Treated like crap at Turner Motorsports today

[dahamler]

I know I don’t post much but I would like everyone’s opinion on this matter.

Here’s the story, I am a pretty competent mechanic and I have always repaired and modified all of my BMW’s. I recently purchased a second 318ti that I am in the process of making a track car. The price was great but it needed to have the front passenger swaybar replaced due to rust. I purchased the bracket for both sides and called Tuner Motorsports to schedule an appointment. I was quoted two hours per side and was told that the car would be ready Friday. Friday I called and I was informed that the car was ready at that the total was $530. A little more that I was quoted but you get what you pay for (so I thought). So I have a friend drive me from Worcester to pick up the car. When I arrived I was told that everything went fine and that the car is all set. I pay in full and grab my keys. Once I’m inside the vehicle I see a brand new bracket for the drivers side sitting on the passengers seat. I return inside to inquire about the why the mount was installed. At first the tech looked puzzled and then I was told that the other side must have been fine and didn’t need to be replaced. I said that I understood that but I bought the bracket and wanted it to be installed just to be safe, and then it happened. I was told that if I wanted the other side repaired it would be an additional $530. The tech told me because they had to remove the A/C compressor it took them an additional 3.5 hours (remove and evac the A/C and reinstall without a recharge). Then I was told that the previous quote for 2 hour was incorrect because the tech thought that I wanted the rear replaced even though I clarified that I wanted both fronts replaced. We came to an agreement that the tech would eat the cost (all labor) to repair the other side. After the weekend I decided that I didn’t want Turner to work on my car any longer even though the work that they did was top notch I felt deceived and uninformed about the whole deal. Here's why:

1. I was never contacted about the error in the original quote.
2. I was never asked for any authorization to repair the vehicle for substantially more money (almost 3 times the cost).
3. The invoice that I received was written up for another BMW that I own and didn’t detail what was actually repaired (it just says shop labor and misc. materials).
4. When I showed the driver side bracket to the tech he didn’t know that it had not been replaced.
5. When I asked for a partial return for the labor not rendered the tech said “what you don’t think that the work we did is worth $530”, and continued to insult me by insinuating that I was cheap and maybe couldn’t afford to have my car repaired by them.

So in the end I received $230 from the $530 that I originally spent. Tuner Motorsport has just lost a customer. The reason that I drove from Worcester was to talk to the tech face-to-face and to also buy about $1500 worth of performance parts.

What has happened to being courteous and tactful regardless of the situation?

I really thought that the tech I talked to was a really good guy in the beginning. I can’t believe that his demeanor drastically changed when I requested a partial refund.

Has anyone else have any poor experiences with this shop or any others in the area. Needless to say I am looking for another local shop that can install a roll cage and swaybar bracket.

Dan

(sorry for the spelling and grammar)