Jefferson Auto Sales

This vehicle was sold almost a year ago, Oct 30 ,2014 with a 3 month/3000 mile engine and transmission warranty.  We have done several minor "goodwill" repairs, not covered by warranty for this customer at no charge.  Most recently on 9/16/15  we replaced the rear struts &...

rear sway bar links and front sway bar links, which was $577.24 worth of work, for a charge of $100 to the customer and provided them with a free loaner car. These are routine repairs on wear and tear parts typical for a pre owned vehicle of this age.  So I assume this is a misunderstanding, because this work has already been completed?  There was a 1 day delay in the repair due to a backlog in our garage as a result of our mechanic being off work for a month due to hernia surgery. We are a small family business and work hard everyday to ensure customer satisfaction.  I have gone to great lengths to communicate with these customers to resolve any concerns as quickly as possible, including sending several emails from the hospital during an ultrasound for my unborn child!  In addition, I also paid $150 3/24/15 to another garage for a minor repair as a goodwill gesture.  We have obviously gone to great lengths and expense to help and assist these customers with vehicle maintenance over the past year.  I trust that this is a miscommunication due to timing and that this matter has been satisfactorily resolved.

I assume this is a miscommunication /timing issue, as vehicle was repaired and returned to customer Tues Jan 5th. Mr [redacted] purchased this vehicle over a year ago and we have no idea what he has previously done with the spare tire and/or lack of hardware.  It is possible that the...

vehicle did not have the spare wrench, which is why we ordered him one at no cost.  This is something that a responsible vehicle owner should have previously verified.  Furthermore, we are not a tire shop and have no equipment to repair tires, but attempted to help Mr [redacted] as a courtesy.  The additional repair of a left rear broken brake line also had nothing to do Mr [redacted]'s right front flat tire situation.  This repair was completed for Mr [redacted] as soon as possible even though we had a full shop with previously scheduled work.  The vehicle was also returned to Mr [redacted] without him paying the bill, allowing him to return to work and pay for the repairs later. In fact he currently owes us for 2 previous repairs as well, and has made no attempt to pay dating back almost a year.  We are always glad to help a customer in need, but we are not a charity.  This seems to be a case of a customer taking advantage of our good will and not accepting responsibility for their vehicle maintenance and associated financial obligations.  In light of this history, it is unclear to me how Mr [redacted] could possibly be dissatisfied with our service.  Perhaps in the future, Mr [redacted] should see if he can find another shop that would agree to do repairs and never get paid?

Review: My fiancé and I are on a car loan together with the dealership "Jefferson Auto". We are e-mailing in response to the issues we had today. The owner, John had spoke with [redacted] is my fiancé) about these issues and had the car in on 5/31/15 and decided with [redacted] that the struts would be replaced at no cost to us as a result of all the issues we have encountered with this car. It is not September and my struts have not been replaced. We had to wait for parts to be ordered (as we were told) and scheduled an appt in July. Because of miscommunication, that appt was missed. We were then told the next appointment available was in a few weeks due to them being short one mechanic. We then scheduled it for today (9/14/15), over a month in advance. We have been driving this vehicle since MAY with the struts like this. We drive to Pittsburgh twice a week for things with our daughter and honestly, I feel unsafe in it, but because this was our only solution AND vehicle, I've had to deal with it. Since we have purchased this car in 10/15, we have to put four new tires on three months after purchasing, replace a resorvior tank, coil packs, spark plugs, it was seen by their mechanics TWICE for the check engine light (the first time was four days after our initial purchase and our personal mechanic ultimately corrected that issue while Jefferson Auto was still responsible under warranty) ball joints, a coolant flush (which was pointless because apparently the coolant line is corroded with rust), there were rust holes in the floor that were cheaply fixed by whatever body shop the dealership uses. We were told they would properly use fiber glass and seal the holes in the floor but we were shown during it's inspection that their body shop basically slapped puddy on it. We were also told there is a slim chance this car will pass inspection next year because the underneath is severely rusted out. My window motor has gone for the second time, and our heat and air conditioning do not work. We have taken care of almost all of those repairs. The holes, coil packs, plugs, and apparently struts will/were replaced by them. You have to understand our frustration. We are paying 360$ a month (with perfect payment history) on a car that has been nothing but problems since day one, WITH the great chance it will not pass inspection again in June. We made our appointment for today (9/14/15), both the mechanic and secretary had no idea we had made it (Lori is who we spoke to when scheduling it), and we were told they may not be able to get us in. We scheduled the appt ahead of time so that we could make arrangements to miss work or find other transportation. When [redacted] called at 4:30, we were told he would not get to it today. I made an appt, we don't understand. And then [redacted] is told, well it could be the struts or sway bar or links. So now we have to worry about those costs as well? So we are again, inconvenienced to the point one or both of us will have to call off work at a future time and hope that we can get our car done the same day it is promised. The mechanic had no idea what [redacted] was talking about. So we have to continue driving an unsafe car, while paying an insane amount on a car that blue books for half of what I'm paying for it. The thing is, we wouldn't have a problem paying for this if it was not one issues after the next. It literally has been something EVERY SINGLE MONTH since we purchased this car. I understand we were in a bind with not so perfect credit that this was our last resort. I get that, but I shouldn't have to sacrifice my safety, my daughters safety, and constant STRESS over a vehicle like this. When my fiancé had called to check the status, if the car was completed, he had asked to speak to the owner. He was told John was not there. He then called back a little big ago to see what time they were open to so that we could arrange to get the vehicle since we have prior commitments for my daughter tomorrow (tomorrow is when they would like to fix it, even though I made arrangements TODAY for transportation and work), he found out that the owner WAS there. The service manager Mike, had lied when my fiancé asked to speak to the owner. All we want is a safe car, THAT is all. I transport a seven year old in this car, we use this vehicle to get us both back and forth to our employers, and I just don't feel as though they have provided us with reliable transportation. Not to mention the fact that I put $1000 down a vehicle that I am paying $9995 dollars for, that is on Kelly blue book for almost less than half that amount and we pay $360 monthly, with perfect payment history. When I sent an e-mail to John the owner, he simply said we needed to leave it tomorrow to get it fixed. It's as if he doesn't get it that we made this appointment for a specific day for a reason. If we can't work with them, basically we are out of luck and I don't feel as though that is how a business should be run. Thank you for your time, we appreciate it.Desired Settlement: I would just like my vehicle to be safe. I have communicated with the dealership that we were more than okay with reworking our loan into another vehicle. I would really like a full refund in the amount of what I have paid on this vehicle. If that is not possible, at least to be in a vehicle that is safe.

Business

Response:

This vehicle was sold almost a year ago, Oct 30 ,2014 with a 3 month/3000 mile engine and transmission warranty. We have done several minor "goodwill" repairs, not covered by warranty for this customer at no charge. Most recently on 9/16/15 we replaced the rear struts & rear sway bar links and front sway bar links, which was $577.24 worth of work, for a charge of $100 to the customer and provided them with a free loaner car. These are routine repairs on wear and tear parts typical for a pre owned vehicle of this age. So I assume this is a misunderstanding, because this work has already been completed? There was a 1 day delay in the repair due to a backlog in our garage as a result of our mechanic being off work for a month due to hernia surgery. We are a small family business and work hard everyday to ensure customer satisfaction. I have gone to great lengths to communicate with these customers to resolve any concerns as quickly as possible, including sending several emails from the hospital during an ultrasound for my unborn child! In addition, I also paid $150 3/24/15 to another garage for a minor repair as a goodwill gesture. We have obviously gone to great lengths and expense to help and assist these customers with vehicle maintenance over the past year. I trust that this is a miscommunication due to timing and that this matter has been satisfactorily resolved.

Consumer

Response:

Review: My vehicle was towed to Jefferson Auto on 1/3/2016 due to a flat tire. My vehicle requires a special rod to release spare tire. The rod was not supplied to me at vehicles purchase. Jefferson Auto moved my vehicle to change tire causing a whole in brake line, leaving me with no brakes. They now refuse to accept responsibility for the damage they caused. They have put me off for two days saying they are too busy to make necessary repairs. Which leaves me without a vehicle, unable to get to work. The owner, Jonathan refuses to face me and is "unavailable" every time I ask to speak to him. Head Mechanic, Mike, is rude and disrespectful to customers and twice in the past two days has cursed at me. I have complained about him previously, but nothing seems to be done.Desired Settlement: I would like Jefferson Auto to repair the damage they caused as soon as possible. I am losing income due to not having a vehicle to get to work.

Business

Response:

I assume this is a miscommunication /timing issue, as vehicle was repaired and returned to customer Tues Jan 5th. Mr [redacted] purchased this vehicle over a year ago and we have no idea what he has previously done with the spare tire and/or lack of hardware. It is possible that the vehicle did not have the spare wrench, which is why we ordered him one at no cost. This is something that a responsible vehicle owner should have previously verified. Furthermore, we are not a tire shop and have no equipment to repair tires, but attempted to help Mr [redacted] as a courtesy. The additional repair of a left rear broken brake line also had nothing to do Mr [redacted]'s right front flat tire situation. This repair was completed for Mr [redacted] as soon as possible even though we had a full shop with previously scheduled work. The vehicle was also returned to Mr [redacted] without him paying the bill, allowing him to return to work and pay for the repairs later. In fact he currently owes us for 2 previous repairs as well, and has made no attempt to pay dating back almost a year. We are always glad to help a customer in need, but we are not a charity. This seems to be a case of a customer taking advantage of our good will and not accepting responsibility for their vehicle maintenance and associated financial obligations. In light of this history, it is unclear to me how Mr [redacted] could possibly be dissatisfied with our service. Perhaps in the future, Mr [redacted] should see if he can find another shop that would agree to do repairs and never get paid?