Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  06/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I took my 1957 Buick Special to Willard Automotive for repairs.( fuel tank leak, spark plugs, carb rebuild,rear suspension bottoms out, install oil adapter. Willard sent car to B&B Muffler for exhaust repair , on passenger side. When Willard called, I picked up car & noticed the passenger side rear bumper end (which is heavy metal) had a split in it. I showed it to Willard & they said they did not do it. I should take it to B&B Muffler. I took it to B&B Muffler & they said they did not cause the damage. Willard said they would weld the bumper end. The bumper end had to be sent to Superior Chrome ,Pearland, Tx. The bill for UPS shipping was $ 149.49 and Superior Chrome was $ 519.60. I believe the total ($769.09) should be refunded to me! Both Willard Automotive & B&B Muffler have refused to pay! If I drop my car off for repairs and pay the bill of $4,298.67- I don't expect more damage to the car than when I dropped it off !

  Business response

  08/08/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/06/17) */ On or about January 13, 2022, *** ****** brought his 1957 Buick Special to Willard Automotive's shop to repair a variety of things including an exhaust rattle. I have attached a copy of the invoice showing the repairs that were done. We diagnosed the rattle to be the exhaust tip hitting the bumper. After discussing the situation with *** ****** we sent the car to B & B Muffler to have this fixed. When *** ****** picked up the car, he noticed a crack in the rear bumper. We took pictures of the crack before it was repaired and noticed that there was rust where the crack was, indicating that the bumper had prior damage to it. If the damage was done at Willard Automotive's shop or B & B Muffler shop the break would be fresh and there would not have been any rust where the break in the bumper was. Even though the break wasn't our fault, as a favor to *** ******, we paid a technician to remove the bumper, weld the break and grind it smooth so that it could be sent to be chromed. The customer sent the bumper to be chromed not Willard Automotive. I am attaching a picture of the damaged bumper to show the rusted area. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/06/20) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) The bumper was NOT damaged when I brought it in to Willard Automotive. I believe it should be returned in the same condition! Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/06/21) */ Even though the bumper didn't appear to be damaged on the face of the bumper it had previous damage on the back side of the bumper, as evidenced by the pictures I have previously attached. The bumper was paper thin where the rust was already formed by the previous damage. You can see where the bumper was rusting from the backside of the bumper. If this was a fresh break there wouldn't be any rust in the break. Based on this information the bumper was cracked from the backside and then developed rust. I believe this is perfectly clear with the pictures that were sent. Obviously the integrity of the bumper was compromised. Consumer Response /* (4200, 11, 2022/06/22) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) Who did damage the bumper?? Was it Willard Automotive OR B&B Muffler?? Both blame the other one -I didn't do it say's Willard - I didn' do it say's B& B Mufler!! Who drove my car from Willard over to B&B? Who drove my car from B&B back to Willard? Did that person damage the bumper? Who inspected the work at B&B? Did the person (probably an employee)damage the bumper while driving car? SOMEONE damaged the bumper!! SHAME, SHAME !! WHAT HAPPENED TO HONESTY & INTEGRITY ? WHO DAMAGED THE BUMPER? WHO IS RESPONSIBLE? IS IT BECAUSE I AM 80 YEARS OLD? DOES WILLARD FEEL THEY CAN NOT PAY TO FIX/CHROME BUMPER THAT WAS DAMAGED WHILE IN THEIR CARE? IS IT BECAUSE I'M OLD? IS THERE AN AGE LIMIT ( SAY 75, WHERE YOU ARE JUDGED TO BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF?) Willard Automotive accepted the car ( if they sent it out to B&B for work, they are still responsible!!!) Business Response /* (4000, 13, 2022/06/24) */ It is hard to determine when the damage occurred. The bumper was rotting from the inside out. The empirical evidence was displayed in the pictures previously attached. When dealing with older cars there are often many issues with the vehicles that can be almost impossible to foresee issues happening. I promise you here at Willard Automotive we do not discriminate against age or any other factor. Despite our knowledge of this occurrence not being a direct cause of our actions we are willing to pay half of the damage. This is on top of paying for the welding of the bumper to fix it. Based upon my math that would come out to be $334.54. (519.60 + 149.49 = 669.09 x 1/2 = 334.54) Consumer Response /* (4200, 15, 2022/06/27) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) As Willard Automotive noted : $519.60 + $149.49 = $669.09! That is the amount it cost me and that is the amount I should be reimbursed for. Looking forward to a settlement check from Willard Automotive in the amount of $669.09. Business Response /* (4000, 17, 2022/07/06) */ I will repeat myself. There was prior damage to the bumper and was paper thin where the break occurred. Which is evidenced by the pictures that were submitted. The break had rust in it which indicates that there was prior damage and that the area was paper thin and didn't take much to break it the rest of the way. Willard Automotive did not cause the damage and isn't responsible for fixing it. Even though the damage was not done at Willard Automotive, the company paid a technician to remove the bumper, weld the break, and grind the welds so that the bumper could be chromed. We did this for the customer to be of help and didn't charge anything for this work. This is all that Willard automotive is willing to do. Consumer Response /* (4200, 19, 2022/07/07) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) My 1957 Buick Special DID NOT have damage to the passenger side rear bumper when I left it with Willard Automotive !! Who damaged it? In the world we live in today,it seems that a lot of people want to take Advantage instead of Responsibility! $669.09 can be sent to me in the form of a personal check,or, Willard Automotive company check!

*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. ↩