Maaco Consumer Reviews - Page 6

MIAMI, FLORIDA -- My problems started when I cut a coupon from clipper magazine advertising MAACO auto paint from $ 249.95, on 10-20-30 I visited MAACO COLLISION REPAIR & AUTO PAINTING at 12250 S.W. 117 Court, Miami, FL - 33186-5203. I showed them the first car, Mercedes 190 E, and mentioned if they do a good job I will bring my other 3 cars (MERCEDES 190E / MERCEDES 420SEL / TRANS-AM FIREBIRD / TOYOTA VAN) also to them for paint job. One thing did make me feel uneasy was the huge sign they had put NO CHECKS OR CREDIT CARDS, CASH ONLY (I will understand later why they insist on cash only).

On Mercedes 190 E, they accepted the $249.95 coupon but immediately added $60 and told me it is a tax collected by Miami-Dade county AND IT IS THE LAW. They pointed to and circled the Florida statutes noted in fine print - S.559.904 (4) - on the form which sounded VERY LEGAL at the time but following is actual print of the mentioned statutes, and it has nothing to do with any tax IN PLAIN ENGLISH.

THEY ARE RIPPING PEOPLE OFF IN THE NAME OF A NON-EXISTING TAX AND BY GROSS MISREPRESENTATION OF FLORIDA STATUTES. Of this so-called TAX, they entered $30 in the materials & supply column and $30 in the sublet/env (whatever that means) column.

Later when I paid cash in full, the $30 was entered in sublet/towing column (WHAT TOWING? I DROVE THE CAR TO THEM I PICKED IT UP) which makes me wonder, are they playing around with cash currency to avoid taxes or cheat the I.R.S. OR MAACO??? IS THIS MONEY LAUNDERING??? (A copy of this letter to I.R.S. will decide). Then they suddenly realized it has rust in one part and added $ 50 to the estimate. By now, $ 249.95 had ballooned to $ 385.14. If I hadn't stopped them with a strong no, who knows how high the estimate might have gone?

Amazingly they painted the car in 6 hours (WHICH SPEAKS FOR ITSELF OF HOW MUCH QUALITY SHOULD I EXPECT IN 6 HOURS) and asked me to bring the other Mercedes 420 SEL and pick up the 190 E. The 190 E looked normal, it's just that they painted everything black (one color) wherever the paint nozzle could reach they painted).

I was expecting bumpers to be different color (GRAY) and I wrongly assumed MAACO is a WELL-KNOWN company and they would know how to properly paint a Mercedes. But because I did not specify 2-tone on the sales order - I did not complain and they said I have 2-year warranty so if anything goes wrong, I can bring it back.

On 10-21-03 I brought the Mercedes 420 SEL for a 2-tone (black & gray paint) and they said I should not do the $249.95 paint but use a better paint (ULTRA-URETHANE) with a 4-year warranty and it will have the NEW CAR WET LOOK and this and that they used lot of technical auto mumbo-jumbo to convince me to AGREE for the expensive $ 399.95 paint.

Then they said I must get an extra CLEAR COAT FOR ANOTHER $100.00. Next they said they have to paint the DOOR JAMS SO THEY ADDED ANOTHER $100. Next they added another $200 for bodywork (150 for sunroof plus $50 for rear left door, total up till now: $949.95) & rust repair especially on a one-inch part of the sunroof. They promised me they will cut the rusted piece and weld new metal part together. They asked about the rubber seal because as per their technician, it would get burnt while welding the new metal piece so I said I will provide a new rubber seal at my expense.

When I started to leave saying I will think about getting the car painted or not, they lowered the price to $802.50 (including sales tax and the other FAKE tax) - finally I agreed. Until 10-25-03 I did not get any call, so I visited and was shocked to see the top half of Mercedes 420 SEL painted black (as desired) but the bottom was painted a UGLY, WEIRD BLUE COLOR. It was a total mismatch and certainly not a Mercedes color.

This is where ** (a rude,obnoxious,arrogant person) and who had written the sales order and who later I learned is the owner started huffing and puffing and dancing around the vehicle and screaming that it is not blue, but original Mercedes gray. I offered to show the car to any human being of his choosing and if any person say it is gray and not blue. I offered to take the car as it is. He went to his computer and realized somebody at MAACO (or he himself) had painted the Mercedes a VOLVO BLUE. But when I refused to pay any money, he back tracked and he agreed to correct the mistake. 3 days later the car was painted correct color.

I had given them the original Mercedes sunroof rubber seal (COPY OF INVOICE ENCLOSED) which first they tried to push it in/force it in with various tools, thereby separating the two metal plates which holds the seal, broke the sunroof switch and scratched the newly painted sun roof. Then they tried to glue it in with white glue and lastly they cut the uncut one piece rubber seal rendering it useless -- by now they realized they messed up.

THEY HAD NEVER EVER WORKED ON A MERCEDES OR ITS SUNROOF AND DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO PUT THE SEAL (in reality all they had to do was push the seal by hand slowly in the groove open and close the sunroof 8/10 times and sunroof automatically would push the seal in by itself). Another of their salesman called me and requested/ advised/ suggested/ warned me if I want my car, I should take it to a Mercedes technician for the sunroof seal because MAACO cannot fix it and they really don't know how to fix or paint a Mercedes.

They told me the car is not finished, there were scratches on the sunroof, wet paint marks around the door jams and a big smudge mark on the trunk so I should get the sun roof seal fixed, bring it back and they will repaint what ever needs to be done..

They would not release the car without full payment in cash so I paid cash and picked up my car on 10-30-03 and rushed to a master technician of Mercedes - KARL'S AUTO REPAIR (MERCEDES SPECIALIST), 13807 S.W. 142 AVENUE, MIAMI, FL 33186 (305) 235-0507 - who after inspecting the sunroof, informed me they have BROKEN SOME PARTS (plastic link assembly and springs) inside the sunroof by trying to force the rubber seal, separated two metal plates which now need to be welded and destroyed the seal by using glue on it and by cutting it. NOW I UNDERSTOOD THIS IS WHY THEY WANTED THE PAYMENT IN CASH AND UPFRONT.

I had to order ANOTHER SUNROOF SEAL AND SOME PARTS from MERCEDES BENZ OF MIAMI (copy of invoice enclosed) and after getting the seal and sunroof fixed, I took the car back to MAACO on 11-03-03 for them to finish the unfinished job. The salesman said I should let the paint dry for another week and bring it back next Monday (11-10-03). So I went back on 11-10-03 and they said it will be done next day or latest by Wednesday 11-12-03.

I visited everyday from 11-10-03 until 11-14-03 when I asked ** as to why nothing has been done in one week. First he rudely denied ever promising anything, however when I showed him in writing I had made a list of defects (before paying and picking the car) and a copy was in his records, he said he will do the paint in next 3 days. I visited again on Monday the 11-17-03 and nothing was done, INSTEAD first on phone he (THE LIAR THAT HE IS) himself told me ** IS SICK AND (he) HAS GONE HOME. But I knew it was him on the phone so I decided to visit him and the moment he saw me, JUMPED IN HIS TRUCK AND RAN AWAY.

I immediately realized I have been conned and later his own employees advised me I should take the car as it is and try my luck with the MAACO corporate headquarters or Miami-Dade consumer protection or sue him or whatever because he is not going to fix the problem. He is bad with the customers and employees alike.

So I write to you for your help in solving following issues: The car needs paint on and around sunroof. There are minor scratches on sunroof and at few places the metal is showing. He claimed & tried to hide behind a noting on the estimate which states some imperfections will show - BUT THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOME IMPERFECTIONS AND SCRATCHING THE PAINT OR NOT PREPARING/ PAINTING SOME AREAS AT ALL.

I am not claiming for the imperfections which are so many, it will take pages to explain and this nightmare with Maaco will never be over. I AM CLAIMING FOR THE DAMAGE HE DID WITH HAMMER AND OTHER TOOLS TRYING TO FORCE THE SEAL IN.

Needs paint on all door jams (I AM TOLD THEY DID NOT PREPARE THE SURFACE SO THE PAINT IS NOT ADHERING/STICKING TO THE BODY). On the trunk where they put some smudge mark then try to wet sand it & buff it, now there is a big shadow like semi-circle where they try to buff. He charged me $50 to do body work and paint the work around rear left door handle BUT HE DID NOT DO ANY BODY WORK, JUST SIMPLY PAINTED OVER THE OLD WORK. IT SHOWS AND PAINT IS ALREADY PEELING OFF.

Since this guy does not come on the phone or just keeps giving a run around. Plus anyway, for one month I have been running after him with no success and not to forget the humiliating experience and disrespectful treatment which was totally uncalled for - NO SELF-RESPECTING CUSTOMER WILL VISIT OR SPEAK TO HIM AGAIN.

I request you to please help me recover following money: (1) SUNROOF REPAINT = $100.00; (2) LEFT REAR DOOR PAINT = $50.00; (3) DOOR JAMS = $100.00; (4) COST OF BROKEN PARTS = $282.58; (5) LABOR FOR KARL AUTO, 3 HRS @ $75 = $ 225.00. TOTAL = $757.58

I am writing this letter first and only to MAACO headquarters because I went for the MAACO name, their advertisements in many publications/TV, etc. I feel it is their name and reputation at stake and maybe they will put BRAKES ON THIS GUY and stop him FROM CROSSING THE LINE. HE UNNECESSARILY DESTROYED THE RUBBER SEAL AND BROKE PARTS IN THE SUNROOF, THEN ARROGANTLY STARTED MISBEHAVING. I really regret paying him full amount because now, he DOES NOT care about customer problems (this feeling of helplessness really hurts).

But maybe MAACO corporate headquarters or somebody at MAACO will say THIS WAS NOT FAIR TO THE CUSTOMER AND DECIDE THAT THIS GUY NEEDS TO PAY FOR HIS MISDEEDS AND CROOKED ATTITUDE. Plus curb his ILLEGAL ACTIVITY of circling a non-related Florida statute on estimate form and claiming it as a tax statute.

I have no intentions of aggravating this situation any further so I will wait for MAACO headquarters response to my complaint and if they will refuse to help then I will seek legal remedies, write to proper authorities, post this complaint on internet on every possible site, chat room, mail this letter to anyone who wants to know about my experience with MAACO. I hope it wouldn't come to that. Thank you very much for your time.

ST. ALBANS, WEST VIRGINIA -- I wanted to get my truck painted and make it look good. I took it to Maaco because it was supposed to be a professional and inexpensive to get done. I drove an hour to get to St. Albans, WV from Ironton, OH and had to leave my truck there a couple of days and return back to pick it up. I thought the paint job was terrible. I told the manager Butch that I was not satisfied and to see if we could work a deal. He said he had no authority to do that but I could talk to the owner if I wanted to bring the truck back again another day.

I did contact the owner Joe ** and drove all the way down there for him to look at it. He said that he witnessed the truck being sanded and painted. I told him that it has not been sanded. It still had my old paint, that they just painted over it. He told me that he witness the employees stripping the truck to bare metal. I told him that I had already taken the truck to the dealership and they told me that it looked like it had just been painted over and that they didn't even get the surface rust off. He told me that they had stripped it.

I told him that I was going to take paint remover and strip it myself and if he could tell me what color it was going to be underneath. He told me "GRAY and GREEN" primer, and he told me that if I did that that he would not touch the truck or fix anything that I could get off his lot.

I took the paint stripper and stripped the spot above my cab and the same old paint and rust was underneath it and no primer. Then he told me that they made a mistake and to excuse them. He told me that he would paint the top of the cab and the very bottom edge of the doors and fenders. I told him that the whole paint job was not done right and that I wanted it done right. There were fish eyes every where and he told me they were rock chips but the dealership told me that it came from not prepping the surface right and that it would have to be done all over again.

Just to fix what they had done and would probably cost $ 4,000 now to fix their mistake. When I told **, the manager, that he told me since I only paid $530 for the paint job that I probably couldn't afford a lawyer so sue him. I called their corporate office and talked to Marilyn and she told me she would have to talk to Joe and call me back and I never heard back from her. I am truly not satisfied.

I feel that this was fraud. They lied to me totally and said that they seen them strip the truck which was a total lie. P.S. This all took place at 6124 MacCorkle Ave in St. Albans, WV 25177 and phone 1 800 894 8220. Just in case someone else would like to make the same mistake I made.

ST. ALBANS, WEST VIRGINIA -- I decided that I wanted to have my 89 GMC Sierra pick up truck painted to make it look good. There was a few dents that I wasn't worried about. I found out that Maaco had the best price on paint jobs. The closest one to me was an hour away drive. I live in Ironton, Ohio and drove all the way to St. Albans, W. VA where I got the truck done. They quoted me on the phone $299.00 just for the paint job.

When I got there, they said its $330 for the paint job, then they told me that it will cost another $150 for them to strip the hood, top and tail gate...which I had a little rust spot on the top of the cab. The total bill was $530 with tax and all.

I came back to pick up the truck. It was awful...there was fish eyes everywhere. They did not sand, strip or primered anywhere. You can see where they painted over the rust and everything. I was so disappointed. I told the manager ** that I know that they didn't strip it. He said they did. I told him that I am a mechanic, I know about stripping and all that. I just didn't have the accessories to do the paint job myself. He just stood there and wouldn't do anything. So I asked who owned the business. He said **.

I had to take the truck all the way home an hour away and come back a couple of days later so that **, the owner could look at it. He said that his employees stripped it and that he had witnessed it. I asked for paint stripper so I could prove it to him that it has not been sand, strip and primere. He agreed to give me the paint stripper. He didn't think I was really going to do it and he threatened me that if I did it that they would not fix the problem.

We got into an argument and I told him that I know it hasn't been stripped. He finally admitted that they didn't strip it and I told him I wanted the fish eyes out of the paint and he said no, that they would only fix the top of the cab and underneath the doors. I told him no, that wouldn't do me any good. I wanted the truck redone. He refuse to do it and told me to leave his property. I am very upset and would never go to another Maaco again!!! I am going to take legal action over this. Do not go to MAACO in ST. ALBANS, W. VA!!! I don't know about any other MAACO, but I do know this one.

Oh, before I forget to say...when I first dropped my truck off, there was a couple from Huntington, W. VA that had just gotten their BMW painted a different color, they were coming to finally pick it up. They told us that they were not satisfied with their job and that they had forgotten the door jams and a lot of things. They had to make 3 round trips to get their car done right. They told us that since we were getting the truck painted the same color, that we should be fine...now I wish I would've listened.

My name is ** and below is what happened when I took my car in for repair at Maaco, located at 601 South 17th Street in Harrisburg, PA. My original estimate, written during the winter of 2002, included painting the driver side door and door jamb, doing bodywork and painting a patch of area behind the door about the size of my hand or less, and touch up paint on my rear bumper. When I dropped the car off, the paper had become old and wrinkled so the man at the copied it onto another sheet and I again instructed what was to be done.

Late August - my significant other, ** and I dropped my car off at Maaco, located at 601 South 17th Street in Harrisburg, PA to get my door painted and a small patch of bodywork behind the driver side door. For this, I gave them the paint code that was for my car. It was to be the same paint and quality that was already on my car. I handed them an estimate that was written by ** back in the first couple months of year 2002. They copied the estimate onto another sheet because it was old and wrinkled.

I instructed them again on what needed to be done. I also said that to be added to the list was to install one part inside my car door that I had in my trunk. The part allowed for the power door lock to work because the original part had been cracked. I also told them that there were two parts in the car but that only one was needed and that I had ordered the wrong part initially and I was going to return the unused part.

Also, on the original estimate, it included the bodywork to be done behind the driver side door. But, by the time I took it in to Maaco, my boyfriend had performed most of the work behind the driver side door and used some bondo on it. It only needed to be touched up minimally and wet-sanded prior to painting. I also asked them to fix the door because it was not on totally right and was rubbing against the car and said this to the man at the counter while he was re-writing the work order.

Upon picking the car up, I went inside and paid and they then told me where the car was. I went out to the car and one of the staff, **, ended up coming out. We were very dissatisfied with the work and had several questions. First at the time was the abundance of paint inside the entire car. He assured us that we could bring it back to get cleaned up because I really needed to have the car at that time.

After driving away less than a mile, I returned to the place very angry and trying to hold back my tears. My driver side window was not working properly and my passenger door handle had been snapped off inside. Nobody from the garage told me of the problems they caused. Instead, they relied on my demands for it to be done. The car reeked profusely of paint fumes. I returned and told them of the complaints and they assured everything would be taken care of. I also questioned where my extra car part was. They said that both parts were needed and that it is in the car door.

I have not checked that statement to see whether they were telling the truth or not because I would need to take the inside door panel off which I will be going to a garage to have done. So, within the first day of picking my car up, there was paint over my entire dashboard area, a broken door handle, a missing part that, to my knowledge, was not needed and a window that suddenly started not functioning after dropping the car off to them. Nobody from the garage told me that the door handle was broken or about the window or about "€œneeding"€ to install the part that I had mistakenly ordered from a different place nearby my former residence.

They said they needed to order the part and to wait to bring my car in to get cleaned until the passenger side door handle arrived. First, they ordered the wrong part of the door handle. Then, once the part came in, I made my second trip back to Maaco on a Thursday (a man named ** at Olive Garden covered my shift for me) to get everything taken care of and took off from work to do so.

I gave them my work order to review the charges and compare it to what was done. The garage performed no body work on the driver side rear panel. At that point, I was willing to get a partial refund and go elsewhere to have the work done. However, they assured me they could do it right.

They were to remove all overspray throughout the interior and exterior of the car and re-do the patch behind the driver side door that they had only painted over while still charging me to do all of the body work. The only thing extra that I added to the original estimate was to replace a door-lock part and told them of this when originally dropping the car off but they, at this time, said it had not been added to the estimate. There was less bodywork to do and they did not do it until later in this story.

So, while dropping the car off, the man had not added the labor for installing the one needed door-lock part and I would have paid above the estimate had they explained that to me. However, they failed to do the body work on the car, which was on the estimate.

When I picked the car up, they showed it to me in the bay of the garage where it was not lit well and had me pull my car out of the bay and into the street. And, again the work was not done. There still remains overspray all over the dash but not as bad and the body work was not done. And, they did not give me my copy of the work order back. However, they fixed the door handle that they broke and the functioning of the power window.

A few days later, I returned to the garage again and decided to ask them for the stuff they use on the car to remove the over-spray. They handed me lacquer thinner and absorbent wipes to use on my dashboard and on the black plastic parts surrounding my dashboard and radio. They also instructed me to wear gloves. However, I never used the lacquer thinner after being instructed to wear gloves and how strong the stuff was for fear that it would ruin my dashboard. The general manager, at a later date, told me that it would have ruined it had I put it on my dashboard.

At this point, I was above and beyond angry and contacted the corporate headquarters via their customer service page on the internet. I explained the entire situation and they contacted the general manager, **, at the Maaco I had my car serviced at. Corporate had me contact the general manager and he assured his supervision over my car for everything to get done correctly and told him what the people in his shop had tried to give me to clean my car with. I showed him my car door that was painted and the small area behind it as well as the inside of my car. He was familiar with my situation since he had already spoken to corporate about it.

After discussing the situation with him, I decided to give them one final chance to fix my car. I had also told him that a piece of stripping between my door and my window was missing since the time they installed the passenger door handle. We had called Maaco shortly after picking the car up to tell them of the piece of stripping missing and they denied any fault of theirs. We spoke to **. After all the problems with this place, I was not about to lose another day of work to get my car fixed for what should have been done on the first trip, and at the most, two trips.

** contacted his "€œbuddy"€ at Rent-A-Wreck, and reserved a rental car for me on the day my car was to go back to them AGAIN, on 10/22/02. ** paid cash for the rental and I thought it was rather strange that since, as he stated, he rented cars there so often, he did not have an account there. Looking back on the situation, I think now that ** got a little kick out of setting me up with a rental car from his "€œbuddy"€. This is because the rental agency tried to put me into an old beat-up vehicle that smelled raunchy and had 180,000 miles on it. Believe me, I'€™d rather have walked than have driven that car.

Then, I requested to have another vehicle and offered to pay any difference in rental fees. The man said there was no difference in cost and gave me a Neon, which I agreed to, and Rent-A-Wreck said that it just hadn'€™t been cleaned yet. It looked OK and I was late to work so I took it. When I got in the vehicle, I noticed that the fuse panel was off but thought that they probably just had worked on it.

Anyway, later that evening as I tried to drive home from a chiropractor appointment around 7 pm, I quickly realized that the headlights did not work. Thank goodness that my apartment was less than a mile away. I just drove home and told **, the general manager, about it the next morning.

When I returned to the local Maaco the next morning, I was again late to work because I had to pick up my car and return the rental. ** then asked me to look over the car. I did so and stated that there is still paint over the inside of the car. Mr. ** stated that the areas were textured and could not be cleaned any better. I told him it had better come off. The bodywork behind the door looked OK to me. I asked that they try to clean the car again and pointed out that whatever they were using was taking the finish off my dashboard.

I was supposed to have my car but the general manager stated that the part had not come in yet. They were waiting for the stripping. Again, I requested my copy of the work order be returned to me. Mr. ** said that they had it out and now both copies were lost.

I had to return during my lunch hour and my car was still not cleaned of over-spray. However, discoloration of my dashboard was very noticeable at that point. The bodywork behind the driver side door looked fine and they said they had installed the strip that was missing from my previous trip back to them that fits between my passenger side door and window. I was angry but thought that a detailer might be able to remove it. I needed to get back to work since I was on my lunch hour and thought that I would just have to take further action against them or call their corporate offices again.

At this point, ** tried to hand me a bill for approximately $32 to cover the cost of the part. I told him I believed they were again at fault after they just had worked on the same door and replaced the passenger door handle. I refused to pay for the part. He then threw the bill off from the counter in a huff and said that I was trying to get a part for free. Another customer or soon-to-be customer was present as well. I said nothing else and left.

Since then, I contacted the corporate offices again and received a response from ** on November 4, 2002 (the phone number she left me was 610-337-6111) that the general manager, **, will not do anything further to remedy my situation. She also instructed me that there was nothing else they could do at this point and that the decision lies with the individual garage.

I have since contacted attorneys and have appointments scheduled for Tuesday November 19, 2002. I also need to have garages spend their time writing up estimates for Maaco'€™s problems. I already went to one garage that says they cannot put the car back to its original condition and suggested having Maaco purchase my car. Also, even if the garage did do the work, they would not be able to guarantee their work because of what Maaco has already done. I must also go to another garage to get a second estimate as well as shopping for attorneys.

On November 13th, my boyfriend visited the Maaco and was told by the general manager, **, that they lost the work order even after he previously stated they had it. However, when I pushed the issues regarding my car'€™s damages, it suddenly turned out that they "€œlost it"€. They were supposed to be sending it to me. In addition, the general manager told my boyfriend that he and I were scam artists and that he would ensure that I was put in prison for seven years for insurance fraud if I took any further action. He mentioned that he would call my insurance company as well as the state insurance commission.

My boyfriend, **, then asked as to how he would even know who my insurance company is or anything about me if he did not have a copy of the work order. Despite my believing that I did nothing wrong regarding insurance payments, I contacted my agent, briefly told him what happened and asked what Mr. ** could possibly be talking about.

My insurance agent instructed me that I did nothing wrong. The general manager has also changed his tune and has suddenly decided that I wanted my entire car painted with the cheapest job possible. I don'€™t think anyone would believe that I wanted my entire car painted. In addition, if I were to have my entire car painted, I most certainly would not have had it painted white.

In summary, I have been lied to and threatened and my car has been destroyed. My boyfriend and I have received nothing but disrespect from the garage. They painted my entire car without permission and obviously thought that I wouldn'€™t find out about it until it'€™s too late. Maaco has a total disregard to what they were authorized to do. They were not authorized to paint my car with anything substandard and especially not to paint the ENTIRE vehicle. They kept my receipt and has refused to give me a copy in an attempt to cover up their huge blunder.

This has been much more than a mistake in which they got their signals crossed and accidentally painted my car. Even if it were a simple mistake, they have not yet admitted it. Instead, when forced to answer, they lied and said that they did what they were supposed to do.

In sum, when I first complained to corporate, Maaco agreed to fix my car and agreed to the problems they caused. They did not dispute that I only had my car door painted. It was not until after I disclosed to them that I knew about my entire car being painted that they changed their tune and said that they were supposed to paint the entire car shoddily. This can most certainly be considered fraud and the Maaco on 17th street should not be licensed.

On November 17th, I again emailed corporate for written responses to my concerns since they had previously only spoke with me on the telephone. On November 18, 2002, I received a different response from Maaco'€™s corporate headquarters stating that they will try to obtain a copy of the work order. Also, they have stated that they forwarded my email to the owner of the shop and that the person I spoke to was only a "€œshop manager'€. Although before, I was told by corporate customer service that he was the one who made the decision and corporate could do nothing further about it.

I corresponded again with customer relations and was informed that the owner was already aware of the situation and no mention was made of the owner being willing to remedy the situation. They have been lying to me and destroyed my vehicle. Also, they never disclosed to me that they painted the vehicle nor did they provide me with any type of receipt, or work order, that they painted my vehicle. And, without this, they would not even have to guarantee their horrendous job. Quite frankly, as far as I know, it is the law that they provide me with a receipt of service, or detriments in this case, that they have performed. It's fraud.

On November 19th, I had a consultation with an attorney. In addition, I received an estimate for $5763.67 and 14 garage days for repair. A standard rental car for this period, including the weekends, has an estimated charge of $623.46 from Enterprise. The estimate I received is from a Brenner body shop located in Harrisburg. I also went to Faulkner Honda Body Works but was told that they would not give me an estimate because they do not perform such large jobs like my car would require.

The man from Faulkner Honda then suggested I go to Nick'€™s Body Shop, also in Harrisburg, who also would not give an estimate because he said he would not feel as if he had the time to repair my car nor did he think that he would even be able to repair it successfully and referred to the paint job from Maaco as a '€œmess"€.

In addition, I have a copy of an estimate I got from 3-D Auto Body, located in Nicholson PA, that was written on January 29, 2002. The shop still had it on file from January 29, 2002. I may even have the original at my parent's home. The estimate shows that I wanted my car door painted, not my entire car. This is in addition to the estimate that I received from my insurance company. It has now been three months since my first visit to Maaco and the paint is peeling and cracking.

SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS -- Here was my formal complaint to the BBB. "I was given the hard sell when I first came in & was told that they were having a slow week & they would give me a discount if I left my car this week. I went to pick up my car & it was not ready on Friday, 9/5, as promised. I was promised a reimbursement for the car rental for the extra day but there was no reimbursement check when I went to pick it up the next day. Upon pick up, it was dark & I noticed a couple things that were wrong right off the bat. I was told that I could go over them with the Manager on Monday because I wanted to get into the light and inspect more closely.

I went to get in the car and found that there was paint dust/residue ALL over the place. All over the seats, carpeting, dash, cup holders, storage slots, etc. I asked if they could clean it and they said they didn't have time. So I asked if I could get a refund and the young man rudely said "Then go get your money back". I mean my car now requires a full interior detail. I left feeling uncomfortable and noticed that they just wanted to get out of there because it was close to closing time at 12 (on Saturday).

Upon further inspection I found: my glass window was painted on, along with my side mirror; my windshield wipers, mud guards, and tires were covered in wax and other over sprayed products; a hole in my bumper was not fixed, just painted over; scratches on my bumper were not fixed, just painted over; scratches on my rear spoiler were not fixed, just painted over; there was a new scratch on my trunk; there was a new scratch in the front of my car on the right of the windshield (behind the side mirror); there was bubbling paint on my front bumper; and to top it all of there was a roll of green tape left in my car.

Even though I was pressured to leave my car there because 'business was slow', my car was not ready when they promised it would be. The rental I was supposed to receive for free, I had to pay for. Overall, I felt that they rushed the job as evident by the roll of green tape left in my car and the dust all over the interior with no clean-up. There was no quality shown here and awful, if not rude customer service by the Manager and young male employee. I tried to contact the Manager and Maaco Customer Service line but they did not want to offer me a refund or discount.

They wanted to me come back in and get the car fixed again which would take two days according to their estimates. They said they would pay for the rental but that's what they had said the first time and now I don't trust them. I also don't trust that their employees would not do further damage to my car and I no longer feel comfortable going back to the shop. I feel that they took advantage of me because I am a young female and can't believe they would send me home with a dusty car that had a pungent paint smell.

The Manager even went as far as telling me about how they were late because one of their employees that was supposed to do the body work was going through a divorce and couldn't get the work done on time. He said that this employee is the reason why it was late as he set them all back. I do feel bad for the person that is going through the divorce, but I'm sure he wouldn't want some random customer knowing about his personal problems and how he was on the brink of killing himself (which the Manager also implied).

I feel it was very unprofessional of the Manager to explain this all to me, when at the end of the day, it's the Manager's responsibility to get it all done and give the customer the best possible quality he can give. He shouldn't just give a car to someone and then wait for them to complain. Then IF they complain, he will fix it. I would much prefer it be done the right way the first time. If it's not done to the standards on the estimate, I feel a refund should be given." They refused. If you would like to save yourself from wasted time and aggravation, don't come here!!!

FORT WORTH, TEXAS -- I recently brought my car to the Maaco at 6398 S. Hulen, Fort Worth, TX 76133-6618 Phone: (817) 263-6398 for a collision repair estimate for my insurance company which is State Farm. I specifically told both Greg and Chad when I brought the car to Maaco on August 7th that it was for an insurance estimate because I had been rear-ended. I turned the Maaco estimate in to my insurance company, but they thought it was too high so they sent an adjuster to look at my car. Friday morning (8/15) the adjuster came to look at my vehicle and gave me 2 copies of her estimate.

I brought the car back to Maaco on Friday afternoon (8/15) to drop it off for repair with the copy of the adjuster's estimate. I asked if they (Maaco) could do the work for the new price. The Maaco employee (Chad) chuckled and said that they would call the insurance company and work it out with them if costs went over and that I didn't need to worry about it. Then he paper clipped the insurance adjuster's estimate to a blank work order and had me sign it. Chad also recommended that I come back the following Monday (8/18) to drop the car off instead since they wouldn't get to the car over the weekend and my insurance provided rental would run out.

I specifically had to remind Chad again on Monday (8/18) while dropping the car at Maaco that I had been hit and the estimate was for an insurance claim because a weekend had passed and he did not seem to remember me. I received a call (Thursday, August 21st) that my car was ready and Chad asked me; "by the way, how do you start your car? We have to push it around the shop to work on it." I told him that if they had a problem he should have called me and I would have come and taken care of it.

When I went to check the car over the key was twisted and bent, the automatic transmission had been manually released and the cover missing, the steering lock and ignition lock were both broken and I could not start the car or even turn the key. I refused to pay for a damaged car and attempted to leave (on foot) and the owner (Mark) ordered Chad to call the police. I told them I would not pay, but I was not going to leave with the car because it won't even start. They still insisted on having the police come. So I sat down and waited. The police could do nothing for them since this is a civil matter and asked what the charge on the car was.

That's when I found out that the original estimate was what they were attempting to charge me. I asked about the adjuster's estimate that I personally handed them on Friday and they said they didn't know what I was talking about and Mark said that I better pay because in three days they would start charging me storage fees. I then left on foot and walked home without my car. I never threatened the Maaco employees or called them bad names. The owner (Mark) himself even stated in writing that; “I need to be clear that although we were totally frustrated with each other, Mr. ** never acted inappropriate. We both remained calm and level headed.”

However, I would disagree. Mark ** called the police on me, threatened to keep my car, charge me storage fees and called me a liar. That is inappropriate! I only ask that the collision damage be repaired according to the insurance company estimate and the rest of the car to be in the condition it was when I dropped it off.

To be treated like this because Maaco damaged my car and to be called a liar by the franchise owner and an employee because they did not want to take responsibility for the damage to my vehicle is unacceptable. Then to have the police called on me when the owner himself said I was “calm and level headed” is absolutely outrageous. At this time Maaco is still in possession of my vehicle, so I am without transportation.

TOMBALL, TEXAS -- My husband drop the compressor on our 68 Camaro and we had to have it repainted. I sent it to Maaco and it was out within a week. They did a beautiful job painting the car and the guy buffed it and had it ready to go when he agreed. I've had several cars painted there and they've done a great job. 😃

DEBARY, FLORIDA -- The paint job on my wife's Toyota Corolla is excellent. I heard that Maaco does substandard jobs but that is not true. They give you options. If you choose a better paint job, that is what you'll get. Miguel even gave some good deals on some extra cosmetic repairs that we wanted done on our vehicles! After the job was done, they promptly fixed any minor imperfections that came up. Highly recommend.

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA -- The manager is untrained regarding dealing with people. The paint job and the whole experience is the worst I have seen. We have called, no answer 5 times. Went there. He never allowed the lady at the desk to answer calls. His workers need to trained as to how to paint do their job, from start to finish. It is a depressing situation. We still do not have the car, it had to redone, it was so inexcusable. We need our car, it's been two weeks. You have go there just to get any help!!!

FLORIDA -- I went there because I was in an car accident, I saw their advertisement on TV - I decided to call & then I went there. They explained everything that would take place, they fixed what needed to be fixed, they also had to do some painting. I have to say - they did an excellent job on my car. From the very beginning I was treated with the utmost respect. The manager was very nice & treated me like a queen, they were all very pleasant. I had a wonderful experience - no problem.