Orak Auto Repair Inc.

Review: I brought my car to Orak with a concern as to if it was leaking brake fluid. Prior to my arrival, I called and asked if Orak would be able to "look" at my vehicle; I was told yes and brought my car soon after. Upon arriving, I mentioned that I was the one who had recently called about a brake problem. Orak proceeded to bring the car into their garage to be looked over. At this point, Orak had not provided a written/oral estimate of any charges, nor had I authorized any work other than a visual inspection.After approx. 10 minutes, an Orak mechanic came to me and said that the problem with my car was that several of my brake pads, rotors and calipers would need to be replaced for a total of approximately $720. Upon hearing this, I knew Orak could not be trusted and that I should take my car to another location. Those parts in my car are all relatively new and certainly do not need to be replaced. Furthermore, these parts (whether defective or not) would not cause my car to leak brake fluid. I informed Orak that their claims were not correct and that I would not have the repairs they claimed I needed performed on that day. As a result, Orak proceeded to tell me I would be charged a "diagnosis" fee of $70.77 to have my car returned to me. I then replied by stating that I was not provided with a written or oral estimate of any charges, that a diagnosis fee was never mentioned to me, that I never authorized any work other than a visual inspection, and I concluded that the law required Orak to have notified me in advance of any charges I might occur. Orak dismissed my claims by stating that the fee was charged because I elected to not have the repairs done at their facility, but if I came back and had the repairs done, they would credit me the $70.77. This is the equivalent of extortion to get my car back. The next day I went to another mechanic, and was told that there were NO PROBLEMS with my brakes and that NOTHING needed to be replaced. Orak is not a reputable repair shop.Desired Settlement: I am seeking a refund of the $70.77 and that Orak be penalized by the Revdex.com. In sum, Orak Auto Repair is committing illegal business practices. If my case is indicative of a larger trend, Orak is charging customers without a written or oral estimate or any type of authorization. Orak is also claiming that vehicles require expensive and excessive repairs when they are not necessary.

Business

Response:

This letter is in response to [redacted], On [redacted], 2013, M r. [redacted] had ca ll here a t the shop with a concern a bout his vehicle. He asked if he ca n come to have the vehicle looked at I told him yes, a nd shortly after, he arrived. He told me that his vehicle had a brake fluid leak, So I proceeded to add ress his concern and had the vehicle enterthe shop. We lifted the vehicle, looked

over the vehicle for a ny bra ke fluid leak and we discovered tha t his vehicle needed Front brake pads and rotors and Rear brake pads and rotors and also a Passenger Front Caliper needed to be replaced. At no time during the visua l view of the vehicle, did I see any brake fluid leak. So once the visua l look over of the vehicle was completed, I informed Mr. [redacted] of recom mendations only. Also informed him that I did not see any brake fluid leak a nywhere on this vehicle. Mr [redacted] was I nformed and he agreed to pay the $70.77 with tax included for the diagnosis.

Mr. [redacted] sa id he went to another facility and was I nformed that he did not need anything done to his vehicle. However,if he did not have a n issue why d id he come to me before he proceeded to have his vehicle look at from a nother mechanic? Also my shop has a sign with it stating: Customer please take notice of our shop policies, minimum diagnosis fee is $65.00. So Mr [redacted] has full understanding of the a mount a long with agreeing to pay the amount due.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here]

Orak's response validates my complaint that the business acted illegally. Orak admitted that all I authorized was a visual inspection to ascertain if there was a fluid leak. I authorized no further work to be performed, nor did Orak notify me over the phone or at the shop that I would incur a diagnosis charge. Additionally, I never signed any estimate of any charges. Reputable mechanics generally do not charge for a visual brake inspection, so I had a reasonable expectation to not expect a charge for the visual inspection (particularly since Orak never specified that). Additionally, the sign in the shop Orak referred to that indicates a diagnosis charge was never brought to my attention, and given that I first interacted with the Orak mechanic at the exit of the shop doors (where the mechanic was), any sign was clearly not clearly visible nor was I instructed to come in and view Orak's policies.

As for Orak's response that the charge is valid because I paid it, I ONLY paid it to get the car back in my possession. The charge was the equivalent of extortion as I was forced to pay it. While at the shop, I brought my complaint to Orak that I never authorized the "Diagnostic Energy Reserve", which is what I was charged for. I was told that the only way I would not have to pay the charge was if I had the repairs (which they fraudulently claimed I needed) performed at their shop. As I previously noted in my claim, the brake pads, rotors and calipers in my vehicle are all new and perfectly fine. Had Orak asked me for consent to inspect those parts and perform a diagnosis, I would have declined. Furthermore, while at the shop I told Orak that those parts were all new, and that even if there was a problem with those parts, they would still be under warranty. In yet another example of Orak's illicit business practices, the Orak mechanic tried to coerce me by stating that those parts would not be under warranty and that instead I should pay Orak to have them replaced.

In conclusion, Orak is not a legitimate auto repair shop and should be investigated and shut down for their illegal activities. Orak is attempting to misinform customers and get them to agree to costly and unnecessary "repairs". When the repairs are refused, Orak has decided to devise a scheme to impose never mentioned diagnosis charges so that they can extract profit in any case.

Sincerely,

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Sincerely,