I was disappointed. I called for a quote and I was finessed into coming in because it’s hard to tell proper pricing over the phone. I particularly love how they have a woman in the front to try to put their women visitors at ease, especial ones who have been previously hustled by this male dominated industry. In addition the man at the front offers a spiel about how he previously saved another customer money because they run an honest business. What nice touches. The woman talks in a soft voice and overly explains everything to show how much she wants everyone to be well aware of their situation and have choices. Lol. I was offered on the phone a visual check, but once that was completed I was cautioned that I should pay for what I thought was a diagnostic test but it wasn’t. The tactic used for my visit was “but you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to”. What made me sad was I just wanted to know what was wrong with the car since my engine light was on. So I complied. What I actually paid for was an extended visual test and they opened some box to check something. So imagine my annoyance and impatience when over an hour later I was told they could not definitively tell me what was causing the engine light to be on. They repeated to me what they assumed was wrong which was the same info they told me when I arrived. And if I wanted to know for sure they suggested I do the diagnostic test. What did I just pay for then!?!? They also offered me a long list of things my car needed repaired. I asked for prices for the things that needed repairing and was told OK only to get the price for one thing. I can’t imagine why that took 40 minutes when I didn’t get the info I asked for. To reel in my anger and the feeling of being played, I had to just mentally coast the rest of the time because I was officially done with their establishment. The next day I visited the shop my parents go to and I was told a lot of front offices in these car shops are on a mission to upsell. I was also told all the other things they listed that needed fixing were unnecessary. He told me what issue was causing the check engine light and I set up an appointment for service. I would advise others not to waste their time or money on the place I’m currently reviewing unless you know quite a bit about cars.
Nadiah, I can definitely understand your disappointment, frustration, and anger. It means that I failed to give you an understanding of what we were going to give you both on the phone when I set your appointment and when you arrived. I thought I had adequately explained that I was going to have our technician do a visual inspection only to see if anything pertaining to your specific code such as a broken or damaged component or leaking air tubing was readily apparent which would be a false indicator or cause of your check engine light. The disassembly/reassembly fee that you paid for was to gain further access to areas that we couldn't see that would also contribute to your diagnostic trouble code. When you first called, you wanted an estimate for replacing an oxygen sensor. When we finished with our evaluation, you had an estimate for the oxygen sensor in the circuit that read faulty (as there is more than one oxygen sensor), and a separate estimate for a Level I diagnosis to perform the diagnostic procedure per Toyota for your trouble code along with my honest assessment that the oxygen sensor may or may not be the only problem. I knew your feelings about your previous experiences at other shops and that is why I took you back to your vehicle to show you what I saw first hand. The other items that we showed you on our list were part of the visual inspection that we performed. While they did not pertain to your reason for coming in, they were part of the visual inspection that you and I had discussed. I did not offer an estimate for those items--that was not what you came to us for. During your evaluation, we retrieved a Technical Service Bulletin from Toyota for your diagnostic trouble code which you now have a copy of, a battery status report, a 30 point visual inspection report, the estimate for the oxygen sensor pertaining to the circuit that read a fault, and an estimate for the actual diagnosis. If I didn't give you options for performing the diagnosis and just replaced a sensor without testing the circuit and the sensor did not fix the problem, I feel you would be just as upset if not more so. As frustrating as this was for you, please know Keven and I are both disappointed that our care and concern for doing what is best for you, our client, your vehicle, and our company, did not translate during your visit. I know I reached out to you today via telephone and it was not a great time to talk. If you are still willing, I would love to talk to you in two weeks when it is a better time. I would really love to hear what the shop your parents go to did to fix your check engine light and make sure that at least that concern has been taken care of. In the end that is what truly matters. Sincerely, Genette M. DonBullian, General Manager
- A Anthony Mobile Vehicle Service, Inc.