ComplaintsforTriple B Manufacturing LLC

• Initial Complaint

  06/20/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I brought my car to triple b for a radiator replacement. They replaced the radiator but when doing so, didnt tighten the connections from the transmission line to the radiator. All or most of the transmission fluid leaked out, and when I drove it the transmission blew. The car needs a $3,900 repair to function. The shop lied to me, said theyd pay for it, then said they wouldnt , then said theyd pay half. Ive refused. They need to fully complete the repair , or I will file a court case. I have video footage, recorded conversations in which they lied and gaslit me, and 3 witnesses. A transmission expert, another mechanic who saw the leak, and someone who heard every phone call(which I also have recorded). Plus, I have had to pay for a rental car for 10 days so far at $82/day.

  Business response

  06/22/2022

  Tell us why heJune 22, 2022
  9:18 AM
  
  
  Customer did bring her vehicle in for a radiator replacement and for brakes to be done, they mentioned there is an oil leak also. Our mechanic replaced the radiator and replaced the brakes as asked and tightened up the oil leak lines. The mechanic brought vehicle up to temp like we always do to check for leaks at that time after running for 45 minutes and then sitting on rack overnight no leaks appeared. They picked up their vehicle on June 2nd, 2022, they did not return to our shop until June 13th, 2022,saying there is a transmission issue. Mechanic looked over vehicle did not see any leaks said he'd take care of it. (In meaning he'd check more into it and see what was going on with transmission) Our mechanic said he'd cover labor on transmission to help she then got belligerent and rude and threatened the mechanic and our business with a lawsuit.  I told our mechanic to walk away from it we are done if shes going to be rude and make threats. I got a call on my cellphone while I was in the grocery store, she explained what was going on and tried to talk to her but had to explain to her I was in the grocery store, and I would call her when I get to the office. She then started texting my personal phone on June 16th at 10:51 am threating me the business owner demanding we fix it, or she will *** us. I texted her to please stop by our shop so we can resolve the issue within the next 30 minutes or stop by Monday. I texted her to please not communicate through my cell phone to also call the office and I supplied the number for her. Our mechanic was getting off shift at noon on 6/16/2022 and would not be returning till Monday 6/20/22. She said she would be right down she has to get ahold of her husband, so she has a ride. We had a conversation both owners and the mechanic with her and offered to cover labor if they would cover the transmission since there was no evidence of it leaking on our property but out of good faith figured this would be appropriate to start at approach with a vehicle that is a **** ***** Suburban with over ******* Miles on it with the massive oil leak. The oil leaks were very noticeable that has been leaking for a long time and has owner neglect of maintenance.We did not feel that we were responsible for the transmission failure but again in good faith we would cover labor to fix it to keep good relationship with customer in case it was our fault. Our concern is that she picked it up on 6/2 and didnt bring right back to us when she noticed a leak, she waited 11 days after driving vehicle around town getting it checked out by other mechanics and transmission shops. She stated she has receipts of how much transmission fluid she had to buy to put into it. Why didnt she come right back to us to address the issue then? She then mentioned she cant make the decision on them paying half and we pay the other half to resolve the issue with out talking to her husband. We told her to talk to your husband and come back Monday 6/20/22 and to see us so we can try resolving this. She texted my cell phone multiple times throughout the 16th and 17th after I asked her not too. On Friday 6/17/22 she texted my phone and sent a video and picture of her leaving a message at our shop office. She claimed our guys would not take a message from her and she claimed my cellphone had no voice mail set up. I called the shop talked to the guys and the guy who answered the phone did say he would not write down her full message that she actually had to call us directly when we get back in office, I also asked my guys to call my cell phone to make sure my voice mail was set up to just make sure and it is set up and they left me a voice mail showing I have a fully functional set up voice mail on my cellphone and our business line too. She then texted me again on my cell that she just rented a car for ***** a day and that was on 6/17/22 so not sure where she gets her math that she has had it for 10 days. Monday 6/20/22 we checked our voice mail and was at office all day they never called or stopped by like they were told to so we could try resolving this issue. We took transmission out and sent it off to a transmission specialist who said they can see why it went out and who would be at fault. If we are at fault, we will totally pay for it but not till we know for certain why it went out since it has very high miles on it with existing multiple leaks. In the meantime, we already had a transmission coming and it was delivered to our shop on 6/20/2022 at roughly 3:45 pm. On 6/21/2022 we called her husband since hey never called or showed up we asked him to come to shop so we can talk about vehicle issue to resolve it. He was already rude and snarky towards us right at the start about it, we had asked him multiple times to calm down and lets talk rational come to an agreeable conclusion to wait to see break down results. He demanded us to fix vehicle claimed we are at fault, and we explained to him the transmission will be sent off to a transmission shop to be broke down to see why it went out, and that once it is concluded why it went bad, we would decide if we were paying for it or not. He kept stating you ruined it and would not listen to anything we said. We left it as lets get results back on transmission and re talk this over and he them piped up we never told you to fix or take our transmission out of vehicle. We tried to explain you were demanding us to repair/fix it you put on BBB complaint it was ******* to fix it and on it you guys have desired settlement is to REPAIR. It was our due diligence to have it broke down to find out who is responsible for it going out and it was not us.
   We took transmission to 406 Transmission a local shop and they broke it down and as they broke it down the y said it was not from us it was from old age of vehicle not from us replacing radiator and I asked the owner to break out as he was breaking down the transmission to write out what he discovered and what would cause it to go out in detail. We stopped by his location to let him know that we got the results back on transmission and he refused to talk to us kept saying talk the mechanic at where he was at, and we told him no we need to talk to you cause youre the owner of the vehicle. So, we are not at fault for transmission going out, the vehicle has been repaired and is waiting for them to pay their ****.
  
  ***************************
  Triple B Mfg., LLC
  re...

  Customer response

  06/22/2022

   
  Complaint: 17438976
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I did not authorize repair at my expense. In fact, I REJECTED their offer in writing to split the repair in half (each of us being responsible for half). I never authorized the removal of a part, which is my personal property. For this business to think they can charge me for unauthorized repair is deeply disturbing. I would NEVER agree to pay for this repair. The issue is 100% the fault of this shoddy repair shop.
  The owner, *******, actually told me on the phone that the transmission is NOT CONNECTED to the radiator. How scary for the owner of a shop to not understand vehicle mechanics. A quick ****** search can show anyone that it IS INDEED CONNECTED as well as vital for the transmissions performance.
  

  DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF EVENTS:
  I brought my vehicle to triple B for a radiator leak and for new brakes. 
  We payed for the Vehicle on June 2nd and left the car in the parking lot. We picked up the vehicle on June 3rd. We had friends come into town and we went with them in their RV to camp in ************. We returned home on June 11th.
  On, Saturday June 11th,  my car broke down on the side of the road. ******* had high amounts of rain during this time between June3-11th and flooding. The car had been driven to town and back once, approximately 25 miles at this point.  I could feel it was the transmission not shifting gears and i could not accelerate, putting me in a dangerous situation on the road nearby my home that has a 70mph speed limit. 
  I IMMEDIATELY pulled over and asked my husband to come. At this time, we checked the transmission dipstick. It was showing no fluid at all. We added 3-4 quarts of fluid. Attempted to run the vehicle again in the parking lot of the Swan river school where I had broken down, approximately 7 miles from my home. The car would not shift out of 2nd gear. We towed the car home on a flatbed trailer. I called the shop on this day (saturday june 11th). There was no answer. I called again on Monday at which time the mechanic ***** said to bring it over right away. I asked him if it is ok to drive. He said yes. Triple B is under one mile from my home. I brought the car over, and ***** got in it and drove it.
  He called me to tell me that it is the clutch broken, he thinks, and that he was able to get the vehicle up to 70mph. We went to the shop and got the car, droveit approximately 1 mile to another local mechanic shop, Next Level. The mechanic there inspected the vehicle and identified the leak. He is willing to testify to what he saw. I have this on video and have shown this to **** and ******* (owners) as well as ***** the mechanic. The next level mechanic told us to immediately bring the car back to Triple B and show them the serious leak in the connection from the transmission to the new radiator they installed on June 2nd. VIDEO 1 + VIDEO2, photo 1.
  We brought the vehicle back to Triple B and showed ***** the leak. He insisted that the leak has nothing to do with the transmission failure.  He says he will take a look. We leave the car and go home. This was at 2:17pm
  The next day, Tuesday, June 14th I called triple B 2 times. At 11:32 am ***** answered the phone. He says he is too busy to look at it yet. I ask him if he can please hurry because we need this vehicle as it is the only vehicle we have that can fit our family. 
  At 1:41 pm ***** calls me, and lets me know that he is taking it on a flatbed up to his ***** who owns a transmission shop called 406 Transmission.
  Wednesday June 15th at 10:04 am, ***** calls and says his ***** told him that the transmission failure is due to the age of th car and has nothing to do with the leak he caused. I got angry at his refusal to admit fault, and told him that I would have to take him to court. RECORDING #1
  10:08
  ***** calls me again. He said he WAS GOING to tell me that he is planning to take care of the repair. He says now that I was rude, he is not sure he is going to. He says he will call me back.
  6:02 pm I receive a text message from *****. TEXT EVIDENCE #1
  He says he is walking away and not fixing the car and that the keys are in it. 
  On Thursday June 16th, I called ******* AT THE ***** NUMBER LISTED ON THEIR WEBSITE, PHOTO EVIDENCE #1. She asked me to please come into the shop to discuss the issue. I was trying to resolve the issue. I went to the shop. 
  There, I met with *******, **** (owners) and the mechanic *****. At this time, he says he never saw a leak. The owners said things like theres a lot that doesnt add ** in your story and other belittling things like that . AUDIO RECORDING #3 They offer to pay of the repair ans split the cost with me. I tell them I will need to talk to my husband. 
  Friday June 17th
  I call the shop to speak to *******. She is not available and the person who answers the phone says he will not pass along my message about my decision not to pay for the repair.
  I called ******* and her voice mailbox was not set up. AUDIO RECORDING #4
  I drove to the shop and left a note PHOTO EVIDENCE. My note said that I would not pay for the repair as I do not feel I am liable. I asked them to please call me by Monday June 20th with their decision and left my phone number for them to easily contact me. I also texted this message to ******* PHOTO **********************,June 20th,  we did not hear back from them. There were no incoming calls to my phone at the number I provided to them. In the evening after business hours, I filed this complaint with the BBB for help and an attempt at mediation.
  

  On TUESDAY  June 21st my husband received a call to please come down to meet with **** and ******* the owners. They never called my phone, or contacted me in any way. PLease note my instructions on the letter I left, to call me personally. This was ignored and truly we don't even know HOW they got my husbands phone number.

  
  He went down and was belittled, told he probably has tons of court cases because he seems like that kind of guy and other methods of abuse. He had with him our friend and business partner, and my husbands employer *************************, as a witness. ***** is willing to testify to the events that transpired at that point. My husband was told that Triple B had removed our transmission and brought it to their friend at 406 transmission (they did not have our authorization to steal evidence from my vehicle). We did not ever agree or allow this company to do this. They stated that because the ideal resolution on the BBB complain was a repair, that they were going to repair it.
  

  At approximately 2pm, my husband was at work and ****, the owner, showed up at his place of employment. He spoke to *************************, our friend, and not to my husband, telling him the Transmission shop said that the damage was not their fault. He drove away before my husband could speak with him. They still have not called or contacted us at all. And never me, since Friday June 17th, even though I was the one to drop off the car, and discuss this with them in the first place. This is a beautiful example of the level of disrespect they have displayed. To go to my husbands work, and speak to his boss like that is simply unacceptable.
  

  This morning, Wednesday June22nd, , I checked my email and saw Melissas reply to my complaint. It has a number of lies that I cant even bear to go over again. 
  

  The most concerning part of her reply was that they have illegally repaired (tampered with( the vehicle themselves, and are holding it is waiting for them to pay their ****. 
  

  At this point I am writing this reply.  I will not be paying for any repair done, that was not done with my agreement or authorization in any way. In fact, the last thing I said to them was that WE WILL NOT BE PAYING for the repair. 
  In all honesty I do not trust any vehicle that they repaired in anger and fear for the lives of my family including 4 young children while driving it. We all must seriously consider possible sabotage that could put is in a dangerous situation when driving it. This shop has proven themselves completely incompentent and I do not trust any repair they would make, especially without my prior authorization. Someone who is willing to lie to my face, belittle me, repeatedly is not trustworthy, especially with their track record of shoddy mechanic work. I mean, ******* didnt even know the transmission connects to the radiator. Mind blowing ignorance.
  

  Now, of course ,there is no evidence remaining for a second opinion. It has been stolen by Triple B. I had previously made an appointment at ********************************* for July 7th, and that can be verified easily including the date of appointment by calling **************.
  They were planning to tell me the cause and ASSSURED Me that even ONE QUART low of fluid could cause catastrophic damage to the engine. I also spoke with ***** and one of their transmission specialists is also is willing to make a statement that this low leaking fluid could absolutely cause this damage. 
  At this point, Id ask that my car to be returned to my possession immediately so that I may take it to a safety specialist to inspect any work that is done, so that I do not endanger my family with their awful repair skills, or lack thereof. I refuse to pay for a repair that was not authorized to me. I would also like my stolen transmission to be returned to me immediately.
  
  Sincerely,
  *****************************
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  Business response

  06/29/2022

  June 27th, 2022
  
  9:16 AM
  
  
  When *** and a ***** of his ************************* stopped by the office on 6/21/2022 per the request of us to go over the vehicle we informed him *** the transmission has been pulled and new rebuilt one should be going in it today, but we want the transmission broke down by a transmission specialist before we say we will pay for it. We informed him that we still do not feel we are the reason why their transmission went out. We are doing our due diligence first and if in fact it shows we are the reason then we would absolutely pay for it. *** was also told in front of Brain that if it comes back that we are not responsible then we will not be paying for it. *** just kept insisting we are at fault and his ***** ***** told him lets just see what the results come back showing. *** asked if he could have the transmission and we informed him that the transmission goes to the transmission shop cause its the core to replace the rebuild that is now in their vehicle. So, on this date *** was aware that the transmission was taken out and sitting on the bench and was in process of being replaced and never once said did he say sop in fact he said GOOD. It wasnt till after our conversation was done with him and with ***** being present that he left office *** got on his phone called his wife and then came storming back into office we never told you to take transmission out. We showed him letter from BBB with his wifes complaint stating Desired Settlement Repair on it. Again, we told him that if it comes back, we are not at fault we will not be covering it. That we will only cover it if we are in fact at fault.
  I do need to clarify that when she originally called me she caught me off guard I was in the middle of a grocery store trying to check out saying we are at fault for her transmission going out and in my mind I was like how does replacing a radiator make a transmission go out and I mentioned that and she said a leaking line, my thought at that moment was the lines go to engine what is she talking about to transmission, Im not a mechanic and never claimed to be one and told her I will have to call you back when I get to the shop. I asked our mechanic for clarification about the lines do they go to engine only or to both, I was informed its a cooling line that goes from radiator to transmission. So yes, I was wrong there and thats One of the reasons why I wanted to get back to shop to talk to guys before I went any further.They were totally happy with us repairing the transmission on own our expense,but I will tell you this I dont think there is a business out there that will just say ok Ill fix it for free no matter if we are at fault or not. They will do their due diligence to see whos at fault and thats what we did. Multiple times they demanded us to fix, and we told *** in front of ***** that if it comes back, we are at fault we will, but we will not pay for it if we are not.I am sorry that they ***** get the results they wanted but they did get the repair they asked for. We feel we are being fare and paid for the labor and the transmission fluids and willing to take payments. I am not sure if you would find a mechanic shop that would allow payments like that, but we are trying to meet in the middle and help resolve the situation and shes not. We dont have to pay or any of these repairs, but we are trying to be good business owners and help resolve an issue so everyone walks away.
  
  Back on 6/16/22 I texted ******** back asking her to not contact my cell and to please call the shop number, she states that our website has my number on it and yes it does but right above the numbers it says Sno-Way *********************** 24 hours a day! Please call ***** ************ ***** ************ ****** ************. It clearly states for Sno-Way *********************** therefore I asked her to call shop number instead of texting my cellphone.
  The results came back that in fact we are NOT responsible for it that it was just its time cause of age and miles on it. Once we got the results **** tried calling *** which is her husband which on the original paperwork has his name ******************* and his phone number in his handwriting written on it.We still have the original in our file for our records, we figured he would be calmer to talk to and more levelheaded. So, **** stopped by to tell *** since he wouldnt answer his phone and ***** said he wasnt here and as **** was getting ready to leave *** showed up and **** tried to talk to him and *** said go talk to my mechanics, **** said ********* I want to talk to you its your vehicle. *** would not talk to him and **** left. This was on 6/21/22.
  On 6/22/2022 at 12:43 pm I got a text message with an audio and laughing crying smiling faces which does not show my number on it saying this mailbox is not set up. Which in fact I can tell you has been set up since 2012 because I have tenants, and they leave me messages all the time on. I am aware my number is on our website we sell snowplows and if they break down on a weekend, they can have another way to get help. I can dispatch a mechanic out for repairs. I asked her kindly to not text my phone because I wanted it through the shop plain and simple as mentioned above.
  6/22/22 I emailed her the invoice at 1:42 pm and again got an email back with laughing crying smiley faces. Later sometime after 4:30 I believe my husband tried calling her she ***** answer so he left her a message to call, she called back and while she was on speaker phone **** had a very calm conversation with her, she was like a totally different person she was calm and polite and sounded sweet not the same person who we had been dealing with. **** ended up dropping the cost from $3,220.88 to just the $2,200.00 for the transmission only. That would be $1,020.88 for our labor and transmission fluid and consumables/hazard waste disposal. She said she ***** have the money to pay for all that and **** offered her the option to make payments and if it took a year to pay that was ok too, we would file a lien on the vehicle and once paid release it. She said she would have to talk to her husband to make sure it was ok. She also mentioned she could pay ****** a month but wanted to talk to *** first. Now keep in mind she states all communication must go through her, but she cant make decisions without talking to ***, that tells us *** is the financial/head of household decision maker which besides Toms name and number on the original write up repair sheet is who we needed to talk to was in his hand writing he was the one who filled out the customer name and number on it not ******** and Christels number was never on the sheet. The conversation ended we thought was very peaceful and resolved and we were just waiting for her to get back to us on payment plan and her bringing title down to put a lien on it so she could have her vehicle back. **** tried calling *** he would not answer his calls so yes **** did drive down to where *** worked and he saw ************************* and asked if *** was here and ***** said no, ***** asked **** about the vehicle and **** said Well we are not at fault for it going out and I just wanted to come down to talk to *** about it. **** ***** think it was going to be an issue taking to ***** about transmission results since *** did bring ***** to the meeting at office previously. As **** was leaving *** showed up **** said Hey can, I talk to you about transmission ******************* back go talk to the mechanics, **** said ********* I need to talk to you. *** would not talk to ****, **** then left.
  It is now 6/24/2022 and we get her doing another 180-degree switch filed another complaint with BBB website. ******** also sent **** a voice recording she actually took of a conversation with one of our employees without his knowledge and it did say we would take care of it she was trying to bait him into committing to pay for all repairs on Triple Bs expense but as you listen to message the employee said we will work with you and that I will have to talk to owners and get back to you, none of the employees have the right or authority to cover any repairs on Triple B without going through the Owners which is **** and ****** unless it is a warrantied part replacement. The customer was informed the amount due and why Triple B will not be paying for any repairs to transmission since it was not Triple Bs fault, and they did say they wanted it repaired and we were very clear that if we were at fault, we would cover expense but if we are not then we wouldnt cover any of it. His friend ************************* was there when we told *** this. ******** called **** about 3:00 pm said she was going to have to buy another vehicle for $2,000.00, **** said why do that when you could use that to pay for yours thats here and fixed. Comment got mentioned *** gets his check that evening and wouldnt have the money available till Monday 6/27/2022.
  Now its 6/27/22 and I get a certified letter from **************** *************************** Attorney General that she has filed a complaint on 6/22/22 with them about us. I have an email from the transmission shop saying 3 and 4 clutch went out and no other clutches were out or burnt and supplied a chart. I also have letter from one of our other employees when she called the shop to leave a long-detailed message and he ***** said you need to call the owners and tell them this personally He did tell her I was in town not in office till later that afternoon. She never called my phone, or should I say my phone does not show she called me, and I never got a voice mail and I do have voice mail set up ask I mentioned earlier do to rentals and have since 2012. I on a 2-week basis delete old messages, so I dont have a full mailbox situation. I can only assume she dialed my number wrong, but she texts me a video of her leaving a handwritten letter in our office that day, which we asked her day prior to come back Monday with *** but instead she leaves said letter.
  Our solution is we pay for labor, and they pay for the rebuilt transmission, and they have the option to make payment with the said **** Suburban title gets a lien on it to secure repayment and we both walk away from this and go our separate ways.
  We at Triple B take pride in our work and service and will stand behind our service and take care of our customers. As a business owner I get we cannot make everyone happy and cant please everyone, but we do our best to make things right with our customers always try to work out any differences if there is one.
  
  ***************************
  Triple B Mfg.

  Customer response

  06/30/2022

  Hello,
  Can you please amend the rejection I sent today 6/30. 
  Id like to add:
  The letter I dropped off in person to you which you admit you have received , said that I WILL NOT pay for a repair. The fact that you then repaired the vehicle would be great except you sent me a **** for over $3200. Plus $75/day storage fee. I never would agree to pay this.  What I said to **** was, I would not put a $4000 repair ($741 original repair cost for radiator, plus $3200) into my car. 
  At this point it has been one  month since my vehicle first was unusable and damaged due to the major transmission leak. 
  giving me my car back and us both walking away from the situation is the only outcome I will accept. 
  I am attaching the letter ******* admits receiving for your information.
  As anyone can see easily, in no way does this letter act as me accepting them performing a costly repair at my expense.
  Thank you! 
  

  
  

  Customer response

  06/30/2022

   
  Complaint: 17438976
  
  I am rejecting this response because:I never authorized this repair or the transmission to be removed. If they can provide a signed work order, I will pay for what I agreed to. Instead, they are using my BBB filing to act as though it authorized a repair at my expense. That is not how this works, I have confirmed multiple times with the BBB. I wanted a repair at their expense and never agreed to pay anything to them.
  
  i spoke in person to the person triple b gave my transmission to. He told me that in 6 years they have never got a transmission from them.  He said he was surprised. I showed him the video of the massive transmission fluid leak. He said that the car was old, but that the leak was like shooting an old deer. Meaning the stress of losing all fluid over a weeks time (it was driven exactly 18 miles from original radiator repair to now and that includes the test driven miles by ***** the mechanic)  was what made it fail at that time. 
  

  it is actually truly ignorant to say that a massive leak of all transmission fluid from a loose or faulty connection done during a paid repair at this shop, has nothing to do with the transmissions total failure just a few miles of driving later. I get they dont want to spend money and they think Im too broke to fight back. But I cannot put a lien on my car, essentially giving my car to these people for a repair they should be covering themselves.

  Me speaking to my husband before making decisions like this is valid, I dont need to explain myself to anyone why I treat my family as a unit and we work together to solve things. Even bringing that up as though it is a fault is very manipulative. Consequently, **** called me and said that I should not contact his wife anymore but here she is, writing the reply. Its because marriages are partnerships. 
  

  I will accept the vehicle back fully fixed at the shops expense. This is already a compromise because after hearing they do not normally repair transmissions and also the angry back and forth during this exchange. I am worried about the safety of the car. But I will accept it. 
  

  now that the transmission has been removed and given to someone there is no chance to take it to my own transmission repair guy, so it puts me in a spot where there is no evidence at all for a second opinion. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩