Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  07/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  see attached Took our truck to get it repaired it started for a few days but would not start again after. We called the auto shop and they told us they did not want nothing to do with the truck or us anymore

  Business response

  07/20/2023

  July 19,2023                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               RE:Complaint *********                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

  I have read the ********' complaint and the cover material which accompanied it.

   

  My formal response consists of the attached 11 page PDF which includes a factual summary along with the relevant parts description and purchase receipts, the original work order and the related bank records.

   

  The summary was prepared as Taz Auto's response to the ********' earlier complaint to the Attorney General's consumer protection office and this has, unfortunately, become the "never ending story." I would love to put the matter to rest but I despair of finding a way to do so. I invite your suggestions. I stand behind the attached. I stand behind my work. I am proud of my treatment of the customer.

   

  Sincerely, Taz Auto

  The vehicle involved is a 2006 GMC "Sierra" hybrid pickup truck. The complaint omits most of the facts necessary to understand what happened so I will start there. In short, the owners were in a bind because the truck wasn't running and required expensive repairs they could not afford. At their request I advanced the cost for the initial parts. They paid for those parts in installments over the next eight months but then refused to pay for labor. The truck needs more work but I am unwilling to advance any more money for parts under our past terms. They have been told what other repairs are needed. I am convinced that I went above and beyond on this job and that there is no legitimate basis for the complaint, I have written off the balance. The truck was running when Mrs. ******** drove it away in August.
  history:
  In Nov-Dec 2020 the Mrs. ******** was reférred to me by another shop. I did not have the time to schedule it in then but it wasn't running and had to be removed from the other shop immediately.  
  gave permission to have it Lowed to my storage lot and left until I had time to look at it which happened during the first week of January 2021 
  My first impression after looking at the truck was that its overall condition and damage from an earlier accident plus the cost of parts put the whole idea of repair in question. The owner was advised but told me she had no other options.
  The truck is a hybrid and the primary issue was the cost of the batteries. Without the batteries,  however, it would be impossible to get it running or properly troubleshoot other potential problems. It has a total of 4 batteries; one of the usual sort used to start the engine (I will call this the '•main" battery) and three large batteries used to store the charge for the electric drive (I will call these the 'hybrid" batteries). All four batteries tested bad. The main battery was a standard after-market battery from my usual supplier in a brand I trust, The hybrid batteries are a very different matter and I purchased those from GMC. 'I"hey sell for $825 and the retail total for the bank of three hybrid batteries plus the main battery is S2,662 plus NMGRT of $209 for a total of $2871.
  There were no finance charges or interest, there was no charge for towing or storage, and I did not require any advance payment for labor, shop supplies or disposal or anything else. I allowed the  owners to make payments as she could and started and ran the truck periodically to keep it in condition and the batteries charged. All payments were made by debit card and after several payments of $400 and $500 payments fell to $200 and $300.
  In August the owners came by with what they claimed was a final payment of $200 bringing the total credited their account to $2,800*. The total bill came to $3,327.94 and there was a remaining balance of $527.94 for labor plus gross receipts tax. The vehicle was in running condition and was clear of codes and problems except that it had no power steering due to a bad power steering pump and it had a periodic power drain which was traced to a bad brake light switch. The switch defect would drain the battery if care were not taken to lift the pedal by hand or foot whenever the truck was parked. The owners insisted, first, that they had already paid for all additional parts and, later, requested that I advance the cost of the pump and switch on the same terms as for the batteries. Because of their refusal to pay the balance of their invoice or anything at all for labor I decided to forego the honor of doing so.
  The final chapter played out earlier this month, 6 months after they drove it away. We received a call  that the battery was "out" and the truck would not start. Wc understood this to be what we have called the "main" battery as the truck would not turn over. We reminded the caller that their bill had not been  paid and since the situation had ended unhappily for us that we had written off doing any further work for them. We did offer to "warranty" the battery, however, and exchange it for a new replacement in order to put this affair further behind us. We told them, again, that this was a last call and we would have nothing flirther to do with them or the truck in the future. We told them we would install the  battery if they wished but they elected to pick it up and install it themselves, They called the next day, February 8, and told us that the truck would still not start. We agreed that was a shame.
  This has been a losing proposition tor us from beginning to end and we expect to write off the cost of the battery recently exchanged. We have gone to extreme lengths to accommodate the ********' finances and demands over the last year and I sincerely regret that they are not happy. However, I am  not willing to spend further time and money on their behalf with the reasonable anticipation of further loss. If I were in a generous mood I would suggest to Mr. and Mrs ******** that, given the intervening  time and non-use, the bank of three 48 volt "hybrid" batteries is likely to be fully or partly discharged   as was the 12 volt battery and that it would be wise to see to it that the hybrid batteries are fully charged by someone who understands what they are doing before they again try to start the truck as the  electronic controls do not handle low voltage well and systems may shut doxvvn to avoid internal  damage.
   I have attached copies of:
  • the charge receipts  the Income by Customer Detail printout from my bank data
  • the Taz Auto shop ticket with running total of payments received
  • the parts invoices (2 from GMC, one from for ** ************)  the Vehicle Record Report and invoice 
  If you require any further detail please advise,
  Sincerely,
  Taz Auto Repair
  

  
  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

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