Tinley Auto Repair & Towing, Inc.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/26) */
We have spoken to the customer twice and unfortunately have not been able to come to a resolution yet. However, we are still working with the customer to resolve his concern. A letter asking for another meeting to come to a final resolution...

along with his original check, as we had not yet deposited it due to this issue, has been mailed to the customer. So, as of this time, the invoice is still open. We truly value this customer and his friendship that we have built with him over the years.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/04/26) */
We have spoken to the customer twice and unfortunately have not been able to come to a resolution yet. However, we are still working with the customer to resolve his concern. A letter asking for another meeting to come to a final...

resolution along with his original check, as we had not yet deposited it due to this issue, has been mailed to the customer. So, as of this time, the invoice is still open. We truly value this customer and his friendship that we have built with him over the years.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/10/10) */
On August 28th, 2014, a 2003 Jaguar arrived at our auto repair facility due to the check engine light being on. The customer lived a slight distance away and I myself shuttled her home. We began diagnosis of the check engine light and...

found an evaporative emissions issue that had previously been diagnosed five months prior. At that time, we replaced a leaking fuel cap, but during testing, we had also intermittently found smoke coming from the canister assembly above the rear differential. We could not confirm at that time that the canister leaked without extensive parts removal. The customer declined going further with the diagnosis, but we were able to set the monitors confirming that the fuel cap completed the repair. On the recent visit, we again smoke tested the emissions system and confirmed the need to access the canister assembly. The customer again declined any additional diagnostic time and planned to just pick up the car. During the diagnostic procedures, unfortunately the eleven year old original battery failed. The technician tried in vain several attempts to recharge the battery, but to no avail. The customer was contacted and given the cost of the battery with no installation charge because it happened at our facility. The customer declined the battery and said he would bring a battery and he would install it. The customer also decided that Saturday would be the only day that he could retrieve his car and install his battery. Unfortunately, our facility is not open on Saturday, except for [redacted] rentals to which the customer was informed. In order to accommodate the customer and simplify it for the [redacted] employee working Saturday, the vehicle was moved to the lot (the gravel one to which he references) that is opened and used for business on Saturday. When the customer arrived on Saturday, he became upset that there were [redacted] customers ahead of him. The [redacted] employee offered to get tools and help him install the battery once he finished with the [redacted] customers. Apparently, the customer could not wait for that and promptly left.
The following week, the customer and his wife came in to pick up the Jaguar. I personally went with them and, even though it was not part of the agreement, installed their supplied battery. We had a pleasant conversation to which I apologized for any misunderstanding, feeling bad that even though it was an eleven year old battery, it failed on my watch.
A few days later, I received a call from the customer's wife stating that there was damage on one of the fenders of the Jaguar. I asked her when she could bring it by and told her I would be glad to take a look at it. I questioned the technician, who performed the diagnostic work on the vehicle and before I could give him the exact location of the damage described by the customer on the phone, he told me "Oh you mean that odd bend on the passenger [redacted] fender lip? I thought it was odd too, but it was like that when it came in here." We discussed his diagnostic repair routine and how the vehicle was handled. An automotive lift was used as was a smoke machine in order to locate the evaporative emissions system issue. The focus of the diagnosis and possible repair was at the rear of the car over the rear axle assembly near the fuel tank. At no time were there any tools or equipment in contact with that area of the vehicle. Even when the technician tried to recharge the battery, a charging/starting system analyzer was used on the battery which is located in the trunk of the vehicle.
When the car arrived, I immediately went out to access the damage and how it may have occurred. As seen in the picture, the damage is extremely odd. I spoke with the customer's wife and explained that the damage did not happen here and neither I nor the technician could explain how that damage could have occurred. She at this time explained to me that there was other previous damage on the vehicle that she was possibly interested in getting repaired as well. I told her that I had an excellent body repair man that was starting out in business that had performed repairs on my own personal vehicles and that I would set it up for him to take a look at the vehicle. I also told her that if they were willing to have the other repairs done, I would cover the damaged fender lip portion as a good faith gesture, even though it had not occurred at my facility.
I contacted my body repair man and set up a time where he could meet with the owners of the Jaguar. I asked if she could arrive at 4:00 and was told she would be unable to be there until 4:15. We agreed on the time and I set the appointment with my body repair man. They arrived just before 3:30. The husband became increasingly agitated making many comments in the waiting area. By the time my body repair man arrived at 4:20, the husband was extremely combative. I began by trying to make introductions and was immediately hammered with questions about his company name, who he was, and who was taking responsibility for his vehicle. I was accused of playing dumb, which was more like being in complete shock. Here I was trying to take care of damage to a vehicle that was in no way, shape, or form my fault and now being told that I could not take care of it in the manner of which was originally agreed upon. The customer also makes claims of my refusal and inability to find logic in what he asked of me. In 44 years of business, we have never had a customer ask for a receipt stating that we have their vehicle in our possession. I was dumbfounded, I tried in vain to reassure the customer that I would be responsible for his vehicle. My body repair man felt incredibly uncomfortable to have any business dealing with this customer and left. This is a very unfortunate incident and I know I will be asked what I will do in order to rectify the situation. Unfortunately, I already tried to rectify this and was shut down. I do not see a resolution to this matter. I do not feel that anything I do will placate him or retain him as a customer.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/10/15) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The bottom line is that Tinley Park Auto agreed to fix the vehicle and it wasn't done. We had asked for some ancillary body work to be done at our cost, separate from the work the Tinley Park auto had agreed to be done. Once I decided that I didn't want the ancillary body work done is when [redacted] decided he wouldn't pay for the work he promised. [redacted] was going to actually make me pay for my own repairs by setting the repair cost of the ancillary body work high enough that I would have to absorb all cost; even the damage that his shop created. I know as a customer I wasn't suppose to figure this out. And the 3 questions that I asked him are valid questions
1. What is the name of the business doing the work?
2. Where will my auto be garaged during the work; he previously had the car parked in a gravel lot with U-Hual trucks.
3. Who is the responsible party for the vehicle while the repairs are being done.
In order to do business, there must be a meeting of the minds, and [redacted] just couldn't understand those conditions or the UCC. Good business sense says to the owner, "fix the vehicle, it's only $200." It's the cost of doing business, a simple tax write off, and the right thing to do.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2014/10/25) */
In my response, I would like to again point out that at no time did Tinley Auto Repair admit fault for the strange damage to the passenger [redacted] fender lip of the 2003 Jaguar in question. When the customer's wife brought the Jaguar in for the initial inspection of the damage, I mentioned that I had a great body repair man who was a personal friend, starting out in business and had performed many repairs on my own personal vehicles as well other customers that I had referred. She mentioned that there was other previous damage on the vehicle and would like to have that looked at also. At that time, I told her if she was having other repairs done I would possibly cover that as a good faith gesture, trying to come up with a solution to be accepted by both parties. The only thing that was agreed upon was a meeting between my body repair man, the vehicle owner, and myself. When the owner found out that it wasn't a complete full fledged body shop but a man starting out in business that would be performing the repair(s), he declined any and all offers and again became combative. The questions asked of me were designed to make a "meeting of the minds" impossible. He again brings up the gravel lot with U-Haul trucks where the vehicle was parked. Again, I have to remind him that it was parked there to accommodate him picking it up at a time when we were normally closed. An estimate of repair work was never even started as my body repair man left after being made to feel completely uncomfortable by this customer. I am not sure exactly how the customer came up with the $200 cost of repairs that he mentions. The only thing at this point that makes sense is that $200 covers the cost of the diagnosis that was performed on his vehicle along with the cost of the replacement of his eleven year old battery. This is a situation where there is no resolution in my opinion. I tried long before this came to the Revdex.com to rectify the situation. I have tried a solution to have his vehicle repaired already, but he declined. Outside of admitting fault and having another body repair shop complete repairs, of which I will not do, I see no resolution.
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 12, 2014/10/27) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Tinley Park Auto has offered no remedy at any point of the Revdex.com process. His response is disingenuous. How could someone provide so much redirect for something that supposedly did not happen? How can he have so much to say over a supposedly non-event? "Me doth think the lady protest too much."
I provided a picture of the damage done by Tinley Park Auto. He had my car parked in a gravel lot shared with [redacted] trucks. I know the damage amount is $200 because I have already gotten quotes for the repair. This is simply bad business, it would have been better for all concerned if Tinley Park Auto accepted the damage as the cost of doing business, take a tax write off as an expense and move on. This is merely a matter of integrity at this point. I feel that I have done what's necessary to mitigate the circumstances. Tinley Park Auto has refused to negotiate in good faith.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/10/10) */
On August 28th, 2014, a 2003 Jaguar arrived at our auto repair facility due to the check engine light being on. The customer lived a slight distance away and I myself shuttled her home. We began diagnosis of the check engine light and found...

an evaporative emissions issue that had previously been diagnosed five months prior. At that time, we replaced a leaking fuel cap, but during testing, we had also intermittently found smoke coming from the canister assembly above the rear differential. We could not confirm at that time that the canister leaked without extensive parts removal. The customer declined going further with the diagnosis, but we were able to set the monitors confirming that the fuel cap completed the repair. On the recent visit, we again smoke tested the emissions system and confirmed the need to access the canister assembly. The customer again declined any additional diagnostic time and planned to just pick up the car. During the diagnostic procedures, unfortunately the eleven year old original battery failed. The technician tried in vain several attempts to recharge the battery, but to no avail. The customer was contacted and given the cost of the battery with no installation charge because it happened at our facility. The customer declined the battery and said he would bring a battery and he would install it. The customer also decided that Saturday would be the only day that he could retrieve his car and install his battery. Unfortunately, our facility is not open on Saturday, except for [redacted] rentals to which the customer was informed. In order to accommodate the customer and simplify it for the [redacted] employee working Saturday, the vehicle was moved to the lot (the gravel one to which he references) that is opened and used for business on Saturday. When the customer arrived on Saturday, he became upset that there were [redacted] customers ahead of him. The [redacted] employee offered to get tools and help him install the battery once he finished with the [redacted] customers. Apparently, the customer could not wait for that and promptly left.
The following week, the customer and his wife came in to pick up the Jaguar. I personally went with them and, even though it was not part of the agreement, installed their supplied battery. We had a pleasant conversation to which I apologized for any misunderstanding, feeling bad that even though it was an eleven year old battery, it failed on my watch.
A few days later, I received a call from the customer's wife stating that there was damage on one of the fenders of the Jaguar. I asked her when she could bring it by and told her I would be glad to take a look at it. I questioned the technician, who performed the diagnostic work on the vehicle and before I could give him the exact location of the damage described by the customer on the phone, he told me "Oh you mean that odd bend on the passenger [redacted] fender lip? I thought it was odd too, but it was like that when it came in here." We discussed his diagnostic repair routine and how the vehicle was handled. An automotive lift was used as was a smoke machine in order to locate the evaporative emissions system issue. The focus of the diagnosis and possible repair was at the rear of the car over the rear axle assembly near the fuel tank. At no time were there any tools or equipment in contact with that area of the vehicle. Even when the technician tried to recharge the battery, a charging/starting system analyzer was used on the battery which is located in the trunk of the vehicle.
When the car arrived, I immediately went out to access the damage and how it may have occurred. As seen in the picture, the damage is extremely odd. I spoke with the customer's wife and explained that the damage did not happen here and neither I nor the technician could explain how that damage could have occurred. She at this time explained to me that there was other previous damage on the vehicle that she was possibly interested in getting repaired as well. I told her that I had an excellent body repair man that was starting out in business that had performed repairs on my own personal vehicles and that I would set it up for him to take a look at the vehicle. I also told her that if they were willing to have the other repairs done, I would cover the damaged fender lip portion as a good faith gesture, even though it had not occurred at my facility.
I contacted my body repair man and set up a time where he could meet with the owners of the Jaguar. I asked if she could arrive at 4:00 and was told she would be unable to be there until 4:15. We agreed on the time and I set the appointment with my body repair man. They arrived just before 3:30. The husband became increasingly agitated making many comments in the waiting area. By the time my body repair man arrived at 4:20, the husband was extremely combative. I began by trying to make introductions and was immediately hammered with questions about his company name, who he was, and who was taking responsibility for his vehicle. I was accused of playing dumb, which was more like being in complete shock. Here I was trying to take care of damage to a vehicle that was in no way, shape, or form my fault and now being told that I could not take care of it in the manner of which was originally agreed upon. The customer also makes claims of my refusal and inability to find logic in what he asked of me. In 44 years of business, we have never had a customer ask for a receipt stating that we have their vehicle in our possession. I was dumbfounded, I tried in vain to reassure the customer that I would be responsible for his vehicle. My body repair man felt incredibly uncomfortable to have any business dealing with this customer and left. This is a very unfortunate incident and I know I will be asked what I will do in order to rectify the situation. Unfortunately, I already tried to rectify this and was shut down. I do not see a resolution to this matter. I do not feel that anything I do will placate him or retain him as a customer.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/10/15) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
The bottom line is that Tinley Park Auto agreed to fix the vehicle and it wasn't done. We had asked for some ancillary body work to be done at our cost, separate from the work the Tinley Park auto had agreed to be done. Once I decided that I didn't want the ancillary body work done is when [redacted] decided he wouldn't pay for the work he promised. [redacted] was going to actually make me pay for my own repairs by setting the repair cost of the ancillary body work high enough that I would have to absorb all cost; even the damage that his shop created. I know as a customer I wasn't suppose to figure this out. And the 3 questions that I asked him are valid questions
1. What is the name of the business doing the work?
2. Where will my auto be garaged during the work; he previously had the car parked in a gravel lot with U-Hual trucks.
3. Who is the responsible party for the vehicle while the repairs are being done.
In order to do business, there must be a meeting of the minds, and [redacted] just couldn't understand those conditions or the UCC. Good business sense says to the owner, "fix the vehicle, it's only $200." It's the cost of doing business, a simple tax write off, and the right thing to do.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2014/10/25) */
In my response, I would like to again point out that at no time did Tinley Auto Repair admit fault for the strange damage to the passenger [redacted] fender lip of the 2003 Jaguar in question. When the customer's wife brought the Jaguar in for the initial inspection of the damage, I mentioned that I had a great body repair man who was a personal friend, starting out in business and had performed many repairs on my own personal vehicles as well other customers that I had referred. She mentioned that there was other previous damage on the vehicle and would like to have that looked at also. At that time, I told her if she was having other repairs done I would possibly cover that as a good faith gesture, trying to come up with a solution to be accepted by both parties. The only thing that was agreed upon was a meeting between my body repair man, the vehicle owner, and myself. When the owner found out that it wasn't a complete full fledged body shop but a man starting out in business that would be performing the repair(s), he declined any and all offers and again became combative. The questions asked of me were designed to make a "meeting of the minds" impossible. He again brings up the gravel lot with U-Haul trucks where the vehicle was parked. Again, I have to remind him that it was parked there to accommodate him picking it up at a time when we were normally closed. An estimate of repair work was never even started as my body repair man left after being made to feel completely uncomfortable by this customer. I am not sure exactly how the customer came up with the $200 cost of repairs that he mentions. The only thing at this point that makes sense is that $200 covers the cost of the diagnosis that was performed on his vehicle along with the cost of the replacement of his eleven year old battery. This is a situation where there is no resolution in my opinion. I tried long before this came to the Revdex.com to rectify the situation. I have tried a solution to have his vehicle repaired already, but he declined. Outside of admitting fault and having another body repair shop complete repairs, of which I will not do, I see no resolution.
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 12, 2014/10/27) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Tinley Park Auto has offered no remedy at any point of the Revdex.com process. His response is disingenuous. How could someone provide so much redirect for something that supposedly did not happen? How can he have so much to say over a supposedly non-event? "Me doth think the lady protest too much."
I provided a picture of the damage done by Tinley Park Auto. He had my car parked in a gravel lot shared with [redacted] trucks. I know the damage amount is $200 because I have already gotten quotes for the repair. This is simply bad business, it would have been better for all concerned if Tinley Park Auto accepted the damage as the cost of doing business, take a tax write off as an expense and move on. This is merely a matter of integrity at this point. I feel that I have done what's necessary to mitigate the circumstances. Tinley Park Auto has refused to negotiate in good faith.