AAMCO of Tacoma/Lakewood

I am very sorry that we have not been able to make clear to the customer what was going on with her car We believe her that her clutch was just replaced at another shop Her recently replaced clutch cannot be reused due to it being soaked in oilIf we had put it back in, her car would not go anywhere We did not spill oil on her clutchThe clutch became oil soaked when the seal on the front of her transmission failed due to a bearing inside her transmission going out We do not pry open transmissionsWe take them out as a unitWe then take them to the back room where we work on transmissions Clutches are behind a pressure plate which is attached to the engineThe engine is a sealed unit, and if there is no leak in a transmission then there is no way for oil to get on a clutch when the transmission is removed Removing the pressure plate to get to the clutch is included in her original quote to remove the transmission for inspectionThe job to remove the pressure plate and clutch requires the removal of bolts and then they both come off the engineThere is no disassembly required to get to the clutch You could see that the clutch was soaked in oil before taking the pressure plate off There is no extra labor charge to put in the new clutchThis is included in the original quoteThe only extra charge is for the parts needed There is an extra labor charge to fix the transmissionThere is also a charge for the parts to repair the transmission We kept her informed about the increases in priceIf you read her original complaint it goes in stepsShe states we gave her a quote to open up the transmissionThe quote we gave her was for $Then she says the quote went up $2200, she states it was to replace the clutch, which was part of it, but it also included the costs for labor and parts to repair the transmissionThen she says it goes to $due to needing a flywheel to go along with the clutchWe tried to save her flywheel but couldn’t due to it having cracks so a new one is needed We will always take a customer out to see their carSounds like we misunderstood her request, for that I apologize The oil soaked parts we showed her included the clutch, the flywheel, and the input shaft bearing that failed in her transmissionWe showed her these to help in the explanation as to why we needed to replace these parts Again, we will continue to work with the customer to get her car back on the road for as little cost as possibleHowever due to safety reasons we cannot put in parts we know will fail To help ease her mind I am willing to upgrade her warrantee to months/18,miles

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: This is total bad businessThe only updates I ever received from this business is after they damaged and took my clutch apart I was never given opportunity to take my car elsewhereThe quotes he say included the clutch being taken apart was never spoken upon prior to him taking it apartThey took it upon themselves to disassemble my vehicle to a point where they felt they could charge me outrageous pricesI do not accept their response, I also do not understand how a business such as this one is still standing and nobody has attempted to stop their practicesI actually took a bus out there to this shop, just to be told unless I pay them, I would not be driving my car againThese guys are liars, scammers who make promises and give high hopes to the hard working people who walk in their officeThey must be stoppedI actually reached out to the owner, and was ignoredAs I stated, I never gave the guys permission to touch my clutch, and if it was soaked in oil, I should have be notified before they took it apartI went in for a free estimate!!! for $offered to remove and inspect transmission, Then a sudden jump to spilled oil on clutch , took the clutch and transmission out and apart,to we cant put it back together unless you pay us $3,the only permission given to theses guys were to touch my transmission only for inspection purposes

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:I am very dissatisfied with my experienceThey are not addressing the problem with an amicable solution I will not be returning a third time when the job should of been done right in the first placeI paid a substantial amount to get my brakes servicedI believe they have committed consumer fraudMoving forward I will be seeking legal help in order to retain reimbursement for the services that were done on my carAttached is another inspection that was done including the amount it will cost to fix and re due what AAMCO originally did Sincerely, [redacted] ***SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS REDACTED BY Revdex.com***

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: Important details are left outMy clutch was just replacedI gave this mechanic permission to open the transmission to see if there was anything they could do to fix itNever once in AAMCO response did he mention spilling oil on my clutch while prying my transmission openPrior to me bringing my vehicle to AAMCO, it had been inspected by [redacted] DEC I went to AAMCO to check on my vehicle and its damagesI asked to see my car, I was denied, instead he started bringing out random pieces soaked in oilThe other issue is that, I did not give permission to them to disassemble my clutchNow that it has been taken apart they are now telling me I'm also responsible for labor and price of the clutch as well as the transmissionThe most disrespectful part of this all is when dale told me I could not get my car until I pay them to fix itIt was also made clear to them that I am on a budgetDale went from $dollars to inspect my transmission to a mandatory $3,to get my vehicle back after they completely disabled itBefore the cost reached over the $dollars we agreed onI should have been informed of anything else being done to my vehicleOnce again, they did not have permission to take apart my clutchThis was done in an effort to force me to use their services

Hello, we have kept in constant touch with the customer to keep her informed about her carAs we explained to her, before she brought her car in to us, a bearing on the front of her transmission came apart causing an oil seal to go bad which caused oil to leak on the clutch she recently had changed by another shopOnce a clutch has become soaked in oil it cannot be cleaned and used again because the oil soaks into the clutch material, this is why she needs a new clutchHer flywheel needs replacing because hers has cracks and is blue from overheatingThis is not new damage, the flywheel should have been changed when the clutch was changed by the other shop Our original quote was for the labor to remove, inspect and replace the transmissionShe was told before we pulled her transmission that any parts needed would be in addition to the labor chargeThe parts needed to repair her transmission are a new clutch, throw-out bearing, pressure plate, flywheel, plus bearings, synchros, front input hub and seals for the internal damage to her transmissionThere was also an additional labor charge to disassemble the transmission and replace the bad bearings, seals, synchros, and front input hub Through each step of the process we informed the customer as soon as we found damage to her transmission and what it would take to get her transmission back to working orderShe gave us permission at each point to continue with the repairs We will continue to work with the customer to get her car back on the road

The customer bought the coupon from Groupon so they can get a refund from GrouponI apologize if this wasn’t communicated clearly to the customerWe have partnered with Groupon on and off for almost years and in that time Groupon has sold over couponsThe percentage of negative reviews
is small compared to the but still more than we would likeThe majority of complaints are similar to this customer, they have taken their car somewhere else and can get it cheaperWhen there is a discrepancy we like to take the customer out to the car and show them why we are recommending the repairsUnfortunately, this is not an option when we are talking to the customer over the phoneWe also don’t buy the cheapest parts because we guarantee our work nationally and expect our brake repairs to last to years of drivingAll our repairs are performed to match manufacturers specifications or better
Again I apologize that we didn’t communicate clearly to the customer about the refund and we weren’t able to help the customer with their repairs
*** ***
Owner
AAMCO of Lakewood WA

We regret Ms*** experience with usWe have reached out a couple of times by phone to talk to her and have not heard backWe would really like to help turn her negative experience aroundPlease have her contact us as soon as possible so we can help

Revdex.com:I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to meSincerely, *** ***

Hello, we have kept in constant touch with the customer to keep her informed about her car. As we explained to her, before she brought her car in to us, a bearing on the front of her transmission came apart causing an oil seal to go bad which caused oil to leak on the clutch she recently had...

changed by another shop. Once a clutch has become soaked in oil it cannot be cleaned and used again because the oil soaks into the clutch material, this is why she needs a new clutch. Her flywheel needs replacing because hers has cracks and is blue from overheating. This is not new damage, the flywheel should have been changed when the clutch was changed by the other shop.
 
Our original quote was for the labor to remove, inspect and replace the transmission. She was told before we pulled her transmission that any parts needed would be in addition to the labor charge. The parts needed to repair her transmission are a new clutch, throw-out bearing, pressure plate, flywheel, plus bearings, synchros, front input hub and seals for the internal damage to her transmission. There was also an additional labor charge to disassemble the transmission and replace the bad bearings, seals, synchros, and front input hub.
 
Through each step of the process we informed the customer as soon as we found damage to her transmission and what it would take to get her transmission back to working order. She gave us permission at each point to continue with the repairs.
 
We will continue to work with the customer to get her car back on the road.

We talked to the customer on July 31st and asked her to bring her car in so we could make sure everything was okay. She states there are issues with the rear brakes. As you can see on her attachment for the rear brakes we did not charge her but we gave her a warranty. We will stand by that warranty and will fix any issues that there may be. One of her attachments shows we originally did repairs on the front brakes and that is what we charged her for. In the interest of customer satisfaction we performed a rear brake service at no charge. She also stated that front brake caliper recondition is a service that does not exist. I have attached a printout from [redacted] one of the leading publications for estimating hours for repairs, and it shows “Caliper Assy., R&R and Recondition”. R&R is remove and replace. The time listed here is for a full recondition of the caliper and would have cost $385 in laborwith parts being extra. We perform a partial recondition on calipers when they are in good enough condition. The partial service includes cleaning all the moving parts and replacing the pins and hardware if they need it. This is the service we performed on her front brakes.We look forward to her bringing her car in so we can solve any issues.Dale H[redacted]Owner AAMCO of Lakewood WA

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:
AAMCO inaccurately stated a small percent has negative reviews when really it has only 48% of customers on Groupon that recommends AAMCO. On Yelp, they have 2 stars out of 5. That is not a small percent. This business needs to stop scamming people. That's just not right. Falsely advertising brake service of a value up to $391 just lure in customers to up sell and overcharge. This needs to stop.Sincerely,[redacted]

I am very sorry that we have not been able to make clear to the customer what was going on with her car.
We believe her that her clutch was just replaced at another shop.
Her recently replaced clutch cannot be reused due to it being soaked in oil. If we had put it back in, her car would not go anywhere.
We did not spill oil on her clutch. The clutch became oil soaked when the seal on the front of her transmission failed due to a bearing inside her transmission going out.
We do not pry open transmissions. We take them out as a unit. We then take them to the back room where we work on transmissions.
Clutches are behind a pressure plate which is attached to the engine. The engine is a sealed unit, and if there is no leak in a transmission then there is no way for oil to get on a clutch when the transmission is removed.
Removing the pressure plate to get to the clutch is included in her original quote to remove the transmission for inspection. The job to remove the pressure plate and clutch requires the removal of 6 bolts and then they both come off the engine. There is no disassembly required to get to the clutch.
You could see that the clutch was soaked in oil before taking the pressure plate off.
There is no extra labor charge to put in the new clutch. This is included in the original quote. The only extra charge is for the parts needed.
There is an extra labor charge to fix the transmission. There is also a charge for the parts to repair the transmission.
We kept her informed about the increases in price. If you read her original complaint it goes in steps. She states we gave her a quote to open up the transmission. The quote we gave her was for $539. Then she says the quote went up $2200, she states it was to replace the clutch, which was part of it, but it also included the costs for labor and parts to repair the transmission. Then she says it goes to $3000 due to needing a flywheel to go along with the clutch. We tried to save her flywheel but couldn’t due to it having cracks so a new one is needed.
We will always take a customer out to see their car. Sounds like we misunderstood her request, for that I apologize.
The oil soaked parts we showed her included the clutch, the flywheel, and the input shaft bearing that failed in her transmission. We showed her these to help in the explanation as to why we needed to replace these parts.
Again, we will continue to work with the customer to get her car back on the road for as little cost as possible. However due to safety reasons we cannot put in parts we know will fail.
To help ease her mind I am willing to upgrade her warrantee to 18 months/18,000 miles.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because: Important details are left out. My clutch was just replaced. I gave this mechanic permission to open the transmission to see if there was anything they could do to fix it. Never once in AAMCO response did he mention spilling oil on my clutch while prying my transmission open. Prior to me bringing my vehicle to AAMCO, it had been inspected by [redacted]. 29 DEC I went to AAMCO to check on my vehicle and its damages. I asked to see my car, I was denied, instead he started bringing out random pieces soaked in oil. The other issue is that, I did not give permission to them to disassemble my clutch. Now that it has been taken apart they are now telling me I'm also responsible for labor and price of the clutch as well as the transmission. The most disrespectful part of this all is when dale told me I could not get my car until I pay them to fix it. It was also made clear to them that I am on a budget. Dale went from $500 dollars to inspect my transmission to a mandatory $3,500 to get my vehicle back after they completely disabled it. Before the cost reached over the $500 dollars we agreed on. I should have been informed of anything else being done to my vehicle. Once again, they did not have permission to take apart my clutch. This was done in an effort to force me to use their services

We refunded the customer the $60 she spent on getting her car unlocked. She will need to get a refund for the [redacted] coupon from [redacted].

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because: This is total bad business. The only updates I ever received from this business is after they damaged and took my clutch apart.  I was never given opportunity to take my car elsewhere. The quotes he say included the clutch being taken apart was never spoken upon prior to him taking it apart. They took it upon themselves to disassemble my vehicle to a point where they felt they could charge me outrageous prices. I do not accept their response, I also do not understand how a business such as this one is still standing and nobody has attempted to stop their practices. I actually took a bus out there to this shop, just to be told unless I pay them, I would not be driving my car again. These guys are liars, scammers who make false promises and give high hopes to the hard working people who walk in their office. They must be stopped. I actually reached out to the owner, and was ignored. As I stated, I never gave the guys permission to touch my clutch, and if it was soaked in oil, I should have be notified before they took it apart. I went in for a free estimate!!! for $539 offered to remove and inspect transmission, Then a sudden jump to spilled oil on clutch , took the clutch and transmission out and apart, , to we cant put it back together unless you pay us $3,431.39. the only permission given to theses guys were to touch my transmission only for inspection purposes.

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting this response because:I am very dissatisfied with my experience. They are not addressing the problem with an amicable solution.  I will not be returning a third time when the job should of been done right in the first place. I paid a substantial amount to get my brakes serviced. I believe they have committed consumer fraud. Moving forward I will be seeking legal help in order to retain reimbursement for the services that were done on my car. Attached is another inspection that was done including the amount it will cost to fix and re due what AAMCO originally did.  Sincerely,[redacted]
[redacted]SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS REDACTED BY Revdex.com[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]I am rejecting...

this response because:It is untrue that the above company has reached out to me multiple times. I did receive a phone call from manager Doug 06/23/2015 at 2:34 PM, but am unable to return the call until Thursday 06/25/2015 based on the fact that my work schedule conflicts with the business's operating hours. I look forward to getting this amicably resolved.Sincerely,[redacted]