Legal Question...

[duritz]

I had my transmission repaired by Cottman of Slidell, Louisiana on December 27th. I paid $1200 for a complete rebuild. They kept it for nearly 2 weeks, were very rude, and it was a lot more in the end than they originally had said (they said it would be $700 and wouldn't exceed $1000).

Two months later on March 5th the transmission broke again. I took it to the same shop for warranty work. They were very rude again, it took them a week to fix it, and they blamed me for the problems it had. I got into an argument with the mechanic and he cursed at me when I left with the truck. I called them twice and was just harrassed more.

The day after I picked it up, the transmission failed again. I decided to call the Mandeville, Louisiana Cottman and talked with the manager. I had it towed there for repair under warranty. Even though the warranty is good at EVERY Cottman in the United States, the Mandeville shop told me that Slidell wouldn't let them do the warranty work and picked it up without my authorization.

I called the corporate office and they told me there was nothing that could be done. They offered a conference call which was unacceptable.

Can legal action be taken?

 

[sciencetoy]

Sure you can sue, anybody can. How's your documentation?

 

[duritz]

Originally posted by: sciencetoy
Sure you can sue, anybody can. How's your documentation?

I can write down everything that happened :shrugs: all I have is the receipt with the warranty printed on back, but they actually have it right now since they are doing warranty work on it

 

[PunDogg]

Originally posted by: sciencetoy
How's your ocumentation?

Write down everything
Dogg

 

Call your local D.M.V. and file a complaint, they will within one week send a rep down and investigate your case.

(In Connecticut, do not know the exact laws in your state)

 

[duritz]

What do I do in the meantime?

Let the jerks at the Slidell shop destroy my truck some more?

 

[CPA]

The harassment and swearing is probably not enough to win a lawsuit.

They are upholding the warranty service contract, so there has not been a breach yet.

 

[godmare]

Originally posted by: duritz
What do I do in the meantime?

Let the jerks at the Slidell shop destroy my truck some more?

If you've got the cash, I'd say get it fixed otherwise and file suit for the extra repair costs and damages. Only a couple thousand dollars (which is a lot), so good for small claims court.


I never trust anybody to work on my cars, I never know what they did and didn't do, and it costs an arm and a leg.

 

[fonzinator]

You wouldn't win if you tried to sue. They have done nothing to break the law, hurt you, or infringe on your rights (as stated on the back of your invoice) as a customer.

Here is your case:
1) You take car in for tranny rebuild.
2) They verbally say it won't be more than $1000, but would be more like $700. This is NOT an estimate in legal terms. It is a guestimate.
3) Their rudeness holds no ground for you...sorry. If they are aholes, take your business elsewhere.
4) Their 'slow as molasses on a cold winters day' approach to fixing your tranny isn't good for their rep. However, unless they signed some agreement stating that your car would be fixed in a certain amount of time, you have no legal ground. They can take "a resonable amount of time," according to the law.
5) They are honoring to repair your car, time and time again, under warranty. As crappy for you as this is, they are honoring your warranty. The fact that they can't get it right doesn't help you legally, unless it becomes a chronic problem.

In the end, all you can do is let top management know about the situation. Go as high up as you can with these people. Be curteous, even though they are totally unprofessional. If the tranny continues to break, you could possibly have legal action avaliable under grounds that they cannot perform the service they promised. Document everything, including times, dates, notes, and names of phone conversations. I hope your situation improves

 

[godmare]

I'm going to feel more comfortable if I retract my last statement regarding the suit. The situation really hasn't developed to such an extreme point yet, and I definitely wouldn't want you to go spend another $1200 on my advice (not that you would solely on my advice) when a simpler solution is available. At the very least you know what garage not to go to.

 

[notfred]

I sent my tranny out to Hanlon Motorsports to be rebuilt. I had to ship it across the country and back, and itstill took les than two weeks. They were very helpful and corteuos, and they tore the whole thing down and put it back together for about $300.

I'd recommend them to anyone who needs work done on one of the trannies they service.