My experience with All Magic Paint & Body in Norco has been one of the most frustrating and exhausting customer service experiences I have ever had. My car was at this shop for almost two months, and during that time, I was given FIVE different completion dates: August 28, September 4, September 11, September 14, and finally September 16.
Every time I was given another completion date, I rearranged my expectations and my schedule around what they told me, only for the date to come and go. I completely understand that repairs can take longer than anticipated and unexpected delays happen. What I do not understand is repeatedly giving a customer a completion date when you apparently have no idea whether you can actually meet it.
At one point, an employee called me telling me my parts had arrived that day, that my vehicle was in the assembly process, and that they were beginning the work. Then several days later, I received THE SAME CALL and the same explanation as though the first conversation had never happened. When I questioned it, there was confusion on their end. It left me wondering whether anyone was actually documenting these conversations or accurately tracking the status of my vehicle.
I made it clear that I am a working mom with three kids and that I cannot just be given hours notice to pick up my car. The girl on the phone understood and told me I could come Friday or even Saturday since they open for a short window. I told her I need reasonable notice to arrange transportation and get all the way to Norco. I cannot simply drop everything in the middle of a workday because the shop suddenly decided my car was ready after almost two months of delays.
Then, the following Wednesday morning, I suddenly received a call around 10:30 telling me that my car was ready and that I needed to pick it up by 5:00 PM or I would have to take over the rental contract because the body shop was no longer going to pay for it.
After this shop had delayed my vehicle FIVE TIMES, I was suddenly being given approximately six and a half hours to rearrange my entire day or potentially become responsible for the rental bill.
But the rental car situation was truly the final straw.
My rental was through Enterprise in Yorba Linda. I made this VERY clear to All Magic. On THREE separate occasions, their employees took the phone number for the Enterprise Yorba Linda location from me. I repeatedly confirmed with them that the rental billing would be handled. I was repeatedly assured that they would contact Enterprise Yorba Linda and take care of it.
When I arrived at Enterprise Yorba Linda, their employees told me they had no record of the body shop contacting them and did not know anything about the arrangement I had been repeatedly assured was being handled.
I called All Magic from Enterprise and THEN, after nearly two months of having my vehicle and after THREE separate conversations about the Yorba Linda Enterprise location, I was suddenly told, "Oh, actually, we don't work with Enterprise Yorba Linda. You have to take the rental to Enterprise Norco for us to pay the balance." Why did they repeatedly tell me they would contact that location and handle the billing?
Why did nobody tell me at any point during the almost two months you had my vehicle that the rental needed to be physically returned to Enterprise Norco?
This is exactly what made this experience so exhausting. It wasn't one isolated miscommunication. It was a PATTERN.
Different employees would tell me different things. Calls that were promised never came. Completion dates repeatedly changed. Information I had already provided seemed to disappear. And when I explained what another employee had previously told me, I repeatedly encountered some variation of "Well, I wasn't the one who told you that."
That is not an acceptable response. As a customer, I should not have to keep track of which employee made which promise. A professional business should maintain accurate notes so its employees know what has been communicated to a customer.
By the end of this experience, I genuinely felt like I needed every conversation documented because I had been told so many different things.
Again, I understand that auto repairs can be delayed. Parts can take longer than expected. Additional damage can be discovered. Things happen.
The delays themselves are not even my biggest complaint.
My complaint is the complete lack of reliable communication surrounding those delays. If you don't know when a vehicle will be finished, DON'T repeatedly give the customer dates you cannot meet. If you promise to call a customer, CALL THEM. If there is a specific requirement for returning a rental vehicle so that you can pay for it, TELL THE CUSTOMER before they return it somewhere else. And if your employee tells a customer something, document it so the next employee doesn't act like the conversation never happened. read more