Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/17/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On July 7-29, 2024, I delivered my car, 2020 ******* ***** Fe, for hail damage repair, provided an estimate from insurance company, was told by owner, ***** *****, the car was going to be worked on immediately. I delivered the car on a Sunday and called them on a Monday to make sure they had my car and keys. Six weeks went by, no call from shop. State Farm called me and said ***** ***** notified them of additional damage and that State Farm would file the car as a total loss. However, when I went to look at car and recover some personal items, the car had been sitting in mud for 6 weeks. The shop did not work or look at the car. The owner lied about additional damage. Now I have no car to rely on and the insurance company paid them $3200 that she declared were storage fees. I talked to another repair shop and they said the car could have been repaired in two weeks. My car was immaculate and it had been sitting out in mud. ***** ***** said she made minor repairs and she lied about the report. I would like the storage fees refunded to me and compensation for loss of car.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/19/2024

  07/29/2024 Delivered my car for hail damage repair Provided an estimate from insurance company Was told by owner ***** ***** the car was going to be worked on immediately 6 weeks went by No call from shop. State Farm called me and said ***** ***** notified them of additional damage and that State Farm would file the car as a total loss. However when I went to look at car and recover some personal items the car had been sitting in mud for 6 weeks. the shop did not work or look at car The owner lied about additional damage and now I have no car to rely on and the insurance company paid out $3200 storage fees to a company who could have called me about the car and I would have gone to pick up car because she never repaired the car or looked at it or started the repair which was the original statement on July 29,2024

  Business Response

  Date: 09/19/2024

  To Whom It May Concern:
  This is in response to *************** complaint filed with the BBB.    Spirit West takes all customer complaints seriously.  However, in this case, Ms.******* complaint should be directed to her insurance company, State Farm.    Most significantly, Ms. ******* chief issues seem to be that she after she settled her hail damage claim regarding her 2020 ******* ***** Fe, she now complains that she has no car to rely on,and she would like compensation for loss of car.   ************** settled her insurance claim with State Farm.  Spirit West assumes State Farm totaled her car.  This had nothing to do with Spirit West. 
  In fact, Ms. ****** gave Spirit West permission to release the car to State Farm.  Spirit West does not know about their financial arrangement.  However, prior to authorizing Spirit West to release the vehicle to State Farm, Ms. ****** cleared out her car at Spirit West.  While at Spirit West, she made no complaints. Whatever arrangements she had are between State Farm and Ms.******.  Spirit West was not involved as to how the claim was settled.
   By way of background, Ms. ******* vehicle was inspected prior to the car being dropped off at Spirit West for repairs.  Once the car was on-site, Spirit West thoroughly reviewed the insurance estimate for parts bid, damage repair and any missed damage.  The insurance estimate was reviewed with Ms. ******* along with any additional items noted by our inspector.   A white vehicle is more difficult to see hail damage in natural sunlight.  Ms. ****** was also advised the average time for a roof replacement is 4-6 weeks. 
  Ms.******* vehicle had ****** miles, which is considered average mileage for a 2020 vehicle.  The original insurance estimate for $13,147 included roof replacement, hood, conventional body repair,refinish, paintless dent repair and multiple moldings.  Since her insurance estimate included a roof replacement; therefore, it is customary to start removing the interior, wrap and store components while addressing supplemental items with the insurance company.
              It was made clear to Ms. ****** that there would be a supplement estimate in addition to the existing one, that would be addressed directly to the insurance company for missed damage. 
  Spirit West did a supplemental inspection (under LED lighting), noted additional damage requiring both conventional and paintless repair along with identification of additional damaged moldings.  A supplement evaluation was prepared and submitted to State Farm for review.  Spirit West does not move forward with any supplemental repairs until approval is received from the insurance company.   Spirit West did not receive a copy of the insurance companys final estimate; therefore, it is unaware of the final cost of repairs.
  It is Spirit Wests assumption that State Farms internal repair cost estimate reached Missouri State Law stating damages cannot exceed 80% of its value.  If this is the case, this vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. Most insurance companies offer the owner the option to retain the vehicle after it is deemed a total loss.  
  Repair facilities are only notified that the vehicle is a total loss giving the repairer time to reassemble and prepare for pick up, calculate fees associated with initial repairs, and releasing the vehicle as well as return any parts that were ordered.  Repair facilities do not absorb these costs.  These charges are passed on to the insurance company and not charged to the owner.   
  Here,the charges to her insurance company included storage, in house insurance coverage on the vehicle, administrative/disposition fees, photo documentation storage, parts restocking fees, teardown and reassembly required for pick up/tow.   The storage fees charged include the tear down and reassembly costs, parts ordering and repackaging and delivery of returned parts. 
  Repair facilities have no control over insurance company policies, including terms for the compensation for loss of vehicle or total loss settlements.   In this case, Ms. ****** resolved her claim with State Farm over her cars hail damage. She cleaned out her car, allowed Spirit West to release the car to State Farm, which paid Spirit West and picked up the vehicle.  Spirit West does not know the terms of that claim settlement; but it is not because of anything Spirit West did. Had Ms.Sircha reached out to Spirit West at any time during the process, Spirit West would have been happy to guide and assist Ms. ******* but she did not reach out at any time.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/02/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Spirit West had my car for 15 days to repair a minor fender ****** on my ***** SUV. There was no communication during those weeks except for when my husband called to check in what was going on during the extended period. After receiving my car back today, I immediately noticed significant damage to my car that was not there prior to going to the shop. I thankfully have video and photos of my car pre-shop for insurance.I called the shop and left detailed information on the damage with the woman who answered the phone. I asked for a manager to call me back.****** texted me then eventually called me. She was very defensive, rude and told me (the customer) she wouldn't "deal with my ******** claim". I was on speaker phone thankfully so my colleagues could witness her rude behavior. I shared the tire molding was painted a different color white and was rough to touch and had spray paint marks. The tire itself has zero damage to the tire or rims. ****** claimed the dealership sold me a bad car and it wasn't her shop.There were several other marks on my car including white paint on the front of my car that I'm willing to overlook but the excessive paint chipping I cannot. I work from home, never drive my car and am the only driver. She sent me a write up from their intake that supposedly shows pre-existing damage. If there was pre-existing damage to this degree, I'd expect a phone call to discuss it much like a rental car company does. This wasn't done as there was No damage! It appears there is two different color inks used and conveniently the issues I told the initial woman on the phone are marked in a darker black and the tree sap noted was in a lighter blue. The handwriting is also different with the A's etc not matching. It was clearly modified post-call. I called the dealership to confirm the car I bought had zero damage report and noted ****** mentioning them selling me a spray painted car. From reading other reviews, it sounds like several people have experienced issues similar.I am working with my lawyer, dealership and the insurance company to remove them as approved vendors as well as witnesses to no existing damage. RUN, don't walk away from this vendor. If my car being damaged wasn't enough, the manager ******'s vulgar customer service topped off the horrible experience.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/03/2024

  Spirit West strongly denies that it caused any damage to **************** SUV and categorically denies that we altered any check-in sheet.  Rather as it is show in Exhibit A attached to this response - the complaints of damage to the car for which ************ complains of were on the car when her husband brought the vehicle in.   Our file shows we were first contacted by ******************* the beginning of February for an estimate to repair a bumper.  He stated that ********************* had scheduled an estimate of vehicle on 2/13/24 at 10:10 am.  According to our paperwork a video call estimate was completed on 2/13/24.  ************ emailed us the estimate and claim information on 2/14/24 and scheduled repairs for 3/18/24.

  On 3/18/24 the vehicle was dropped off for repairs by ************ and an authorization to repair form was signed and dated.  Most significantly, at that time we checked the vehicle in at our facility, and the technician and manager checked the vehicle in and completed an inspection report (Exhibit A), which showed numerous existing conditions to the vehicle, including significant tree sap, road paint and scratches.   See attached Exhibit A check-in sheet.  Every vehicle that comes in has the check in process completed with a technician and a manager.  It is these issues for whch ************ is currently complaining.

  The technician then began a teardown of the vehicle.  The technician submitted a supplement request, and the car was moved outside to the in-process secured lot.  On 3/19 /24 we emailed Progressive for a supplement requesting a new bumper replacement instead of repair.   We received confirmation that supplement inspection by Progressive was set up.  On 3/26/24 Progressive inspected the vehicle and left us a new estimate approving a bumper replacement. 

  The parts manager was proactive and ordered the factory ***** bumper ahead of approval.  ***** bumpers come either pre painted from the manufacturer, or non painted.  The pre painted bumper was on backorder, so the only current availability of the part was a non painted one.  This part still has to come from a warehouse and is not stocked locally at the dealership.  On 3/27/24 the technician checked the new parts and carried them to the paint department.  All bumpers get painted off the vehicle.  The bumpers cannot be painted on the car due to adhesion of sanding the edges and getting full coverage. 

  In this particular repair nothing else needed to be refinished so the car never went into the paint department or the paint booth.  The parts are sprayed on a bumper stand inside a downdraft spray booth.  The product used is a urethane-based product which is prayed through a fine tip spray gun.  All plastic parts must first be sprayed with as sealer to promote adhesion.  The paint is very thin and coverage varies depending on the color.  In this particular vehicle the paint code is 707 - a three stage product.  This is sprayed with a white basecoat, normally 2 coats, then an additional coat is a ************** more of a transparent base (coats vary depending on color) with the final coat being a premium clearcoat.  This product must be baked at a high temperature to cure for approximately ***** minutes.  When it is fully baked, our facility normally waits until the following day for reassembly. 

  On 3/29/24 our technician reassembled the bumper then mounted it to the vehicle and completed the checkout list.  The vehicle then went to cleanup, and a pre/post scan was completed and final checkout by Co-Owner/Manager.  We contacted the owner of completion on 3/29/24 at 5:10 pm, and the owner picked up the vehicle at 7:45 am on 4/1/24.  We released the vehicle even though we were still pending the final supplement approval from the insurance company.

  On 4/1/24 at approximately around 5:00 pm *********** contacted the office and spoke with ******.  No manager was available at that time, so ****** wrote down the customer's complaints and taped them to the manager's computer screen (exhibit B).  When the manager returned at 5:10 pm she immediately took a photo of the check-in form Exhibit A and forwarded it to **************** phone number, stating that we would follow up with a phone call shortly.  As mentioned above, the check-in sheet form shows that when the vehicle came to 
  Spirit West, there were various areas of damage to the vehicle.

  In our conversation, ************ stated that no one else drivers her car and she works from home (all prior communications were with ******************* who also dropped the vehicle off and authorized repairs).  She stated she a video of her vehicle that she did with the insurance company for the estimate. (which was done in early February estimate reflects mileage of ***** and the mileage on the vehicle when dropped off was ****** , that is 705 miles)

  I asked ************ if she purchased the car brand new, she hesitated and stated it was a ***** Certified Car, the she said yes she bought it brand new (it is a 2020).  I again asked her if she bought the vehicle brand new with Zero  miles on it, and she reiterated yes.  However, according to the vehicles records, *********** in fact purchased the car used in October 2023.

  As far Ms. ***** specific claim of "wheel flare". that has peeling paint on it, I can assure you it is not a product from our facility.  All flares are plastic and dome in a black texture.  When painting plastic using our product the plastic would have to be sanded, then a sealer sprayed over the black texture (which ours is grey) then the 3 stage paint process with high temperature curing.  Again, the sealer is necessary to promote adhesion.  The flare on **************** vehicle that she attached photos of did not look to be prepped or have a sealer.  The flare is not damaged it is peeling.  

  We are not an unreasonable business. To be truthful if approached differently I would probably have tried to remove some of the road paint to see if it would come off easily.  I can assure you that if a panted her flare it would like the rear bumper paint that we  just did and it would not be peeling.

  Our company is Certified by over 12 auto manufacturers including ********** , ***************************************** Acura, ************************ ******* and Icar Gold, and ASE.  To keep and maintain our certification we have poilcies in place that are mandatory , and we are audited every every year, at least once or twice by each manufacturer.  We must continue to train our technicians annually.  All of our files have to maintain authorizations, check in sheets, quality control checkout sheets signed by body tech, painter and manager.  Each file also retains the repair order, Oem procedures, dated of drop off pickup etc.  This is done on EVERY vehicle we repair.  

  We are a family-owned facility with little to no technician turnover.  We are not owned or run by an out of town conglomerate.  At Spirit West each vehicle is touched by a manager, a body technician, a paint technician, and a mechanic technician, with a final touch by a manager.  Our staff is like family, and we have ll been together for a very long time with an ultimate goal of completing a quality repair.  If anything happens to a vehicle while in our possession we know about it.  If we are responsible for it we take care of it.  As anyone knows, things can happen, but we don't lie, hide it  or shoo issues away.  We deal with them and take care of them.  

  Unfortunately, here ************ does not want to believe that the vehicle issues she complains of were on the vehicle when her husband dropped off the vehicle at Spirit West. However, that is the truth.  If the paint in question on the right side of vehicle, or the paint on the flare is clinically analyzed it would prove that they are not automobile products, nor or they used in our facility. 

  Sincerely, 

  *********************, CEO Spirit West Motor Carriage