ComplaintsforPat's Body Shop

• Initial Complaint

  03/09/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  ******* with Pats towing gave me an estimate of $350 to tow my trailer less than a half mile from its location. I agreed to the price and awaited the trailer returned to my house. When ******* arrives on the scene he calls and says that the $350 price we agreed upon is no longer valid and couldnt give me a price on how much it was going to cost. He also informed me that he would be keeping my trailer until I paid the bill in full. Keep in mind here are the pictures of where the trailer sat when they came to tow it. Any 4 wheel drive truck could have pulled this trailer out. ******* proceeded to take my trailer to his shop and informs me that I cant come pick it up until Monday. Keep in mind the trailer was 175 yards away from my house. He also told me that I need to pay $990 and $60 a day storage to get my property back. He originally quoted me $350 and now wants me to pay for over 3 times the agreed upon cost. From all the recent reviews on this company they wont be around much longer with how they operate. Beware at all costs using this company.

  

  Business response

  03/11/2024

  ****************** came to office this morning and met with Office Manager.  An agreed upon price was reached with both parties compromising and the trailer and cargo was towed to his property.  
  

  Customer response

  03/11/2024

   I am rejecting this response because: I was forced to pay a higher than agreed upon amount.  I ended up having to pay $560 and it was forceful because company illegally obtained my property through false pretenses.  I was also out of my trailer for 36 hours which at 100 dollars an hour rental rate equates to $3600 of lost revenue to my company.  ******* gathered my property illegally under false pretenses 175 yards away from my house.  This business is a criminal entity and I had to call the police when I arrived to come to agreement this morning.
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  01/04/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  1/4/2024 Complaint: Price gouging On Thursday 12/21/23 around 11:30 p.m. my car (2009 Honda Civic) was parked in front of a dumpster in my complex and a call was made to have it towed which I learn about at 2:30 a.m. Friday morning (12/22/23) when I went looking for my car to go to work. My car was towed by Pat’s Body Shop & Towing (5720 Country Club Rd, Winston-Salem, N.C 27104). I arrived at Pat’s Body Shop at 8:00 a.m. Friday morning 12/23/23. They had my car for about eight hours at this point. My Townhouse or the dumpster my car was parked in front location is about 25 miles from Pat’s Body Shop & Towing. To release my car I was required to pay $705.00 in cash only. The cost breakdown: Towing: $485.00 Storage:$60.00 Administration fee: $120.00 Gate fee: $40.00 I was polite and didn’t go off on anyone. Nonnegotiable was the terms to getting my car back. Cash only, in the amount of $705.00. They gave me a printed receipt and breakdown of the cost. I felt the four fees listed above were price gouging towing my car 25 miles having it 8 hours in their possession (which I neither ask to have done nor knew the price). Paying 2 or max 3 hundred dollars is what I expected what it was going to cost me to get my car back.

  

  Business response

  01/09/2024

  Our towing department received a call by an authorized contact from the ******* ***** *** at 9:58pm on December 21, 23 to remove a vehicle illegally parked in front of a dumpster on the property.  A driver was dispatched at 10:04pm, arrived on scene at 10:33pm, vehicle loaded and leaving scene by 10:58pm, arrived at storage lot and unloaded from tow truck at 11:35pm.  Vehicle owner provided copy of valid photo id and proof of ownership of vehicle, and paid the invoice at 8:29am December 22, 23 in our main office and vehicle was released for pick up immediately after.
  
  As stated, the vehicle was illegally parked in front of a dumpster on the property.  It was backed into the space with concrete curbing on either side of the vehicle.  The rollback driver did not have keys ($55 no key fee) or permission to access the vehicle to put it into neutral so additional equipment had to be used to be able to load the vehicle onto the bed of the truck.  The driver had to winch it out of the space and onto the truck (non-accident winching $100).  Since he was unable to pull directly in front of the vehicle for loading, he had to use a snatch block ($55) which is a heavy-duty shackle used to create an angle to properly and safely winch the vehicle, this was hooked to the lower right of the bed.  The driver also needed to use skates ($55) which help prevent damage by minimizing friction between the tires and the ground when winching the vehicle across the asphalt onto the bed.  Our standard private property tow-away fee is $220.  These fees listed total up to the $485 tow fee the owner was charged.  I've included photos showing the space the vehicle was parked in with curbs on either side, as well as from behind showing the rollback could not pull directly in front of it to load.  There is also a clear photo showing the winch cable run thru the snatch block and skates being used under the tires while being winched onto the bed.
  
  The vehicle was towed to our storage lot, which is located behind 2 secured fences as well as 24/7 surveillance via multiple security cameras.  We charge an administration fee ($120), a gate fee ($40) and a daily outdoor storage fee ($60/day) for all vehicles taken to our storage lot, with the exception of WSPD and NCHP rotation calls.  Our company policy for private property tow-away or repossession tows is to accept cash as the only form of payment.
  
  Our towing services are 24/7, our storage lot is open Monday thru Friday from 8am until 5pm but we do offer after hours’ services for an additional fee to accommodate customers.  Our main billing office is open Monday thru Friday from 8am until 5:30pm and our tow drivers also have capabilities to take payments at any time.
  
  I understand waking up to find your vehicle has been towed and paying to get it back is not a pleasant way to start your morning.  This entire situation could have been avoided by properly parking the vehicle in the appropriate space allotted.  The HOA / property management requested our services to remedy this situation and the fees charged were not inflated or exaggerated for the services provided or equipment the driver used.
  
  We appreciate the opportunity to explain our side of the claim and will await your decision.  Thank you and have a great day.
  
  Suzi *****
  Pat’s Body Shop and Towing

  Customer response

  01/13/2024

   I am rejecting this response because of the follow:

  I) $55.00 no Key Fee

  As noted in your response, the driver arrived at 10:33 p.m. and left at 10:58 p.m. (25 minutes). I was charged a $55.00 no key fee because as you mention you were not able to enter the car and put in neutral. This required as you mention additional equipment & labor (use of the equipment) that you listed which was a non-accident winching $100.00, snatch box $55.00 and skates $55.00.

  My position is there is no need for this additional fee ($55.00 no key fee) because the tow truck driver is already billing for their time at the scene addressing the issue of not being able to move the car that not in neutral.
  

   

  II) $220.00 Tow away fee

  You towed my car about 21 miles to your outdoor storage lot. My position is $120.00 I would consider a reasonable charge.
  

  
  III) $40.00 Gate fee

  The $40.00 gate fee to send someone to unlock the gate During Normal Business hours, I do not consider this a reasonable charge at all. After hours is understandable.

   

  IV) Administrative Fee $120.00

  Arriving when the doors open, my bill "wasn't started on". It took ten minutes at best to itemized invoicing of my towed vehicle, storage bill and so forth. I meeting you half way at $60.00 for that charge.

   

  Requested refund in cash or check: $255.00  ($55.00 + $100.00 + $40.00 + $60.00) The bill was $705.00 paid in cash.
  

  Regarding your policy for private property tow away to accept cash as the only form of payment. Did you know this policy inconvenienced consumers & sometimes make it impossible to get the vehicle back quickly resulting in paying more to get the vehicle back.

  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  08/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Accident occurred 9/1/22, and was processed through ***** ****. Ray, an employee of Pat's, was my primary contact. I communicated with Ray numerous times over the course of the next several months regarding ongoing issues. Returned multiple times for poor workmanship, defective parts, incomplete repairs, and so on...continued finding issues that were NOT repaired by the shop. Ray stopped communicating around March or April, and I was later informed by Charles (another Pat's employee) that Ray's employment was terminated due to actions that could be considered as "fraudulent," perhaps insurance fraud (I'm not certain as to what actions, exactly, that Ray took to warrant his termination). Prior to this information, I took the vehicle to another shop (Ian's) that found MULTIPLE issues that were either improperly repaired or not repaired at all. Upon further investigation by ***** ****, it was found that many items were either repaired when they SHOULD HAVE been replaced, or they simply were not repaired (or replaced T all). To this day, Pats has not completed all of the repairs that were determined from the initial (or subsequent) estimates. Now, Pat's refuses to replace a damaged frame, and is intimating that it is no longer going to participate in the (proper) repair of my vehicle. I find this abhorrent, given the fact that the issue all stems from the actions of its OWN EMPLOYEE, who may/may not have committed some sort of fraud (which seems to be along the lines of insurance fraud, per the discussions I had with Charles). This is disgusting, because both ***** **** and the local ****** dealership have determined that the remaining damage TO THE FRAME (that should have been corrected with a replacement) is a structural issue, and creates a safety concern. Pat's seems to be uncaring that for almost a year, it has put both me and my 2 small children at risk. My hope is that BBB investigates to find if this practice has been repeated with other customers.

  

  Business response

  09/04/2023

  As stated by Mr. ********, Ray was an employee of our company and worked with Mr. ******** on his claim from September 1, 2022 thru March 20, 2023.  The reasons for his departure from our company has never been disclosed to our customers.  I can tell you that it was not related to any insurance fraud as Mr. ******** has stated and that is all that I will state on that matter as it has no bearing on this situation nor should it be of any of his concern.  We prefer to not deal in gossip or false aligations.

  What is of concern is the repair status and situation of Mr. ********'s ******.  There were several supplemental requests for additional damage found to vehicle that were submitted to insurance for approval.  The last documentation we had record of from insurance during the initial repair had nothing listed to repair or replace the lower rail.  The initial repair was from 9/2/22 through 11/14/22 and the supplement at that time was supplement 3 dated 10/26/22 from insurance.  Customer stated he tried several times to reach Ray to bring vehicle back into shop to have rail looked at but was ignored by Ray.  I cannot verify that since Ray is no longer an employee, I can only state that we have no records in our system or on the customer's file to corroborate.  Records indicate it came in December for weatherstrip replacement and suspension, supplement 4 and again in February due to still experiencing suspension noise, we replaced the hub and aligned the vehicle, supplement 5, in March.  Vehicle then returned in June of this year, after it had been taken to another body shop, ****s.  At that time, the concerns brought to our attention was the gusset and apron extension had not been replaced as was on the insurance estimate, they had instead been repaired.  We also replace the hood, lower airbox, grille and grille shutter at that time.  Insurance had gone to ****s to look at the vehicle there and did an additional supplement for repairs, supplement 6, which is when they added for the lower rail to be replaced.  We were provided a copy of supplement 6 with the rail replacement by the customer directly in early August.  Up until that point we never had any record of the rail replacement being warranted.  The insurance adjuster came out August 22 to look at the vehicle here at our shop again, (customer had dropped it off) and that time he determined that he would pay the customer directly to take the vehicle to the shop of his choice to have the rail replaced. 

  If Mr. ******** was informed in June that the insurance company had decided to replace the rail, and the vehicle was at ****s Body Shop already, as well as gone back to the dealership on multiple occasions during this time period, and felt that the vehicle was unsafe for him and his family, why did he not demand a loaner car or leave it at the shop it was at to have the repairs done immediately?  Instead he prolonged the situation until finally providing us a copy of the updated repair approval 2 months later and after we had already done other repairs on the vehicle after it was at the other body shop. 

  I'm not saying we were not at fault for some of the initial repairs of items that should have been replaced, I can not speak to the accusations by Mr. ******** in regards to his dealings with Ray.  I can only state that when an issue arose or there was a concern for additional repairs due to the accident, we met with the customer, reached out to the insurance adjuster and took care of the repairs.  In regards for the rail replacement, Mr. ******** was given the payout from insurance to take his vehicle to any shop of his choosing.

   

  Please advise if you need any further information.  Attached is a copy of the final repair supplement 6 from ***** **** insurance dated 6/21/23 at 7:47am with ****s Body Works as the Inspection Location.  Since we were limited to only 5 attachments, I've only included the main pages.  Should you need the full copy of the document, please advise and I will be happy to email it to you.  Thank you for your time and giving us the opportunity to give our side of the matter.  We respect your position and will await your decision.  

  Customer response

  09/14/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:

  Hello, Ms. ****.  I agree, there is a lot of information...this has been ongoing for a year.  To answer the easiest questions, after the August 1st meeting between my insurance adjuster and Pat's, wherein the adjuster indicated that Pat's had not properly addressed/replaced the frame rail (the same meeting when Pat's indicated that it would no longer be doing anything to my vehicle, despite being informed that the frame rail was warped and was a safety issue), my insurance company decided to withhold payment to Pat's for supplement 6, and ***** **** did, in fact, deposit it to our savings account on August 24th.  Pat's has been made aware of all of these issues. 

   

  Regarding the frame rail and bracket repairs, neither of these have been completed, because NO SHOP wants to repair it due to the liability of repairing the reckless work done by Pat's. I contacted all of the ***** **** select service centers within 20 miles of my location, and none want to undertake the repair.  I also contacted a couple of non-select-service shops, and they have all expressed the same concerns.  So, to answer your question...no, it has not been repaired, and I am effectively forced to transport myself and my children in an unsafe vehicle with decreased, compromised structural integrity to the frame.  

   

  Perhaps I can summarize the things still in need of repair by Pat's by categorizing the outstanding issues (see pictures attached to main document).  Furthermore, although Pat's advertises a lifetime warranty, the shop has made it clear that it does not want to repair any of its mistakes made to my vehicle.

   

   ITEMS DAMAGED BY PAT’S

  1.      Frame rail was poorly repaired instead of being replaced – it was crudely hammered back into position, but it still remains warped.  Moreover, there are multiple rivets that have been removed and were not replaced, nor welded together.  Bonding agent was used to “hold” the frame rail together, making it structurally unsound.

  2.      Bracket holding the upper portion of fender is not connected, and is approximately 30 degrees off-center.

  3.      Front bumper tab was broken during initial installation, and is now permanently glued to the fender (which will cause issues if the frame rail is to be replaced).  This also caused minor damage to the fender liner in the same location (driver's side of the vehicle). 

   

  POOR WORKMANSHIP

  1.      Hood is poorly painted, and has several “globs” of paint adhered to the surface, as well as appearing splotchy

  2.      Noticeable hair is painted into passenger side fender (due to poor blending)

  3.      Large paint drip observed on the front bumper

  4.      Overspray on trim

  5.      Slight scuffing on paint due to repair of the hood

   

  ITEMS REQUIRING REPAIR THAT ARE STILL UNDER WARRANTY

  1.      CV Joint cover (and perhaps CV Joint, itself)

  
  ITEMS MISSED BY PAT’S AFTER MULTIPLE REPAIRS

  1.      Air intake resonator

   

  I hope this information helps.  Please feel free to reach out if you have any further questions. 

   

  ****

  
  
  

  
  

  

  Business response

  09/18/2023

  Pat's does have a warranty policy and includes it in every estimate and final invoice given to each customer, as Mr. ******** is already aware.  I've included a copy of it from his final paperwork and yes, We do stand behind our warranty. 

  The rail replacement does not fall under any warranty as the replacement was never done. A check was sent directly to the customer from ***** **** for over $3,000 as a final payout of all remaining repairs including the rail replacement, then insurance finalized and closed his claim.  

  Pat's has discussed with both Mr. ******** and ***** **** the reasoning behind our decision to no longer work on this vehicle.  Mr. ******** has made a number of slanderous remarks regarding our owner, employees and company as a whole.  It's obvious why would make the determination to cease any further contact or repairs with this customer or his vehicle, with the exception of warranty concerns.

   

  Again, thank you for the opportunity to respond.  We will await your response and decision.

   

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  05/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Company says they charge 100 for a tow in city, when they think you will use insurance your bill becomes 600 for a tow. ****** company with liars for employees. Not only did they lie about the price they also said it would be more expensive to tow to my house instead of the shop, this was also a lie because that would have been cheaper. Have already started a claim, will be visiting with an officer today. They basically want to steal my jeep by charging 600% of their quoted tow. People need to know about this scam.

  

  Business response

  05/24/2023

  Mr. ******'s vehicle was involved in an accident on May 21, 23 approximate location **** **** * **** ***.  We received the tow dispatch from the ******* ***** Police Department Towing Dispatch Rotation.  When we are one of the responding companies called to the scene of an accident it is to get the vehicle removed in a prompt and efficient manner.  We are also required to clean up any debris caused by the incident, i.e. broken glass, damaged automotive parts, clean up any spilled fluids etc. and allow for the flow of traffic to return to normal as quickly as possible.  Our standard accident rate for a tow from scene of an accident is $250.  Any additional equipment or services needed would be charged at an additional rate.  Both driver's and passenger's airbags were deployed, there was also fluid leakage (oil) from the vehicle.  Customer was charged for the tow of the vehicle, winching of vehicle, snatch block and skates usage as well as clean up and oil dry used as scene of accident.  The total charges at time of tow were $525, which would need to be paid in full at time of service, or the vehicle is brought to our tow lot and stored until payment can be made or repairs are requested by owner.  If neither of these actions are done within 10 business days, we begin lien process with the NCDMV to obtain proper documentation to sell and/or part vehicle down to recuperate some of our expenses for the outstanding invoice. Our normal rates for storing a vehicle in our secured lot, consists of $120 Administrative Fee, $40 Gate Fee and $60 per day Storage Fee.  Due to our agreement with the WSPD, we have a substantial discounted rate for our vehicle storage fees, Gate fee is waived, Administrative Fee is discounted to $10 and our daily Storage fee is discounted to $35.

  It is my understanding after speaking with our towing department manager, Ed, that a female called on Mr. ******'s behalf to inquire how much it would be to tow the vehicle to their residence from our lot.  Ed quoted our standard rate of $100 within the city limits of ******* *****.  I am unsure if Mr. ****** then got on the phone with Ed or if another call was made back to Ed by Mr. ******.  I've been advised that when Mr. ****** spoke with Ed he was very argumentative and continued to interrupt or speak over him while he was trying to explain the breakdown of charges and difference between emergency and non emergency pricing.  The call continued to escalate with obscene and disrespectful language being used by Mr. ******.  Mr. ****** then stated he was going to get an attorney involved at which time Ed advised him he was ending the call which is procedure when legal action is being sought.  Mr. ****** then made the comment that he will continue to call and harass Ed every day at all hours of the day in a threatening and belligerent manner.  Ed then ended the call and blocked the number.  Within the next 30 minutes, Mr. ****** called back from an unlisted number and continued harassing our employee and again the call was disconnected due to obscenities and hostile behavior by Mr. ******. Mr. ****** then posted slanderous comments containing obscene language to our company Facebook page which has been removed for inappropriate language as well as a message thru our company website which is attached.  I have also attached a copy of the breakdown of charges thru end of business today (our towing lot is open from 8 am till 5 pm Monday thru Friday) as well as some photos taken by the tow driver the day of incident.

  We appreciate you giving us an opportunity to respond to the complaint and will await your decision on the matter.  Please advise should you need any additional clarification or documentation.

   

  Sincerely, 

  Suzi E****, Office Manager - Pat's Body Shop & Towing

  Customer response

  05/24/2023

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  The business response is not entirely correct, there are parts edited to make the business seem like they handled it properly and i'll address the lies.
  
  1. The "Leakage" only occured when pulling it onto the truck, snatch block and skates were NOT used, I believe I have a picture of it on the truck without them (Also grooves in my tires from when it was pulled onto the truck from the road)
  2. The total was not 525, that was when i asked if it could be taken to my home, no other prices were given other than "It will be cheaper to take it to the shop" and the shop said $600 and some odd change when I called. (No numbers other than the price to tow it to my house were given to me that day but being told it was cheaper was in fact a lie)
  3. The call to the office was not to see how much it would cost to get it home (where you talk about $100) that's just spinning it to make it look better on your end.
  4. "very argumentative and continued to interrupt or speak over him while he was trying to explain the breakdown of charges and difference between emergency and non emergency pricing." <--This is 100% a lie, When i asked why the price was $600 on my first call the lady wasn't sure and I understood so I called the second number.  Upon calling and speaking to a man this time he couldn't explain why it was that much after asking why it's more expensive than the "cheaper" rate of $500 that day to have it taken to my house.  When asking about the pricing I was told "that's what it is" even asking about their in town towing he was unable to explain exactly why it was more expensive and could not give any details other than the amount I would have to come in and pay.  The person on the phone was not "interrupted" or "spoken over" on the first call, it was after they confirmed there was nothing I could do but pay an inflated price that they could not give any information on why it's that way. (The pricing in this back and forth is the ONLY time i've been given any reason of pricing other than my 3'rd call when i was told "An officer called that's why it's more expensive" and that's not a valid reason thus adding to my frustration.)
  5. The call continued to escalate with obscene and disrespectful language being used by Mr. ******.<-- False, I asked "So i'm just ****** unless insurance catches them" to which the man agreed in a calm voice, you act as if I swore at you over and over, that didn't happen.
  6. Mr. ****** then stated he was going to get an attorney involved at which time Ed advised him he was ending the call which is procedure when legal action is being sought.<-- This is only partially true, I did in fact tell them this because I know what happens after 10 days but he did not say he was ending the call he merely said "well if you want to do that you can go ahead" to which I said I would and the call ended, he did not advise to end the call nor did his voice carry and "care"
  7. Mr. ****** then made the comment that he will continue to call and harass Ed every day at all hours of the day in a threatening and belligerent manner.  This is again only partially true, I did not in fact continue to "call and harass" I called the next say and asked if they would take the 235 ($100 tow+$100 tow+ $35 lot rent and any administrative fees) to which I was told no and I hung up, trying to spin lies but call logs can be posted from my phone, i'm not worried about proving that :)
  8. Ed then ended the call and blocked the number.  Within the next 30 minutes, Mr. ****** called back from an unlisted number and continued harassing our employee and again the call was disconnected due to obscenities and hostile behavior by Mr. ******.<- Again call logs can prove this is false, I have no issues posting them and the call lengths.  Also they did not block me, on my 3'rd attempt calling the just ignored the call a few times until they finally answered.
  9. Mr. ****** then posted slanderous comments containing obscene language to our company Facebook page which has been removed for inappropriate language as well as a message thru our company website which is attached.  I posted the truth that you charge $100 for a tow, didn't give me a price and are charging $600, that's not slanderous it's the truth, also I don't have a facebook, I posted on other review sites and none of them were obscene so at least get that right.
  10. I have also attached a copy of the breakdown of charges thru end of business today (our towing lot is open from 8 am till 5 pm Monday thru Friday) as well as some photos taken by the tow driver the day of incident.<-- Just a note, again today is the first time I'm seeing any numbers, before brought before the BBB I got "I don't know that's just what it is"

  This company may be able to artificially raise prices to cash in on a check from insurance but everyone will see exactly how this company does business.  Feel free to request a picture of phone calls, i'll gladly prove at least part of this lie filled response for the sham it is.

• Initial Complaint

  07/15/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My daughter was in a car accident on May 27th. Her car was taken to Pat’s the next day so that they could begin assessing and working on it May 30th. I immediately filed a claim with our insurance which was followed up quickly. The week of the 30th, my insurance adjuster met with Pat’s, agreed on the damage assessment, and I had a check cut immediately. After not hearing anything, I followed up with a phone call to Pats on June 6th. I was told that they hadn’t started on the car bc they had not heard from me. However, there had already been a conversation with my insurance company and we (myself and insurance) were under the impression that work would begin promptly. As of today, July 15, the car is still there and unfinished. We have never received any updates that we didn’t initiate. My daughter and I have both called for updates multiple times. My daughter called June 24th and was told it should be ready by July 14 at the latest. I followed up with an in-person visit to confirm and was told that date was to provide them with some cushion and the car should be finished before then. My daughter called again on July 8 and was told the car was in the paint shop, should be ready the following Monday (7/11) or Tuesday (7/12). After no word, I called on July 12th and was told there were some delays so by the end of the week we should be good. My daughter called today (7/15) and was told the 18th or 19th. The car has been in their possession now for over a month and a half with no resolution and continued push backs. My step-father went to the shop today to see what was going on and was told the car is in the paint shop. That is what my daughter was told last week.

  

  Business response

  07/27/2022

  We are extremely regretful that Ms. ***** feels she was not properly kept in the loop of the repair status on her daughter's vehicle. Our goal is to set proper expectation with customer's upfront and work with the insurance company whenever possible to ensure a smooth repair plan.  Based on Ms. *****'s complaints, she feels this was not the case in her situation.

  The vehicle was dropped off sometime over the weekend of May 28-29 and information was left in our key drop box.  Estimator on site, wrote quote on vehicle repair and reached out to customer Thurs, June 2nd.  Based on damages sustained in accident, vehicle had already totaled in system.  Needed input from customer as to whether they wanted the vehicle to indeed total loss or they wanted us to adjust / tweek estimate to try to repair under total threshold.  Customer opted to retain and requested us to rework vehicle and repair plan the best we could to avoid a total loss.  Once estimate was reworked, it was sent in to insurance company for approval.  Approval was given by insurance company on Mon, June 6th and parts department began trying to source items from vendors.  Three parts ordered were delayed due to national backorder / no eta availability.  Parts began to arrive June 13th and final part arriving July 27th.   Customer called a few times and had her step father check in on vehicle a few times while in the area working on our camera systems.

  Vehicle was delivered to customer completed by Shop manager, Billy W*** on July 19th.  He apologized for the lack of communication on our part, explained our current situation with shortage in staffing and overwhelming work load of repairs.  Ms. ***** apologized for lashing out on our BBB site as well as several social media sites.  She said she was extremely frustrated at the time.  Was please with the repairs and how well the car looked.  Customer left with vehicle pleased in the end.

  Customer response

  08/02/2022

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  The information in the response is not entirely accurate.  I discussed the estimate for repairs with my insurance company the week of May 30-June 3.  Both myself and my insurance adjuster were moving forward with repairs and the insurance adjuster put the repair estimate in immediately and sent out a check to me.  After not hearing anything more from the body shop, I called on Monday, June 6 and was told that they hadn't begun anything because they were waiting for me to tell them what to do.  I told them that I thought that had already been established and to please begin working on the vehicle. If the continuous delays were due to parts suppliers being backed up, the shop should have contacted me to let me know those updates.  As I said in my complaint, there was no communication from the shop that was initiated by them.  The only reason we knew anything the entire time they had the vehicle is because my child and I made several calls to gain information.

  When I picked up the vehicle, I spoke with Billy and expressed that my frustration was the complete lack of communication throughout the whole process.  At no point did I apologize for "lashing out" on any platform.  I am not apologetic for expressing my frustration through the appropriate avenues (BBB complaint and business review on their Facebook page).  This shop did not keep us informed and continued to give us dates for completion that weren't able to be met without any follow-up for things that prevented that from happening. I'm not asking them to take responsibility for parts not being available. I'm asking that they take responsibility for their lack of communication that kept us out of the loop. They could have attempted to make things right by providing a discount of the price of their services and they didn't even do that since I made a complaint. They've chosen to pass the blame on to suppliers and not take responsibility for their lack of communication.

*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. ↩