Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/05/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I took my vehicle to Affordable Automotive on November 15th 2022 to get a second option regarding a diagnosis I received from Elco Chevrolet on October 25th 2022. The owner of Affordable Automotive ******* **** called me that morning to ask what’s issue I’m I having with the car and I explained the truck is misfiring at idle and low speeds. He called me later that afternoon to let me know he confirmed the car is misfiring he then explained he needed more time to look into the issue because he was squeezing me in between several other appointments. I told him no problem since my wife and I have two other vehicles. We spoke again on November 18th 2022 and he informed me he’s still trying to figure out what’s the issue with the vehicle. On November 22, 2022 he called me to let me know he needs to replace the cam shaft and lifter on the vehicles and the cost will be $7,400.00. I told him I was out of town until November 28th and I’ll call him when I got back. This is when the issue started. I call him the morning of November 29th 2022 to let him know I’m not going to get the cam shaft and lifter repaired and he then told me I need to pay for ten hours of labor. He never mentioned this before and his website says vehicle diagnostics are $45.00. Also, when I got my diagnosis from Elco they charged $169.88, and told me the same thing that Mr. **** did about the vehicle issue. After I explained this to him he said he’ll take all my engine apart and put the pieces in the back seat. I’ve trying several times to call me after this incident with no response. He still has my vehicle and I’m concerned he’s going to spitefully damage it further.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/15/2023

  On November 15, 2022, Mr. ******* ***** brought in his Cadillac Escalade to

  Affordable Automotive. He advised that the vehicle had been misfiring and advised that a tune

  up was done but the vehicle was still misfiring, and he wanted a second opinion.

  I called Mr. ***** and told him I see he has new spark plugs and ignition wires. That is

  when he said he had a tune up done. I advised him the next thing I need to do is a compression

  check and that it would be one hour labor. He okayed the compression check. The compression

  check checked out. I then advised Mr. ***** that I would have to remove the passenger side

  valve cover because the vehicle was misfiring on #8 cylinder. I told him I would have to remove

  valve cover to check #8 springs to make sure they weren’t broken. Mr. ***** okayed this

  service.

  I called and advised him that I need to check the injectors to make sure they OHM’ed out

  properly. They did, so therefore, I advised Mr. ***** I needed to pull the cylinder head to check

  the lubes on the cam and lifters. I called customer before Thanksgiving and gave him the price

  because I had found that the lifters were bad and that is causing misfiring on #8 cylinder.

  Customer was advised it would cost $7400, which included labor and diagnostics. That is when

  he asked what it would cost if he decided not to get it fixed. I told Mr. ***** it would cost

  $1500-$2000 to put it back together, which also included the diagnostics. Mr. ***** advised he

  was out of town for the holiday but would call Monday after Thanksgiving. He called Tuesday,

  November 29 and started threatening me that if I didn’t have his vehicle running the same way it

  was running when he brought it in that there was going to be problems, and he was going to pay

  what he thought was fair for diagnostics. That was when I told him there was not going to be any

  problems. I told him that the only problem was going be if he didn’t pay, he wouldn’t get his

  vehicle and I would put a lien on it.

  Mr. ***** attempted to bully the owner of this shop by appearing with a St. *******

  County Police Officer. After listening a few minutes, the officer left the premises. Mr. *****

  then retrieved his Cadillac Escalade by paying the shop the amount to put it back and running the

  way it was when he brought it in.

  It is the customary practice of Affordable Automotive to contact the customer each step

  of the way in diagnosing automotive malfunctions. Affordable Automotive does not continue to

  perform service unless that service and estimated cost are approved by the customer. I spoke

  with Mr. ***** numerous times while his vehicle was in the shop from the shop’s telephone. I

  am positive those telephone records will show the time of day as well as the longevity of each

  phone call that I spoke to Mr. *****. Affordable Automotive is not in the habit of tearing down a

  vehicle without getting paid for it, and definitely not without the customer’s consent.

  Affordable Automotive has been in business for almost 13 years, and we have never had

  a complaint against us. We are proud of our five (5) star rating.

  Should you require any further information, please let me know. Thank you.

  Sincerely,

  ******* ***** *****
  
  ********** **********