Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: His account is false. In the statement you can see there is a charge for the tie rod end at $116. After I took a copy of the Chilton auto manual in with me to explain how to remove the lower control arm correctly (without removing...
the axle and tie rod end) he agreed to give me a discount. I still paid over $58 for the tie rod end, which is listed in the statement. The tie rod end was ONLY removed because his technician did not know how to properly remove the lower control arm. His technician believed that the axle would need Tenno removed as well, it did not. Which I explained when I showed the owner the Chilton manual of how to replace the lower control arm. His technician cut the tie rod end and then made me pay to replace it. This man's excuse for needing to cut the tie rod end off was because the labor and work to do it the correct way (which is shown in the Chilton manual) would have been more expensive. This is false. The Chilton manual has the part and replacement shown with no indication leading to the axle or tie rod end needing to be touched. My father is a technician speacialist and has worked for a GM Chevy dealership for 20 years. I called him because what the owner explained to me did not sound correct. I gave himmy permission in the hope that he was not taking advantage of my lack of knowledge, however, I had my father call the owner to find out what work they were doing because the owner could not accurately describe what work needed to be done on the car. The owner kept saying the threads were damaged on the tie rod end, however that doesn't matter when you're replacing the lower control arm. This is what my father explained to me. My father called [redacted] and explained how to do the work and how much time it would take. He explained the same process that I pulled from the Chilton auto manual and showed to them owner. I called and told them not cut the tie rod end, to which the owner said they already had. So I said I would not pay for it because it was unnecessary work. When I asked the owner to show me his auto manual at his business and the procedure for replacing the lower control arm the owner refused, stating, "I don't have to show you my manual, and I'm not going to." So I said , "okay, I'm going to bring it down myself when I come to pick up my car." He agreed and said he'd take a look at it. I walked to the business to get my car, and showed him the manual. The owner removed the top page and glanced at the second (of this five page procedure-complete with pictures for reference) and said, "see the axle isn't shown in this picture" and started explaining how I had already agreed to replacing the tie rod end. I said I'm not paying for extra work, and then he offered to show me what was wrong with the tie rod end to require its replacement which he did not provide. Instead he invited me into the service department and explained the work they had done. To which I replied that's great, but you still charged me for a replacement and labor that was unnecessary. He said the tie rod end needed to be cut off because the axle was in the way of removing it. I explained again, the tie rod end and the axle do not need to be removed when replacing he lower arm control. I mentioned the Chilton auto manual and said, "no where in that procedure does it mention the axle or the tie rod end. Your technician did not know how to do the job properly and therefore is not qualified to do the work." To which the owner started yelling at me and calling me and my father a liar (all of which my father heard, as I had him on speaker phone). He asked me rhetorically, "we didn't look at this? I didn't stand here and go over this with you?" To which I replied, "no, you just looked at the second page and said that the manual couldn't be followed due to the axle not being shown in the reference image". Then for about two minutes he screamed at me," am I looking at you now? Am I? Or am I lying about that too? Am I looking at you? Am I ? It's a yes or no question. Am I looking at you?" To which I replaced, "yes you are looking at me, but you did not look at that procedure". At this point, being pretty irate I did say, "Jesus [redacted] Christ", however, I did not scream; it was a statement of exasperation from dealing with this man who had just screamed in my face. I took my car paid for the work done, minus half the cost of the tie rod end, took my old parts and left without putting my car on the alignment rack. At this point I was resigned to taking it to a dealership since this mans technicians couldn't do a simple job that at best was worth thirty minutes of labor for one person, not two as the owner had stated. I took it to a dealership and explained what happened, the person in charge of it said that the axle and the tie rod end wouldn't to need to be touched if the technician was replacing a lower control arm.
[redacted]
Attached.
See the attached letter. Thank you!Kennedy Tire & Auto Service
Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: His account is false. In the statement you can see there is a charge for the tie rod end at $116. After I took a copy of the Chilton auto manual in with me to explain how to remove the lower control arm correctly (without removing...
the axle and tie rod end) he agreed to give me a discount. I still paid over $58 for the tie rod end, which is listed in the statement. The tie rod end was ONLY removed because his technician did not know how to properly remove the lower control arm. His technician believed that the axle would need Tenno removed as well, it did not. Which I explained when I showed the owner the Chilton manual of how to replace the lower control arm. His technician cut the tie rod end and then made me pay to replace it. This man's excuse for needing to cut the tie rod end off was because the labor and work to do it the correct way (which is shown in the Chilton manual) would have been more expensive. This is false. The Chilton manual has the part and replacement shown with no indication leading to the axle or tie rod end needing to be touched. My father is a technician speacialist and has worked for a GM Chevy dealership for 20 years. I called him because what the owner explained to me did not sound correct. I gave himmy permission in the hope that he was not taking advantage of my lack of knowledge, however, I had my father call the owner to find out what work they were doing because the owner could not accurately describe what work needed to be done on the car. The owner kept saying the threads were damaged on the tie rod end, however that doesn't matter when you're replacing the lower control arm. This is what my father explained to me. My father called [redacted] and explained how to do the work and how much time it would take. He explained the same process that I pulled from the Chilton auto manual and showed to them owner. I called and told them not cut the tie rod end, to which the owner said they already had. So I said I would not pay for it because it was unnecessary work. When I asked the owner to show me his auto manual at his business and the procedure for replacing the lower control arm the owner refused, stating, "I don't have to show you my manual, and I'm not going to." So I said , "okay, I'm going to bring it down myself when I come to pick up my car." He agreed and said he'd take a look at it. I walked to the business to get my car, and showed him the manual. The owner removed the top page and glanced at the second (of this five page procedure-complete with pictures for reference) and said, "see the axle isn't shown in this picture" and started explaining how I had already agreed to replacing the tie rod end. I said I'm not paying for extra work, and then he offered to show me what was wrong with the tie rod end to require its replacement which he did not provide. Instead he invited me into the service department and explained the work they had done. To which I replied that's great, but you still charged me for a replacement and labor that was unnecessary. He said the tie rod end needed to be cut off because the axle was in the way of removing it. I explained again, the tie rod end and the axle do not need to be removed when replacing he lower arm control. I mentioned the Chilton auto manual and said, "no where in that procedure does it mention the axle or the tie rod end. Your technician did not know how to do the job properly and therefore is not qualified to do the work." To which the owner started yelling at me and calling me and my father a liar (all of which my father heard, as I had him on speaker phone). He asked me rhetorically, "we didn't look at this? I didn't stand here and go over this with you?" To which I replied, "no, you just looked at the second page and said that the manual couldn't be followed due to the axle not being shown in the reference image". Then for about two minutes he screamed at me," am I looking at you now? Am I? Or am I lying about that too? Am I looking at you? Am I ? It's a yes or no question. Am I looking at you?" To which I replaced, "yes you are looking at me, but you did not look at that procedure". At this point, being pretty irate I did say, "Jesus [redacted] Christ", however, I did not scream; it was a statement of exasperation from dealing with this man who had just screamed in my face. I took my car paid for the work done, minus half the cost of the tie rod end, took my old parts and left without putting my car on the alignment rack. At this point I was resigned to taking it to a dealership since this mans technicians couldn't do a simple job that at best was worth thirty minutes of labor for one person, not two as the owner had stated. I took it to a dealership and explained what happened, the person in charge of it said that the axle and the tie rod end wouldn't to need to be touched if the technician was replacing a lower control arm.
[redacted]