Joe was a good guy, but the new owner and his wife are terrible! Here is my experience:
I took my car there for an exhaust leak under the hood on Tuesday, April 28th. I spoke directly with Tyler the mechanic. I explained to him that I needed to have the car back before Friday, May 1st so that I could drive it to New Jersey so that I could attend a funeral in my family. Tyler agreed to diagnose it but not to start the work so that we would be sure that I would have my car back in time to drive it to New Jersey for the funeral. Tyler kept his word. We spoke by phone on the morning of Thursday, April 30th. He told me that he had diagnosed the problem but had not started the work, that he would be preparing an estimate, and that I could pick up the car at any time. We agreed that I would pick up the car around noon and return it the following week for the actual repair work. So far, so good.
However, when I arrived at 1:30 PM to pick up my car, Tyler the mechanic wasn't there and the new owner's wife didn't want to go along with the arrangements that were already made between me and Tyler. She told me that I couldn't take my car because she had not spoke with Tyler about it and that both Tyler and her husband, the owner, were in court. I told her that I had been up all night and that I needed to take my car and go home to get some sleep so that I could get up early to drive to New Jersey, that we had no idea as to how long Tyler would be tied up in court, that I was willing to pay the diagnostic fee, that I was a long time customer there, and that I had always paid my bills. She just wouldn't listen and she just kept insisting that I had to return later for my car for no other reason than because she just didn't know what had been arranged and how much to charge me. This is the kind of inflexible attitude you would expect from a government bureaucrat, not a responsible small business woman.
I eventually grew frustrated with her and took a few steps toward my car. She directed one of the employees there to close the garage bay door. This same employee then turned to her and told her the same things that I had been telling her, that arrangements had already been made for me to pick up the car today and return it the following week.
She then said something about me owing a diagnostic fee. I told her, again, that I was willing to pay the diagnostic fee. We then went back to the office; I paid for the diagnosis, and I went to my car. The keys were in the ignition. I then backed my car out of the service bay with one of the employees guiding me as I backed it out. This was the safest and best way to back a large car out of the service bay.
As I pulled into my garage at home I received a call from the irate owner accusing me of disrespecting his wife, of "grabbing the keys" and of entering the service bay and retrieving my car without proper authorization. None of his accusations were true, but he was so angry and irate that there was no communicating with him.
Obviously, I won't be going back there. read more
