[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:
I was not informed prior to the diagnostic work being completed of the nearly $300 in charges this would incur. This was particularly shocking given that I believed this was a battery related issue given the issues the car was presenting prior to the day I brought the car in. I suggest as a matter of course that in the future any diagnostic time beyond a certain posted value be communicated to the customer and approved prior to spending more. Performance automotive was in fact fair with the battery price, however the unapproved diagnostics for a battery replacement is unfair. Also to tell us it needed a $1000 fix was untrue. All it needed was the battery replaced as we suggested when bringing in the car. The computer in the car is in fact reset by unhooking the battery. No diagnostics or extra work required. We deserve a refund for the unnecessary and unapproved diagnostics.
Regards,
[redacted]
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this complaint.
On 1/21/2015, Mr. [redacted] presented his 09 Mazda 6 for repair and spoke with [redacted]. He had several complaints as noted on the work order. Those were that the the car had to be jump started, that it seemed to die....
He also stated that the idle was high and that there was no response from the throttle. The check engine light was on and some random lights had been on. He stated that there were blown fuses like the cigarette lighter/power port that he replaced. Mr. [redacted] wanted these problem checked. He also asked that we check the alignment and tires and advise him as to their condition and if he needed an alignment. Mr. [redacted] requested this specific work (diagnostic) be performed without requesting any sort of estimate. He simply stated that he wanted the problems checked.
Mr. [redacted] brought his vehicle to our shop in a "limp mode" during which, the vehicle was not operating properly. He advised us that the battery had been jumped off and that after that, a few fuses blew (which he had replaced), and the vehicle began experiencing problems. Several lights were activated on the dash including the check engine light and the throttle was not functioning properly. We explained to him the steps that we took in diagnosing his vehicle's problem which was not related to a low running voltage problem as he seemed to believe. We explained the testing procedures that we took and why we believed that the battery was not the root cause of his problem. We also explained that we chose to reboot the computer in an effort to affect a system reset as a last line before replacing expensive parts like the throttle body or pcm because they were ruled as being suspect during our testing. The fact of the matter is, changing the battery alone did not repair his vehicle. We ran diagnostics with the battery fully charged as I explained to him when he picked up the vehicle, we load tested the battery on 2 occasions, the battery passed once, then failed the load test at a later time. In addition to this we also changed/replaced the battery prior to rebooting the computer with no effect on his problem. There were multiple check engine light related faults in the vehicle's computer which related to the EGR valve control circuit, oxygen sensor circuit, pcm communication, and throttle body actuator control. These faults are not caused by a battery but rather a pcm or related part issue which we explained to him when he picked up the car. We also explained that this solution may not last and that his vehicle may need a throttle body should the condition return. We charged him for the time spent testing the vehicle and for performing the repair that ultimately got the vehicle running again. We also tried to get his existing battery replaced under warranty through our supplier even though he didnt purchase the battery from us. We checked his alignment/tires and front end noise as requested as well. Also, to be transparent, the battery we sold him cost us $100.11, we sold it to him, installed, for $130 which came with a 30 month free replacement warranty. A comparable battery purchased from an autoparts store retails for roughly the same unless you use a lower quality battery. The balance of the charge was for testing, diagnosis, and repair of the vehicles problem.
[redacted] advised me that he had spoken with Mr. [redacted] on the phone and asked him how many times he jump started the vehicle, Mr. [redacted] advised at that time that his wife had jumped it off. Mr. [redacted] was unsure at that time if the cables were hooked up properly but Mr. [redacted] advised that his wife would not tell him if she had hooked it up incorrectly. When asked the age of the battery Mr. [redacted] advised it was 2 years old and still under warranty and asked us to locate a receipt inside of the vehicle which we searched for but could not locate. Mr. [redacted] was also notified by phone that we were conducting diagnostic tests on the vehicles drive by wire system to include the throttle pedal sensors, pcm, and throttle body actuators. He then spoke with Mr. [redacted] again by phone and explained some of our findings. Mr. [redacted] advised that he wanted to go ahead and replace the battery before replacing any other parts and advised us that the battery was no longer under warranty as he had found the receipt. We determined that the battery was in fact over 4 years old. The customer was told the cost to replace the battery prior to replacing it and the customer approved the purchase. At no time was Mr. [redacted] ever led to believe that checking all of his vehicle's problems and diagnosing them would be done at no charge.
Mr. [redacted] came to the shop to pick up his vehicle at the close of business on 1/23/2015 and advised that he was not happy with the cost. We explained to him the procedures that we took at length in an effort to help him understand what we did, why we did it, and how much time we devoted to fixing his vehicle. We gave him $50 off in an attempt to satisfy him. He advised that this was not good enough and we attempted to continue to explain the charges. He also advised that if we did not take the charge off he would take his business elsewhere.
Unfortunately, when a customer takes issue with what we have done and challenges us on our charges it does feel personal. We have to charge for the time that we spend working on their vehicles. This customer appeared to believe that all of our work was not worth his money and took a stance that he knew more than we did about the problem. He believed that the battery was the root cause of his problem when it clearly was not. We could not give him an explanation that could satisfy him because I believe he thinks he knows more about the problem than we do.
Again, Thank you for your time and allowing us to respond in this matter.
[redacted]
Service Manager
[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:
I was not informed prior to the diagnostic work being completed of the nearly $300 in charges this would incur. This was particularly shocking given that I believed this was a battery related issue given the issues the car was presenting prior to the day I brought the car in. I suggest as a matter of course that in the future any diagnostic time beyond a certain posted value be communicated to the customer and approved prior to spending more. Performance automotive was in fact fair with the battery price, however the unapproved diagnostics for a battery replacement is unfair. Also to tell us it needed a $1000 fix was untrue. All it needed was the battery replaced as we suggested when bringing in the car. The computer in the car is in fact reset by unhooking the battery. No diagnostics or extra work required. We deserve a refund for the unnecessary and unapproved diagnostics.
Regards,
[redacted]
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this complaint.
On 1/21/2015, Mr. [redacted] presented his 09 Mazda 6 for repair and spoke with [redacted]. He had several complaints as noted on the work order. Those were that the the car had to be jump started, that it seemed to die....
He also stated that the idle was high and that there was no response from the throttle. The check engine light was on and some random lights had been on. He stated that there were blown fuses like the cigarette lighter/power port that he replaced. Mr. [redacted] wanted these problem checked. He also asked that we check the alignment and tires and advise him as to their condition and if he needed an alignment. Mr. [redacted] requested this specific work (diagnostic) be performed without requesting any sort of estimate. He simply stated that he wanted the problems checked.
Mr. [redacted] brought his vehicle to our shop in a "limp mode" during which, the vehicle was not operating properly. He advised us that the battery had been jumped off and that after that, a few fuses blew (which he had replaced), and the vehicle began experiencing problems. Several lights were activated on the dash including the check engine light and the throttle was not functioning properly. We explained to him the steps that we took in diagnosing his vehicle's problem which was not related to a low running voltage problem as he seemed to believe. We explained the testing procedures that we took and why we believed that the battery was not the root cause of his problem. We also explained that we chose to reboot the computer in an effort to affect a system reset as a last line before replacing expensive parts like the throttle body or pcm because they were ruled as being suspect during our testing. The fact of the matter is, changing the battery alone did not repair his vehicle. We ran diagnostics with the battery fully charged as I explained to him when he picked up the vehicle, we load tested the battery on 2 occasions, the battery passed once, then failed the load test at a later time. In addition to this we also changed/replaced the battery prior to rebooting the computer with no effect on his problem. There were multiple check engine light related faults in the vehicle's computer which related to the EGR valve control circuit, oxygen sensor circuit, pcm communication, and throttle body actuator control. These faults are not caused by a battery but rather a pcm or related part issue which we explained to him when he picked up the car. We also explained that this solution may not last and that his vehicle may need a throttle body should the condition return. We charged him for the time spent testing the vehicle and for performing the repair that ultimately got the vehicle running again. We also tried to get his existing battery replaced under warranty through our supplier even though he didnt purchase the battery from us. We checked his alignment/tires and front end noise as requested as well. Also, to be transparent, the battery we sold him cost us $100.11, we sold it to him, installed, for $130 which came with a 30 month free replacement warranty. A comparable battery purchased from an autoparts store retails for roughly the same unless you use a lower quality battery. The balance of the charge was for testing, diagnosis, and repair of the vehicles problem.
[redacted] advised me that he had spoken with Mr. [redacted] on the phone and asked him how many times he jump started the vehicle, Mr. [redacted] advised at that time that his wife had jumped it off. Mr. [redacted] was unsure at that time if the cables were hooked up properly but Mr. [redacted] advised that his wife would not tell him if she had hooked it up incorrectly. When asked the age of the battery Mr. [redacted] advised it was 2 years old and still under warranty and asked us to locate a receipt inside of the vehicle which we searched for but could not locate. Mr. [redacted] was also notified by phone that we were conducting diagnostic tests on the vehicles drive by wire system to include the throttle pedal sensors, pcm, and throttle body actuators. He then spoke with Mr. [redacted] again by phone and explained some of our findings. Mr. [redacted] advised that he wanted to go ahead and replace the battery before replacing any other parts and advised us that the battery was no longer under warranty as he had found the receipt. We determined that the battery was in fact over 4 years old. The customer was told the cost to replace the battery prior to replacing it and the customer approved the purchase. At no time was Mr. [redacted] ever led to believe that checking all of his vehicle's problems and diagnosing them would be done at no charge.
Mr. [redacted] came to the shop to pick up his vehicle at the close of business on 1/23/2015 and advised that he was not happy with the cost. We explained to him the procedures that we took at length in an effort to help him understand what we did, why we did it, and how much time we devoted to fixing his vehicle. We gave him $50 off in an attempt to satisfy him. He advised that this was not good enough and we attempted to continue to explain the charges. He also advised that if we did not take the charge off he would take his business elsewhere.
Unfortunately, when a customer takes issue with what we have done and challenges us on our charges it does feel personal. We have to charge for the time that we spend working on their vehicles. This customer appeared to believe that all of our work was not worth his money and took a stance that he knew more than we did about the problem. He believed that the battery was the root cause of his problem when it clearly was not. We could not give him an explanation that could satisfy him because I believe he thinks he knows more about the problem than we do.
Again, Thank you for your time and allowing us to respond in this matter.
[redacted]
Service Manager