Gates Collision Centers

This review will not comment on the quality of their work, because I never had the opportunity to get that far. After researching the Gates Auto Body website I was informed I could come in w/o an appointment to get an estimate and the estimate would take 15-25 minutes. I drove from Verona to the Rimrock location on Saturday (11/1/2014) morning and arrived at 11:15 (they close at 12) to give plenty of time in case someone was in front of me. The guy at the desk showed no interest in helping me, through a mouth full of food he told me I would have to make an appointment and come back. When I asked why the website said I could drop-in for an estimate if this was not the case, he just said "The estimator has to go." So it appears I drove from Verona to Rimrock just for the heck of it.

[redacted]. Thanks.
Gate's Collision Center has been doing business in Madison since early 1990, and IMO owes it's success, partially to their heavily promoted "Free Loaner Car!" program, which has been their bragging rights for as long as I can remember. A person could hardly venture out about Madison in the last twenty years or more without seeing at least one car with something like "Gate's Collision Center Free Loaner Car" plastered all over it. Alas, no more. Now you get a loaner for up to three days, regardless of how many more days it might take to get your car back. I was told the policy change occurred sometime in early July of 2015, just after they fixed my car on the second to the last time I intend to give them my business, I had to have repairs done again in December of the same year, and was told about the new policy when signing for my not so free loaner. I said,
"Since when? You have been advertising free loaners for years. I wasn't charged anything for the loaner the last the I was here, and I had it for closer to a week than three days."
They said that was "just before the cutoff" of the policy change, when they began charging customers for any time beyond three days use of the "loaner". The loaner becomes a rental on the fourth day, for the "discounted" rate of $20.99/day for a compact (mine was a Ford Focus). These cars aren't owned by Gate's, they come from Enterprise, who are conveniently located in the same building and who advertise "Rental Cars Starting At $11/Day " on line, which makes that $20.99 just insult added to injury.
Naturally the estimate they gave me allows for approximately four days of labor to complete the work. Since I dropped my vehicle off the morning of December 21, I suspect that it will take longer than that
"Some days you're the hammer...", today I'm the nail.

I was involved in rear end accident on the 20th of December, I hit another car. Had the car towed to Gates auto body shop on the 23rd of December. I had only liability, no collison so I would be paying for repairs. I needed transportation to look for a replace, so I told them I just wanted it to run, no body work! Told them this 3 times. I get a call from them finally on the 8th of January 8th an estimate of $5,600. This included body work.

Over 2 weeks to get an estimate, I know there was holidays, but still other cars were disappearing (I went by several times to look).

I would not recomend this shop to anyone, since they cannot do what the CUSTOMER ASKED FOR.