Tony Stoms has proven himself to be negligent, deceptive, and fraudulent; here's why:
Summary:
I brought my car to Stoms Automotive on February 6th, 2023, due to my car stalling. He never fixed the initial issue. He broke and removed parts that were previously working. Then he told me the car was ready, he charged $1,452, all the while knowing my car was not fixed and actually worse off that when I brought it to him.
Details:
After Stoms initially inspected my car on Feb 6th, he said the car needed a tune-up. He also said the car needed a bearing on one rear tire; and eventually, I would need the other rear bearing done later down the road. I decided to have both rear bearings done.
On February 7th, Stoms called and said the car was ready for pickup. The bill was $1452.30 for the tune-up and rear bearings. I paid. When I attempted to start the car, the car would not start. I went back in and told Stoms the car wouldn't start. Stoms then jump the battery. Then, when when I pulled away, I heard a loud rattling noise under the car. I immediately took the car back to Stoms. He said he would have to put it up on the lift and see what's going on. The next day, he told me the car was ready (again). I asked Stoms what the rattling noise was, but he would not tell me what it was, only that he fixed it. When I was driving the car out of the shop, I noticed the emergency brake flopping up and down. I then called Stoms and asked what happened to the emergency brake? He said to bring the car back and we will look at it. At this point, I no longer trusted that the car would be repaired correctly.
On February 8th, I brought the car to another mechanic. The mechanic informed me that the rear bearing was not done correctly (bolt not attached), and all the parts for my emergency brake were gone. After getting this information, I called Stoms and asked what happened to the emergency brake and the bearing? Stoms said "we were overwhelmed, had a bad day and we broke it (all the parts for my emergency brake were thrown away), give me the new mechanic's bill and I will pay for it." Stoms also stated that I don't really need an emergency brake. I recorded this call.
The new mechanic ordered the replacement parts. When the parts arrived, he replaced my emergency brake and the bearing.
Stoms not only failed to fix the issues with the car, but he caused more problems. Stoms was never going to tell me he removed parts from my car. It was only when I discovered the issue that he admitted his negligence. I depend on my car for my livelihood, and I also depend on my emergency brake to work on my steep driveway. Reliability and safety are all I am looking for with my car. Likewise, the original issue of stalling was not resolved at Stoms, and I ended up taking my car to Honest Auto, who fixed the stalling issue for $232.
I called Stoms several times, leaving voicemails regarding his promise to reimburse me for the additional charges that were incurred by the second mechanic. Stoms never returned my calls. I then emailed and mailed him the invoice showing the work was completed, that I paid the invoice in full, and requested reimbursement. Stoms did not reply to the request. Additionally, I indicated that if I did not receive the reimbursement, I would go to the next step of small claims court and additionally request to be reimbursed for his initial bill and my lost wages at work as well. I started this process back in March. Stoms did not show up for the court date, and I won the judgment by default. I took the next steps in the legal process to request information. However, Stoms did not reply to the legal request.
Is this the first time I brought my car to Stoms? No, I brought my car to Stoms several times in the past. Stoms replaced my brakes, no problem. Stoms replaced one of my headlight bulbs, no problem. Stoms did an oil change on my car, no problem. I am not sure why I was treated differently this time. In the past, I believed Stoms was a trustworthy mechanic. He was my 'go-to' mechanic. Not anymore.
At this point, the only honorable thing Tony Stoms, as a pillar of the Middlesex community, could do is reimburse me for the damage he did to my car. read more
