Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/13/2024

  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.

  Back in June of last year I was moving to ******** from ********** to live with my girlfriend, but we broke down in ********, *******. We took the car to ***************************** to get it fixed. We ended up staying 3 extra days and paying a total of $5889 to get back on the road, on 6/16/23. Fast forward to today. My car is having a problem with the transmission, so I got in touch and he told me to take it in to the ****** dealership to get it fixed and that it should be covered under warranty. I took it in on 2/5/24, requested that *** from AA send me the information I need to get my car fixed but so far he has failed to do so. From what I know he purchased the transmission from the dealership, installed it, then took it back to the ****** dealership to be programmed. The ****** dealership has no record of the transmission sale in connection with the *** and it has no record of any recent service. He has claimed to have sent multiple emails but neither myself or the dealership has received any from him. It has been a constant back and forth for a week. He has refused my calls and texted me that he'll call me right back, but he did not. According to ******, from what I understand, we should just need the part number, but my growing concern is that he didn't do the work I paid him for and that I was taken advantage of.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/19/2024

  We regret deeply that ************************** had this issue with the repair on his vehicle. His frustration is completely understandable. As owners, we accept full responsibility for they delay in addressing his warranty needs. When this occurred we were out of the country, then as soon as we returned we left for a funeral out of state and finally returned home with Covid. We found out about this issue upon returning home and after some research discovered that our Manager did not have the correct information about where the transmission was purchased from. It was not purchased form ******* We were able to locate where the transmission was purchased from and our Manager contacted ************************** to help him get his car to a shop which can help him. We reached out to ************************** and checked in with him ourselves also and gave him our personal cell phone number in case he has any further issues. We urge him to please contact us directly at that number with any further issues and we will respond right away. We will be changing our procedures to avoid another issue such as this in the future if we are out of the country. Thank you! ***** and ***************************, Owners.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/12/2023

  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.

  May 11th dropped off car for a ****** rebuild. May 19th picked up. *** said motor mount was starting to go bad but wasn't ethically bad enough to replace. 2 days later it was having issues. Hard shifting between 1st and 2nd, hard shift when letting off gas and pressing again, engine jumped hard when shifting from park to reverse or drive, and major clunking in front end. May 30th brought back and *** said "I bet its the motor mount" I said really in less than 1 week and he laughed and said technically it's been 2. I said no it started within 2 days. Called *** next day and said it also has leak because I have a puddle in my driveway and he said he fixed that, the motor mount, and was looking for a pin hole leak. Picked up on June 5th and when putting into reverse it still clunked under the hood, engine or ****** jumping. Called *** over he said give it 3 days to reprogram and it's right where he wants it and normal. We knew it wasn't. A couple days later went to move car and had another puddle of ****** fluid under it. *** said bring it back. I stopped by another shop to have them check out the hard shifting and they said it's not normal and put it on lift. Found fluid dripping down the middle of ****** but even worse both ****** pins on tie rods were missing and bolts were hanging on by a thread each side. *** laughed when I said worse case scenario my son could have been killed. Talked to *** the owner and asked for a refund to go elsewhere to get it fixed. First he agreed to let another ******** and he pay and less than 24 hours took that back and said he wanted to fix it himself. *** picked up car and fixed leak but said hard shift is still there and let him know if it's acceptable. I said no so he got car again and when dropped back off it now feels like it's going to die in drive and even worse when ac is on, still has hard shift too, and locks up sometimes in gear. Paid $300 for another shop to diagnose. Last texts to *** aug 10 and 17 and he won't respond.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/13/2023

  When filing online it wouldn't let me attach anything so I called and was told once I get assigned a case number to email. I also have text conversations if needed?

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/13/2023

  I feel these texts are important as they show *** admitting to the hard shift and then not addressing it and not responding to me.

   

  Thank you,

  *****************************;

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/13/2023

  Greetings! We have received the complaint and are formulating a response as soon as possible. 

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/21/2023

  Hello, can we still respond to this complaint? The initial complaint said we had 10 days form the date of the complaint, which was 9/12/2022. Thanks!

  

  Business Response

  Date: 09/21/2023

  It is always regrettable when there is a breakdown of communication between a business and a customer. However, this does occur at times. We do appreciate the opportunity to clear the air on the BBB forum and address this customers concerns.  In this particular situation, however, out of respect for this customer we do not wish to cause aggravation or embarrassment so we will not be able to address the specifics as to why communicating with her in person and on the phone was so problematic for our staff.

  In regards to covering the loose bolts we would have been happy to diagnose and correct any errors our staff had made if the customer had returned the vehicle to us, which we would have repaired.  This would have prevented extra cost to her.  It is our policy to only accept receipts for payment to other shops if we are provided an invoice from that shop, and the name of the shop is visible on the receipt, so that we may verify with the outside repairing shop that it is a legitimate expense.   We did not receive such a complete or invoice or receipt until recently.

  It is noted on the receipts from the outside shop that no fault in the transmission was identified. Also, of note is that the vehicle in question is 24 years old. Also of note is that this customer refused to work with our staff which required our shop owner, who was not present at the shop full time to step in,this slowed down our ability to respond as quickly as possible.

  On 8/2/23 We did re-examine the car and provided the following work at no cost to the customer. 
  
  BELOW IS A DESCRIPTION OF WORK PERFORMED:

  After rebuild, Customer complained of a leak and that Tie rod end nuts were left loose. I informed her that I would reimburse any cost incurred from that but was not provided an invoice. I picked up the vehicle from her house and inspected for the leak and found that the driver side axle seal was leaking. Replaced with another new seal and leak stopped. Removed Pressure tap at rear of trans, Drilled and tapped for 1/8 Pipe thread to check Line pressure. Pressures were normal. Replaced Tap with new one. Checked and cleaned Grounds. Added an additional Ground from neg side of Battery to the pump. Cleaned Mass Airflow Sensor. Adjusted Throttle Position sensor. Informed I would rebuild another Valve Body and see if that helps. Returned car to her driveway. Went back to her house and picked car up to change V.B. Installed 2nd V.B. and no change with reverse engagement. Same pressures as first V.B..Noticed movement of engine-trans so replaced 2 more mounts (Top of trans and Rear of trans.) with new aftermarket mounts. PCM controls transmission pressures so ordered in a replacement used PCM.(New is obsolete) when installed -this PCM set 2 engine codes that caused transmission to go to failsafe.Reinstalled original PCM. Cleaned throttle body and mass airflow sensor Transmission shifts thru all gears forward nicely, into reverse is slightly more abrupt than forward engagement.  The transmission came with a 3 year ****** mile warranty with terms listed on both sides. Vehicle is drivable. All parts and labor work was performed without charge to the customer in an attempt to satisfy the customer. This bill would have been in excess of $1,000 if customer had been charged.
  

  We reminded this customer on 8/1/2023 she did receive a nationwide warranty for the transmission work. On the reverse side of the warranty paper she received under Section C #3 it states that to be covered under warranty the vehicle must be taken back to the original shop. It may be repaired at another ATRA member shop ONLY IF this shop is over 50 miles from the original repairing shop. This is why we asked this customer to return the car to our shop, because we wished to save her the inconvenience of traveling over 50 miles to another shop.  We will gladly honor this warranty as it is written and when in compliance with all warranty terms and conditions. However, this does mean the customer will need to take the vehicle to an ATRA member shop that is over 50 miles away. She can locate such a shop by going to www.atra.com.

  We are saddened that there was such difficulty communicating with this customer, and we are taking steps to strengthen training with our staff to address any miscommunications with customers in the future as quickly as possible, to provide training in how to effectively deal with customers who are in a heightened state of aggravation, and to ensure that customers receiving a warranty are encouraged to read and examine the warranty in its entirety. (Please see attached warranty back page)

  If this customer continues to have issues with this vehicle,we encourage her to go to www.atra.com to locate a shop (must be over 50 miles away from **************) that can address her concerns that is the most convenient for her.  We will gladly honor the warranty under its terms and conditions.
  

  We will be reimbursing this customer for the cost to tighten the bolts in the amount of $50.00.  
  
  Unfortunately, in regards to the $300.00 cost to another shop to examine the rough idle and engine shaking, this expense is not covered under warranty, as this was not an ATRA member shop over 50 miles away, as previously explained, and no issues were definitively identified that were a direct result of our repair.  All vehicles,but especially older ones (this one being 24 years old)  can occasionally have a multitude of issues which occur at the most inconvenient times. The warranty on the reverse side does address under Section A #3 and #4 some of the possibilities. This is possibly the case with this vehicle. Therefore, we are unable to cover this cost in its entirety. However, we can offer to cover $100.00 of it as a customer satisfaction refund. We will be sending the customer reimbursement in the total of $150.00.  We wish the best for this customer and hope she is able to find a solution for her vehicle.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/29/2023

   
  Complaint: 20592580
  
  

  Sad so many lies in business response. I will address every one. I welcome them to address the specifics of communication. Hopefully they will quit ly*** and try*** to attack my character to cover their wrong do***s.

   

  My texts prove my story, patience, and politeness until the end when the car was returned still not fixed and worse after *** last worked on it.

   

  After ***'s shadiness of the motor mount, ****** still leak***, and dismissal when I said it's still shift*** hard, I took it to another shop for a second opinion that it was NOT normal to shift that way. Which they confirmed and then found the miss*** ****** pins and the bolts barely hang*** on by a thread. So to say I should have brought it back to them is laughable because they endangered my family by not putt*** them back on properly and the other shop caught it. Was I supposed to leave that shop and chance driv*** to them to fix their mess up? After that I no longer had faith in their shop and I emailed and asked for the shop owner to please call me. Instead of reply*** to my email *** called and said *** was not in and would call me the follow*** week. He told me my husband told him I was upset about how he dismissed me about the hard shift*** and apologized. I said he did dismiss me and the other shop said it's not normal. I also told him about the tie rods. He instantly denied it and when I pressed he Started scream*** psychotically that he swears on his mother, kids, ***** that he didn't do it. I said someth*** happened at your shop, both ****** pins don't just fall out and bolts barely on by a thread. I said worst case scenario my son could have been killed and he LAUGHED and said no he couldn't. That made me snap and say " are you f-*** kidd*** me? He most certainly could have if he lost control of steer***". He then said he would have *** call me. 

   

  *** called the next week and agreed *** should have given us the opportunity to replace the motor mount, he accepted blame for the tie rods, and said *** was totally wrong for laugh*** and his response because it was that dangerous. After everyth*** I was still calm and respectfully asked for a refund so I could go elsewhere and get it fixed because after how *** spoke to me, the multiple issues, and the danger they put my son in I no longer had faith in his shop. *** instead suggested if I would be will*** to br*** the car to another ATRA member shop like Browns or ******** who is within 50 miles from their shop. Another lie in their response is they didn't mention the 50 mile radius on warranty "I" did, and asked how that would work. He said he would call to set appointment and he would cover the cost. I asked to take it to ATC which is .8 miles from his shop and he agreed. In less then 24 hours he called back and insisted he wanted to fix it himself, promised *** would go nowhere near the car, and he would pick up and drop off the car so I didn't have to be uncomfortable around ***. THIS WAS ALL DANS IDEA, NOT MINE. Another lie that I called him out on in text and he didn't deny. 

   

  It is noted from the outside shop that no fault in transmission WAS IN REGARDS to engine runn*** rough at idle, engine now shak*** after Trans repair. It is also noted in comments hard shift COULD BE IN TRANSMISSION.  This shop did not take the ****** out to inspect because it would void my warranty. Also of note, hard shift started only after transmission rebuild. Also of note, *** never blamed the year of the car but instead tried to fix what they had caused. Also of note, *** VOLUNTEERED HIMSELF TO FIX THE *** ONLY AFTER GOING BACK ON HIS WORD TO LET ATC FIX IT. 

   

  To say there was difficulty communicat*** with me is a lie. Only after *** went back on his word and sent me a text did "I" quit call*** and continued with text to have proof if he went back on his word again. I was polite til the end and *** even thanked me for my patience, see attached documents. 

   

  When *** dropped car off the last time he NEVER said he didn't fix the hard shift. He only said he did 2 new ****** mounts and car ran rough "when ac was on and at a stop" but should loosen up. Not that it runs EXTREMELY ROUGH at stops and even worse if ac is on. Again, texts prove me repeat*** what he told me and him not respond***. 

   

  I am attach*** the entire text conversation between *** and I. Proof that this business is not only be*** fraudulent but try*** to attack my character in order to deflect the truth of what they did

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

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/16/2023

  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.

  My rear window was broken into when I went to pick up my truck and *** would not help to cover the cost of a new one the only thing he would do is put plexiglass in it . What happens to doing the right thing rearguard less of if it could have happend to me it didnt it happened while they had my truck and I would expect them to cover the dams cost

  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/28/2023

  We can completely understand ********************** frustrations at having his vehicle broken into. At the time it was broken into it was parked across the street in overflow parking. The normal procedure is that a when theft or damage occurs by unknown persons and not by actions of our employees and the vehicle was not inside our shop being worked on then the customer can turn the loss into their personal auto insurance. As a consideration for ********************** loss we did discount his bill by $100.00, which was deducted from the cost of the transfer case and he was notified of this when he picked up his vehicle. It was noted that the window broken had been previously cut out and re-glued. We did offer to install plexiglass in the broken area however the customer declined. We do appreciate how frustrating vandalism is, and we would be happy to speak with ****************** further about the matter. He is welcome to contact us at our main phone number, ************, or he may call the owner, *********************, directly at ************. Thank you. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/15/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore 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.

  On 10/10/22 I dropped off my **** ****** Titan at AA transmission for some needed repairs to the rear end differential and wheel sensors. I did receive an estimate for $2881.39. I approved all the repairs.On 10/27/22 *** contacted me through text message that all the repairs were finished, and it was ready to pick up. So, the same day I went to pick it up. When I arrived I talked to *** and wrote him a check for the full amount of $2881.39. As I drove away I got about 2 blocks when 2 warning lights popped up on the dash, SLIP, ABS. Which was actually the original reason I took my truck to him in the first place. So, I immediately turned around and brought it back to him. *** said he would need some more time to look at it, and I left the truck with him again. After that it was really hard to get ahold of him for any sort of update information. On 11/11/22 talked to *** and he told me that he had changed another wheel sensor but it still wasn't working right, and it was probably an electrical issue, also that he had a lot of other work to do and didn't have time to do anything else to my truck, and that if I wanted to pick it up I could. So I picked it up the same day. Still had warning lights on the dash and didn't work correctly. Since then I've noticed 1 of the rear wheels was wobbly, like a bent axle, and there's some sort fluid or oil leaking all over the inside of the wobbly wheel. I removed one of the sensors that *** said he replaced and it was completely destroyed. I've attached a picture of the sensor, and a picture of the sensor next to a new one,

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/23/2022

  Hello, we responded to the complaint as seen below by email and have covered the cost for ****************** to have his vehicle repaired at another shop under a special warranty. Please see attached documentation. ***************** agreed to this solution via email and a check is being sent to him today for the $1465 repair bill he incurred at another shop. Thank you!

   

  Hello ***,
   Thank you for your email and the extra information and pictures.
  First I want to apologize to you for the inconvenience this experience has caused you.
  I'm sure it has affected your life and I'm sorry.
  I see by the pictures you sent there was a definite failure of the wheel bearing. Both right and left rear wheel bearings and seals were replaced with brand new parts. As well as the differential ring and pinion gears and all ****************. Apparently either there was a defective part problem or an assembly problem I don't know which but I'm happy to cover the cost of  warranty on the work I did. 
  If this is acceptable to you please let me know. I can directly pay the shop for their work. 
  
  
  Thank you. 
  ***
  AA TRANSMISSION 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/06/2022

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************