July 12, I am contacting you in response to complaint ID# [redacted] I would like to start off with a complete time line and chain of events leading up to [redacted] ’s complaint for better understanding of this situationOn April 25, [redacted] came to Vernon Collision Center with her [redacted] *** that she just purchased pre-owned from a Hartford area car dealership She came with multiple concerns and complaints about the vehicle Initially, she came in with concerns regarding damage to the hood and front bumper that the dealership was to address prior to delivery of the car to herThere was a long scrape and scratches on the hood and front bumper that the dealership was to fix, but was poorly touched upThe customer was under the impression that the dealership was going to properly repair these areasOur body shop manager wrote an estimate to repair and paint the hood and front bumper The estimate amount was $1, This estimate was to completely repair and refinish to like new conditionShe then started to complain about other issues on the car, i.edamaged mirrors on both sides, and then started to question the mechanical integrity of the vehicle, specifically the tires and brakes At this point we had to get our service manager involved He spoke with the [redacted] about her concerns Our manager explained to her that she should bring it back to the selling dealer and have them address her concerns [redacted] returned to the shop to talk with our body shop manager to discuss an alternative less expensive repair to make the hood and front bumper look betterHe said we could remove their poor repair and do a more acceptable touch up repair that would be more affordable to her She scheduled an appointment for Friday, May at 9:30am At that time, we cleaned off all the poorly touched up areas, mixed the proper color touch up paint and retouched up her vehicle We also buffed the scratches on the front bumper cover [redacted] also requested that we physically inspect the tires and brakes at which point we had our service manager do the inspection When her car was completed, we handed [redacted] her keys and DID NOT CHARGE her for the services rendered that day On June 8, 2017, [redacted] came into the shop to speak with our manager regarding her broken mirror The mirror had multiple broken parts (loose mirror glass, broken signal light, broken bezel which were all visible) She DID NOT want to replace the signal, but she had us order the mirror glass and bezel which came in the following day (estimate amount to replace those parts were $86.34)We told her we could not determine why the mirror glass was loose until we took the mirror apart We also told her she may need an additional part that the mirror glass attaches to She made an appointment to come in at 9:on June 9, She arrived at 12:30pm, hours late of the scheduled appointment time, at which time we brought the car into the shop and proceeded to take the mirror apart When mirror glass was removed we discovered it was not broken but it was the motor that the glass mounts to that was broken We replaced the bezel and tried to reattach her mirror to the broken motorIt appeared to be successful at that pointWe told [redacted] that the mirror glass was not actually broken, rather the mounting point/motor was broken We reattached her old mirror glass and took the new mirror off her bill revising her new amount to $ While she was waiting she expressed interest in having her engine air filter and cabin air filter replaced We told her we would inspect her engine air filter, however, we would need to remove the glove box to inspect the cabin air filter, but would not be able to do that on that day With all of her concerns regarding the expense of the repairs in which her car needed we removed the engine air filter while she was standing at the entrance of the work bay and blew debris out of it and put it back in her carWe then told her she could wait to replace the filterOur mechanic showed her what a dirty cabin air filter would look like because he had one in our shop trash to show her There were NO CHARGES to [redacted] for inspection of these filters She left with the vehicle and immediately returned The mirror glass had fallen from the mount area At this point the manager told [redacted] she needed to buy the additional part in order to fix the mirror glass correctly We told her she needed a $part to remedy the problem and she did not want to buy itShe acted as this was our fault and we should buy the part when all along we told her there could be additional parts neededRegardless of what happened just know that our intention was to minimize the cost of any repairs We were trying to help her because the selling dealer did not take care of her they way they should have
Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: As originally stated, Ed told me not to return, leaving me with a dangling mirrorI actually had to drive away holding the mirror with my left hand while holding the steering wheel with my right handConcerned that the mirror might yank off while I was on the highway, I called a dealership who wrapped the mirror in packaging tape to keep it from falling completely offI then scheduled an appointment with that dealership to have the mirror fixed properlyThe fact that he allowed the mechanic to break the motor that was in my mirror, keep it, expect me to pay for replacement of the part that the mechanic broke and then send me away with a dangling mirror is unreasonable, unprofessional and unacceptable That explains the basis for me getting my mirror and motor fixed by the dealership The decision to get my mirror fixed by the dealership is the direct result of Ed denying me the option of returning to Vernon Collision.Because the actuator AND mirror were damaged, the dealership had to replace both parts The mirror was $and the actuator was $96.39, a total of $ I am looking to Vernon Collision for reimbursement for both parts, but not reimbursement of the labor charges ($104) that totals $for parts and labor Sincerely, [redacted]
Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: I did not ask the shop to inspect brakes The service manager (Ed) offered to do touch ups and not charge me for them This was one of the reasons why I returned to have my tire inspected, which was losing air The tire was fixed and I was charged $for this repair At no time did I ask for a brake inspection - inspection had already been done on the brakes by the dealership that sold me the vehicle Another reason for me rejecting this response is because Vernon Collision misstates the fact that I came to have my vehicle repaired hours after the scheduled time I was there on time, and would not dare show up at 12:p.m I am a school bus driver and had to return to the bus station by 1:p.m.A third reason for rejecting the response is because I did not ask them to check or change air or cabin filters This did not seem to be body work in my opinion Rather, the manager volunteered to inspect them and then went on to pretend to show me one enormous, filthy filter while telling me it was my cabin filter, which I knew wasn't possible [This was later confirmed when I asked the dealership to show me the cabin and air filters from MY vehicle] Despite the fact that I am not a mechanic, I am likewise not totally ignorant, having owned at least vehicles in my lifetime.In summary, Vernon Collision cannot justify the mistreatment I received concerning my damaged mirror and their refusal to repair the damage that they did or at the very least - make it possible for me to drive my car until the damage could be fixed The touwhich they did does not eclipse the damage that they caused to my mirror to the point that I had to drive away unsafely It is because of the first experience I had with the touch-ups and tire repair that I thought Vernon Collision worthy of future business from me Clearly, I was misstaken There is nothing that I would change about the complaint submitted Sincerely, [redacted]
On 6/7/17, Ed L [redacted] examined my driver side mirror and said he could fix it the next day by ordering a partOn 6/8/17, I arrived at the agreed to time and he said it wouldn't take long to fix the problemHe returned 1/later to say that his mechanic broke a spring when trying to replace the motor, and therefore, would have to purchase an additional partWhen I began to drive away, the driver side mirror began to slide off its frameI turned around and went back to tell Ed what happenedHe said, "that doesn't surprise me." He then tried to mash the window back in place, which did not fix the problemI told him that I had not expected to drive away with a dangling mirror (which was not dangling when I brought it to be fixed)He became quite agitated and said, "You expect me to do this work for free?!" I told him I never asked for anything free -- to the contrary, he charged me $to install a frame and break the motor -- he never returned the motorHe then stormed off an
July 12, I am contacting you in response to complaint ID# [redacted] I would like to start off with a complete time line and chain of events leading up to [redacted] ’s complaint for better understanding of this situationOn April 25, [redacted] came to Vernon Collision Center with her [redacted] *** that she just purchased pre-owned from a Hartford area car dealership She came with multiple concerns and complaints about the vehicle Initially, she came in with concerns regarding damage to the hood and front bumper that the dealership was to address prior to delivery of the car to herThere was a long scrape and scratches on the hood and front bumper that the dealership was to fix, but was poorly touched upThe customer was under the impression that the dealership was going to properly repair these areasOur body shop manager wrote an estimate to repair and paint the hood and front bumper The estimate amount was $1, This estimate was to completely repair and refinish to like new conditionShe then started to complain about other issues on the car, i.edamaged mirrors on both sides, and then started to question the mechanical integrity of the vehicle, specifically the tires and brakes At this point we had to get our service manager involved He spoke with the [redacted] about her concerns Our manager explained to her that she should bring it back to the selling dealer and have them address her concerns [redacted] returned to the shop to talk with our body shop manager to discuss an alternative less expensive repair to make the hood and front bumper look betterHe said we could remove their poor repair and do a more acceptable touch up repair that would be more affordable to her She scheduled an appointment for Friday, May at 9:30am At that time, we cleaned off all the poorly touched up areas, mixed the proper color touch up paint and retouched up her vehicle We also buffed the scratches on the front bumper cover [redacted] also requested that we physically inspect the tires and brakes at which point we had our service manager do the inspection When her car was completed, we handed [redacted] her keys and DID NOT CHARGE her for the services rendered that day On June 8, 2017, [redacted] came into the shop to speak with our manager regarding her broken mirror The mirror had multiple broken parts (loose mirror glass, broken signal light, broken bezel which were all visible) She DID NOT want to replace the signal, but she had us order the mirror glass and bezel which came in the following day (estimate amount to replace those parts were $86.34)We told her we could not determine why the mirror glass was loose until we took the mirror apart We also told her she may need an additional part that the mirror glass attaches to She made an appointment to come in at 9:on June 9, She arrived at 12:30pm, hours late of the scheduled appointment time, at which time we brought the car into the shop and proceeded to take the mirror apart When mirror glass was removed we discovered it was not broken but it was the motor that the glass mounts to that was broken We replaced the bezel and tried to reattach her mirror to the broken motorIt appeared to be successful at that pointWe told [redacted] that the mirror glass was not actually broken, rather the mounting point/motor was broken We reattached her old mirror glass and took the new mirror off her bill revising her new amount to $ While she was waiting she expressed interest in having her engine air filter and cabin air filter replaced We told her we would inspect her engine air filter, however, we would need to remove the glove box to inspect the cabin air filter, but would not be able to do that on that day With all of her concerns regarding the expense of the repairs in which her car needed we removed the engine air filter while she was standing at the entrance of the work bay and blew debris out of it and put it back in her carWe then told her she could wait to replace the filterOur mechanic showed her what a dirty cabin air filter would look like because he had one in our shop trash to show her There were NO CHARGES to [redacted] for inspection of these filters She left with the vehicle and immediately returned The mirror glass had fallen from the mount area At this point the manager told [redacted] she needed to buy the additional part in order to fix the mirror glass correctly We told her she needed a $part to remedy the problem and she did not want to buy itShe acted as this was our fault and we should buy the part when all along we told her there could be additional parts neededRegardless of what happened just know that our intention was to minimize the cost of any repairs We were trying to help her because the selling dealer did not take care of her they way they should have
Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: As originally stated, Ed told me not to return, leaving me with a dangling mirrorI actually had to drive away holding the mirror with my left hand while holding the steering wheel with my right handConcerned that the mirror might yank off while I was on the highway, I called a dealership who wrapped the mirror in packaging tape to keep it from falling completely offI then scheduled an appointment with that dealership to have the mirror fixed properlyThe fact that he allowed the mechanic to break the motor that was in my mirror, keep it, expect me to pay for replacement of the part that the mechanic broke and then send me away with a dangling mirror is unreasonable, unprofessional and unacceptable That explains the basis for me getting my mirror and motor fixed by the dealership The decision to get my mirror fixed by the dealership is the direct result of Ed denying me the option of returning to Vernon Collision.Because the actuator AND mirror were damaged, the dealership had to replace both parts The mirror was $and the actuator was $96.39, a total of $ I am looking to Vernon Collision for reimbursement for both parts, but not reimbursement of the labor charges ($104) that totals $for parts and labor Sincerely, [redacted]
Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: I did not ask the shop to inspect brakes The service manager (Ed) offered to do touch ups and not charge me for them This was one of the reasons why I returned to have my tire inspected, which was losing air The tire was fixed and I was charged $for this repair At no time did I ask for a brake inspection - inspection had already been done on the brakes by the dealership that sold me the vehicle Another reason for me rejecting this response is because Vernon Collision misstates the fact that I came to have my vehicle repaired hours after the scheduled time I was there on time, and would not dare show up at 12:p.m I am a school bus driver and had to return to the bus station by 1:p.m.A third reason for rejecting the response is because I did not ask them to check or change air or cabin filters This did not seem to be body work in my opinion Rather, the manager volunteered to inspect them and then went on to pretend to show me one enormous, filthy filter while telling me it was my cabin filter, which I knew wasn't possible [This was later confirmed when I asked the dealership to show me the cabin and air filters from MY vehicle] Despite the fact that I am not a mechanic, I am likewise not totally ignorant, having owned at least vehicles in my lifetime.In summary, Vernon Collision cannot justify the mistreatment I received concerning my damaged mirror and their refusal to repair the damage that they did or at the very least - make it possible for me to drive my car until the damage could be fixed The touwhich they did does not eclipse the damage that they caused to my mirror to the point that I had to drive away unsafely It is because of the first experience I had with the touch-ups and tire repair that I thought Vernon Collision worthy of future business from me Clearly, I was misstaken There is nothing that I would change about the complaint submitted Sincerely, [redacted]
On 6/7/17, Ed L [redacted] examined my driver side mirror and said he could fix it the next day by ordering a partOn 6/8/17, I arrived at the agreed to time and he said it wouldn't take long to fix the problemHe returned 1/later to say that his mechanic broke a spring when trying to replace the motor, and therefore, would have to purchase an additional partWhen I began to drive away, the driver side mirror began to slide off its frameI turned around and went back to tell Ed what happenedHe said, "that doesn't surprise me." He then tried to mash the window back in place, which did not fix the problemI told him that I had not expected to drive away with a dangling mirror (which was not dangling when I brought it to be fixed)He became quite agitated and said, "You expect me to do this work for free?!" I told him I never asked for anything free -- to the contrary, he charged me $to install a frame and break the motor -- he never returned the motorHe then stormed off an