Christensen Automotive of Reno

Was charged for unnecessary repairs. Was told untrue information in an attempt to sell me additional repairs. Brought my [redacted] 2001 Toyota Camery in to have the front Brake pads replaced. I was quoted $220 for the job. After several hour I received a call from the shop sales representative. He informed me that the Calipers were "burnt up and seized" and needed to be replaced. I found this difficult to believe since the only problem when I brought in the car was the worn pads. I asked that they just replace the pads. The sales rep then said they could not do that because it was a "safety" issue. He stated that they had to be replaced. I was told it would now cost me $720 dollars. I had no choice at this point but to let them do the work. Later that afternoon I went in to pick up the car and paid them $724.29. After I paid, the sales rep told me that the timing belt needed to be replaced and quoted $650.00. I told him "No Thank you". He then went on to say that this car had an "Interference Engine" and if the timing belt broke it would ruin the motor. I knew, for a fact, that the 2001 Toyota 2.2l in-line4 was NOT an interference engine and if the belt broke it would stop running but would not ruin the motor. I called him on this and he continued to insist that the belt needed to be replaced. At this point I knew he was not being honest and I became suspicious about the additional Brake work I was charged for. I asked to see the Calipers. At first I was told "We returned them for core deposit" I insisted to see them and after several minuets of looking through the shop he came back saying he could only find one. I inspected it and it was neither "burnt up" or "seized" The piston slid in with ease, there was no sign of heat damage or any leaking. I showed him that there was nothing wrong with it. He said "Well we have to replace those things... it's a safety issue" I stated that "There is nothing wrong with it and it did not need to be replaced" He then said "Well.. we always replace those things". At this point I was angry and told him it was not part of the original scope of work and was NOT" burnt up" or Seized" as he had stated on the phone. I asked that he refund the money I was charged for the calipers. He said he would talk to the shop manager. After explaining the situation to the manager he (the manager) refused to refund any money. I asked for the old Calipers and they wanted to charge me $66.00 for them. At this point I needed to leave the shop while I still had my temper under control.Desired SettlementRefund of charges for work that was not needed.Original Estimate $220 Amount charged with work that was not needed $724.29. Expected Refund = $504.29Business Response Spoke with customer to receive his story and came to the conclusion to refund him money. We refunded [redacted] $360.

Manager would not honor store coupon for advertised $150 of timing belt service, quoted more for labor than originally quoted from the previous day. I made an appointment with Christensen Automotive after having a satisfactory discussion with an employee about a timing belt replacement on a 2008 Honda Ridgeline on Wednesday, August 26th. The appointment was made for the following morning at 7:30 am. The employee mentioned the day before that the price would be $1300 if I used parts that they purchased, but that they would be able to install parts that I purchased for a far lower rate; most likely below $500, and would honor the coupon. To be specific, the coupon was already slightly misleading, as it stated that the timing belt service would be: '$249, inclusive of timing belt and labor on most vehicles,' but the quote was already exceeding that. The employee mentioned that the coupon was essentially good for $150 off of a timing belt service, which I understood and acknowledged. I do understand that a business has to make a profit in order to succeed, and in order to provide quality, certified service, so the $500, minus the $150, sounded reasonable to me, even if I was bringing in my own parts (which should have been partially included in the $249 coupon).I purchased the required parts from Honda (at my expense, of course), and then brought the car, the coupon for $150 off, and the parts in at 7:30 for my appointment. Upon speaking with the manager, he informed me that he would not honor the coupon. He would not do the job without charging me full time (4.8 hours of labor at $110/hr), and would not honor their $150 off coupon. I mentioned that the genuine Honda Factory Service Manual for the 3.5L engine in the Ridgeline quotes 2.1 hours for the job. I declined the service on grounds that the coupon should be honored no matter what, and that the number of hours billed was far too great.I left, and found several other quotes within 1/2 hour that quoted me at $325, $380, and $419. I took my business to one of them. Desired SettlementThe advertising practices of this company are questionable at best. To advertise a coupon for a $249 timing belt replacement, inclusive of timing belt and labor on most vehicles, and then quote a job for over $1300 on a common engine (Honda 3.5 engines are in many models of vehicle) is already suspect. However, to not honor the $150 off from their own coupon, and to attempt to force the customer into extra billed labor hours is borderline criminal.This company needs to be much more transparent with their advertising practices, detailing specifics in fine print directly on their coupons, including stating that they will not honor their coupons if they deem it necessary. There was no such fine print on the coupon, which makes this interaction, in my opinion, illegal. They did not have the right to refuse the coupon, as it was not specifically mentioned on the coupon. Business Response Our coupon online and in the paper clearly specify that the timing belt replacement for $249.00 is for most vehicles to call for details. When I spoke with Scott and told him we could not honor the coupon it was because he wanted to use his labor guide to tell us how long it was going to take and what he was going to pay, we have not been able to validate his labor times cause we don't use Honda factory service times here we use Mitchell labor guide for reference. I will be more than happy to accept the coupon he has for $249.00 or 150.00 off like the coupon states it appears he has had it done somewhere else though.I believe this was a misunderstanding.