So, here's where I ended off my last post :
August 6, Thursday – Collision Clinic called to let me know the vehicle was ready.
Sounds like a great conclusion to a slightly annoying story, right? Well, Jane's problems with Collision Clinic did not end there. Upon receiving the call that her vehicle was ready to be picked up, she was confronted with the following:
"August 6, Thursday – Collision Clinic called to let me know the vehicle was ready. They told me I would have to pay $300 deductible. I had to tell them that since it was going through another driver’s insurance and not my own, I did not owe anything. Oh yes they agreed, that is right. Good thing I picked up on that! I picked the van up at 4:30. The receptionist had me sign for the work before I even saw my vehicle. She said a cheque would arrive from the insurance made payable to me and to them and signing now would prevent me from having to come in again.
In retrospect I’m not sure signing before I got my vehicle and inspected it was a good idea. The receptionist also told me that their work was covered by a guarantee for as long as I owned the vehicle and told me several times that the vehicle had been cleaned inside and outside, she used the word “detailed”. When I got in my vehicle I realized their meaning of the word “detail” is to clean everything with “Armor-All”, including the steering wheel and apply it over dust so that dust is now “Armor-All’ed” onto the dash. But since I did not ask for this to be done I did not complain about it. I just had to keep an extra firm grip on the now slippery steering wheel.
I drove a few hundred feet down the road when I head a noise from the back of the van. I looked back and saw that the storage unit that was in the back was standing up, not installed where it was when I last saw the van. I turned around and went back. This storage unit is part of the van, not something we installed ourselves. I showed them the problem and they told me 3 times that they did not take it out. Each time I told them they must have because I use it all the time and it was installed when they got the van. It was not until I suggested that maybe the cleaners had taken it out when they “detailed” the van that they put it back for me.
When I got home I noticed a chip of paint and a rust spot on the right front fender. They repaired the left side but remember, the right side was forced into a curb. I also noticed that the bumper was not lined up properly. And there was a film of something that seemed to be sprayed on the right front window that only came off when I used a razor blade scraper and window cleaner.
August 7, Friday – I went back to Collision Clinic to show them the chipped paint and uneven bumper. I was told that the paint chipped because of underlying rust and it was not caused by the accident. I took pictures of my vehicle at the accident and the paint was not chipped off then. I brought the photo as evidence. Then he agreed that the paint chipped off because of the accident but would have chipped off eventually anyway because of the underlying rust (possibly, but maybe not as quickly). He also agreed that the bumper was uneven but that was a quick fix if I could bring it back the next week. He told me he would call the insurance and see if they would cover the cost of fixing the chipped paint but told me that they might not because of the underlying rust.
August 8, Saturday – I took the van on the highway for the first time since getting it back. When it reached speeds of 100km/hr there was a strong vibration. It felt as if the tires were not balanced although balancing the 2 front tires was part of the repairs and was listed on the bill. My partner called the Collision Clinic at 4:30, but the person we dealt with was not available. He explained the problem to the receptionist and she said he would call us back.
August 9, Sunday – A friend looked at our vehicle and noticed the hood was not lined up properly, there were gaps on two corners.
August 10, Monday – I called Collision Clinic at 9:30 to discuss the problems and make an appointment to get them fixed. Again, the person I dealt with was not available and the receptionist said he would call me back when he got out of his meeting. After a few hours he still had not called me back so I called him and finally talked to him. He said he would have to call the insurance to see about getting the paint chip repair covered and that I would hear from him in a couple of days (on August 7th, he said he would call the insurance. Obviously, he did not". How frustrating. It certainly appears that Collision Clinic missed a couple of key points while fixing Jane’s vehicle! But what’s worse is the fact that 1) they argued with Jane about the condition of her vehicle after they fixed it, 2) she was misinformed about the status of her insurance inquiry and 3) she did not receive a call-back as promised.
Tomorrow, I’ll post the conclusion of Jane’s story, since I’ve already gone on far longer than I can imagine one wants to read in a single sitting! In the meantime, I welcome your thoughts on this or any other customer experiences - just email ShopAndTellNL@gmail.com or contact me via Twitter at twitter.com/ShopAndTellNL
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