Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  04/11/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  SCAMMED OUT OF MY 2009 ****** Armada BY Aamco Lebanon TN on 2/18/22 after speaking to the manager Rob about having my car he called later that day about the good/bad news as he stated He said the bad news was worse than we hoped for that not only was my trans bad, but also my radiator. He explained to me that my coolant fluid was leaking into my tran causing it to fail. He told to me that it would be 6000 dollars to fix it. I told him I cant pay that He then stated I have the good news for you. I have a buddy that scraps cars, he may be able to get you 500 for it. I told him if that was what it would cost to fix it I would be happy to hear his offer. He stated he would return my call, and I said thank you. The manager returned my phone call shortly after saying his buddy was upset at him for misquoting me, that he would only offer me 300. The manager then proceeded to tell me his mechanic would purchase my vehicle for 500 as previously stated, and pay my Aamco bill as it was 134 to have it diagnosed that I would have 0 out of pocket. I told him I would talk to my person and follow back up with him. I then reached out to some other people based on the quote from Aamco that I had gotten, & saw it not worth fixing as Im a single mom of 3 & cant afford that amount of money. I then sold my PAID OFF vehicle for parts based off the quote from Aamco stating not only did I need a new trans but also a radiator Car was sold on the same day frm AMC lot The man that bought it reached out to me the very next day & ask if it was just parked at AMC or did i pay for service. I responded to him I payed the diagnostic fee over the phone that same day. He then proceeded to tell me the horrifying news. He explained to me that I should take legal action he fixed my truck for 18 dollar hose the original screw was not rmvd from trans, and never checked they tried to SCAM me but FAILED & allowed someone else to do so unknowingly. Corporate was not helpful at all, and now my car is gone.

  Business response

  04/29/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/04/13) */ I (Brad ******, Owner AAmco) received notice from my corporate office that I should reach out to Ms ***** regarding her vehicle that was in my shop. I spoke with the shop (Rob, Center Mge AAMCO) regarding this matter. These are the facts: 1) She was in our shop to determine what was wrong with her truck. 2) She was informed at the time of the drop off there would be a fee of $115 plus tax that would be charged if she chose not to do the repair. We tell all customers this at the time of the drop off. They can also pay the diagnostics charge at pick up and bring it back within 30 days and the diagnostic charge would be credited to the repair. 3) She chose to not repair the truck and pay the fee. 4) She handled towing the vehicle from the shop. 5) I called her the following day after receiving notification from my corporate office. She said to me on the phone "I have been informed by my attorney to not speak with you." I said " No worries. Thank you for your time. Let me know if I can help you." 6) We did diagnose internal transmission repair. We priced a remanufactured unit that required radiator replacement due to known problems with these vehicles. When my technician did the check out it would barely pull itself into the shop. It was slipping badly. The fluid was severely burnt and with an odor. This is what I gathered from my corporate office. Ms ***** towed her vehicle to another shop. The other shop told her that he ad fixed a leak for $17 and sold the truck. Apparently he bought the truck for $1500 from Ms ***** and sold it for $5000. He then told her to sue Aamco for restitution because we misdiagnosed the problem. Most people tow their vehicle to another shop to get a 2nd opinion. At this point I'm still not sure what would make Ms ***** happy. I am more than willing to give her $115 back but she refused to discuss with me. It is very common for shops to change the fluid and assume the truck is fixed. You can hide this fix for a little while but the fluid will burn again. It might take a day or it might take several months, but I am 100% certain the fluid will burn again. Ms ***** is holding this other shop in high regard but it is apparent to me that not only did they rip her off, they also ripped off whoever purchased the truck. This "other shop" has harmed two individuals but somehow I am the bad guy. The proper thing for them to do was to inform Ms ***** they repaired the leak ( if that is really what they did) tell her to drive it and see what happens. I could not do this for her because I have to warranty the repair for at least 90 days. My technician could not guarantee that so he recommended replacement. I have attached a copy of her invoice Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/04/13) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Not only did their recommendation consist of costing $6000, what he failed to mention is how his mechanic tried to buy my vehicle for $500 and pay the AAMCO bill those were his exact words. I sold my truck to an individual based off of Amco's quote. The manufacturer Seal was still sealed, they did not check my truck at all. They tried to scam me out of my vehicle when intern didn't work but I ended up selling it based off the quote. I understand that I'm not gonna get my truck back, I was calmed out of it due to M Cos unprofessionalism. I'm not really concerned with them scanning me, but how many other women have they done this to. How many other women have they done this to that have not had a second mechanic fess up and try to make things right. Of course no one is going to admit responsibility because that would mean him and his mechanic would get fired, which I think should happen and I have relayed to the company. There is no doubt in my mind that I was swindled and given a fraudulent estimate in hopes that I would sell my truck to the mechanic for $500 as he offered. Unprofessionalism at its finest Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/04/15) */ We give quotes for a reason....so customers can decide if they would like to fix the vehicle or not. We give a quote up front before any work outside of the diagnostics is performed. We did do the diagnostics. We pulled codes, attempted to drive the truck but it would barely pull into the bay, and we pulled a sample of the fluid. I have all of this on camera. Just like I have of Ms Rader on the property after hours and the tow truck coming onto the property after hours. You are welcome to see it all. We also offer to buy vehicles from customers at salvage value (yours is $200 value). We do this to pull the transmission out of the truck, build it, and put it on the shelf for future install. We then sell the truck to the salvage yard. We can fix vehicles far cheaper and faster if we have a unit on the shelf built and ready to install. None of this negates the fact that her "friend" is the one that supposedly fixed the truck and then sold it without giving Ms Rager an opportunity to pay him to fix it. He just did it! If she thinks I should pay her for what her friend did then she should just say so.

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