I recently was rear-ended in my Mercedes ML 350 and decided to go outside the insurance companies recommendation because Raintree Auto Body states on their website they are "The Only Tier 2 Certified Mercedes Benz Repair Facility in the State of Arizona." I was getting ready to sell my vehicle and wanted to make sure that official parts were being used to repair my bumper. I was able to obtain a quote fairly quickly by an in-person meeting and gave it to the third parties insurance companies.
I did not hear from either the insurance company or the auto body shop for a few days, so I reached out to the insurance company and finally got permission to drop off the vehicle. When I dropped off the vehicle my Feb 18th, the woman at the desk asked me to confirm my contact information. I noticed she had the wrong cellphone number written down. I let her know and made the changes to the document she handed to me. I was told it would take five days to repair the vehicle. Photos were taken up the arrival of my vehicle from all angles.
Five days came and went, and no update, so I had to reach out to the repair facility to find out that they still had not received the parts and it would be another week. Another week came and went, and no update. I then reached out to Raintree again, and they said they were waiting on payment and that it "should" be available on Monday. I reached out to the insurance company to let them know that I still had the rental and maybe Monday. Monday came and went, and no call. I called Tuesday morning, and they said they had tried to reach me the prior day which I had no missed calls or voicemails.
When I picked up my vehicle on March 9th I found out that they still had the wrong number on their computer. SO much for having me correct my information, I guess it's not an important detail to have your customer's phone number. I get in my car and turn it on and notice that my gaslight is on which seemed odd considering I had a quarter tank of gas when I dropped it off and my driver's front tire was reading at 20psi. It was close of business and I just wanted to get gas, get air in my tire, and go home. I did both of those and drove home. When I got home and was further inspecting my vehicle I noted that there was a large crack in the windshield that was hiding behind my rearview mirror that was not there prior to dropping off and did not happen on my way home. I had my windshield replaced in Dec and would have known if I had a crack. It was too late to call the shop so I waited until my lunch break the next day. I asked to speak with the manager and the woman on the other end asked me to hold. When she returned to the phone she stated that the manager was eating lunch and said he would call me later in the day. I'm glad his lunch is more important than speaking to a customer who was dissatisfied. The manager did call me back about an hour later and listened to my multiple concerns: gaslight being on, cracked windshield (which I replaced in Dec), and low tire pressure. I was highly concerned that someone drove my vehicle since it appeared based on the mileage that over 30 miles were driven on my vehicle while at their shop. He condescendingly responded that they move the vehicle every morning and evening to another lot around the corner and that explained the mileage. And that more than likely my crack was there and it just spread from sitting in the sun. There is no way that driving it around the corner and back would equal that kind of mileage and the fact that the pre pictures that were taken by them showed no evidence of damage to my windshield. The manager told me to bring the vehicle in so they could take a look at the windshield etc. which I did the same day. They gave me lip service that everything needs to be run through the owner and they would be in touch. The next day I received a call from the shop stating that the owner was not going to repair my windshield or take care of anything else. He felt that I had insurance and would not have any out-of-pocket expenses and they had no comment regarding the mileage etc.
Yes, I have insurance but my insurance company reminded me that windshield replacement is comprehensive and counts as points against me and that I just had it replaced. It's not worth taking this company to small claims but I will never use this shop ever again. Other than fixing my bumper, they lack customer service skills and don't treat your vehicle well while in their care. I plan to tell everyone I know that drives a Mercedes never to use this shop and to spread the word. read more