ComplaintsforFix Auto Port Orchard

• Initial Complaint

  06/18/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  Brought car to this body shop on 02 April 2024 for minor rear bumper and lift gate damage. Shop said average repairs take 3-4 weeks. On 17 April 2024 shop informed me parts delayed and I asked them to put bumper back on so it would be drivable and I would pick it up and return when they had the parts. They ignored multiple written requests for this until 01 May 2024 when they said that putting the bumper back on was not possible. On 07 May 2024, after requests for clarification about why they could not reassemble vehicle, they stated it would not be covered under insurance. I asked how much, they said it would cost $1228 and I agreed to pay this out of pocket. They assembled the vehicle a week later. When asked about several of the items on the itemized invoice, they said they were necessary according to the car manufacturer. There were items such as 1.8 hours to disable the high voltage battery, 1 hour to put vehicle into service mode, and even charged for a software update. None of these items were necessary according to official manufacturer repair manual documents. Additionally, they failed to comply with my request for reassembly for an entire month, which caused me to have to unnecessarily pay for a rental car. And upon receiving the vehicle I noted there were scratches in the rear glass that were not there when I dropped it off. Finally, there are numerous items on the final invoice that are clear-cut fraud such as charging to paint a bumper that came pre-painted, charging for replacing a factory spoiler when they ended up re-using the original, and a lot of various charges for labor that was completely unnecessary according to official manufacturer repair documentation.

  Business response

  06/18/2024

  Mr. ***** came in and dropped off his Tesla for repairs. ***** wrote the original estimate - We never saw the car prior to him dropping it off. Once it was brought into the shop, we found that his lift gate was not able to be repaired and must be replace. After getting approval from ***** we ordered the parts. We found that the lift gate was on back order we informed Mr. ***** right away. The vehicle at this point was completely disassembled - He wanted to know if the car could be put back together till the gate came in - I agreed that we could do that after the new bumper was painted and installed. He did not want to pay for the vehicle to be put back together, I submitted to Geico to see if they would pay for it this to happen for him - after 5 days of waiting for a response from Geico they would not pay for this. I informed Mr. ***** of this and the stated that he would pay out of pocket - I wrote him a self-pay estimate which came to around 3K. That was unacceptable to him - I then explained thoroughly that we could cut that cost in Half if we did not charge him for the reassembly of the quarter panels - We would leave that charge to Geico, but he would have to sign off on but matching the paint. Which he then agreed to. Once the bumper was installed, we put it completely back together for him. Once the lift gate came in it was painted and he was called to drop back off - Since we were not blending the quarter panels per his request, he we just installed the new gate.

  Mr. ***** signed all the documents stating that we would not be responsible for any parts delays. I have attached all those legal documents. 

  Julia 

  GM

   

  Customer response

  06/18/2024

   
  Complaint: 21864616
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  There are several points I would like to address with the response from this business.
  
  The vehicle was never 'completely disassembled'. The shop only removed the rear bumper and some interior trim. I asked numerous times to have the vehicle reassembled and the shop did not respond to these written requests until 3 weeks later, at which point they said it was impossible to do so. A week later, they changed their mind and said it would cost nearly $4000. When I asked about clarification the same day they responded a day later and said it would cost about $1200 which I agreed to pay. The price included such non-essential items as re-installing the spoiler and updating the vehicle's software - along with other completely unnecessary items.
  
  This shop seems to make a habit of not telling the truth about many aspects of this issue such as saying they cut the cost in half by not charging for assembling the quarter panels (they were never removed and were not part of the reassembly request). There were a number of other items on the final bill that would reasonably be considered as fraudulent including replacing the spoiler (they re-used the original), charging for painting of the bumper (they purchased one that was pre-painted from the factory), removal and reinstallation of the charging port (not necessary), unnecessary removal of interior trim (these are just a few examples - the list is extensive). Additionally, I never signed off on mismatching the paint - that was never even brought up.
  
  I am not holding this shop responsible for part delays. Rather, their refusal to respond to my request to have the bumper put back on, then after 3 weeks saying it is not possible, only to say it is possible but for a cost that included items completely unrelated. Additionally, the shop scratched the rear glass and refuses to take responsibility.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** Story

  Business response

  06/28/2024

  No response we did nothing wrong - The customer is completely uninformed and to how repairs work. We will not engage anymore with him. 

  He is not entitled to any refunds, and none will be issued. 

  We have involved ***** and are awaiting the response to this matter. 

   

   

  Customer response

  06/28/2024

   
  Complaint: 21864616
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The shop refuses to address any of the complaints. Next stop, court!
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** Story

  Business response

  07/22/2024

  To whom it may concern,
  
  I would like to acknowledge Mr. ****** challenges and frustrations, unfortunately delay concerns are something we deal with often in collision repair and it is frustrating and inconvenient to say the least. We at Fix Auto Port Orchard are not perfect, as no one is, but we do work hard and try our best to support our community by providing quality repairs and service in this difficult industry.
  There are only 6 other shops within a 100 mile radius of Fix Auto Port Orchard that are trained and certified by Tesla to complete collision repairs on those vehicles and the demand is extremely high. We do our best to accommodate and support every customer but we do have a limited number of resources and staff. We do our best to make it clear with customers that the collision repair process is complex and it is difficult to be able to accurately predict a completion date. Not only are parts delays a challenge,which is a major issue in this case, but ensuring all safety features a properly working after the repair process can be challenging and time consuming. One of Mr. ****** complaints was us not reassembling his vehicle with damage parts. We vary rarely install damage parts back onto vehicles and only in extreme circumstances. We have this policy for many reasons such as time (resources), and cost, but most importantly is for safety. Tesla vehicles are complex with high voltage systems and a significant amount of technology.Re-installing damaged parts could cause the vehicle to operate differently than the operator intends and cause serious damage to something or someone and could bring significant liability concerns to us.
  
  There are many insurance companies for customers to choose from and even more policy options, each customers carrier and policy are unique. Unfortunately we do not get to set the terms of these policies such as rental car coverage as that is between the customer and the insurance carrier.We do understand many policies have limits and do our best to work with those but ultimately the policy and coverage limits are determined by the customer when they sign their policy. I have attached 3 documents we hope you can take the time to review as we have every customer including Mr. ***** sign these documents prior to bringing their vehicle to us.
  POA this is a document we give all customers including non-Tesla vehicles.
  Parts delay another document we give all customers
  Tesla intake 2 page document given to all Tesla customers.
  
  You will find Mr. ***** signed all documents and we try our best to make customers aware of the process and potential delays. While we cannot possibly list every scenario we try to give a general outline of challenges we face with collision repair.
  
  Mr. ***** has identified 3 items he is requesting a refund.Here below each items is addressed.
  
  2.8 hours of mixed labor ($338)
  1.5 hours to activate and deactivate High Voltage Mr. ***** seems to be oversimplifying repair procedures and taking for granted the safety of our staff. High voltage systems are very dangerous and the upmost care must be taken. The process of discounting and giving the vehicle time to power down and to complete test to ensure the power is off take more then the 1 minute Mr. ***** is alluding to. Additionally restoring power at the end of the job, giving the vehicle time to power up and test to verify all systems are operating normally and there are no concerns of the high voltage supply takes care, skill, and time. Mr. ***** also references ************* which can give some insights but we are not a service center we are a collision repair center. In general service is typically less invasive and has less potential safety concerns then collision repair.
  0.3 to remove a seat This labor charge was determined by a 3rd party estimating platform CCC One which is widely recognized and used in the collision repair industry by insurance carriers and collision centers. This labor time has been independently verified and would not be challenged by any insurance carrier.
  1 hour service mode and update software- a lot of the same can be said as 1a.  As a Tesla certified collision repairer, Tesla does require us to put the vehicle in and out of service mode while the vehicle is on our property being repaired. ***** also requires us to complete an update to the vehicle after the repairs have been completed. This is to ensure we can properly run a post scan on all vehicle settings. If the vehicle is not updated we cannot complete the post scan which can pose a safety concern.
  Extra rental expense ($1050)
  Do to many reasons listed above we do not feel extra rental expense is our responsibility. We did not chose to purchase a Tesla. We did not cause the accident which required the Tesla to be repaired. We did not choose the policy with rental limits. We do not manufacture or distribute Tesla parts. We were hired to repair the vehicle back to pre-accident condition and for many reasons do not re-install damaged parts back onto vehicles.
  Damage to rear glass ($1200)
  Mr. ***** stated the issue with the liftgate glass was not evident when they picked up the vehicle. These damages could have happened in his possession.
  This is yet another example of why we dont reinstall damaged parts onto vehicles. Hypothetically if we assume the damaged happened in our possession then it would have happened the second time we removed the lift gate. Multiple touch points on the vehicle leads to more chances of damages happening to the vehicle.
  In reference to the last sentence of our POA document The customer shall not be entitled to recover from Fix Auto Port Orchard any consequential damage, damages to property, damages for loss of use, loss of time, loss of profit or income, or any other incidental damages.
  
  We have been a family owed business for 3 generations and know that customer service is critical to our success. As mentioned at the top we are not perfect but do take time to learn from experience to improve and continue to be a valuable business for our community. We wish to make every customer happy but know customers coming to a collision repair center are coming out of necessity and distress and not all are able to be satisfied. A quick ****** search shows we are one of the top rated shops by customers in Port **********************.
  CARSTAR Port Orchard  4.9
  This is a sister shop with same owners but doesnt work on Tesla
  Fix Auto Port Orchard 4.7
  Only Tesla certified shop ************* and no other Certified shop in *****, ********, ****** counties to name a few
  Puget sound Auto repair 4.7
  Hall-N-Sons Automotive repair 4.5
  Wileys Collision 4.3
  Gerber Collision 4.2
  
  I thank you for taking the time to review my response and am available to answer any follow up questions any time.
  
  Thank you,
  
  
  *********************
  Owner General Manager
  CARSTAR Murrays Des Moines ************
  CARSTAR Port Orchard ************
  Fix Auto Puyallup ************
  Fix Auto Gig Harbor ************
  Fix Auto Port Orchard - ************
  Fix Auto Manchester ************
  

  Customer response

  07/22/2024

   
  Complaint: 21864616
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The shop removed the rear bumper cover that had minor cosmetic damage (about a 2-inch square) and some interior trim when it was brought to them. After a significant parts delay, I requested they just put the bumper back on so I could come pick it up and return when they got the parts. They ignored my multiple requests to do this for 3 weeks. Then, when I got my insurance adjuster involved they claimed it was impossible to put the bumper back on. Later, they said they could but I would have to pay, which I agreed to do. But this was now a month later and there was no reason they could not have immediately responded with an extra payment request instead of making me pay out of pocket for a rental car.
  
  Tesla service center confirmed, in writing, that putting the car into and out of service mode, disabling and re-enabling the high voltage battery, and updating the software were not necessary steps for these specific repairs. Additionally, this shop added line items on the bill that were never completed and / or have no business being on the bill. Even if it is the shop's policy to put the car into service mode when on the property, the process takes 24 seconds and involves pressing a button on the screen and entering a code. As far as the software update is concerned, the shop claims that ***** requires this and while completely untrue, takes a fraction of a second to simply press the "update" button. The shop never disabled the high voltage battery, which would not have been necessary for these repairs, yet charged to do so including removal of the rear seat to access the connector. Other items including removing front and rear door trim to access the lift gate bolts, removing the charge port, removing the rear quarter glass, these are all completely unnecessary and simply added to the bill to increase the cost that both me and my insurance company paid.
  
  There were several line items regarding masking the car for paint, cutting and matching the existing clear coating, etc. that were never completed because the replacement lift gate was painted while not even on the vehicle and the rear bumper arrived to them pre-painted from the factory (and they charged for painting that too!)
  
  Quite simply, the response this shop provided seems like they are just deliberately making it sound like I am confused and avoiding responding to many of the other points. They charged me labor that was not necessary according to *****. They ignored my requests resulting in extra vehicle rental costs. They damaged the rear glass and blame it on me because they had to handle it too much. They refused to admit to any wrongdoing whatsoever, have fought every point of my complaint, all the while claiming that everything they do is perfect and I am to blame. Hopefully that is something they will feel comfortable with in small claims court where I am able to sue them for 3x the amount.

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

• Initial Complaint

  05/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  Took vehicle in to get fixed in mid march. They told me that it would be roughly 3 weeks to complete repairs. When the 3 weeks was almost up they call and said they cant find the part needed to complete the repairs so they were going to have to keep it for another couple weeks. When that time frame was almost up they called again and said they couldn't find the part anywhere. At that time I found the the part for them that could be delivered in less than a week. By this time the time limit on the rental car had been reached and all further rental would have to be out of pocket. After another 2 weeks of waiting They purchased the part and got it installed and told me the vehicle was ready. When I went to pick up the vehicle they told me there is one last part they need to install and I need to bring my car back when the part lands. At that time I took my vehicle from the shop. As I was driving I tried to use my windshield wipers and they did not work so I took it to a gas station to fill the reservoir. As I was pouring the fluid it all started gushing out the bottom of the vehicle. Took it back to see what they had messed up on and they had to once again break the clips off my fender to be able to find the problem. come to find out they did not attach the wiper fluid correctly as well as the motor for the wipers was burnt out ( not that way when I took it in originally). Now I have to bring it back when they find the parts needed to fix. After inspecting the vehicle further I found there is a roughly 1ft long crack in the windshield that was not there when I dropped the vehicle off. Now I have to go back to my insurance adjuster and figure out how to get my WS replaced. All in all I paid $1700 in rental car fees as well as lost time and money as my profession requires extensive driving, because they did not do their due diligence to provide an accurate timeline for the repairs. I also had to find the parts for them in a 3 week shorter timeframe then they gave me.

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