Carpenter Auto Center

As a AAA-approved towing provider, we towed Mr [redacted] 's vehicle to our shop due to a coolant leak, which we diagnosed and repairedApart from a mistaken coolant quantity, the customer correctly states the charges for the workPlease find attached a copy of the work order We provided him an estimate for these charges in advance, he authorized us to complete the work, and the final charges were in line with our estimateWe are sorry and saddened to hear Mr [redacted] is unhappyHowever, there are many points in his complaint that we must contest because they do not match the facts.Mr [redacted] claims that labor to replace the freeze plug should take a maximum of hours lo completeWe rely on various methods to estimate repair work at our shopAs a reference for this particular job, we used Real-Time Labor Guidea widely used auto repair estimating tool.We have attached a screenshot from Real-Time Labor Guide showing time and cost estimates for the freeze plug installation on the customer's vehicleAs you can see, the average time required by a professional technician to complete the work on a typical vehicle is estimated athours, which is the time we quoted before getting authorization to complete the workOur technician completed the work in hours and the final charges to the customer reflect this time.Mr, [redacted] claims that we did not complete a pressure testBut in the very same complaint, he lists a charge of $for "Pressure Test cooling System." In fact, our technician did complete a pressure test and this is how we were able to diagnose the repairWe advised the customer of the pressure test, the reason for the test, and the cost of the test beforehand, and he approved the work.The pressure test identified that the customer's vehicle had a leaking block heaterWe soon determined that we could not get a new block heater to our shop on same-day deliveryMr [redacted] decided to have us install a freeze plug in its place in order to get back on the road as soon as possibleWe provided an estimate for the freeze plug installation and he approved the work.We then went to work locating the right freeze plugWe contacted all three local parts suppliers in our town with no luckA staff member then drove around town to other repair shops hoping that one had the part in stockAgain, no luckWith substantial effort, we finally persuaded one of tho parts suppliers to drive over miles roundtrip to a second parts warehouse so that we could get the freeze plug and get the customer back on the roadThere were no charges whatsoever to ML [redacted] for any of these efforts and no charges for the special delivery required to get the partIt is likely true that Mr [redacted] was at our shop for around hoursMr [redacted] claims that he watched everytr1ing that was done lo his vehicle "the entire time" it was at our shop and therefore knows the freeze plug installation took "less than 1/hour to replace." In fact, Mr[redacted] and his passenger spent most of the time in our waiting room, from which he could not possibly see his truckPeriodically, Mr [redacted] went outside to walk in the parking lot Multiple times he walked to the side of the building where he could see his vehicle on the lift rack from a distanceA staff member was painting the building frontage that day and recalls talking to the customerThe staff member estimates the customer stood in view of his vehicle for about minutes altogether during the dayTo be clear, we did not actively work on the customer's vehicle for hoursMost of the hours was spent discussing the work with Mr [redacted] and seeking out the required partsActual total work time on the vehicle was roughly hour in diagnosis and hours for the freeze plug installation.Upon completion of the work, we carefully advised the client that the repair work introduced air into the cooling systemAfter our technician bleeds the cooling system, in some cases air will remain and work its way out over time, thus dropping the coolant levelBecause the client advised us he was immediately headed back on the road, we advised him to stop across the street to purchase additional coolant to keep in his vehicle as a precautionary measure.Mr [redacted] claims that we "purposely caused" a delay using a "dishonest method of conducting business" in order to separate him from his familyHe further claims that we "took full advantage of [them] from being out of state and a disabled person." We are very saddened to read these thingsWe believe we did everything we could possibly do to get the freeze plug to our shop and get this customer back on the road, including putting heavy pressure on ourparts supplier to make a special delivery for freeWhile we are sorry this customer feels the way he does, we most certainly did not act dishonestly in any wayFrankly, we are proud of all the efforts we made to get this customer back on the road with his family as soon as possible,Finally, we would like to address Mr [redacted] 's comments concerning our association with AAAHe states that we "dropped out of AAA after our complaint which is an obvious admission of guilt." In fact, nothing could be further from the truth, While we did recently moose not to renew our contract with the AAA Approved Auto Repair program, this was fundamentally a business decision and was not a result of Mr [redacted] 's complaintNote that we remain a member of the AAA family under contract as a AAA-Approved Towing Provider.Please find attached an email from the Field Representative for the Approved Auto Repair program for AAA Oregon/Idaho dated March 13, In this email, the representative provides our office manager with our AAA customer survey results for the and survey yearsFor the survey year, AAA customers provided survey responses for our business.93.75% of survey respondents were "totally satisfied" with our service, The remaining 6.25% reported that they were "satisfied" with our serviceFor the survey year, 95.65% of respondents were either "totally satisfied" or "satisfied" with our service,Additionally, please find attached an email exchange between the owner of this business and the same AAA Field Representative, In an email dated October 21, 2016, the representative notes that the annual contract between AAA and our business was up for renewalThe exchange goes on to show our decision not to renew this contract for In a final email dated December 28, 2016, the Field Representative expresses appreciation for a longpartnership between AAA and our businessOur parting with the AAA Approved Auto Repairprogram was amicable and a business decision on our part We leave a long history of superiorperformance in the Approved Auto Repair program.***SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS REDACTED BY Revdex.com***

As a AAA-approved towing provider, we towed Mr. [redacted]'s vehicle to our shop due to a coolant leak, which we diagnosed and repaired. Apart from a mistaken coolant quantity, the customer correctly states the charges for the work. Please find attached a copy of the work order....

We provided him an estimate for these charges in advance, he authorized us to complete the work, and the final charges were in line with our estimate. We are sorry and saddened to hear Mr. [redacted] is unhappy. However, there are many points in his complaint that we must contest because they do not match the facts.Mr. [redacted] claims that labor to replace the freeze plug should take a maximum of 0.5 hours lo complete. We rely on various methods to estimate repair work at our shop. As a reference for this particular job, we used Real-Time Labor Guide. a widely used auto repair estimating tool.We have attached a screenshot from Real-Time Labor Guide showing time and cost estimates for the freeze plug installation on the customer's vehicle. As you can see, the average time required by a professional technician to complete the work on a typical vehicle is estimated at1.6 hours, which is the time we quoted before getting authorization to complete the work. Our technician completed the work in 1.5 hours and the final charges to the customer reflect this time.Mr, [redacted] claims that we did not complete a pressure test. But in the very same complaint, he lists a charge of $47.44 for "Pressure Test cooling System." In fact, our technician did complete a pressure test and this is how we were able to diagnose the repair. We advised the customer of the pressure test, the reason for the test, and the cost of the test beforehand, and he approved the work.The pressure test identified that the customer's vehicle had a leaking block heater. We soon determined that we could not get a new block heater to our shop on same-day delivery. Mr. [redacted] decided to have us install a freeze plug in its place in order to get back on the road as soon as possible. We provided an estimate for the freeze plug installation and he approved the work.We then went to work locating the right freeze plug. We contacted all three local parts suppliers in our town with no luck. A staff member then drove around town to other repair shops hoping that one had the part in stock. Again, no luck. With substantial effort, we finally persuaded one of tho parts suppliers to drive over 60 miles roundtrip to a second parts warehouse so that we could get the freeze plug and get the customer back on the road. There were no charges whatsoever to ML [redacted] for any of these efforts and no charges for the special delivery required to get the partIt is likely true that Mr. [redacted] was at our shop for around 6 hours. Mr. [redacted] claims that he watched everytr1ing that was done lo his vehicle "the entire time" it was at our shop and  therefore knows the freeze plug installation took "less than 1/2 hour to replace." In fact, Mr.[redacted] and his passenger spent most of the time in our waiting room, from which he could not possibly see his truck. Periodically, Mr. [redacted] went outside to walk in the parking lot.  Multiple times he walked to the side of the building where he could see his vehicle on the lift rack from a distance. A staff member was painting the building frontage that day and recalls talking to the customer. The staff member estimates the customer stood in view of his vehicle for about 15 minutes altogether during the day. To be clear, we did not actively work on the customer's vehicle for 6 hours. Most of the 6 hours was spent discussing the work with Mr. [redacted] and seeking out the required parts. Actual total work time on the vehicle was roughly 1 hour in diagnosis and 1.5 hours for the freeze plug installation.Upon completion of the work, we carefully advised the client that the repair work introduced air into the cooling system. After our technician bleeds the cooling system, in some cases air will remain and work its way out over time, thus dropping the coolant level. Because the client advised us he was immediately headed back on the road, we advised him to stop across the street to purchase additional coolant to keep in his vehicle as a precautionary measure.Mr. [redacted] claims that we "purposely caused" a delay using a "dishonest method of conducting business" in order to separate him from his family. He further claims that we "took full advantage of [them] from being out of state and a disabled person." We are very saddened to read these things. We believe we did everything we could possibly do to get the freeze plug to our shop and get this customer back on the road, including putting heavy pressure on ourparts supplier to make a special delivery for free. While we are sorry this customer feels the way he does, we most certainly did not act dishonestly in any way. Frankly, we are proud of all the efforts we made to get this customer back on the road with his family as soon as possible,Finally, we would like to address Mr. [redacted]'s comments concerning our association with AAA. He states that we "dropped out of AAA after our complaint which is an obvious admission of guilt." In fact, nothing could be further from the truth, While we did recently moose not to renew our contract with the AAA Approved Auto Repair program, this was fundamentally a business decision and was not a result of Mr. [redacted]'s complaint. Note that we remain a member of the AAA family under contract as a AAA-Approved Towing Provider.Please find attached an email from the Field Representative for the Approved Auto Repair program for AAA Oregon/Idaho dated March 13, 2017. In this email, the representative provides our office manager with our AAA customer survey results for the 2015 and 2016 survey years. For the 2016 survey year, 32 AAA customers provided survey responses for our business.93.75% of survey respondents were "totally satisfied" with our service, The remaining 6.25% reported that they were "satisfied" with our service. For the 2015 survey year, 95.65% of respondents were either "totally satisfied" or "satisfied" with our service,Additionally, please find attached an email exchange between the owner of this business and the same AAA Field Representative, In an email dated October 21, 2016, the representative notes that the annual contract between AAA and our business was up for renewal. The exchange goes on to show our decision not to renew this contract for 2017. In a final email dated December 28, 2016, the Field Representative expresses appreciation for a longpartnership between AAA and our business. Our parting with the AAA Approved Auto Repairprogram was amicable and a business decision on our part We leave a long history of superiorperformance in the Approved Auto Repair program.[redacted]SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS REDACTED BY Revdex.com[redacted]