Allen's Automotive

Towed car back to shop due to problem after first repair. Didn't receive estimate for second repair until after completed. Surprise diagnostic fee.We took our car to Allen's Automotive the morning of Monday, April 6 for diagnosis and repair. Our car was fully functional, just a loud squealing noise upon start-up and during turns. Shop was not open that day so we left our car on the lot. Next day, April 7, they said they were too busy to diagnose our car. We did not receive any diagnosis or estimate for repair. Wednesday April 8, we called the shop in the afternoon to ask for an update after not hearing from anyone, and were finally told that they had diagnosed the problem. They told us they needed to replace water pump and serpentine belt, and that it would cost us "about $450". My husband asked for an exact total and they told us $470.79. We wanted to discuss this before approving the repair, so we asked to call them back later. 30 min later, called the shop to approve the repair, but there was no answer. Tried back several more times, no answer.Morning of April 9, we drove to Allen's Automotive to discuss and approve the repairs in person. We were not given an estimated time of completion. Friday, April 10, the repairs had not been completed. We were told that they needed more time. We finally received a call in the afternoon of Monday, April 13 that our car had been repaired. We drove to the shop to pay for the repairs and take our repaired car home. About half-way home, my husband saw the Check Engine light come on and the RPM needle jumping erratically. He was able to slowly inch our car home, but once it arrived in our driveway, it died and would no longer start. We called Allen's Automotive and were assured that they would take another look at our vehicle and rectify any issues that caused this breakdown. There was no mention of any pending charges or diagnostic fees. We had to call [redacted] to get our vehicle towed to the shop because it was no longer in operational condition, after just having been repaired. The shop would be closed by the time that our vehicle arrived after towing, so they promised to take a look at our car first thing next morning. The next day, April 14, we were told that they had not yet been able to identify the source of the problem. The day after that, April 15, we were told that they had identified the source of the problem and would work on the repairs. We were NOT given any estimate or quote or even explanation of the nature of the required repairs. We were NOT asked for authorization for the repairs, in writing or over the phone. We were NOT told that there would be a diagnosis charge assessed for their discovery of the problem, which we were still under the impression had to do with the first set of repairs they had done.On the afternoon of Thursday, April 16, my husband received a call from the shop that his car was fixed and operational once more. However, to his surprise, they demanded an additional $180 for the second repair. At this point, both of us were still under the impression that the second repair was related to the first and that it would be covered under the shop's mechanic's insurance policy. The shop insisted that the second repair was not related and that the part that had failed just coincidentally failed during our drive home after the first repair. After discussion, we decided to accept the cost for the second repair, although we were never given an estimate beforehand. However, we do not feel that we should be charged for diagnosis for second repair, since we were never told at any point that there was a fee. We asked for the $70 fee to be waived. The shop refused and said they would not release our car unless we paid in full. I drove to the shop to talk to them in person. First person I talked to claimed that there was no diagnostic fee and the $70 charge was for labor. However, I looked at the estimate sheet and it said "diagnose" under Labor. Second person was the owner. Again refused to waive. My husband really needed his car back, it'd been in shop 1.5 weeks already, so I had no choice but to pay.Desired SettlementI would like a refund of the $70 diagnostic fee. We were never told that we would be charged for this. Actually, we were never given an estimate, quote, ballpark, or any mention at all of charges related to the second repair until after it had been completed. We were basically presented with a fait accompli. Pay us for this or you won't get your car back. However, the second repair did fix the problem, whether it had to do with the first repair or not, and we are willing to accept the cost for the part and installation despite the lack of authorization and clarification of charges. We just want the $70 "diagnosis fee" refunded.