ComplaintsforA Plus Transmission Specialists - North Austin

• Initial Complaint

  12/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 12/6/2023 I went to pick up my car, invoice showed Chk in date 10/20/2023 *** never called me not one time about my vehicle. After contacting BBB Friday car ready 12/5 to my surprise the same person did all the damage to my car *** allowed back on my car after he told me delays were because he had to hire a new person. *** is fully aware of the damages his worker did to my well kept vehicle but want me to believe what he has convinced his self to tell me. My vehicle never needed an transmission replacement and neither was the fluids dark like he claimed, but I gave this shop the benefit of the doubt to prove me wrong. My car went in as a well kept car with minor work needed the invoice given 12/5/2023 *** did not add the control arm replacement like he said, this was the knocking noise I had been hearing, *** claimed transmission to gain money, took advantage out of damaging my car. I shared with *** how I travel in car for 8 years never let me down, how well it performed on the highway his reply was oh it's been years I've seen an older car this well kept I thanked him, not knowing after giving him the benefit of doubt I would be faced with my well kept car leaving a shop would no longer perform, now left disabled as a result of stopping in for an honest check. After verbal approval it's been problems after problems concerning my well kept vehicle. *** shop was the first and only shop besides the dealer that has ever worked on my well kept car today damages range over **** dollars not limited to electrical issues I did not have when leaving my car trusting *** honesty, now later to be deceived and tricked to believe something made up in order to disable my well kept Buick Regal *** know what his worker did, held my car for 3 months claimed he had to order a new transmission from out of State but no proof, damages done to my well kept car was done by *** and his worker, now *** is working extra hard to try in cover up damages with nothing but lies. call me.

  

  Business response

  01/05/2024

  BBB Reviewer;

  Thanks for the opportunity to review this complaint and issue this response. We value our membership with the BBB and always strive to maintain our A+ rating since 2010 at this location.

  I took time to review the all repair history and current issues the customer has mentioned in her complaint. We did repair the transmission originally in August of 2021 for her **** Buick Regal (with ******* miles) and reconditioned the entire transmission with a 24 month, or ****** mile limited warranty. She contacted us this summer in 2023 before the warranty was up saying that it was starting to have some issues, we told her to bring it in so we could check it out. We received the vehicle in July 2023 and pulled the transmission out under warranty to repair some burnt clutches and failed seal. We also replaced her shifter assembly as a customer courtesy since it was wearing out and difficult to engage properly.

  Customer then came back in October 2023 with a complaint of noises and possible transmission leak. We found that the noises were coming from her worn out front control arms that are part of the front suspension, and that her power steering unit was leaking badly, almost out of fluid, and was also making noises when turning. We spent several weeks trying to contact her by phone with each time calls rolling to a message that said her voicemail was full. The transmission checked out be in good shape and we did replace one external seal that appeared to be wet. Eventually, through one of her friends that contacted the shop and said she was having health issues, we were able to communicate all the findings to her and deliver the car back to her in December. We explained that the transmission was in good shape and the other concerns for noises and leaks were not transmission related, but related to normal wear and age of her power steering and front suspension components. These are also areas of the vehicle we do not disturb when taking the transmission out.

  I apologize that she feels we caused the issues she is currently having, but we cannot claim responsibility for additional work needed, or parts failing from almost 20 years and *******+ miles of usage. In a gesture of good faith, we would like to offer the customer, or her friend, or loved ones a Free transmission fluid service on one of their other vehicles, which can be valued up to $200.00 depending no the vehicle.

  Sincerely,

  *********************, Owner / Operator

  Customer response

  01/10/2024

  Complaint: 20965665
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  Full refund because i never needed a transmission *** created the problem  to keep my money, two toll service  fee paid by me.  plus problems, what  i took car in for is still present today,  I got leak fixed on power steering something i did not go in with. Control arms was the problem from day 1 never a transmission.  I am highly disappointed in the quality of service i received and requested a full refund of my money to clear this matter.

  *** never provided a receipt  showing a new transmission was put in. He claimed out of State shipping was the 4 week delay.

  
  Regards,
  
  *********************************

• Initial Complaint

  03/25/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The pricing was never discussed with me to decide for services or not and now over $800 I cannot afford and my car is my home because I'm homeless and recently diagnosed with congestive heart failure I need my car back so I can sleep indoors and off the streets

  

  Business response

  04/21/2022

  ************************,

   

  Thank you for taking the time to submit your request for assistance through the BBB. We work hard to maintain our A+ rating and to provide the best transmission repair services available in Central *****.

   

  At the end of January, you asked us to tow in your 2006 Kia ******* with a standard transmission issue. The vehicle arrived on January 31st, 2022 and you stated that the clutch pedal was stuck on the floor.

   

  We performed our courtesy Free 22-Point Transmission Diagnostic and found that the clutch hydraulic system was leaking and needed to be replaced. You were presented the repair cost of $752.69 which was verbally approved on 2/4/2022 during a recorded conversation. The total **** with the included cost of towing added up to the $858.69 you reference in the BBB complaint.

   

  The store manager worked with the you to get financed, or have one of your friends, or family members financed, through one of our third party lenders by texting you several application links, but these were never completed.

   

  Next we heard from you, you came by the shop to get some personal belongings out of the car and said you were in the process of selling the car to someone and that they would pay for the repairs and take the car. We did not hear anything further after this visit, and the phone number we had went unanswered.

   

  This complaint now lists a new phone number that we have tried calling this week to discuss this situation with you, but again, we get no answer and no return call.

   

  We are sorry to hear you are in a pinch financially and in need of your car back. To that end, we would like to offer a special $258.69 discount to help close this repair ticket and return your car to you. This will reduce the amount owed to $600.00. Please contact the shop to take advantage of this special offer so we can both close this matter.

   

  Customer response

  04/27/2022

  Complaint: ********
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  This car is my home and my only means for anything in life at this stage in my life and I cannot afford this repair **** nor do I have any living family or friends that could supply this sort of money to help me so I cannot even afford the reduced cost and most recently everything was stolen from me so I literally have nothing to my name left. Thank you
  
  Regards,
  
  
  *******************************

• Initial Complaint

  11/02/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  When I started having issues with the transmission on my 2007 ***** Trailblazer in April, I chose A+ based on their local reviews which seemed to surpass the surrounding businesses in my area. After speaking with *** on the phone, I removed the transmission myself at home (I'm a former auto shop mechanic, just with little experience of transmissions), and brought it in as a bench job to save money on labor. It ended up costing a total of $1400 for the repairs which entailed rebuilding the transmission - standard practice is to re-use the existing parts and only replace what is necessary. I picked it up, took it home and reinstalled it on the truck myself. After almost 2 months, it started showing signs of transmission failure so I brought it back to A+ and they had it for 4 days and then told me because it was originally a bench job, they were going to have to charge me an extra $500 for the labor to take it back off the vehicle and look at it.Reluctantly, I paid up and they proceeded to rebuild it a second time. Everything was great until after 2 more months, I started to notice some new but seemingly minor issues, so I decided to bring it back once again (it was still under warranty) and they told me based on my description of the symptoms to leave it with them and that the warranty would cover it, but it was going to take about a week. I was told a few days later that since it had already been rebuilt by them twice, they were just going to swap it out for a new unit. It has now been 2 weeks and a few days and they keep finding "more issues" ... and I have yet to have the conversation with *** about how they keep finding more issues when he told me they were just going to swap it for a new unit.

  Customer response

  11/08/2021

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  Regards,
  
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  08/27/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I took my car in without checking BBB reviews first. On 8/11/2021 took car in for transmission problem *** claimed **** dollars got my car never called like he claimed after Tech find problem then claimed it would be **** dollars. I allowed work not knowing I would have to take my car back, notice button missing on my steering wheel, I could not take keys out of my car after leaving the business car was not running right, talked to *** after driving away he said it's under warranty, and I could bring my car back, also my brand new floor mats was filthy had to wait for them to be cleaned, I had a witness with me. After taking car back for the proper repair work transmission still not working properly. changing gears are loud with knocking noise underneath the car, not sure if the Techs tampered with other parts in retaliation. *** never called me back after a phone conversation to replace volume button said early this week part would come, said he would call me to keep me posted.

  

  Business response

  09/24/2021

  I see in our system that you brought in your **** Buick Regal with ******* miles to get the transmission checked out on August 11th, 2021. Your complaint stated it shifts funny from 1st to 2nd gear. The results from our Free 22-Point Transmission Diagnostic found that the transmission fluid was burnt, was slipping in 1st and 2nd gear bad enough that our technicians did not want to drive it in traffic, and when we dropped the transmission pan we found significant friction material indicating an internal issue. After the results of the free diagnostic, we got your permission to remove and inspect the inside of the transmission so we could figure out what was worn, torn, and damaged. This process is what determines the final price once we are able to get quotes from our vendors on all the parts needed to repair your transmission. This was when *** called you with the higher price and got your approvals to order the parts and begin the repair process. Your price also included an upgraded warranty from our standard 12 months, or ****** miles to 24 months, or ****** miles.

  
  
  

  After completing the work and delivering the vehicle back to you, I do see that you came back once on August 18th with a complaint about the steering wheel button missing, and that it was difficult to remove the key from the ignition. They were able to do some adjustments on the *** switch, as well as found the missing steering wheel button for your radio volume on the floor of the vehicle which they super-glued back in place while you waited. They also test drove the vehicle to make sure the transmission was working properly and had you take the vehicle back to drive further to see if any other concerns returned. We tell all customers after major transmission repairs to come back for a "10-day check" to look for small leaks, or make any other adjustments.

   

  Later that same day, you called *** back and said you were not satisfied with the glued button repair, and *** agreed to order a new one from the dealer which was done. We have had the new button ready for almost 3 weeks now, and have not had return call from you to set an appointment to come get it swapped out it did take about a week or so to come in from our local GM dealership.

   

  As *** mentioned, and as your paperwork indicates, you have a 24 month/****** mile warranty on the reconditioned transmission we repaired for you. The steering wheel button and ignition/key work we did was outside of this warranty and done as a customer courtesy to try and keep you a happy customer. We did not encounter any ********************** shifting issues or noises when you brought the vehicle back on August 18th, but if you are truly having transmission shifting issues or loud noises, then we definitely need to get those addressed for you.

   

  If you dont feel comfortable bringing the vehicle back to the ********** location for warranty diagnosis and repair, then I can offer you take it to our Cedar Park location and have it looked at there by ***** and his team. ***** can be reached at ************ to setup the warranty diagnostic appointment.

   

  We appreciate your business and stand behind the quality of our work, and warranty you purchased.

   

  Sincerely,

   

   

  *********************
  Owner - Operator
  A+ Transmission - Austin & ***********

  Customer response

  10/06/2021

  My name is ********************************* I just received the companies response. I totally disagree with ***** response and ask BBB to view supported documents sent. A plus Transmission is a very dishonest business for anyone to take their well kept car to. Mr. *** gave me the biggest complement over a phone conversation of how well my car was kept, not knowing he was a dishonest person left my car. After picking my car up I notice a smell and the same problem but worse also notice my volume button on steering wheel missing where they had to pluck it out of it's place. I addressed this with ***, plus I could not remove my key from ignition and needed this resolved because I never had any problem with my Key not coming out of the ignition. I made it clear with *** over a phone conversation of my problem with my car even explain reading report in May 2021 which was over 5 hour labor I paid concerning my transmission check engine light never came back on after this work was done and how I was only concern about shifting and knocking noise. *** falsified his finding to take my money after giving me the greatest complement a car owner could receive. Problem was never resolved but made worse after taking car back for second time, I noticed smell after the second time of taking my car knocking noise much worse, and shifting worse. Had a certified mechanic to check my car he noticed bolts loosen and other problems just wrote what was find, then took car to dealer and another certified shop on 10/06/2021 found real problem. A Plus Transmission is a very dishonest shop and they create problems for a customer for money and I am asking for a full refund plus my out of pocket expenses moving forward because they created the problem leaving my car unsafe to drive after the wonderful complement. he gave me over a phone conversation before taking my money.
  
  
  
  

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