establishment inside and out. All of our repair work is guaranteed through the AAA.

Regarding the comment you made about online reviews. We repair hundreds of vehicle weekly and do our best to make all of our customers happy. We urge all of our customers to please let us know if they are not completely satisfied with our services so we can make it better. We want to preserve good relationships with all of our customers. I’m sorry you feel this way and hope you can offer us another opportunity in the future.

Sincerely,

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:

the 54th Street Auto Center has a vested interest in protecting their business and clearly would not admit to any wrongdoing/tampering. Suggesting a mechanic I trust and have known for 25 years may have done damage is equally insulting to me. Having spoken to the owner via telephone, it is clear that this will not be resolved via Revdex.com and I will seek to pursue other avenues for restitution.

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

Sincerely,