Cottman Transmission & Total Auto Care

Revdex.com Holiday Drive Pittsburgh, PA Re: Complaint ID [redacted] I am not disputing that the owner of Cottman transmission didn’t oversee his employees and inspection of the work completedI am also not disputing the quality of work performedHowever I am disputing the manner of professionalism I received when there clearly was still a problem with the transmission within the warranty periodHe should have honored the warranty and investigated further into a solution instead of waiting for an inevitable mechanical failure which happened shortly after the warranty time period expired but well within the 24k miles The owner doesn’t need to explain why the Premium Overhaul didn’t provide a long term fix but he should explain why he didn’t take the noises and the (3) return visits more serious within the warranty periodHe states that I left the shop expressing gratitude which clearly was not the caseHe knew I was upset and even made a comment regarding my anger over another repairThe second repair would have been less evasive if it would have been resolved earlierRegards, [redacted] ***

August 1, Revdex.com Serving Western Pennsylvania Holiday Drive, Suite Pittsburgh, PA Re: Complaint ID [redacted] received 06/30/As the owner of Cottman Transmission of West Mifflin, overseeing all shop employees and inspecting work completed at the garage, I can attest to the quality of work performed during the Cottman Premium Overhall, The rebuild was completed to spec and met the quality standard of the shopAs every vehicle differs and develops different problems, different driving styles affect those problemsI cannot explain why the Premium Overhall did not provide a long term fix for the customer, as it was completed and inspected with no problemsOnce the customer returned outside of warranty with a need for a transmission repair, out of good graces and under no obligation, l discounted the labor rate and offered the parts at costThe customer left the shop, expressing gratitude for the good will he had received regarding his repairRegards, Jay K [redacted] Owner, Cottman Transmission of West Mifflin Lebanon Church Road West Mifflin, PA

Revdex.com
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID and have determined that this does not resolve my complaintI do not want a retraction of this complaint until I get a better professional resolution from the established businesstransmission
*** *** July 2016 The owner of Cottman refers to my complaints during the warranty period as “Minor noise” and also claims many 6-speed electronic transmissions make the same minor noiseHard shifting and banging into several gears is far from minor noise and it was just a matter of time that the problem became catastrophicSo catastrophic that it resulted in the failure of the 4-5-piston resulting in loss of upper gearsI have owned my Pontiac for years and drove it 80k miles without the slightest minor noiseIt was only after the Premium Overhaul that the transmission began to have symptoms and during the warranty period It was stated in his response “Should there be any mechanical issues within the warranty period that they would be addressed”There was clearly an issue during the warranty period and it wasn’t properly addressed by CottmanHis only response was “My truck bangs into gears”. That is not a professional response to be given to any customer and clearly irrelevant to my particular transmission problem and clearly not part of their code of ethics pledge. Additionally the owner of Cottman claimed that due to the work order which specified another repair and not a rebuild that no warranty would be offered and it was against the suggestion of Cottman transmissionThis was never stated to me in our conversations before the second repair and I only found out about the warranty void when I picked up the car and read the receiptIt clearly states in the owner’s response that the shop will stand by its transmission diagnosis, the quality and guarantee of the work performed and the discounted resolution of further problems offered to the customerHow can they stand behind their work when there wasn’t a warranty offered after the second repair. I called him about the warranty issue and his response was “bring the car in and let me think about it”Again that was another unacceptable unprofessional response in any line of business. Since the second repair I have driven the car several hundred miles and there hasn’t been one instance of a minor noise which concludes me to believe the initial premium overhaul repair was not done correctly and resulted in a second repair and additional cost

July 7th, 2016 Revdex.com Serving Western Pennsylvania 400 Holiday Drive, Suite 220 Pittsburgh, PA 15220 Re: Complaint ID [redacted] received 06/30/2016 The customer received a Cottman Premium Overhaul at a cost of $3103 on his 2008 Pontiac G6, vehicle [redacted], in October of 2014. The...

service included a 12 month/24,000 mile warranty on the work performed, extended mileage from the standard 12 month/12,000 mile warranty. The customer returned to Cottman Transmission of West Mifflin a total of three times during his 12 month warranty period, each time complaining of minor noise during the shift of gears. The vehicle's transmission was visibly inspected and given a driving test, which showed no signs of mechanical deficit or concern. The customer was sent with an explanation that many modern vehicles with a 6-speed electronic transmission make minor noise while they shift, and should there be any mechanical issues within the warranty period, that they would be addressed. The customer left Cottman Transmission with an understanding of the parameters of his warranty. In June of 2016,8 months past the warranty expiration of the Cottman Premium Overhaul in question, the customer returned. The vehicle's transmission suffered from an abrupt failure of the 4-5-6 piston, resulting in loss of upper gears. The 2008 Pontiac G6 was inspected and diagnosed. The customer was approached with a suggested work order that included repairing, not rebuilding, the transmission in order to fix the loss of gear, at a deeply discounted rate. The customer agreed to the work order, which included parts at-cost and a $25 per hour discount from the standard labor rate, for a total of $1561.73, paid on June 27th, 2016. Due to the nature of the work order, which specified a repair not rebuild, no warranty was offered to the customer for this service. Had the customer expressed interest in a secondary rebuild of the transmission, against the suggestion of Cottman Transmission, a warranty would have been included. Cottman Transmission of West Mifflin seeks to grow a loyal customer base through positive reviews and exceptional experiences, as proven through 18 years of successful owner operation. While it is disappointing to hear of this customer complaint, the shop will stand by its transmission diagnosis, the quality and guarantee of the work performed and the discounted resolution of further problems offered to the customer. Regards, Jay K[redacted] Owner, Cottman Transmission of West Mifflin 3300 Lebanon Church Road West Mifflin, PA 15122

Revdex.com 400 Holiday Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15220   Re: Complaint ID [redacted]      I am not disputing that the owner of Cottman transmission didn’t oversee his employees and inspection of the work completed. I am also not disputing the quality of work performed. However I am disputing the manner of professionalism I received when there clearly was still a problem with the transmission within the warranty period. He should have honored the warranty and investigated further into a solution instead of waiting for an inevitable mechanical failure which happened shortly after the warranty time period expired but well within the 24k miles.      The owner doesn’t need to explain why the Premium Overhaul didn’t provide a long term fix but he should explain why he didn’t take the noises and the (3) return visits more serious within the warranty period. He states that I left the shop expressing gratitude which clearly was not the case. He knew I was upset and even made a comment regarding my anger over another repair. The second repair would have been less evasive if it would have been resolved earlier. Regards, [redacted]

August 1, 2016 Revdex.com Serving Western Pennsylvania 400 Holiday Drive, Suite 220 Pittsburgh, PA 15220 Re: Complaint ID [redacted] received 06/30/2016 As the owner of Cottman Transmission of West Mifflin, overseeing all shop employees and inspecting work completed at the garage, I can attest to the quality of work performed during the Cottman Premium Overhall, The rebuild was completed to spec and met the quality standard of the shop. As every vehicle differs and develops different problems, different driving styles affect those problems. I cannot explain why the Premium Overhall did not provide a long term fix for the customer, as it was completed and inspected with no problems. Once the customer returned outside of warranty with a need for a transmission repair, out of good graces and under no obligation, l discounted the labor rate and offered the parts at cost. The customer left the shop, expressing gratitude for the good will he had received regarding his repair. Regards, Jay K[redacted] Owner, Cottman Transmission of West Mifflin 3300 Lebanon Church Road West Mifflin, PA 15122

Review: I had my car transmission repaired. According to the receipt it was labeled as "Cottman Premium Overhaul" at a cost of $3103. The work came with a 12 month/24000 mile limited warranty. After the work was complete the transmission started to bang shifting into higher gears. When I took the car back within the 7 to 10 days as stated on the receipt I told the owner of the problem I was having. His response was " It will quit banging after the transmission learns how you drive" since it is a 6 speed electronic transmission. About 6 months into the warranty I took the car back again and reinstated the transmission is still banging. The owner took it for a test ride and his response to me was "A lot of cars bang into gear. My Truck does as well". He clearly knew I was unsatisfied and he told me the transmission should be "OK" One week before the 1 year warranty expires I took the car back for a 3rd time as it was banging even worse. "Again his response again was "My Truck transmission also bangs into gears", He thought it was perfectly acceptable that my car did as well. Now that the 12 months has passed and with only 12500 mile (under the 24000 warranty) the transmission had lost several gears. Since the time warranty had expired he was not going to stand behind his initial "Premium Overhaul" repairs. I had to pay him another $1561 to have the transmission repaired again and his response was "This just had to have happened". I told him this was caused by the constant banging (during the warranty period) and was clearly an issue from the initial repairs and he ignored my complaints while it was under warranty. Also on the receipt of the second repair he clearly wrote "Warranty-None" which now states he does not warrant his work which clearly to me is unacceptable.Desired Settlement: Since he ignored my complaints (3 times) during the warranty period I am seeking a refund for the second repairs of $1561.

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July 7th, 2016 Revdex.com Serving Western Pennsylvania 400 Holiday Drive, Suite 220 Pittsburgh, PA 15220 Re: Complaint ID [redacted] received 06/30/2016 The customer received a Cottman Premium Overhaul at a cost of $3103 on his 2008 Pontiac G6, vehicle [redacted], in October of 2014. The service included a 12 month/24,000 mile warranty on the work performed, extended mileage from the standard 12 month/12,000 mile warranty. The customer returned to Cottman Transmission of West Mifflin a total of three times during his 12 month warranty period, each time complaining of minor noise during the shift of gears. The vehicle's transmission was visibly inspected and given a driving test, which showed no signs of mechanical deficit or concern. The customer was sent with an explanation that many modern vehicles with a 6-speed electronic transmission make minor noise while they shift, and should there be any mechanical issues within the warranty period, that they would be addressed. The customer left Cottman Transmission with an understanding of the parameters of his warranty. In June of 2016,8 months past the warranty expiration of the Cottman Premium Overhaul in question, the customer returned. The vehicle's transmission suffered from an abrupt failure of the 4-5-6 piston, resulting in loss of upper gears. The 2008 Pontiac G6 was inspected and diagnosed. The customer was approached with a suggested work order that included repairing, not rebuilding, the transmission in order to fix the loss of gear, at a deeply discounted rate. The customer agreed to the work order, which included parts at-cost and a $25 per hour discount from the standard labor rate, for a total of $1561.73, paid on June 27th, 2016. Due to the nature of the work order, which specified a repair not rebuild, no warranty was offered to the customer for this service. Had the customer expressed interest in a secondary rebuild of the transmission, against the suggestion of Cottman Transmission, a warranty would have been included. Cottman Transmission of West Mifflin seeks to grow a loyal customer base through positive reviews and exceptional experiences, as proven through 18 years of successful owner operation. While it is disappointing to hear of this customer complaint, the shop will stand by its transmission diagnosis, the quality and guarantee of the work performed and the discounted resolution of further problems offered to the customer. Regards, Jay K[redacted] Owner, Cottman Transmission of West Mifflin 3300 Lebanon Church Road West Mifflin, PA 15122

Was told that they would tow&perform diagnostic testing for free. The transmission was apart and put into the trunk.$590 was charged no work done.I took my vehicle to[redacted] on [redacted] Rd. Was told by representative at Cottmans Transmission in Garner that they would tow my vehicle from[redacted] to their shop and do a diagnostic test on my vehicle (transmission)all for free. All to find out that in order for me to get my vehicle I had to pay $590 when I was told it would be done for nothing?? Had to call a wrecker service and find someone else to work on my vehicle. When the wrecker arrived to pick up my vehicle they had taken the transmission apart and it was placed in my trunk, when wrecker arrived to pick up. So I am reporting advertising not honored(free towing and diagnostic testing) and product service poor because they put the parts in my trunk, when wrecker service picked up.Desired SettlementI would like for them to honor what I was originally told. (free towing and diagnostic), I would prefer the refund of $590; or at least part of that to cover the cost of what I had to pay for, to do the same service they said would be free somewhere else.Business Response Mr [redacted] was oringinally told that all towing is FREE with a major repair. and that all initialial diagnostics are FREE as well. Mr [redacted] gave us permession to get the vehicle that night. In the morning are diagnistics confirmed that Mr [redacted] had an internal failure in the transmission that required us to open the transmission to see what has failed. Mr [redacted] gave us authorization for $500 worth of work that would be applied to a total rebuilt transmission. Mr [redacted] refused to have any more work done on the vehicle and towed the car away. Mr [redacted] paid for work authorized and performed plus towing. Towing would have been free with final repair that was never authorized. Mr [redacted] I am the owner and would like to discuss this further with you in person if you are available

Recieve services from [redacted] & [redacted] cost was $1,200.00 paid $550.00 and owed $650.00 plus transmissions filter 23.06 PAID total 1,305.39.Cost of Services 1.200.00 total stated on recieipt 750.00 transmission filter 24.03 but all services equal= 1,305.39 and life time warranty does displayed on reciept for transmission.Desired SettlementCharge accurate billed amount and warranty issues transmission included lifetime warranty.Business Response Contact Name and Title: [redacted]Contact Phone: [redacted]Contact Email: [redacted]I am sorry I do not understand what the complaint is. You paid what was agreed on for your transmission. I personally showed you your warranty information that was on your reciept. If you would like for me to go over the receipt again I will be happy to comply. Please call me direct so I can understand what your complaint is? The only thing I can make out is that you are unhappy about the taxes that was paid? Consumer Response The problem [redacted] agreement was $1,200 Flat rate lifetime warranty but Receipt have limited lifetime warranty. ALSO ON Receipt you have $750.00 transmission excessive charges transmission & labor 1,200+transmission filter gasket 23.06+ sale taxes 38.06= $1,261.74 $1,305.39-$1,261.74= $43.64 need to be refunded back to me & transmission warranty need to be clarified not limited life time no customer wants to play tug war with dollars that you [redacted] you need to be jobless to.

Bought from Cottman new 1yr/12000 mile warranty transmission in Oct 2013 w/$4000 bank loan. Sept 2014 told need another new, $4200. Poor quality workStruggling divorced mom of 3 needed new transmission Oct 2013. No choice but get $4000 bank loan for a new at Cottman Transmission. Could've bought used w/lower miles, but owner [redacted] (Cary & Garner shops) convinced & I felt he wasn't going to take advantage of my lack of knowledge. Only able to buy 1yr warranty/12,000 miles. Noticed car not driving well Sept 5. Had what looked to be transmission fluid in antifreeze reservoir. Took to [redacted] Sept 8, said transmission issue. Impossible b/c wasnt even a yr old! Took car to Cottman same day. Mgr [redacted] said would look into that day & implied would be covered though over warranty miles some, but still under a yr. Finally, Wed, Sept 10, [redacted] tells me & friend a new transmission needed & not covered under warranty! Give me $500 3yr warranty deal & $4,200 for a new transmission! Asked why it broke down, couldn't provide answer but shared there was poor quality work from their mechanics. [redacted] replaced. Requested to meet w/[redacted]l. Meanwhile, missed work & driving up cost for rental waiting for owner to decide to call me. After several calls/messages, [redacted]l calls & leaves message on Fri, Sept 12. I call back, but he's unavailable, left another message to call. After no call back Fri & Sat, and a wk of car sitting at Cottman's, realize being blown off, disrespected, & taken advantaged as a woman. Irony is website: "Service Assurance: to be fair & honest in our dealings among ourselves, customers, vendors & our community." After extending rental for another wk, call [redacted] Sept 15 to put transmission back in car so can take elsewhere. Reminded will be $500 w/10% discount b/c a "repeat customer" (Same as 1st-timer last yr- scam) Shockingly, [redacted]l calls later to help me out w/$3,749, denies poor work. Requested transmission back in car or can have towed if to take a wk again. Told cant tow as is, have to put back to support engine. Cost $450 no matter car sat over wk & still dont know what caused. Message car ready for pick-up late Sept 16. Pick up on 17th & reluctantly paid w/credit card. Get in car, loud noise, fluid gushing out bottom. Check under hood, fluid exploded, plastic bag w/parts left in. Battery compartment stuff not put back. Got message no $450 refund. AGAIN, poor quality of work! Consulted other businesses and told a new transmission should not have broken down. Was defrauded in 2013 with poor quality of work of the installation of the new transmission and then again when putting transmission back into car. I have witnesses, pictures and video evidence to support.Desired SettlementOriginally wanted owner to warrant the transmission because it was obviously poor work done with the installation - as the manager stated -and should not have broken down under a year's time no matter if mileage was a little over the 12,000 miles and under a year. Now, I want a full refund of the $450 for poor quality of work and holding my car for an excessive amount of time to take out a transmission and put it back - especially when it takes only about 4 hours. Additionally, I want my $4000 back for a transmission that was not repaired or installed properly. Business Response Customer came in and had all issues resolved. There was a misunderstanding while I was out of town Consumer Response The issue has not been resolved. This business/owner took advantage of my status and provided very poor quality of work. Im exploring options for resolution, and feel its my duty to report this man and perhaps prevent someone else enduring the stress, frustration, and expense of a similar nightmare. Bottom line, this man ripped me off $4,000 for a new transmission that broke down in less than a year. I have never experience such rudeness and and customer dissatisfaction.Business Response I am sorry that I was out of town on a fishing trip when you came in. We had refunded all your money for any repairs that [redacted] had told you and put your vehicle back together to the status of when it came into the shop. I apologize for management not handling this the way you wanted, we have since changed our management with someone more professional than previous.As for the warranty on the transmission in question. We both agreed that your vehicle was out of warranty by well over 5500 miles that why you authorized us again to fix car while I was on holiday.

A misdiagnosis of the problem with the truck resulted in a repair that did not fix the truck.Truck was brought to Cottman of Cary. I stated it was a rear end problem. Cottman stated it was not but a transmission problem. After new transmission was installed and problem still persisted. Brought back to Cottman, after several days truck was picked up again and I was told to drive for a few weeks because transmission needed to be broken in. Problem still persisted. Truck was then taken to Cottman of Durham where I was told it indeed it was not the transmission but a rear end problem. I had this confirmed by 3 other mechanics, one being the Cottman of Durham Mechanic , who then proceeded in calling the owner of Cary store and told him he was wrong.I am out almost 3 thousand dollars for a repair that was completed at a local garage ( [redacted] ) for 105 dollars. The truck is now fixed , the transmission did nothing to improve the truck's performance.Desired SettlementRefund of $2935.63Business Response Contact Name and Title: [redacted]Contact Phone: [redacted]Contact Email:[redacted]I am sorry you feel that we did not fix the issue. Your vehicle came in with a shutter in the transmission. Upon driving the vehicle we determined that the shutter was mostly likely coming from the Torque converter. A common issue.Before doing anything to the vehicle we dropped the transmission pan with your permission and verified metal shavings int the unit. without the fact that metal was evident in the transmission we might have just replaced the torque converter itself, but the metal was more than enough evidence for the replacement of the transmission. If another issue was identified in the rear of the car that would be a coincidence not a misdiagnosis. I will be glad to refund you for the additional cost you accumulated in having someone add a modifier agent to the rear differential. Please bring in receipt of that repair Consumer Response Mr.[redacted] is entitled to his own opinion but not his own facts. Given the truck was returned within days is not a coincidence. Other than the coincidence of a misdiagnosis. Metal in a transmission pan does not always mean a problem. The transmission was not slipping or whining. This was an egregious error that did nothing to the performance of the truck. How I feel has nothing to do with facts.

Rude, provided wrong information, bad business practiceI would not recommend Cottman to anyone. The man who identified himself as the owner, [redacted], was very rude and unpleasant to deal with. He made comments like "I can't deal with this lady","Oh my God" and few other very rude remarks while I was explaining to him my concerns over the phone. The man behind the counter who identified himself as [redacted] was new and highly inexperienced.I bought my car into Cottman for a 2nd opinion. I made very clear that another repair shop suggested that I get my idle valve sensor replaced but this did not sit well with me. I even bought the quote from the previous shop. My car was looked at and I was quoted $950+ for the throttle body to be replaced. I specifically advised that I would shop around for price comparison. After making a few calls to other well known repair shops in the area, I found that Cottman was charging me well over $200 more. I advised [redacted] the receptionist, that I will be going to another shop. [redacted] told me that he was able to get that repair down to $450 by replacing idle valve sensor vs. the throttle body. He also explained that these repairs were pretty much the same thing. I agreed to have service done.After driving my car for less that 10 miles, I realized it was having the same issue and I immediately bought it back in. [redacted] the receptionist, stated "It's exactly what we thought it was originally. Your throttle body needs to be replaced" and ask that I pay additional money for the repair. I don't understand why he would diagnose my car with one issue, do a different repair, and explain that it's the same thing just to get my money. I explained this was unacceptable. He made references that it was the fault of the first shop. I found this to be unacceptable since I made it clear that I came to Cottman for a second opinion. He suggests I talk to the owner, [redacted]. That was even worse.[redacted] seems to be really nice and caring about the situation until it came down to money. He apologized for his mechanics mistakes. He said "They were just trying to do a young lady a favor". We agreed that he would credit me my $450 but I would apply that money to the actual work that was originally found as being the issue. I ask him to confirm the price again for me to have my throttle replaced. He now stated it would be $1,035. That again was now nearly $300 more than his competitor. After a few negotiations he agreed to price match with his competitor's price for the throttle body replacement. I bought another quote in for proof that his rate was outrageous. We agreed on a price of $750 minus the $450 I already paid, leaving a balance of $300.I get a call saying my car was ready by [redacted] a few days later but the balance was $450. I explained this is not right. This is about $150 more than the price I was told. He agreed that the balance should be lower but this was the amount [redacted], the owner, advised him to charge me. He asks that I call back in an hour. Well, an hour turned into a few hours and I finally had to email [redacted] to get a response. He was very rude when I finally did talk to him. He cut me off repeatedly. He stated that he was losing money. After he made comments such as "Oh my God", "I can't deal with this lady" and few other mumbles over the phone he listened to what I was saying enough to realized he misread the quote for the pricing wrong. I was able to pick up my car and pay the amount we agreed on after 3 weeks of being stressed, disrespected and not valued as a customer.Desired SettlementI would like for the owner to apply the 10% discount his site offers for repairs and seek training in customer service training to ensure this behavior does not happen again with any other customers.Business Response Contact Name and Title: [redacted]Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXXContact Email: [redacted]@cottmanauto.comI am sorry if you had a bad experience. I personally honored every estimate you had from other shops. I repeated said I would honor any price and that was done repeatedly. I even handed you a gift certificate after I personally waited after hours for you to pick up your vehicle. The price you paid was the match price you handed to us for the repair.Please come in for a FREE oil change on your next visitConsumer Response Thank you for offering a free oil change. However, the level of disrespect I recieved from [redacted] has completely turned me off from doing any futher business with this company. I kindly ask again that the 10% coupon you offer on your website be applied to the total I paid and that portion be refunded back to me. Are you not going to honor the discount you offer? I also ask again that you and your employees seek training in customer relations for future conflicts that may arise with other customers.Final Business Response The oringinal cost for the throttle body replacement on your Cadillac was over $900 we discounted several times which saved you a couple of hundred dollars on the repair already. We had given you a gift certificate and offered you a FREE oil change on your Cadillac as well. We will not be offering another 10% discount since your total discounts today are already much greater than 10%.I will be glad to discuss this in person during regular business hours again. I can be reached at XXX-XXX-XXXX for your convenience