BEWARE!!! AVOID THIS BUSINESS!!! MUST READ!!!
I hadn't planned on posting this but after today's interaction with Ashley (see "update" below), I felt I had to help others avoid this place.
INITIAL INTERACTION: I contacted American Coastal Collision (ACC) and spoke with Klaus Langemann (Owner). He stated prior to repairs that they do not report to Carfax. THAT WAS A LIE!!! I LOST MONEY ON MY VEHICLE TRADE DUE TO DAMAGE REPORT!!! To top it off, they didn't even fix the vehicle properly. I had to return a second time for them to correct their unprofessional work!
I was involved in a fender bender in a parking lot (other driver at fault). The damage was extremely minor, so filing an accident report or insurance was not necessary. Six months later, while trading my vehicle, I was baffled to find a damage report on Carfax!!!
I contacted Klaus and explained the entire situation in depth: I contacted no other body shop, all transactions were handled in cash, the other driver did not file an insurance claim (nor did I), the dates of their estimate and Carfax damage report were the exact same day and I never gave my VIN to anyone but ACC. His response was, "well, it wasn't us." I reiterated that there was no possibility it was anyone else. Klaus then became very agitated, rude and began raising his voice. I was in disbelief? That's how a business OWNER handles legitimate customer concerns? He then contradicted himself, stating maybe their estimation software (CCC) released the information to Carfax. I requested that he call them to verify and he responded, "well even if they did report your info to Carfax, they're not going to tell me the truth." So, you entered my information into a system you don't trust or even know what they do with that information....? Unbelievable!!!
RESOLUTION: I had some scratches on my new 2019 Chevy Silverado from fender flares that came installed on my new truck. I was hoping he would agree to attempt to buff out the minor scratches as a courtesy and call it even. He finally agreed to look at it after multiple requests, by stating in a rude tone, "I'll look at your truck!! Are you happy now!? Just bring in your truck!!" and then hung up the phone on me. When I arrived, in person, his abrasive demeanor changed but he still REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE. Not surprising!
He also stated that in 35yrs of business, he has never heard of this before. ANOTHER LIE!!! While explaining my situation to an acquaintance, they explained a similar experienced with ACC regarding incorrect data being added to their Carfax after having body work done at ACC. It ended up costing her a $3,000 loss on her vehicle trade. The Carfax reported the damage was far more severe than it actually was: air bags deployed, structural damage, etc. NONE OF THAT WAS PRESENT IN THE ACCIDENT AND HER ESTIMATE PROVED IT!! ACC refused to help!! I have also spoken with multiple vehicle salesman who state they have seen similar issues come from ACC relating to trading in vehicles.
UPDATE: Called today (months later) regarding another matter, hoping to give them a second chance by fixing a small scratch on my new vehicle. Explained my previous experience to ASHLEY and was met with the same attitude, "We don't report to Carfax." She then said, "let me stop you right there because we don't have any estimate availability until the end of February, so we can't help you!" WHICH WAS A LIE!!! That's three months later. I had a coworker contact them to verify with Ashley that they had availability for the following Tuesday for an estimate.... 3 days later.... GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE ASHLEY!!!
CONCLUSION: NEVER TRUST AMERICAN COASTAL COLLISION, ASHLEY OR KLAUS LANGEMANN'S BUSINESS ETHICS!! read more