Marion Frame & Alignment Service

Review: I had a vehicle repair done at this business. Originally, it was to replace the passenger side Upper Shock Mount, Coil Spring, and Shock Absorber, and I was quoted a price around the $300 range. After waiting 2 weeks for them to begin repairs and then another week or so to finish the repairs, they had done more work than what was agreed upon in the beginning. The business had replaced both Upper Shock Mounts (because they told me that they started seeing rust holes develop in the driver side Upper Shock Mount while they were working on the passenger side Upper Shock Mount), the Coil Springs on both sides as well as the Shock Absorbers on both sides. Additionally, they replaced the rubber brake lines on both sides of the truck as well as at least one brake caliper. The brake lines and caliper(s) I knew needed to be replaced soon, but I had intended to do that myself since it didn't require any special equipment or specialized automotive repair training. Now the company has put a lien on the title of the vehicle because they haven't recieved a payment, even thought they never contacted me by any means (telephone, mailing a bill via postal service, etc). So they expect me to pay for the repairs (even the ones I never asked them to do) as well as a 2-month storage fee of $1200 which I was never told of from the beginning. I feel like I'm being taken advantage of by this business.Desired Settlement: As I stated earlier, the initial price that I was quoted was around the $300 range for the repairs, and no storage fee was mentioned. I think it would only be fair if I was responsible to pay for what was quoted to me initially ($300 and no storage). I don't think I should have to pay for the remainder of the work done that I never authorized them to do.

Business

Response:

Mr. [redacted] contacted us at Marion Frame & Alignment about his 96 F150 4x4 needing to be towed and repaired. Upon his truck arriving at the garage, I talked with him by phone and advised him the shock/spring mount was rusted and broken. The spring was broken and shock rusted badly, all needing to be replaced. I also told him the coil springs would have to be bought in a pair and would need to have both replaced to make the truck set level when done. He agreed. I also told him that the spring mounts were discontinued by Ford and I would have to search dealerships for old stock (hence the waiting period for repair). The estimate he was given was for labor only because at that point in time I didn't even know if I could get the parts. Mr. [redacted] was advised of the rusty condition of his truck as work started and progressed by phone and he even stopped by at least once or twice during to get personal items and toys out of the vehicle at which time I kept him informed of the repairs and the condition of his truck. After repair was completed, I attempted to contact him and he called me back for the total on his bill. There was NO complaint or question about the bill. After 3-4 weeks with no contact from owner, I pulled Registration Card out and looked up in the phone book. I called the # listed to the address and name on the truck and was told by a woman that no one owned a Ford truck there, only a Buick. Now these repairs were completed during the last week of Feb/1st of March. Since I couldn't seem to get in contact with Mr. [redacted], I couldn't advise him there would be a storage charge if he didn't pick up his vehicle. I would much rather have the repair bill paid than a rusty 96 Ford truck; but by June 15 or so I decided to apply for a Mechanics Lein on vehicle to try to re-coup the bill I have been stuck with for 4 months. When Mr. [redacted] received the Certified/Registered Letter THEN he decided to call me back STILL no complaint about the repair bill; just excuses as to why he had not contacted me or picked his truck up. I offered at that time to reduce the storage charges if he would just come and get the vechicle. His response was "I'll call you back next week." I do not like being taken advantage of and as a small business I would have much rather invested the money into another vehicle repair that I could have actually got paid for. We have been in business for almost 28 years and I don't think we would have made it this far by treating customers unfairly or just doing whatever we wanted to to their vehicles then demanding payment for work not authorized by the owner.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.When I first talked to the business, I was only given a rough verbal estimate of the cost, and according to the mechanic it was for parts and labor. The additional repairs were already completed before I called to follow up on the truck. I was never told that the coil springs would have to be purchased in pairs, I never authorized the additional work to be done beyond what was initially discussed (passenger side shock mount, coil spring, and shock absorber). The mechanic explained to me that they decided to go ahead and replace the items on the driver side because while they were "beating and banging on the passenger side, they noticed rust holes forming on the drivers side shock mounts". And regarding the brake caliper(s) being replaced, it was explained to me that they had broken off a piece of the caliper while they were bleeding the brakes, which is why they went ahead and replaced the caliper(s) as well. And while they were replacing the calipers, they noticed that the brake lines looked like they were wearing out, so they decided to replace those as well. I don't see how I was contacted by the business because my phone number isn't listed in the local phone book. I also received no certified letter from the business, either. The only letter regarding this that I received was a letter from the DMV notifying me of the business' actions to place a lein against my title. Additionally, the business never informed me of any storage fees until the last time I contacted them myself via telephone, and they made no mention of a reduction in storage charges. Regards,[redacted]