Gates Automotive Repair Service Inc

May 12, 2015Dear *** ***,Once again we did not diagnose this vehicleGates Automotive does not offer a warranty for customers who choose to buy their own partsI have highlighted the customers concerns on my original response and invoiceSincerely,
Curtis G
Gates Automotive

April 23, Dear *** ***,In Regards to Complaint ***, *** *** claims Gates Automotive diagnosed his vehicleThis vehicle was not diagnosed by Gates AutomotiveIn September of *** *** called and asked Gates Automotive how much it would cost to put an engine in a
*** ***We gave him an estimate for parts and labor and he said he would get back to usIn the middle of November of 2014, *** *** notified Gates Automotive that he purchased an engine from *** and would get someone to haul his car to usHe never made an appointment at this time and the car did not arrive as he statedAt the end of November of he called again and stated he was going to have someone haul it in to us on Monday, December 1, We did not schedule any major jobs for that week to accommodate his requestHe never showed up for that entire weekThis no show caused economic hardship to my company, since we did not schedule any major jobs for that weekThen later in the week of December 1st he called and asked if the car arrivedWe had not received the vehicleHe called us again later in the week and stated the person had problems with the trailer that was going to haul his car to usHe asked if we could tow itWe agreed to tow the car and he stated it was blocked in and could not be picked up immediatelyHe stated it would be ready to tow on December 8th.Once again Gates Automotive never diagnosed his vehicleHe requested that we put in an engine that he was going to purchase himself from ***According to *** he had purchased the engine on November 17, Gates Automotive did not receive the vehicle until December 8thWe never gave him a time line for this jobHe obviously was not in a hurry since he called in September of to get an estimate to put in an engine and waited until December to have the vehicle towedHe also stated that he had a company car to use and there was no rush to get his vehicle back*** *** did contact our shop about why was it taking so longGates Automotive emailed him pictures of the progress of his vehicleHe emailed Curtis thanking him for the picturesUpon completion of the engine job, we did drive the vehicle and it overheatedWe contacted *** *** about it and asked him if he put in radiator stop leak and how much of it did he put in his radiatorHe stated an excessive amountWe stated the radiator was clogged and could not be flushedDue to this clogging - problem, *** *** agreed to pay for parts and labor to fix the radiator issueThen we test drove the vehicle and did not have any overheating problemsWe contacted *** *** on March 25, that his vehicle was completedHe asked if someone could pick him up and we agreedHe lives in Hagerstown, MarylandOur mechanic had to drive over miles one way and took approximately two hours round tripThe following week *** *** called and described a problem with his air conditioner not blowing air out of the ventsHe was advised to bring it back in and we would look at it at no chargeHe never made an appointmentHe never mentioned there was a problem with the middle console during this callWhen we towed the vehicle from the other location the middle console was in the back seat, which we never touchedDuring this phone call, *** *** stated everything was working well meaning the engine and radiatorA couple days later he called and said it was overheating againHe was told to bring it back in, which he never didEnclosed is a copy of the tow receipt, invoice, and emailSincerely,
Curtis GGates Automotive

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and would like to say that although I am not at all pleased with this business, and would not recommend them to anyone for their lack of interest in their customers, namely myself, nor the quality of work they perform, I would like to go ahead and close out this case because I do not feel there will be any further resolution to my problem
Regards,
*** ***

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because their account of the events that occurred were completely inaccurate.  In September of 2014 I had gotten an estimate for an engine because I was considering putting a new engine in my car due to overheating issues.  I was still driving the car at that time, and my inquiry of a new engine had nothing to do with one actually being purchased at that time.  I'm not sure what their account is of the car not getting there until December 8th.  My car was given to a friend who lived just a few miles from the shop, and apparently he had some issues towing it over there with his trailer.  When the car finally arrived, I was promised that the car would be finished in 1 to 2 weeks, and it was not.  I called every week from December 8th until March 25th to get a status on my car (they can check their phone records) and the only answer I ever got was "Were working on it" or "I'm not the one working on your car, Curtis is".  I said "Can you tell Curtis to call me back ?"  and he would never call me back.  After calling back over and over again, I finally got Curtis on the phone.  He didn't want to speak with me, and basically told me to stop calling for updates on my car.  Excuse me, but I am the customer.  I have every right to know why my car has been sitting in your garage for over 3 months.  That is a common courtesy to a customer.  The mentioning of a "company vehicle" is completely false.  
I mentioned time and time again that by me not getting my car back in a timely manner is costing me a lot of money.  I told them over and over again that I had been renting cars for months now, which has been costing me hundreds of dollars.  If I had a company vehicle, then obviously there would be no need to complain because my company would be paying for it.  I have numerous receipts to prove that I was paying for my own rental car from [redacted] Rental Car located on [redacted] in Hagerstown, MD.  I received a phone call indicating that the engine was put in, but the car was still overheating.  I was asked if I had put [redacted]'s Leak in my car, and I did previously, however, the radiator had already been replaced after that in September.  So they were already working with a brand new radiator when they received the car in December.  They recommended it be replaced anyway, and I agreed even though I was extremely skeptical because I had just replaced it, plus I just replaced a whole engine which should have resolved the issue.  
I then received a phone call from Gary at Gates Automotive the day the car was completed, and I tried to make arrangements to get my car.  He told me he would not be in Hagerstown for two weeks.  Because I needed my car back right away, I offered him $100 to pick me up in Hagerstown, and bring me to my car.  He gladly accepted the $100.  You would think with all the hassle I had already been through they could've done that as a courtesy.  Two days later, I drove the car to work, and it overheated 10 miles after I drove it.  I called Gates Automotive, and they told me I would need to make arrangements to bring it up there.  Now, how can I drive a car 45 miles to your repair shop when it is overheating ?  They did not offer to come get the car that they incorrectly repaired, and offered no explanation as to why it would still be overheating after replacing an entire engine, water pump, thermostat, radiator, and cleaning out all the radiator hoses. This is a shoddy repair job, proving that they did not know what they were doing.  I have receipts verifying my rental car expenses, and the radiator that just got put in in September.  They basically just wanted another $500 out of me for the radiator because they knew that wasn't going to fix the problem anyway, and the car was going to continue to overheat, which it did.
Regards,
[redacted]