I would give 0 stars if I could. My full story here:
I was DISTRESSED after someone side swiped my brand new car and ran... leaving me responsible with the costs of repair. Being a young female that knows NOTHING about cars, I was overwhelmed by everything going on. I called my insurance to report the accident and was referred to Master Collision. All the 5* reviews made me really think that I would be in good hands... but I couldn't have been more WRONG.
I had an appointment at Master Collision for 10am to have my car repairs estimated - or so I thought. It was then that I was asked to sign a series of papers that authorized this auto shop to also repair my car. I must have misunderstood over the phone because I didn't think I would be getting repairs done right away or that I had to commit to this specific shop. I thought I was just coming to get an estimate and then be free to go where I pleased or even forego the insurance claim if it wasn't too much out of pocket. I told them I didn't want to sign until I knew exactly what I was getting myself into, so I only authorized them to do the estimate and nothing more.
This is where the customer service NOSEDIVED. My father and I waited 30 minutes in the office for their guy (I forgot his name) to inspect the damages on my car. After the initial wait, he tells us that he'll need another 30 min to complete the estimate, he will email me as soon as it's done, and I should go home first. Two hours pass by, and still no email. I've never heard of anyone who waited more than 30 minutes for a car estimate. I decide to call them to verify if the email was coming. I'm instead told that the guy was with another customer at the moment but he will send the email as soon as he's done. Wow. I find that incredibly rude... He couldn't just finish up with me first? I guess since I wasn't ready to put my money on the table right away, they decided I wasn't worth their time. 4 hours later - still no email. I call again. The woman on the phone puts me on hold and then tells me he has already emailed the estimate to my insurance and will email me once he gets the estimate approval. ...Umm okay? I suppose there's no real problem with that, but it really rubbed me the wrong way. Why couldn't you email us both at the same time and just let me know that the estimate awaiting approval? When you promise to email someone, you should really follow through with that first. He didn't even mention at the time he would be emailing the insurance either, he only said he would email ME, which he didn't do at all.
I decide to call my insurance at this point because I just want to know what's going on. At 3pm, my adjuster tells me that my claim estimate was approved and went over my options with me on how to proceed. Mind you, still NO email from Master Collision - even after being promised an email that should have been ready ~30 minutes after I left the auto shop (so ~11am?) and again being promised an email after the adjuster approved the claim (which was ~3pm). NO FOLLOW UP WHATSOEVER.
I can understand the logic behind not wanting to help me out because I didn't want to commit to your shop. In the end, you are also running a business so if I don't fork over my money, there's no reason do the extra work. But in that case, just be HONEST with me. If you guys really didn't want to do the car estimate, then you should have just told me to go somewhere else. Instead, I waited ALL DAY for an email that never came when I could have gone to another auto shop that same day.
What's worse is that they gave my insurance an INCREDIBLY LOW estimate considering the damage to my car. After I got the number, I asked everyone I knew and even several auto shops what they thought, and EVERYONE concurred that this is NOT what it cost to fix my car and that they'll probably use the cheapest parts possible if they're doing the repairs for this price. That is NOT what I want for my BRAND NEW CAR!!
It feels so awful to be left in the dark like that, especially when you're so unfamiliar with cars, their repairs, insurance claims, etc. This is the first time I've ever had to submit a claim and use my insurance, and I know I'm fumbling my way through as well but this is just NOT right. These guys are supposed to be the professionals here but hardly act like it. I'm deeply disappointed being treated this way, especially after already having this hit and run happen at all. This is my first time ever taking my car to an auto shop and I think it's perfectly fair to be hesitant in deciding who I should trust with touching my baby. This is also my first ever brand new car and I intend to treat it with the utmost care I can. I was really looking forward finding my own auto shop that I could have used for life so I was really hoping to trust this business because of all the positive reviews.... But this place is ABSOLUTELY NOT IT. I will NEVER come back and I encourage everyone to STAY AWAY. read more
