Larry's Radiator & Muffler Services

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 9, 2016/06/06) */
On 2/19/2016, customer brought his Pontiac Firebird into our shop (Larry's Radiator & Muffler Service), to change the spark plugs and ignition wires, install a new fuel filter and replace the air cleaner elementHe picked up his vehicle
the following day, on Saturday, February 20,
Approximately weeks later, on a Saturday, the customer stopped by and said his air conditioner was not working properly; that it was blowing hot airWe asked if it had ever been serviced and customer said he did not believe so, Upon quick visual inspection, *** (tech), noticed very small fissure cracks in the high pressure air conditioning hose (which would cause the Freon to escape and the air conditioner would emit hot air) and should be replaced There could be other issues, possibly another leak somewhere else, but was unable to determine at that timeIf no other issues exist, it would be around $plus the cost of the Freon, per ounce, to fixHe asked if there was anything that could be done to lower the price, because he was on a very tight budget, and with the warm weather he needs to have the air conditioner repairedWe could try to repair the cracks using an epoxy made for high temperature, high pressure areas to reduce the costs, however, there is no guarantee it'll work, for sure, The repair might hold for hours, days, 2years, or, not at all, and he'd still have to pay for Freon and the recovery, evacuation and charging, which we sublet to Sentinel Car Service, next door
He returned on 3/29/2016, spoke to, ***, manager, about having his car fixedHe said he noticed a loss of power that may be related to the "squeaking" sound that is heard coming from the fuel pump motorAlso, he had a leak in one of the a/c hoses, which he informed ***, "*** knew about", and he had one headlight that did not openHe told us to give him a call, after we had a chance to look at it, with the cost to repair everything
Called that afternoon and given quote of $which he approvedQuote included diagnosis and repair of ground wire to headlight motor and replacing blown fuse, resulting from poor ground connection; repairing the a/c high pressure hose, as discussed with *** earlier in the month; replacing broken/bad intake lines and worn hose connectionsHe picked up his car the following day, on 3/30/His bill was $for the repairs we performed and $which he paid directly to Sentinel Car Service for charging the a/c system
4/06/2016, brought vehicle back as head light quit working and a/c began blowing hot air again a couple days after picking it upHe returned a few hours later wanting an updateHe was given quote to replace the a/c hose (manifold assembly) of $which, again, included the cost for Freon and sublet service to Sentinel Car ServiceHe felt he shouldn't have to pay for the a/c service or Freon again since our repair failed even though he had been informed of that possibility*** told him we would credit the labor he was charged for the repair that did not hold and could probably work something out with the additional costs for Freon and charging the a/c***, who primarily works in the office, clarified however, that we'd have to talk to Sentinel first, to see what, if any, fees he'd be willing to adjustTypically, we recommend the customer replace broken parts with newIf the part fails it is replaced under warrantyNo problemsThe idea to try to "repair" the leak was presented out of kindness and as a means of helping our customer as he was on a "tight budget"He, knowing there was a possibility the repair would not hold, came in requesting for us to repair the air conditioning hose instead of replacing itMr***, said he would let us know what he wished to do about the a/c after we had a chance to speak to Sentinel Car Service
We had just started looking into the headlight issue when the customer came back that afternoonWe had the customer turn the headlight switch off and on a couple times while the tech closely observed its operationTech was using a pen light to catch a glimpse of the motor that operates the headlight and sits below and behind the lamp itself, The "grinding?' sound which the customer heard was the head light motor failingWe did not remove any parts from the motorin order to do so, we would have had to completely remove the headlight assembly to gain access to the motorWe did not remove the headlight assembly that day
We offered to give him a refund of $144.00, for the repairs made to the a/c line and headlight that failed, which we believe to be very fair, if he was unsatisfied with the tuin February, why did he bring his car back to us to have more work done?
We have included a copy of a Chargeback Request that we received from the credit card company dated April 28, Please note the reason indicated on the requestWe feel he has not and is not acting in good faith
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 11, 2016/06/20) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
In response to the above statements made by Larry's radiator and muffler, here are my comments:
Where they claim "there is no guarantee it'll work, for sure, the repair might hold for hours, days, years, or, not at all"The wording was to the effect that "it might not last as long as replacing the a/c pipe"He never mentioned hours or daysHe had me convinced that he could repair it and that it would last a while (i'm thinking months not hours)Considering that the repair only lasted two days of light driving around town, I think a reputable repair shop would have either made another attempt to repair it, at no charge, or to offer the customer a substantial refundNeither was offered
Where they claim "He felt he shouldn't have to pay for the a/c service or Freon again since our repair failed even though he had been informed of that possibility*** told him we would credit the labor he was charged for the repair that did not hold and could probably work something out with the additional costs for Freon and charging the a/c"
I was only told" it might not last as long" as replacing the a/c lineNo mention of additional charges at Sentinel Auto Service
Also *** said "he is entitled to an adjustment..." but was cut short when *** interrupted him and disagreed*** was silent from that point on
I would like to say that though they did mention having some of the a/c work done at another facility, they did not inform me that I would have to make a separate payment to that businessI thought it would be integrated into their (Larry's) billThis surprised me when I came back to pickup the carI went ahead and paid them (Sentinel Auto) thinking all the work had been done properly
Where they claim Tech was using a pen light to catch a glimpse of the motor that operates the headlight and sits below and behind the lamp itself, The "grinding?' sound which the customer heard was the head light motor failingWe did not remove any parts from the motor
I observed the tech sticking a screw driver into the headlight assembly (actuator)He told me he had removed the plug that prevents moisture from entering the motorThe part was shown to meHe claimed this part was causing the problemThe cover did retract after he removed it however it caused the grinding sound when the cover came downAlso, when using the alarm remote control to deactivate the alarm system, it would create the same grinding noise from the headlight cover motor
That is in part why I believe he damaged the actuatorI also spoke on the phone with the mechanic who repaired the headlight cover at the Chevrolet dealershipHe stated that " the ground wire was tied into the parking lamps"He thought that was what caused the problem when using the alarm controllerNote that Larry's invoice # XXXXX states that he replaced a ground wire and replaced a fuse under the hoodThe wording is garbled on the invoice but that is what *** said on 4/when I asked for clarificationNo mention of actuator problem
Where they claim "if he was unsatisfied with the tuin February, why did he bring his car back to us to have more work done?
Original invoice for tune up was on 2/19/which was a FridayI returned to the facility the next Monday and WednesdayThe mechanic *** checked the performance of the engine and claimed it was running properlyThe vehicle was brought back to the facility 3/28/(? - garbled on invoice)Invoice # XXXXXI was charged additional labor + $partsThere was no noticeable change in performanceI spoke with *** to get his feedbackHe thought I needed a new fuel pumpThe repair invoice at Chevrolet Cadillac of La Quinta (invoice # cvcsXXXXXX) states that "found one spark plug loose and its wire starting to contact the exhaust manifold""plug wires need to be loomed properly"
Where they claim "We feel he has not and is not acting in good faith"
vehicle brought in twice for Tune up - never repaired properly
vehicle brought in twice for faulty headlight cover - never fixed properlyDamaged actuatorDenied causing new problem (grinding noise)Denied removing parts
vehicle brought in for air conditioner problem - never repaired properlyWould not offer to adjust charges
I have made numerous phones calls to Larry's (between 4/through 4/27) asking that a manager/owner contact me to try and resolve this matterAs of this date, no manager has contacted me
on 4/21, I received a phone call from mechanic "***" concerning my numerous requests to be contacted by a managerHe claimed he had the authority to speak for the owner(s) and that the work was done properly and no damage was done to my vehicleNo refund is warranted
It is Larry's muffler, not me, who is not acting in good faith
Where they say - "We have included a copy of a Chargeback Request that we received from the credit card company dated April 28, 2016"
I did request a chargeback from Bank of America for payment of the faulty tune upUnfortunately, I failed to note the deadline in which they had requested more information from meA copy of that letter is available upon requestDo note that the bank doesn't seem to understand my reasons for a chargeback even though I had sent them copies of invoices and a letter spelling out my complaintThe last line reads "we cannot continue your dispute without proof that the merchandise was returned..."
In addition to my complaint posted with the Revdex.com, I also registered a complaint with the
Bureau of Automotive Repair on May 17,
Case # RI XXXXXXXXXX
I was recently informed by the representative handling my case that he had issued two citations to Larry's Radiator and Muffler for improper invoice documentation
My request for a refund of $is for labor done at Larry's (does not include parts) and for charges incurred at Sentinel car service
By filing these complaints with both the Revdex.com and the Bureau of Automotive Repair, it is hoped that this will instill upon them some integrity and that they will do the right thing and refund the amount requested