Darrell Imhoff May 19, 2013 at 10:22 am
Hey Jim Eastwood. You should change your name to Jim Hardwood. That's what seems to happen whenever…Read More you talk about cops and firemen. You get the vapors. Oh,how I love those big strong men in uniform!
tlkensington May 19, 2013 at 08:59 am
Which means the cops did a cop job of standing around and looking at an accident. Something that…Read More could have been done with a fraction of man power.
Marie Hooke May 19, 2013 at 04:52 pm
My bad about the DMV, I forgot they are closed on Monday. Tuesday I will be on the phone to them.…Read More I kinda figured they would not be a BBB member, but I plan on calling to inquire. I am pretty much a record keeper so I have all receipts, estimates, supplementals and bills. I have the estimate from the other body shop as well. He also told me he has been called into to give an expert opinion when cases like this are in court. He's very familiar with this shop anyway, not a new story to him.
Yes I was steered I would say, without realizing that was the term and without realizing this practice was illegal. The shop has a shop out near the road clearly stating they save your deductible and when I went there to inquire about having work done he also said he would save me the deductible.
Before you even say it - what did I expect for a saved deductible - (it's been said to me already by someone else).... I am an honest person, I have been in business in the Valley myself and I was a very generous business woman with regard to pricing. I took it that this shop was able to do the work for less because of a lower overhead being a smaller shop without the bells and whistles. I have also over paid and been over charged for lower quality work WITH the bells and whistles. I'd rather support the small guy AND save money.
I am not going to let this go. I appreciate your support and information you have provided. I will likely keep this blog going with an update as I go along. Thanks again! Marie
Richard May 19, 2013 at 02:46 pm
Hi Marie,
The DMV is closed on Mondays. The Attorney General can help if you were…Read More "steered" by the deductible. Forget the BBB. They are not very effective. Anyone can join the BBB with a membership fee. The most the BBB will do is revoke AAA's membership if they are a member. You have up to a year to sue AAA in small claims court. You can't use a lawyer to speak for you in small claims court and the decision cannot be appealed. If AAA does not show up you automatically win. Make it tough on them and do all of the above. The burden is on AAA because they have a reputation and a business to uphold. You have nothing to lose. Make sure you keep all records and emails. Have all of the paperwork that the second shop did to support you as an expert in the field. If AAA is smart they will settle your dispute. Any good businessman would make an effort to settle a customer relations problem. They don't want the DMV or the Attorney General involved. I have a feeling you will get the best of them in the end. Don't let your emotions get the better of you. Keep it all business when dealing with a business. The best you will get out of it is to become whole. The icing on the cake is to make them sweat. Good luck.
Marie Hooke May 19, 2013 at 10:52 am
Thank you Richard. I am going to call DMV on Monday as well as BBB and Attorney General's Office.…Read More I am also considering a small claims suit since another auto body shop has quoted me $1,700 minimum to repair the car the way it was suppose to be done. In regard to the insurance co recommended shop - I checked that shop on line and wasn't impressed with the reviews. This shop came as a suggestion by someone else (who I don't know very well - 1st mistake). But I did consider what you mentioned prior to going with this shop. Initially it seemed on the up n up to me - lesson learned.
Also, it was brought to my attention that this shop advertises that they will save you money on your deductible. My deductible is only $500 so that was not a major issue for me but I was not opposed to saving a dollar there nonetheless. I was NOT told this would result in a less than acceptable job however. But a bigger issue is it was brought to my attention that this tactic is against the law. You cannot advertise you will save a deductible...it's called steering I'm told. I will be reporting this as well.
I am considering calling WTNH on Monday as well. AAA doesn't not realize they just burned the wrong woman. Wish me luck. Any further direction or suggestions are welcome.
Malloy Warns of 'Extremely Challenging' Commute This Week
Metro-North service changes and busing plans can be found at the end of this post.
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