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RSI Automotive Reviews (2)

Review: My 19 year old son's car broke down almost thirty miles from home. Based on the symptoms, I knew it was the alternator, but my son bought a battery just to check and see if somehow his 4 month old battery had gone bad. No such luck, so I picked up a used alternator the next day and made a few calls.

We have a very good mechanic (Nadler Automotive in Lena, WI) who I wish I'd paid the $150 or so to have the car towed to, but we are not made of money, and neither is my son, so we had it towed to a nearby mechanic (RSI Automotive) who said they would install the used alternator for $97.50 plus tax. The lady who answered the phone said, "We don't usually do that sort of thing, but we can do it this time." Now that I know more about the company, I suspect that they don't allow customers to bring in their own parts because they want to mark them up as much as possible.

Two days later, I called to see if it was done, and she informed me that the alternator had not been the problem. She stated that the battery cable and another cable had needed replacing, as well as a connector. (They did not call and tell me that they were changing the service they'd given me the estimate for) The receipt says "Checked no power to vehicle. Found bad connector to battery and fuse box. Repaired connector at battery and fuse box. Repaired and replaced damaged battery cable bolt. Checked out starting/ charging system and battery - all ok."

Interestingly, the total came to exactly what they'd estimated for the alternator installation, even though these three things are very quick, simple repairs.

My son picked up his car on Friday afternoon and drove it home without incident. The next day, he went to a friend's house about 15 miles away and on the way home, his car broke down in exactly the same way it had before we took it to RSI.

We rescued him, and I called RSI on Monday morning. The owner of the company, [redacted], answered and explained to me that he had been out all week, but assured me that he would look into the situation and return my call shortly. When I hadn't heard from him five hours later, I called.

[redacted] told me that they had fixed what was wrong with my son's car, and that since it was an old car, it was probably a new problem. I asked, "With EXACTLY the SAME symptoms?" I explained that I had recognised that the problem was the alternator in the first place, and did not understand why his mechanics hadn't. He said, "The car was towed in here, and your son drove it away. That means we fixed it."

Anyone who has ever had an alternator go bad knows that you can buy yourself a little time (very little) with a brand new battery, and if the battery cable was bad and they replaced it, it allowed the juice to get through that wasn't able to before, but that's NOT the same as FIXING the problem that we brought it in for! Even this Midwestern housewife knows that! :-)

I spoke to our mechanic when I picked up my son's car. He said, "Yes, they changed out a couple of things, but those things were not the main problem. The alternator was." He also said that the battery cable that RSI replaced probably had been bad, and replacing that is why my son was able to drive the car home, but not much past that. He said that the car was running off of the power from the brand new battery, rather than the dead alternator.

I called [redacted] back and told him that the problem we'd brought the car to them for IS the problem, and he insisted that the alternator had gone bad between Friday and Saturday. "It's the electrical system; an alternator can go bad any time." he insisted, asking, "How many miles does that car have on it?"

I pointed out that the SYMPTOMS were EXACTLY the same as what we brought it in for, and told him that I will be reporting him to every outlet I can find, because he ripped off my kid, and I do not want to see others being taken advantage of.Desired Settlement: We would like a partial refund of the $111.53 that we paid for unauthorized repairs. We do not mind paying for the replacement of the battery cable, since my mechanic has said that could have been a side issue. We would like the $55.50 that we paid for towing, since it would not have needed to be towed if they had done the repairs we asked for in the first place.

Business

Response:

The customer's vehicle was towed to us in a no start condition. We diagnosed the vehicle to have corroded and faulty wiring connections on a vehicle that was not well maintained. We repaired the vehicle to get it started and then tested the charging and starting system. The test revealed that the starter and charging system was working properly. We repair vehicles based on our diagnostic equipment not based on customer speculation. The charging system was working when the vehicle left therefore we do not feel responsible for any further repairs on this vehicle and customer was charged accordingly.

Owner

Review: In October 2013 I was in need of new tires for my 2010 Ford Fusion. I purchased a set of 4 Cooper Zeon tires from RSI at a price of over $700. They worked fine until it snowed. Once the snow started falling I got stuck several times, in many cases with less than 2 inches of snow on the ground. Twice I got stuck on my own street and my neighbors had to help push my car into my garage. After the sixth or seventh time of getting stuck I went back to RSI to complain about the tires lack of performance in the snow and the inherent danger they had put me in in sub-zero temperatures. The owner even admitted the tires had no siphoning on the outside tread for better traction in the snow. I asked for a refund but instead he sold me different tires that now work and kept the Zeon's to try to re-sell in his shop. He told me once he sells the tires he will give me the money that he sells them for. This could take months as these are Touring tires for non-winter driving. I have spoke to him on numerous occasions about a refund and he keeps saying Cooper will not back him for a refund to me, so he won't give me one. Being unemployed I can certainly use my $700+ back to make my house payment. In the meantime my defective tires still sit in his shop and I had to spend another $700 an a set or tires that work. I want my money back since the Zeon's never did their job.Desired Settlement: I want my money back for the Zeon's.

Business

Response:

[redacted] came in to my store looking for tires. I gave him 5 choices of tires ranging in price and mileage ratings so he could research and make an informed decision. He called back and did not ask any further questions regarding the tire choices and asked that we order the Cooper Zeon Tires. As he stated he did not have any issues with these tires until he began driving in snowy conditions. As a courtesy we offered to try and sell them for him in our show room. I do not feel we owe a refund for these tires as it was the customers decision on which tires he wanted to purchase. After this complaint was filed this customer has since come in for warranty work on his wife's vehicle. At that time his wife commented that they were going to try and sell these tires on [redacted]. I am willing to sacrifice a sale of my own to help him sell his tires. I do not feel a refund is warranted given the circumstances.

President/Owner

RSI Automotive

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Description: Auto Repair & Service

Address: 2950 Cleveland Ave., Marinette, Wisconsin, United States, 54143

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