Mike's Auto Body

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/08/11) */
We replaced a rear bumper as authorized by the insurance company and Mr***When we removed the old bumper prior damage to the rear body panel and reinforcement were found and notatedThere were also prior poor repairs
discovered (holes in the side of the metal panel that bolted through the bumper to keep it in place) These holes were fabricated by a prior facility to make the bumper look better without fixing the vehicle properlyWhen the bumper was removed Travelers insurance as well as Mr*** were notified by us of the prior damage and that the bumper would not fit as intended by SubaruTravelers declined any additional work because of the unrelated prior issuesWe did as directed and replaced the bumperMr*** was concerned of the fit of the rear bumper when he picked up the vehicleWe again advised him that the fit cannot be corrected without replacing the reinforcement and repairing the inner structureWe again advised him that whatever shop performed the repairs in the past made compromises on his vehicle to make it appear okHe then told us that he was aware that the vehicle has a salvaged title and had been repairedHe asked us to call Travelers and attempt to get them to pay to correct the old issuesTravelers came back out to look at the vehicle after repairsThey declined coverage for any additional repairsI have included photos of the prior improper repairs- rust on the rear body panel opposite side of the damagePrior poor repairs on the lift gate opening panel and hole in the lower 1/panel that a screw was used to make the rear bumper appear to be in place
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/08/16) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I am dissatisfied with the work that was done on the vehicleThe work that I requested to be performed on the car, was to bring the car back to the same operating shape as it was prior to the accidentPrior to the accident, the bumper was properly secured in the appropriate position and did not have any issues in terms of spacing, framing around the car, as well as spacing next to the rear tires (this is a safety issue and driving hazard)Currently the bumper hangs lower than it should, there is visible and significant spacing between the bumper, wheels, trunk and rear quarter panels - none of these issues existed prior to the accidentRegardless, the repairs that were done to the bumper are unacceptable and given that it is an insurance claim for an accident that was of no fault of mine the work should bring the vehicle back to the same physical and working order as it was prior to the accidentCurrently it is not
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2015/09/02) */
The work that was done to the vehicle was the work that was billed forAny additional work has not been authorized by Travelers insuranceAgain, prior damage and repairs from a previous incident prevent the bumper from being properly secured in its correct positionThe customer was advised of this during the repair processWe are unable to correct the gap because of the previous improper workAll that was billed for and authorized was a rear bumper plastic cover and paint time for that with prior repairs and damage documentedThe bumper can not be placed into a different position properly without the reinforcement being replaced and rear body panel being repaired properlyWe reached out to Travelers and they have denied any further repairs
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2015/09/04) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
It was my understanding that all repairs quoted for this incident were assembled and submitted by the body repair company (*** Auto Body) to the insurance providerRegardless of whether a previous repair had occurred on my vehicle I would expect that their standards of work would bring to attention the damages caused by this incidentTo tell me that because a prior repair was completed on my bumper I would not be given a proper repair is ludicrousA prior repair should not negate my opportunity to have a safe and functional repairI understand that there we additional brackets/adjustments made to make my car functional during the previous repair, but the car was that, functionalWith no sagging bumper or issues with wheel clearancesAt minimum, the bumper should be restored back to this conditionKeep in mind that it is not my fault that the insurance provider's vehicle ran into my parked vehicleIf reinforcement is needed to place the bumper in its proper position then so be itThe way I see it there should be no issue approving thisAll I am asking is that my vehicle be restored to the previous functional and visible condition

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2015/08/12) */
*** *** came in for an estimate only on 5/20/The estimate that was written was a preliminary pre-disassembly estimate*** was informed that the estimate was subject to change depending on disassembly of the vehicle as well as
if they were going to proceed through their insurance or notOn 6/1/we received a call from a *** at Total Environmental & Power to schedule an appointment for 6/3/We received the vehicle from *** on 6/(Wednesday) at 2:45pmIf no further damage was found the repairs on the vehicle were expected to take full business days which would have set the original out date to 6/Once the vehicle was checked in we proceeded to disassemble the vehicleUnfortunately, we are legally not allowed to write for anything that our eyes can't see and that we cannot prove is damaged until the vehicle is disassembledThis is standard procedure and *** was explained thisOnce the vehicle was fully disassembled and parts were verified we reached out to Travelers Insurance regarding a supplement (additional damage) that needed to be addressedTravelers gave us authorization to proceed with the supplemental damage on Wednesday 6/We then reached out to *** and received authorization from her to continue with the repairs for the revised amount*** was given a revised out date of 6/because of the supplemental items that were foundThe amount of labor hours on the job went from hours to ($4,to $7,in total $ amount for the repairs)Though we don't have any cycle time agreements with Travelers Insurance, we try to maintain the same down time with them as with our direct insurance carriersThat time depending on the agreement is between and hours per business day per vehicleAgain, ***, *** and Total Environmental & Power were notified this and advised of this once the vehicle was disassembledThe vehicle was here for a total of business daysThe amount of hours per business day on the job from start to finish was hours per dayGiven the circumstance of having to wait on the ok after disassembly from the insurance company we still were within the industry standard time of what it takes to fix a vehicle correctlyI did not hear any questioning of the repairs taking too long until 6/in the afternoon when *** left me a voicemailI called him back after him leaving me one voicemail on 6/He did not answer, so I left a voicemail to answer any of his questionsHe called me back on 6/and initially wanted reimbursement on his deductibleHe said that this was an insurance job and he knows insurance jobs are "profitable"Everything that we billed for the vehicle was itemized and performedIt was approved by the insurance company and proof was sent to them for the corrections that were neededI advised *** that giving money back on his deductible was illegalHe went on to tell me that if I didn't give him money back that he may resort to posting poor reviews on social mediaI advised him that I would discuss with my general manager his situation but at that point it was illegal for me to reimburse him his deductibleI spoke with my general manager and emailed *** our response on 6/I again explained the timeline to him that the amount of time that we had the vehicle for was within industry standard and the proper timeframe for the repairs that were doneWe had communicated with him and *** through the repair process and not until the end was there a complaint of any time taken because we would not give him a reimbursementI received a response email from *** stating "Thank you for your communicationsSorry we are so far apart on the ideals of servicing customer needsThanks for fixing our vehicle this time and in the pastGood luck in your future endeavors." I never refused for *** to speak with my general manager, nor did he ever ask to speak directly with himWe agreed that I would talk with my general manager and get back to himThat is what was doneI thanked him for using us and understood if he chose to go somewhere else for future business
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 16, 2015/09/11) */
It's interesting ***'s continues to suggest I want them to do "something illegal" when all I was looking for was compensation for the delays in their repairI have had several repairs completed at other shops and they have all been able to meet their original time frames, including insurance adjustments, and two repairs completed at an alternate shop since this issue with ***'sCompensation could have been in any form such as rental car reimbursement or extra services (like repairing a door ding on a door they were blending