These people were very dishonest with me, telling me that the problem with my tailgate not shutting…read moreon a brand-new truck was the hinges. Their solution was to place a spacer to prevent the tailgate from sliding left to right.
Here's the issue: it's not supposed to have any play at all. The tailgate only shuts when it's positioned to the left, but when I slide it to the right, it won't close. Their answer? "We'll put a spacer there so it won't have any more play." That might make it work for now, but it does not fix the root problem -- my vehicle's integrity has been compromised.
I recorded the entire conversation (which is legal in the state of Texas). Please, if you are going to this collision/body shop, record everything they say when explaining their workmanship or the reasons why your vehicle isn't functioning as it should.
I think they were surprised when I dropped to the ground, got my shirt dirty, and crawled under the truck to take photos. That's when they started scrambling -- "Oh no, it's the hinges," then, "It's a spacer," then, "It's this, it's that." I told them, "No -- it's the frame that holds the tailgate," but they wouldn't listen. All they wanted to do was give me excuses.
All they had to do was listen and ask questions. If they had done that, they could have understood where the impact force was actually taken. Now I have to do a thorough inspection myself because I thought I could trust the experts -- but these people seem more focused on getting the insurance money than on fixing my truck properly. They would have let me leave with a compromised vehicle, telling me that "the spacer took care of everything" as if it were some kind of magical fix.
When I reviewed my recording, it was nothing but excuses and lies. At one point, they even told me that the tailgate was connected to fiberglass and that if the frame was bent, the fiberglass would have cracked. Come on -- you're really going to tell that to someone who doesn't know better? Shame on you. Luckily, I do know better.
When I asserted myself and told them to stop feeding me a bunch of BS (and yes, I used the real word), one of their guys got in my face -- finger within two inches of me. I told him, "What are you going to do? Hit me?" He just told me to take my truck and get out. Why? Because he knew I was right.
There is no way a tailgate should have that much play where it won't shut correctly. I explained this to them the last time I came to pick up my truck. Their excuse that time? "It's the latches." They always have an excuse.
And it wasn't just the tailgate. The paint job was also flawed when I got there -- there was still compound left over from buffing in some of the repaired areas. Their response? "Oh yeah, it's okay, we'll take care of it, come back next week."
I rely on this truck to feed my family. Telling me to just "come back next week" isn't acceptable. Get things done right the first time.
Please -- if you go to this shop, record every conversation. I truly believe these people are dishonest. I have the recording and I'm sharing it with State Farm. And to the guy who got in my face -- putting your finger within two inches of me? Really? Who does that in this day and age?
I'm leaving this review because there are probably other people out there driving around with compromised vehicles and don't even know it because they trusted what these so-called "experts" told them.
Big SMH
