Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  06/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  In 5/5/23 and June 6/30/23 my check engine light came on. I took it ********* and received a code when I sent to Honest-1. I called and made an appointment. I took off work because I had no transportation. The first visit, they had my jeep all day and 10 minutes to 5 pm on 5/23, they called to say my jeep was ready. They did not find anything wrong, so they thought it was the gas cap. I said what about the oil change that I checked off on the form? NO one read the form and they had to do a quick oil change. ~ 1 month later, it comes on again. This time the owner allowed me to use one of his vehicles over the weekend while they kept my Jeep to do a "thorough" exam. They kept it for 2 days. I was told it was the O2 sensors and they needed to order the parts. I said ok. I picked up my jeep on 6/6/23. I told them to please let the owner know that I appreciated the use of his vehicles over the last couple of years, but I do not think I will be returning. I have paid for 2 diagnostic fees within 1 month. The new Manager apologized several times about these 2 visits. Today, 6/8/23, my check engine light came back on. I emailed a picture of the dashboard. Now I am not sure what I paid them for. And I no longer trust them to actually fix the issue.

  

  Business response

  06/19/2023

  The customer has been contacted directly regarding these statements. Honest-1 did NOT charge the customer for any diagnostic charges for their last two visits as stated, and has provided invoices for both visits to the customer that do not have any diagnostic fees. The customer also has a 3 year - nationwide warranty for the two 02 sensors that were installed so it was recommended for them to come back to Honest-1 for a no charge inspection to validate the check engine light and to verify the new parts were working properly. Honest-1 ********* is thankful for all our customers and our goal is to repair vehicles correctly and as quickly as possible. In some cases the supply chain issues in the automobile parts environment, cause delays in repairs and there is nothing a repair shop can do to correct these challenges. We are hoping that the customer will return so we can continue to assist with their vehicle needs. 

  Customer response

  06/20/2023

   
  I am rejecting this response because: As a mechanic I am trusting  them to tell me what is wrong with the vehicle. I gave them the code that was read by *****************  Yes, I did mention the gas cover.  The diagnostic test was done and since "nothing was found" it was agreed that it was the gas cap.  I am coming to a mechanic to tell ME exactly what is wrong.  The second visit, th I did review the invoices and saw that the diagnostic tests were done at N/C.  I did say that I appreciated the uses of the loaner car.  However, the check engine light is still on.  I have taken it to another mechanic that is working on the vehicle to see exactly what is wrong and to get a second opinion since the last 2 visits did not fix the issue.  There are 4 O2 sensor.  Only 2 was replaced.  They will be documenting their findings and will report to me if the new O2 sensors are faulty and proceed from there.  If the O2 sensors are under warranty, then I need the paperwork so that we can contact the facility that sold the items.  

  Thank you.

  
  

  

  Business response

  06/21/2023

  We stand behind our work with a nationwide warranty and are ready and available to check the issues at no charge. The warranty process is to return to our facility for a no charge inspection of the parts that were installed. We are aware that there are four 02 sensors on the vehicle and only 2 tested to be replaced at time of your last visit. Honest-1 does not replace parts unless diagnostics reveals that the part is bad. Please contact us if we can be of assistance. Thank you. 

  Customer response

  06/21/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my complaint, and have decided to part ways without further contact 
  
  Thank you. 
  

• Initial Complaint

  05/24/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Friday, May 19th I noticed a s**** had become lodged in my front passenger side tire. On my way home from work I stopped by Honest Auto to see if they would be able to patch the tire. They told me that the s**** was too close to the tire wall, requiring a new tire. I agreed and had them order the new tire. They told me that the tire would arrive on Monday and that they would change the tire, rotate the tires, and align and balance the tires/wheels. On Monday, I get a call from Honest saying that the tire had not arrived, so they would need to push the work to Tuesday. I agreed. On Tuesday, I go to Honest to pick up my truck and they have not even started working on it yet. They assured me that it would be done the next day, today, Wednesday, May 24th. Keep in mind I have not had my vehicle since dropping it off Monday morning. Today, Wednesday, May 24th, I get a voicemail from Honest telling me that they had made a mistake and ordered the incorrect tire. Why are they just realizing this now? They have had my vehicle since Monday and it is still not ready. It is a simple tire change. Should I have called AAA instead of using Honest Auto? The voicemail mentioned having to order another tire, which increased the price. I had paid for the services in full on Friday, $400.00. I do not understand what has happened to this shop. I have used them before and had great experiences. Now, I have been without a vehicle for the better half of the week, having to get rides to and from work. I am very displeased and will not be returning to this establishment.

  

  Business response

  05/31/2023

  Honest-1 ********* has already contacted the customer regarding this situation and offered the original price of the tire so no extra charge for the replacement. It was explained to the customer that the service advisor is new and made a mistake on the tire estimate and should have not charged the customer more or the correct tire. We appreciate your business and we apologize for the inconvenience. 

• Initial Complaint

  02/24/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Our ***** Accord was towed to Honest-1 at night. The following morning, my husband called them and they told us they're going to work on diagnostics, and it would be $260 for an ENGINE diagnostics. My husband told them to double and triple check the engine because there was a weird sound coming from it. They said no problem. We call again later, and they say it's just the belt tensioner. My husband asked if they were sure because he knew something was wrong with the engine. They said they were absolutely sure it was just the belt tensioner. After that day, my husband called nearly everyday, and it was the same problem just the belt tensioner and they'd have it fixed by Monday (2 days ago). We called Monday, nothing was done. They said they'd have it done by Tuesday afternoon (yesterday). We called Tuesday morning to confirm pick up, they pushed it back another day to Wednesday afternoon (today). We called today because my husband needs to work tomorrow. We call today and the diagnostics that was supposedly done 4 days ago was wrong and now it's the belt tensioner and the engine needs to be replaced. That should've been something they found out during the diagnostic and now my husband has to go 4 hours away for work without a car because he was under the impression that we would get the car back until a few hours before he has to leave. They have shown incompetence, lied about timelines consistently, and appear to want to charge people for the h*** of it. I truly believe that they didn't do anything to the car until today even though today was the scheduled pick up day and that they told us they did diagnostics on day 1. Notes: My husbands job is the ************* and due to world events he needs to get back to base on time.

  

  Business response

  03/03/2022

  I want to first apologize for not having better communication from us regarding your vehicle & the timeline discussed. We did perform diagnostic on your vehicle &relayed to **************** that there was a noise being caused by the timing belt tensioner. He approved the repairs to have done no later than Wednesday as requested. Our lead technician assigned to your vehicle does not work on Mondays, so your job was scheduled for Tues afternoon, if possible, or Wed morning at the latest to meet your requested deadline. The timing belt tensioner and components job is about 4 hours of work so there would have been no issue to have the vehicle ready by Wed late afternoon as requested. When the technician drove the vehicle in the shop on Wed morning the 23rd he heard a noise that was not present, or as loud, as when he diagnosed the vehicle on Fri. He informed the manager of his findings and after much discussion it was decided not to replace the timing belt tensioner &components, as the engine would need to be replaced eventually. It would not have been honest to replace the approved timing belt tensioner and components knowing that the engine has other significant internal issues and could fail sooner than later. As the manager and the technician were discussing the situation **************** called and was told of the situation. The manager should have called **************** sooner and I apologize for that not happening. We always provided honest feedback for there is no reason not to be straight and direct when a customer calls for updates, even if not good news or delays. We did not charge any diagnostic fee and waived the $260 charge. I am very sorry for the inconvenience but again it would have been very dishonest to proceed with the approved repairs after discovering the addl issues. We did not cause any issues with your vehicle so replacing your engine as requested is not warranted.We have used this situation as a coaching opportunity for better communication.*****-Owner
  

  Customer response

  03/03/2022

   
  Complaint: 16800730
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  My issue was not that the work was not completed, that is not going above and beyond in terms of service, that is doing the bare minimum of not doing work that obviously wont help. My issue is that when I brought it in, it was not diagnosed for days, and when it was, I was told it would be available Monday, which was pushed to Tuesday, which was pushed to Wednesday. Not even early Wednesday, I called at 2:30 and it was just then being addressed. Moreover, I had to call to find out your staff discovered an engine knock. Which is ridiculous because I expressly told them there was an engine knock/ engine noise during our preliminary conversations on the matter. A thoughtful mechanic would not then drive/ start a vehicle with a known engine knock due to the possibility of further damaging engine components, which now I am responsible for replacing. 
  
  Your staff was aware of my timeline/ situation from the beginning, and yet my vehicle was not to be worked on until 2:30 (1.5 hours before I needed the car back) on the day I needed it back? My issue is that your Charlotte ******** displayed blatant negligence, apathy, and laziness. Pair that with the fact that my message about the engine noise (that ****** wrote down as I told him) was for some reason not taken seriously. This all adds up to more than we didnt do the work because were honest. Not having the car by the discussed deadline, also impacted myself, a coworker of mine, and my wife as I needed to make it back that evening for my job in the military. Us 3 shouldnt have to pay for a technicians neglect.  
  
  I would like to get in touch about a reasonable solution to the issue
  

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

  

  Business response

  03/10/2022

  To Mr. ***** *****************,

  We again apologize for any inconvenience that was caused by Honest-1 ********* regarding your vehicle. We absolutely did perform a Level 1 diagnostic on your vehicle on that Friday and spoke to **************** about it. We did not cause any engine issues with your vehicle and are only at fault by not communicating better and more timely. We were very honest with our actions by not proceeding with the authorized repairs, and stopping to let **************** know that there was a more serious issue with the engine when he called. We do acknowledge we should have called **************** before he called us and have used this as a teaching opportunity for our staff.

  Honest-1 ********* did not charge for the initial authorized diagnostic, the additional approved deeper diagnostic nor for a second opinion at our ********* location. Honest-1 ********* will not be responsible for any additional diagnostics by any other repair facility nor compensate you for any work to your vehicle. As discussed, you brought this vehicle to Honest-1 ********* with a loud noise, we did no repairs, no adjustments in any manner, but only diagnostics. Honest-1 ********* did not cause any issues with this vehicle.

  We are now going consider the case closed. I am available to discuss if you would like to call me at ************.

  ***** - Owner

*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. ↩