JT's Auto Repair

I was referred to this mechanic shop on 1/7/2020, and in doing so the mechanic and part owner Jose told me “we’ll take care of you.” Trusting I would get new that day or next I rented a car and went about my business. Thursday arrives and I don’t hear anything about my car so I call and check up on it and they still haven’t worked on it yet. Then I get a call where the problem seems to be in the transmission( which we had established was the reason I was in there to begin with) and in order to diagnose it if I authorized a payment of 128? I agreed so they would proceed. I kept the rental again thru the weekend and on Monday I called and asked about my car. They would call me back to let me know in detail. The week goes on and I have to call and find out that the problem is, in still extending my car rental. I finally get a number (900) on the part it needs and I take a day to think about it. I call again with a response and they tell me it’s almost 2000 to fix it. I tell them I will pick it up Monday to take back home. I got day Monday and they want to charge me 409 to take my car. The fees would be for labor and use of their materials. I disagreed because I only agreed to the diagnostic for 128. I asked to speak to the owner and he was not at the shop, so I ask for a number or If he could call me. He refused and said the price was what it was and if I didn’t like it then he would charge me parking fees. How am I suppose to pay for something I didn’t not agree on and then the owner refuse to talk to me about the deal we spoken about. It seems very very unprofessional to dismiss a customer for wanting to go over the charges instead of with the middle person (who by the way agreed the only price we agreed on was the 128.) I feel that I was kept out of the loop the whole time my car was there and more so with the 400 charge. I asked if I could go in on Tuesday 1/21/2020 and the front desk person told me the owner never goes in on time and I could try calling at 10:00am.

I made an appointment to have the AC in my 2012 Acadia repaired in June of 2018. I went without my vehicle for a day only to find out their AC diagnostic machine needed a repair, so they could not yet repair my vehicle. I a bit frustrated, since I figured they should’ve checked this before committing an appointment slot, but rescheduled anyway. A week later, I dropped my car off again & left it for 4 days. Being that I have school aged children in extra-curricular actives, this was difficult to do, but luckily I had friends and neighbors to help. I was told I needed a new compressor, a system update, an agitator repaired & a few other minor things. I paid JT’s automotive over $1000 to do so. The next day, I left for a 20 hour drive to Texas with my 3 children and dog. Just before I hit Phoenix, in 108 degree temperature, my AC stopped blowing cold. It arrived in Phoenix at 6:30 on a Friday night, and not many shops were still open. I finally found a shop who tested the system to see if I needed Freon. I was told that plenty of Freon was in the system and not to add any. They then did a compression test, and afterwards, the AC started blowing cold again. The mechanic told me that his opinion was that JT’s did not replace the condenser or orifice, which are often replaced with compressors, & did not flush the system, and that metal shards were blowing through it causing blockages and that my AC would continue to switch from blowing hot and cold until I replaced the system. I called JT’s, and they argued that it is unnecessary to replace the condenser & orifice & that they had indeed flushed the system, and therefore, they believed something else was causing the issue. They asked me to bring the vehicle back to them, but I told them I could not do so, since I would be spending the summer in Texas. They then asked me to take my vehicle to a reputable mechanic in Texas for a diagnostic, since they did not agree with the mechanic in Phoenix. After arriving in Texas, I dropped my Acadia off at a GMC dealership for a full & thorough diagnostic. They had it for 10 days, and their findings were the same as the mechanic in Phoenix. I have metal shavings running through my AC system and now need the entire system replaced, estimated to cost $2700. I again called JT’s who claimed their findings made no sense. I encouraged JT’s to call the dealership in TX to get clarification, & supposedly they did. They again asked me to bring the vehicle back to them, but I told them I would not be driving across the desert again with my children & dog with no AC. They said that maybe they could “work a deal” with a mechanic in TX to repair my AC again but that the dealership was too expensive. When I asked if he knew any mechanics here, he said no, so due to my experience, I was weary about where exactly I would be taking my vehicle and whether or not I would receive quality work. I then asked if they would just refund my money so that I could find my own mechanic here, and they refused. Ideally, I’d like them to write me a check for $2700, but I’d be happy with just a refund.