Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  12/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Our car was rear-ended in July and we brought it to Westport Auto Craft to fix the damage (this was paid for and handled through our insurance carrier). As part of the repairs, the Auto Craft representative discussed buffing out some minor scratches on the side of our car. After buffing the scratches, they left a very visible circular/wavy buffing pattern all along the side of the car. I pointed out this damage and they tried to fix it twice. Finally it seemed to have been resolved so I took possession of the car. After getting the car washed, the buff marks returned. I informed them of this and they told me that there was nothing they could do, that I should take it to a body shop and then that "this conversation is over" and hung up the phone. The paint finish on my car has been actively damaged by them in this buffing process and has therefore decreased the value of my car. Because I did not pay for the repairs (my insurance company did), I am not asking for a refund, I just want my car to be repaired/returned to its original state or for financial compensation to have it fixed elsewhere.

  

  Business response

  03/06/2023

   

                 Mrs. ********* stopped in for an estimate for ******* ********* to replace the rear bumper and repair the tailgate of her car (As shown in the original estimate and supplement that are attached to this email). When she walked around the vehicle with the service adviser to show us the damage, she asked the adviser if there was anything we could do about the scratches that went down the right side of the vehicle, which was not a part of the insurance claim. The adviser told her we might be able to buff out the scratches but that just buffing will not get all the scratches on the right side of the car. The service adviser also let Mrs. ********* know that since we were buffing it, it might not look brand new and that swirl marks might be left in the process. We were doing this as a courtesy and did not charge for any of the buffing done to the right side of the car; since it was not a part of the insurance claim, we did not charge the insurance for this work. The service adviser informed the customer that we had done everything we could at the shop for the scratches on the right side of the car. The service advisor informed Mrs. *********, in person and on the phone, that the vehicle would need to go to a detail shop to be detailed, a service we do not provide here at the shop.

  As for the complaint about the service advisor hanging up the phone, when this conversation happened, our advisor was talking to Mrs. *********'s husband and not to Mrs. *********, as stated in the complaint. During that phone call, Mr. ********* asked if the shop would reimburse him for the detail, to which he was told that we replied no, we had done everything that we could to the car, and that we were not reimbursing him for anything. The phone call ended with our service advisor letting him know that we had extensive conversations with Mrs. *********, both in person and on the phone, about their car and that we were done with this matter. After which, our service advisor said goodbye and hung up the phone.

   

  This is our final statement for this complaint.

   

  Westport Auto Craft

  Customer response

  03/06/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: The auto shop never explained that buffing the side of our car would cause damage and irregular markings that are more visible than the initial scratches. We certainly would not have agreed to the service if we were told we would have permanent buff marks. We also never discussed billing so there was never an expectation that this was being done for free; secondly just because we were not billed directly does not make it okay that my car was damaged in the process of “fixing” it. To damage our car and tell us we now have to pay to fix their damage at an auto detail shop is absurd. This reply also doesn’t address the multiple times I had to bring the car back because of faulty repairs and poorly executed paint jobs. 
  
  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. ↩