Crazy Al's Gypsum Auto Body & Frame

CRAZY AL'S GYPSUM AUTO BODY & FRAME[redacted]
[redacted] 
[redacted]
RE:  ID # [redacted]To whom it may concern:[redacted] brought his vehicle to us to have the roof repaired according to his...

insurance companies estimate.When he came to pick up the vehicle, I was not here, but he showed my employee a chip on the left side of the front bumper, a dent on the hood and scratches on the right side rear of the rear bumper.  He said this was damage done while we had the vehicle.  He pointed out other damage to the vehicle on the rear bumper, front bumper and left rear door and said that was previous damage.  When I returned and examined the vehicle I could not see that the damage [redacted] pointed out was “new” or how it could have happened in the shop.I contacted [redacted]’s insurance company to see if they had examined the vehicle prior to doing their estimate, in which case they would have pictures of the entire vehicle and we would be able to determine previous damage.  They said that the estimate had been prepared as an “Office Handled Claim” and [redacted] had only sent them pictures of the roof damage, not the entire vehicle.  The claims adjuster also told me that the roof damage did not include rust repair above the windshield.When [redacted] came back to talk to me about the “new” damage, he then included damage to the left side of the rear bumper.  He accused my employees of “joy riding” and crashing his vehicle.  He also remarked that they couldn’t drive a manual transmission vehicle because they had stalled out in front of him.  Any one that has driven a manual transmission knows that all clutches are different and catch at different points—stalling is not unusual in a strange vehicle.  My men drive all vehicles including semi tractors, hybrids, tow trucks and DUI assisted devices.As we discussed the “new” damage, I pointed out that the hood dent had rust and the left side of the rear bumper had been previously repaired because the bondo had cracked and had then been “brush” touched instead of spray painted.  I asked him about the touch up that had been done on the left rear door and [redacted] said he had done that with touch-up paint obtained from another body shop.  The paint was the same on the door and the bumper, so I told [redacted] that it appeared the same person had done both.He continued to question my employees about them causing the damage and trying to hide the fact.  My painter and bodyman have been with me for 12 and 15 years respectively, and I believe that if this damage occurred while we had the vehicle, they would have notified me immediately that there was a problem so that it could be repaired correctly—not brush-touched.[redacted] had a $1000.00 deductible and per the policy of Crazy Al’s Gypsum Auto Body we were saving him 5% of the total estimate, which was $129.85.  I told [redacted] that I knew he was trying to sell the vehicle and even though I did not believe the damage was done at my business, in order to alleviate the problem, I would fix both bumpers if he paid the $129.85 that I was rebating to him.  He declined saying he had no trust in me.At this point when [redacted] wanted to pay for the original repairs with a credit card, I was reluctant.  It would be easy to dispute a credit card charge and I wanted to be sure that I was paid for the roof work we had done, which included repairing the rust that the insurance company had excluded.  [redacted] said I was questioning his integrity, but isn’t that what he was doing to me?We never tried to impound his vehicle and the $35.00 per day charge is a normal shop procedure if a vehicle is left for more than 5 days after repairs have been completed, unless other arrangements had been made.Crazy Al’s Gypsum Auto Body & Frame has been in business for more than 32 years.  I do not believe I would still be here if I conducted business as [redacted] claims.  I have always done over and above what is required in dealing with my customers. Sincerely,Alvin R C[redacted], ownerCrazy Al’s Gypsum Auto Body & Frame[redacted]