Arti's Collision & Auto Repair

Business Response to a ComplaintComplaint ID#:[redacted]Company Name:Arti's Collision & Auto RepairCompany Contact:[redacted]Company Phone:[redacted]Company Email:[redacted]Person Who Sent the Complaint:[redacted]Staff Member:Response:On 11 Aug 16, Mr. [redacted], owner of a 2003...

Kia Sorento, brought his vehicle to Arti’s Collision & Auto Repair to have work done on it because it was having issues starting. [redacted] was recommended to our body shop by another individual who has had work done here before. Art, the owner of Arti’s Collision, talked to [redacted] about the vehicle before it came to the body shop and multiple times while it was here. Art informed [redacted] of a diagnostic fee before the vehicle was sent to the shop. [redacted] agreed to the cost and brought the vehicle out. On 13 Aug 16, Art talked to [redacted] who stated if the vehicle was unable to be fixed it was ok. [redacted] stated he would trash the vehicle since he would be moving to Hawaii shortly. Art spent time going through the vehicle trying to figure out what was going on to make it not start. The engine cover was removed in order to look through the vehicle and the first thing that was noticed was a vacuum line rusted and falling apart. This line was replaced on the vehicle at no cost [redacted]. It was noted that the battery was not the correct size for the vehicle and that the air filter was covered in dust and plugged with dirt. On 15 Aug 16, Art contacted [redacted] to recommend the battery and air filter be changed. [redacted] agreed to this, therefore Art purchased the items and replaced them on the vehicle. Art also hooked the vehicle up to a computer to see if any codes would come up. Unfortunately no code came up to provide further assistance or tell us what was wrong with the vehicle. With the new battery and air filter Art was able to start the vehicle. He test drove the vehicle around, added $5.00 in gas to it since it was on empty, and believed this fixed the issue. On 16 Aug 16, [redacted] picked up his vehicle, paid for the services, and signed a receipt agreeing to the services done and items replaced. Unfortunately the vehicle stalled out on [redacted] while he was trying to drive home. Art towed the vehicle back to the body shop at no cost to [redacted]. Art informed [redacted] he would continue to look over the vehicle and try to figure out what was going on. Art stated there would be no further cost at this time to [redacted] and to give him a couple days. On 18 Aug 16, [redacted] contacted the body shop to ask about his vehicle. Art stated he had not been able to figure out what was going on with it at this point. [redacted] then demanded his money back for the parts and labor. Art’s wife, [redacted], got involved at that point. [redacted] helps with customer, bills, receipts, and money for the shop. [redacted] also use to work with [redacted], therefore thought she would be of assistance to figure out what was going on. [redacted] contacted [redacted] and asked what the situation was. [redacted] insisted he needed his money back since the vehicle was not fixed. [redacted] informed [redacted] that the labor cost and diagnostics cost would not be returned since that is money paid to employees for helping on his vehicle. [redacted] then complained about the fact that a battery was replaced and the fuel pump was not. [redacted] informed [redacted] that the vehicle was checked by Art, by a computer, and the fuel pump was checked. [redacted] stated no codes came up to give us a better idea of what could be wrong with the vehicle and that the fuel pump was working fine, therefore it was not replaced. [redacted] agreed to place all the original parts back in the vehicle at no cost to [redacted], keeping the new parts at the shop, and providing [redacted] his money back for the parts. [redacted] agreed to this and stated he would have a tow truck pick up his vehicle that evening. $156.30, after taxes, was charged to [redacted] for the air filter and batter. This amount was returned to [redacted]. $5.00 in fuel was also charged to [redacted] but not returned since the gas could not be returned. The fuel was purchased because the vehicle was low on gas and had to be test drove. The $55.00 in labor and $25.00 in diagnostic fees were kept for services on the vehicle. [redacted] signed a receipt in agreement to the services provided prior to request his money back. Art and [redacted] thought they were helping [redacted] out by providing his money back on the products sold, since many body shops would not do this for the customer once the receipt has been signed. Arti’s Collision & Auto Repair is now out $241.30 since the batter and air filter cannot be returned to a store, plus employees were paid twice to do the same job.Sent on: 9/6/2016 1:54:12 PM

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Art informed me there was a diagnostic fee
only if he finds the exact problem that is causing the KIA issues.  In the first several days, Art informed me that
he did not find the issue, so he will not charge a diagnostic fee yet. Several
days after Art and his shop were looking over the KIA, he informed me the
problem was a small battery, a dirty air filter, and a vacuum issue. Art stated
he will charge the diagnostic fee since he believes he found the problem and
would start charging for labor.  The
gentleman that brought me to Art, told him the KIA is going to be used for
another 9 months or so until his soldier (me) left for Hawaii, wherein his
soldier would sell the working KIA before departing. Also, paying for an
expensive battery would be pointless and Art should obtain a cheaper battery that
would do the job. Art ignored my officer’s advice and purchased a $130.00
battery. I was going to trash the KIA if it was unfixable or too costly.
However, that does change the fact that they charged a diagnostic fee that was
verbally agreed upon that until the exact problem is found I would then be
charged the fee. Art constantly talked about running codes with his computer
and doing tests with the fuel system. Art confessed to not checking any fluids
and not checking the parts of the fuel system. I never demanded to replace the
fuel pump. I mentioned to replace it only if that is the issue.
Upon taking the KIA to one of my friends, we
discovered that the engine cover was not taken off. One of the screws was
stripped and the rest were still rusted over. Rust on metal screws, without any
irritation from a power drill means it was not tampered with nor taken off. The
vacuum line only needed a cover, which was $0.50-$1.00. My friend discovered
the coolant was brown and black, there were multiple oil leaks that could be
seen with the engine cover on, and several loose bolts around the engine. Art
stated he did not check any fluids and stated the oil leak had nothing to do
with the problem, which it heavily did. My friend stated the motor is pretty
much shot, which only took several hours to find.  Aside from the oil leak, Art did not find any
of those issues. Art stated the oil leak was not an issue with the problem the
KIA has. Art took almost a week to claim it was a battery and air filter issue,
which was far from the problem.
When I initially informed Art that I wanted a
full refund because he barely attempted to find the issue and did not diagnose
it, Art agreed to FULLY refund me for the amount I paid. Shortly after, Kelly unprofessionally
called, constantly raising her voice and talking over me during the call. Kelly
was loud enough so everyone in the room could clearly hear her. Kelly stated
they only reimburse for the parts. Once I told her to do so, she became more
irrational and unprofessional; stating, “well how are you going to drive off
our lot with the old parts” and “ha, well you’re going to have to pay for a tow
truck and their fees to remove your KIA from our lot”. Once I stated that the
KIA will not drive with the old or new pars, and I have AAA with free towing
under 100 miles, she laughed and made unprofessional remarks.
I was paid $156.30, only for the air filter
and the expensive battery that was replaced. Art and Kelly did not say they
were helping me out by refunding the parts, they both provided an
unprofessional attitude and rude remarks. The battery in the KIA was small, but
was used with no issues for over 5 years. I only agreed to switch the battery
out because Art told me that was the exact problem of why the KIA was not
running.
Several days after the Revdex.com complaint was
made, Art called me.  Art disputed my complaint
unprofessionally, with Kelly laughing and yelling in the background.  Art again told me he did not check any fluids
and several other parts. Later in the conversation, Art threatened to report me
to my commander, and gave no reason to why he would. I had a conversation with
my command the next day, which resulted in me providing them a brief on this
incident.  I was not punished nor
scolded. The call in itself and the threat of involving my command was truly
unprofessional and harassing, since Art and Kelly took the situation further
into their own hands and did not go through the proper and professional process
the Revdex.com provided.
I am aware normal shops do not reimburse for
diagnostic and labor, but what Art and I agreed upon was different. Art
promised he would only charge the diagnostic fee if he diagnosed the exact
problem, which he did not find. If the diagnostic fee was automatic, then Art
would have charged me the fee from the start, not several days later after he
thought he found the issue. On top of the diagnosis not being completed, the
labor should automatically be negated as well. Especially because it was
obvious the KIA was barely looked at. Once he initially released it to me, Art
stated he hopes it works, and looked guilty. Art looked guilty and hoped he
fixed the issue, since he barely looked into the KIA and knew he did not fix the
issue.
Regards,
[redacted]