Dana's Transmission & Automotive Service Inc

February 14, Re: *** *** ID# *** To whom it may concern, I want to start by stating this written complaint is among the most self-serving fantasies I have ever been forced to read, I honestly feel I wasted valuable time left for me on this world, and
responding compounds the impactMr*** has misstated every aspect of this event, from his statement of when he brought his vehicle to my shop, to how much money he slowly paid out to get work he requested doneOne example; the vehicle was not brought to Dana's until January 6, with the request that we wait for him to send more money before beginning workOn February 17, Mr*** sent another payment, again requesting we await for his OK to begin repairsIn the mean time the customer requested I generate an estimate of cost to rebuild of front and rear differential assemblies including conversion of rear carrier into a positraction design, and a change of gear ratio of both elements (front and rear Ring & Pinion ratio) to 4:ratioThis request was totally of the customers own volition and was in fact questioned by me and the tech assigned to the work because of a tendency to generate a weakness due to the demand generated on a thinner pinion gear in the designMr*** responded with a statement that he had seen many of this ratio successfully built and voiced his support in our ability to achieve a positive resultAgain, this was a service totally of Mr***'s conception and the sense of it questioned by myself and the technician assigned to the serviceIt was only after the work was complete that the customer asked what kind of total cost the differential modification was going to costUnderstand this was an ato the original service of an engine replacement, a service he demanded be performed with an engine supplied by Jasper Engines, because he felt secure with the warranty that came with the Jasper Engine, a warranty that ultimately was declined after be delivered substandard engines, paid in full by Dana'sWhen Mr*** was given the cost of the differential services he requested, he lost his temper on the phone and demanded a reduction in priceHe was both intimidating and close to threatening in his expression of his demandThis customer is years younger, inches taller, and intimidating in his size alone, I was not about to have him follow through with his suggestion that he would take his grievance to a level that would be less than pleasant were he to have to come to my shopThat being the case, I reduced the labor for the differential service to zero and charged only for the partsAdd that discount to the loss suffered by the shop for the engine specifically requested by the customer and Dana's has suffered a loss of close to $6,In closing, I want to point out the kind of person we are dealing with here is not demonstrating the slightest bit of common sense in his argument His statement that Dana's does not deserve to make a profit requires only a flash of reality to see working with Mr*** has done nothing but lose the shop moneyHis les than sensible idea that he has any right to know how much is spent on the parts for this job is as reasonable as asking a restaurant how much they pay for their steaks He has no right to either, and that will not change for his parts, maybe if he tries hard he can get a steakhouse to tell him their cost, but I doubt itI am going to continue to do my best to help Mr*** obtain an engine that works, first from Jasper, then elsewhereI have spoken to several rebuilders of engines who have heard the same nightmare story experienced by Dana's and Mr*** with Jasper, and several have stated they will be glad to perform a mechanical equivalent of an autopsy as they have for others in the pastOnce this difficulty between the customer and Dana's is concluded I will begin the processIf he prefers not, we will take a different direction, but not without making an attempt to correct the current difficultySincerely, Thom S***, President Dana's Transmission & Automotive, Inc

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because: The transmission in question has been rebuilt with the parts I identified as to the original problemPer the company that rebuilt the transmission in question, upon there inspection, they determined that the problem was in-fact the pump failureupon their inspection, their master re-builder identified minor issues with the clutch discs and all other internal parts, but stated- and I quote- "not any significance that you could not re-use these as they were, but could not offer a warranty if I chose to do so" The new shop and I, and I would agree with the owner of Dana's, that the torque converter would need to be replaced due to the hub being too damaged from the pump issueDana's also try to tell me that because of the broken bell housing issue causing problems with the pump working properly, again, completely falseThe new rebuild company stated that where the break and repair were, that it would not have any affect on the pumps performanceAfter discussing the needed repairs for the parts that needed attention, and opting for the level of repair to satisfy a warranty level rebuild for my customer, the new rebuild company effected the repairs necessaryThe owner of Dana's stated that the entire transmission was "completely shot" and quoted me a price of approx$2300.00+- to rebuild my customers transThe new rebuild company rebuilt the transmission with ONLY the necessary parts to be able to offer a warranty and their entire bill came to $1,with a yr 36K miwarranty and a reconditioned torque converterI ask you why then, did the new company only charge this total price as opposed to Dana's master re-builders assessment and price of $2300.00+Also, the transmission was rebuilt by the new company by 6:PM the following eveningAll for $As to the owner of Dana's statements regarding the type of vehicle the transin question was out of, I simply say that he is incorrectI NEVER once told him who, what, or where, this transcame fromI deliberately do not tell sub-contractors who I do business with, to protect my revenue source from potential competitionI absolutely did not say this was in any way an emergencyI simply stated as a matter of fact that if he could get this done quicker than the company I had already lined up to rebuild this unit the following Tuesday, that he could have the workI am quite adamant about thisI have the receipts, phone calls to the new rebuild company, all necessary backing by the new rebuild company to back up my claims, and will use all available information at my disposal, to back up my claims that this was Dana's mistake and a complete dis-service to myself, my company, and my customerThe company I chose to rebuild this transis an established known business specializing in only transmission work and I intend to utilize them for their knowledge and expertise regarding this matter, and intend to continue to do business with them moving forwardThey were completely up front with me, recognized that I have thirty (30) years under my belt as a mechanic, and acknowledged my wishes regarding what, and only what, I wanted to have looked atThe only thing that made this any easier for the new rebuild company was that due to Dana's mistake, they were able to look at the entire list of parts visually due to them being put in boxes and sent on their way with me.
Sincerely,
*** ***

My name is Thom S***, owner and operator of Dana's Transmission & Automotive Service in Everett. Several weeks ago I was contacted by someone who sounded both desperate and sincere about having a transmission rebuilt for a motor home that had failed while being driven on the freewayI
informed this customer that we would perform a full inspection of the removed Unit at no charge and from the information we garnered we would try to present more than one optionThe customer responded to this suggesting we focus on the transmission pump assembly, which I assured him we wouldAt no time was I told not to perform a proper inspection, had that been the case I would not perform the inspection previously referred to. With this being said, I can only assume I failed to understand the customers needs and the limitations he wanted to apply to our inspection serviceI still feel we did the right thing, because what was found in the process; The pump and torque converter were only the beginning of the extensive damage within the transmissionThe Master Rebuild Tech performing the inspection discovered melted components, burnt and stripped clutches, and further evidence of extreme heat brought on by the failure of multiple elements Had this transmission been reassembled with a new pump and torque converter it was highly likely there would have been little or no movement of the motor home it was to be reinstalled in, and my company would have been held responsible. I am sorry this event spiraled out of control, and I accept full responsibility for failing to understand the customers desired intention for the proposed repair of his transmissionHad I better understood this I would have not made any effort to effect repairs on his transmission. Sincerely, Thom S*Dana's Transmission & Automotive, Inc