Collision Clinic Topsail Road - Part 3 (Conclusion)

In case you haven’t been following Jane’s experiences with Collision Clinic over the last two days, here’s a brief recap. If you’d like to read the story in its entirety, Part 1 is here and Part 2 is here.

Jane had a car accident on July 20^th and brought her car to Collision Clinic on Topsail Road for repairs. From being given incorrect information, to not receiving promised callbacks, to the complimentary “detailing” which resulted in an additional trip back to the garage to restore the vehicle to its prior condition, Jane was already frustrated enough when she discovered that a contact with her insurance company was not initiated by Collision Clinic as promised.

Here’s the conclusion to Jane’s story:

"August 12, Wednesday – I called the insurance to see about covering the paint chip. He said he was waiting to hear back from Collision Clinic and if I hadn’t heard anything by the following Monday to call him back.

August 17, Monday – Still no word from Collision Clinic and when I called the insurance agent his answering machine said he was on holidays until the 17^th (the day I called) but he was not answering his phone.

August 19, Wednesday – I finally got in contact with the insurance agent and he was surprised that Collision Clinic had not gotten in contact with me. He said they would be covering the repair and to expect a call from Collision Clinic. Collision Clinic finally called me later that day and I made an appointment for the following Tuesday to get the 4 repairs done (align bumper, align hood, fix paint chip & rebalance tires because of vibrations)

August 21, Friday – The left signal light that Collison Clinic repaired 2 weeks ago blew. Were they using substandard bulbs? Was it installed incorrectly? I don’t know why the light would blow so soon.

August 25, Tuesday – I brought the van into Collision Clinic at 9:00 for the repairs. I picked it up at 4:30 and the paint chip was repaired, the bumper and hood realigned and the signal light replaced. But I was told that there was still a vibration in the vehicle because the rim had been damaged and they would need to go back to the insurance (AGAIN!!) to see if they would cover a new rim. Why was the damaged rim not noticed during the initial inspection of the van?

August 28, Friday – I had not heard anything from Collision Clinic so I called about getting a new rim. I was told yes, it would be replaced and I could bring it in on Tuesday for repair, that it would only be a half day job.

September 1, Tuesday – Back to Collision Clinic again. I dropped the vehicle off at 9:00 for the rim replacement (half a day job, right?). I called at 2:00 to see if it was ready. The receptionist checked and said they were just finishing it up and she would call me when it was ready. At 4:30 I still hadn’t heard anything so I called back again. She said it would not be ready until 5:30. So much for a half a day job! I finally picked up the vehicle at 5:30. Everything seems to be fine. I hope I never have to go to Collision Clinic again.

Summary:

• Calls not returned
• Empty promises of when vehicle would be ready
• Items missed that should have been repaired correctly the first time (paint chip, bumper & hood not properly aligned, damaged rim)
• 44 days from the time Collision Clinic received our vehicle until all problems were properly repaired"

As I mentioned before, I posted this not only because it outlines the horrible experience that Jane had, but also because it is an excellent example of how one should document their experiences, especially if they plan to lodge a formal complaint. I hope you've enjoyed reading Jane's story and thanks for bearing with my cliffhanger style over the last couple of days!