Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  12/05/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Automill was called by local sheriff to tow vehicle after an accident on 11/20. Tow driver was asked by my daughter (the driver) to tow to our house, driver refused and took it to their yard. No discussion of money, storage, title etc was had. I called next day to arrange towing to my house, they wanted $575 plus $5/mile for towing (approximately 10 miles) or I pay them $200 and sign over title. Neither was acceptable. I called sheriff in charge of tow contracts on 11/28, sheriff then called automill, automill changed their story with sheriff to offering me $150 for towing or theyd pay me $200 if we sign over title. Automill claimed I didnt want to pay anything which is false. We called automill 12/2 they now claim they told the sheriff $250 for towing, which is now $400 with fees or we sign over title with no money exchanged. Im willing to pay going rate for towing as it should have been offered on 11/20. Auto mill is lying and changing stories to run up the bill and steal our car. They never should have taken it in the first place.

  Business response

  12/06/2024

  Like i explained to the sherriff and this male that filed the complaint which is also dad to the daughter that was involved in the accident my driver isnt going to block an roadway to argue about funds. The male that filledthis complaint explained to me he shouldnt have to pay anything because he was not the one that called the sherriffs department

  Like i explained to the male, someone called thats how we arrived, tow companys typically done release belongings of the vehicle until the vehicle tow bill is paid, the first day this male called i told him $150 and he can have someone come tow the car as it was totalled and he stated again he should not have to pay anything because he did not yet again call the sherriffs department, 

  That afternoon the daughter who was in the accident showed up and was very upset typically i stick to my gun and dont let them get belongings but after dealing with the father on the phone and getting yelled at i did feel sympathy for the daughter i did let her get her belongings out of the vehicle. 

  Few days later wife called and apologized for her husband and we came to an agreement that I would get rid of tow bill and pay them $200 dollars which this is the going junk rate for there vehicle here in the state, and then the husband keeps this going 

   

   

  Customer response

  12/10/2024

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.

  This response on BBB from Automill is a complete fabrication of the events up until now.  The tow driver at the scene took the car against our will, we asked that it be towed to our home and he said no and left.  No discussion of funds was had at the scene and the car was not blocking traffic (it was pulled on to a side residential dead end road).  The female I spoke with the next day at Automill told me it would cost $575 plus $5/mile to tow it to our house or I could pay them $200 and sign over title.  This female told me that is what all the tow companies charge for this type of scenario.  I found this unacceptable and did not appreciate being taken advantage of especially after our car was taken against our will.  I asked if there was any other option, the female said she wasn't going to argue with me and hung up on me.  The female asked a male in the office if there were any other options while I was on the phone waiting, I could hear him say "no way".  There was no offer of $150 and I never said I shouldn't have to pay nor was I yelling at her.  I would've happily paid for towing to my house right away.  

  Sheriff in charge of towing in the area was called by me to see if a solution could be made.  The female then made up a story and told the sheriff different prices and different events than what really happened.  I sincerely hope the Sheriff takes Automill off their call list for emergency towing.  This has since been remedied and the car is now signed over to Automill since I had no choice.  I did not appreciate how they treated me or how they spoke about me to my daughter and wife.  

  I lodged this complaint to hopefully save future "customers" from being ripped off by this company. 

   

  
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  *******

   

   

  Customer response

  12/10/2024

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]
  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.

  This response on BBB from Automill is a complete fabrication of the events up until now.  The tow driver at the scene took the car against our will, we asked that it be towed to our home and he said no and left.  No discussion of funds was had at the scene and the car was not blocking traffic (it was pulled on to a side residential dead end road).  The female I spoke with the next day at Automill told me it would cost $575 plus $5/mile to tow it to our house or I could pay them $200 and sign over title.  This female told me that is what all the tow companies charge for this type of scenario.  I found this unacceptable and did not appreciate being taken advantage of especially after our car was taken against our will.  I asked if there was any other option, the female said she wasn't going to argue with me and hung up on me.  The female asked a male in the office if there were any other options while I was on the phone waiting, I could hear him say "no way".  There was no offer of $150 and I never said I shouldn't have to pay nor was I yelling at her.  I would've happily paid for towing to my house right away.  

  Sheriff in charge of towing in the area was called by me to see if a solution could be made.  The female then made up a story and told the sheriff different prices and different events than what really happened.  I sincerely hope the Sheriff takes Automill off their call list for emergency towing.  This has since been remedied and the car is now signed over to Automill since I had no choice.  I did not appreciate how they treated me or how they spoke about me to my daughter and wife.  

  I lodged this complaint to hopefully save future "customers" from being ripped off by this company. 

   

  
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  *******

   

   

• Initial Complaint

  09/10/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In June of 2023 I put a down payment of $2500 on a car. The total price of the vehicle was $6500. I paid in full but the company claimed I didn't. They repossessed the vehicle Saturday September 7th 2024. I had argued through text with them about the payment discrepancy and the fact that they claimed I hadn't paid for the vehicle in full. I have all the receipts and venmo history showing what I have paid. I can supply all the facts/documents proving these claims. The car has all my personal belongings in it that they had refused to release into my possession. When I went to their place of business they called the police and served me criminal trespassing papers. They refuse to speak to me and blocked my phone so I can't call them. Like I said I can provide clear evidence of all the venmos that I sent them so there should not be a dispute. There is no tracking number since I paid in cash and through venmo.

  Business response

  09/11/2024

  The original submitted there was no bad language

• Initial Complaint

  07/30/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Sold us a car whose brake lines blew out last week and could have killed my wife and kid. We purchased the car over a year ago, but since their responses are so slow or they never respond for all the other issues we've had, it's been over 365 days since the purchase. When reporting issues or trying to schedule times, they would never respond or we'd get there for an appointment, only to be turned away because nothing was on the schedule.The biggest issue before the brakes was the gas tank had rotted out, they kept saying they would source one, then after waiting over 3 months I sourced one myself. This appears to be a poor business practice to try and drag out waiting times and get past the 365 day **** so they can say it was purchased too long ago for them to do anything.Now they're blaming the garage that replaced the gas tank for the brake lines, even though they could have seen the rusted brake lines too when they had it on a lift first. Not to mention the radiator support that is about to give away.

  Business response

  07/31/2023

  This customer, messaged us on Sunday 7/30/2023 stated that it was our fault because his brake lines failed. This customer purchased the vehicle over 365 days ago. This customer also received a inspection sticker from another garage name is blacked out on the attachments because this is to prove a point and not to put someone on blast. This garage put a inspection sticker on the vehicle and they should of seen brake lines, brake lines do fall under the category for an item that needs to be inspected in order to receive a new inspection sticker. Again being in the used car business you can not predict the future. This customer again purchased the vehicle well over a year ago. 

  The customer did have an appt that I did have to reschedule because my child had an emergency at school, when you own your own business people need to remember that you still have children and a life on top of running a business. The customers concern here where the brake lines, we do a 30 day warranty here, this complaint is over a 365 day time period. We should not be responsible for this, I am sorry that this happened to the customer and we always make sure our vehicles are safe for customers and their families. But the garage that did the inspection should of brought to the customers attention the ***** brake lines

  Customer response

  07/31/2023

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********.  .

  
  FAQ
  
  
  

  See attached screenshots in the original complaint about how the business does not communicate, so drags out the time from the original purchase. They told us we needed a new fuel tank in January and that they would source one, then stopped communicating until March. Conveniently by the time we got the tank installed by another garage, it was April 2023, and now Automill is saying it's been a year and they're washing their hands of it since we got the inspection sticker from someone else.

  If the garage we chose to install the fuel tank was supposed to catch the brake lines, why didn't Automill discover them when they had the car when they told us we needed a new tank?

  I believe we also tried to call them last year when we discovered brake fluid was leaking. You can see from the attached call logs in this response how each call only lasts 10 seconds except one, these are call attempts only to receive "this voicemailbox is full". This also needed to be handled by a different garage, ***************, where they thought it was just a leaking bleed valve. Now we know it was a line leaking.

   

  Regards,

  ***********

  Business response

  07/31/2023

  The customer is demanding a refund, this will not be happening the customer has had the vehicle for over a year, to be exact it has been a year and a half. Again another garage put an inspection sticker on the vehicle, customer also fails to specify that we put in a fuel pump on the vehicle when there was a dye test done we determined the vehicle needed a fuel tank, on that part that is accurate and we where even willing to purchase the gas tank for the customer as well. Because we where booked out like any other garages in our area our schedule did not meet the needs of the customers. We also stated and told the customer to locate another garage. The vehicle just received again a brand new inspection sticker, so the garage that did the inspection should of seen the ***** brake lines because there are certain guidelines we need to follow in order to hold a ***** inspection license. So failure to do so on the garage that placed the inspection sticker should be held accountable. The ************** also has a division that the customer can also contact as well and they will walk them through the steps and explain that the garage that put the inspection sticker on shouldnt of due to ***** brake lines. The phone number for them is **********. There are the proper chain of command that can explain and help the customer as well, that is what they are there for. 

  Anyone that has ever purchased a used vehicle or been in the used vehicle market knows you can not predict the future and a year and half later? Especially when it is disclosed a thirty day warranty. 

   

   

  Customer response

  08/01/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  

  I understand a refund will not be possible, but wanted the business to know how extremely disappointed we were, especially from the lack of communication. Word around town is we're not the only ones by far. Even the tow truck driver has had family with similar issues with this business.

  
  I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint #********. I understand that by choosing to accept the business response that my complaint will be closed as resolved. 
  
  Regards,
  
  *****************************************

• Initial Complaint

  06/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Date of transaction: February 18th, 2023 Amount paid: $5,243 Mileage at time of sale: ******* What for: Used 2008 ****** Impreza Issue wrong with car that was fixed: Head gaskets, water pump, timing belt, front and rear catalytic converter, front bushing, aftermarket rims, new tires. I bought the car on February 18th, 2023. I paid $5,243, and I drove the car off the lot the same day. I initially had concerns with the vehicle during the test drive with a ticking noise coming from the car. ***************** the co-owner of Automill LLC assured me that it was normal with older ******s, I then had an issue with an alignment issue that the business did fix when I initially brought it up. I noticed a slight leak coming from the radiator when I drove it 26 miles back to ********* ***** but it soon stopped so I did not mention it. I had the car for 75 days, during those 75 days I would regularly check the engine oil due to a habit from the Army. I would check over my vehicle every Monday in the Army just as I do now that I am a civilian. I never had an issue with oil until the Wednesday of May 3rd, 2023. I noticed a slight knock in the engine while running errands. I checked the oil and it was completely dry. I put 4 quarts of oil in the vehicle and stopped driving. I contacted the dealership and had it towed on May 4th, 2023. When it arrived they said it had no oil. My first immediate thought was the head gasket leaking. They assured me there was no oil leak. I asked over the course of a month for a diagnostic or to check for an oil leak. My calls were never answered nor were my text messages. I called today June 1st, 2023. Where the owner *************** had told me there was no oil leak and that the head of the engine was never sent to be resurfaced at a Reputable machine shop. Now I got the car back in worse condition that I left it with them. There is a radiator leak, oil in the spark plug *****, oil splattered on the valve cover and head gaskets. And a dead battery.

  Business response

  06/02/2023

  *****************
  The customer called and stated that his vehicle was making a noise and he needed it to be looked at, that is how the vehicle ended up at our location at our shop. He asked us to look at it which we did. The owner of the vehicle also had the vehicle towed to us to be looked at.
  The vehicle was towed into our lot, first thing we do when this happens is before even starting the vehicle we pop the hood and check the oil. Our certified mechanic did just so and noticed that there was absolutely no oil in the vehicle. Any one that knows about ******s they love their oil. During the sale i stressed it over and over again that oil should be checked every few days the first week just being because headgaskets where just done. And then weekly after that until the customer has a feeling how much oil the vehicle uses. 
  When the vehicle was sold it was disclosed that the headgaskets, timing belt and water pump where done and heads resurfaced, being resurfaced means grinding down in house being plained is when they go to a machine shop. 
  This vehicle issue was because they engione was ran with no oil, after the damage was already done the customer stated he put oil in it. But when a ****** engine is ran dry and starts to knock there is nothing that can be done again because the damage has already been done. The customer was offered an extended warranty as well, at the time of the sale thru not only the business but the financing company as well signatures and numerous initialling was done at the time of sale. The customer did not want to pay the additional cost to have the extended warranty done. 
  
  
  The owners here where willing to give him a discounted price until the party and others around where starting to be disrespectful and nasty to one of the owners stating that there was an oil change done at promto and then there wasnt there was two different stories. Still owners where willing to coperate and move forward with fixing the vehicle until the customer stated he wanted to talk to the mechanic that fixed the vehicle because he did not fix it right we have sold over **** ******s in the last five years. Also the disrepect level being a business owner we do not need to deal with that it is not okay. The business owners also have all texts saved 
  
  Attached is pictures the heads are dry when a headgasket leaks it would be noticeable, as you can see per pictures they are clean and dry. Number two the customer altered the exhaust system as you can see in the gap in pictures attached as well. 
  There was a fee for diagnosing the vehicle the customer did not want to pay because he stated he never asked us to look at the vehicle, which this is also false because the customer again was the one who brought us the vehicle and asked us to look at the vehicle and see what was going on with it.

  Customer response

  06/02/2023

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  I have a habit of checking the oil level on all my vehicles and equipment at work due to myself being in the Army as a 19D (Calvary Scout) one of the main focus points as a driver for the m2a3 ******* Infantry Fighting Vehicles is Preventive maintenance checks and services. (PMCS). Every money we would check fuel, oil, fluids, cracks, scratches, anything wrong with our vehicle and then work alongside the mechanics to fix our issues with the vehicle. 
  

  During the 29 days my vehicle was at auto mill I was never properly informed about what was going on with my vehicle. I had to wait weeks at a time for a single response from this business. At time of sale I did acknowledge that there were issues that were fixed. Never and I mean not once was it ever disclosed that Automill resurfaced the heads by using a grinding wheel. When any reputable mechanic can agree that heads need to me milled by a reputable machine shop to get off the factory ****** head gasket that is not multi layer metal. Considering MLM for short was installed on both the intake and exhaust heads on the engine. Grinding would not be sufficient in creating a cohesive bond.

  My vehicle was also never properly diagnosed as there is oil in the cylinder 3 spark plug well. Indicating that there was a blown piston ring. As I previously stated in my original complaint, I did mention a ticking noise coming from the ****** at the time of purchase. ***** the co-owner of Automill assured me that it was completely normal for an older ******. Now considering I have gotten the car back in worse condition that it was previously in. The battery is completely dead, there is a leak coming from the radiator overflow hose, there is oil in the cylinder 3 spark plug well, and half of my fuel being missing from when I had the vehicle towed. I am shocked that this is how this business runs, operates, and functions in a day to day manner .

  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  Nathaneil

   

   

  Business response

  06/06/2023

  We have been in business for 6 years the statement about the gas level, we had nothing to do with fuel on the vehicle, we run a professional business and customer is basically stating that we stole or removed fuel from the vehicle. The vehicle came in to be diagnosed again when we received the vehicle there was no oil in the vehicle and the damage was already done causing the engine to knock. This being because the vehicle was run with no oil. The customer has made it a point to do what he felt was necessary and post and leave reviews from anything that has our name on it from business pages to bbb. 

  As stated we where willing to fix the issues until this party and members of his party where nasty with the owners at that point we decided it was best to disconnect all ties and not fix the vehicle. Again the damage was not done because of something that the business did. I ***************** as the office manager did not state that a tic was normal there was no questions asked during the purchase of the vehicle. Only additional things that the party stated is he did not want to pay any additional fees for the extended warranty coverage on this vehicle. 

  Another thing not mentioned above is the customer deleted the mufflers attached is a picture of that being done which can cause so many issues to the vehicle. When spacing the mufflers like this its called no back pressure which can cause the vehicle to use more oil especially in a boxer engine which subarus do have. So again this is something that the customer has done, the last two weeks of having the vehicle we did not respond due to ignorance and disrespect. 

  Customer response

  06/07/2023

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  I *******************************, have attached screenshots of the so called being nasty to the owners. I am also attaching a receipt from 7/11 where I had filled my vehicle prior to sending it to Automill LLC. I have 2 witnesses where I had taken the vehicle on a test drive and had concerns about a ticking noise coming from the engine and an alignment issue. I was assured by ***************** co-owner of Automill LLC that higher mileage ****** vehicles have a ticking noise. My two witnesses are my fianc and my fiancs mother who were with me at the time of purchase   . There are also security cameras in the business if Automill would kindly look back  at the footage. I find it very hard to believe that a half gallon of gas and 4 quarts of oil goes missing in the span of 2 days. I  had the vehicle towed on may 5th, 2023. 
  

  Regarding to the statement that Automill has made about there being no back pressure and thats causing oil to shoot out the exhaust. I would love a third party mechanic to explain. According to multiple sources on ****** and reputable mechanic websites. Oil would come out of the exhaust for 3 reasons. A blown head gasket ( which we know was not properly installed), a blown piston ring (which a symptom of that is a ticking noise coming from the engine. Better known as piston slap), or damaged valve guides. 

  Now for the nonsense of back pressure being the reason for oil. Back pressure is not needed in an engine. How do straight pipped cars run? Why do race cars exclusively have straight pipes coming directly from the headers?
  

  Now considering back pressure is the explanation of exhaust gasses coming from the exhaust manifold. Oil should not be able to leak into the exhaust manifold, exhaust headers, make it past the front and rear catalytic converter and out the tailpipe. That would be from a blown head gasket  considering the head gaskets were just redone it can be inferred that it that was the improper head gasket installation performed by Automill LLC . 
  

  I will conclude the message with the following statements.

  
  Back pressure is the explanation of exhaust gasses from the engine. 

  A blown head gasket will allow oil past and have it come out the exhaust system. 
  

  Both the block and heads of an engine need to be properly resurfaced with a CNC machine. 
  

  4 quarts of oil does not burn off in less than a day. 
  

  Half a gallon of gas does not evaporate in 28 days. 
  
  A ticking noise that I had concerns about was never addressed. Only dismissed. 
  

   

  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process. 

  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  Nathaneil

   

   

*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. ↩