Complaint Review: Cottmans Transmission

I put my car in Cottman Transmission shop off Yeager Lane in Austin several months ago. I needed a distributor put in, as well as transmission work done on my car. It was a brand new transmission that would not shift right and made buzzing noises. I paid $3000.00 just for the transmission, not to mention the labor and wanted it to be right.

I offered to get someone to tow my car in, but the man at the desk that day (Mike) said they offered free towing when they do major transmission work, so I faxed the papers on the transmission to them, and Mike said "not to worry about it". They had my car for 2 weeks, leaving me stranded. Every day I had been told it would be done that day.

I paid for the towing and repairs by charge card, (which turned up $60.00 more than initially agreed) after the car had been there a week. But they said it would be done that day. I had been told that after the car got running, and if it did need major repairs on the transmission, they would refund the towing! BUT>>After 2 whole weeks, the owner of the shop by the name of "Tony" said "THEY COULD NOT FIX THAT CAR".

AFTER I had asked them to let me fix it myself a whole week earlier! But they said I "had to push it off the property my-self before I could". When I got there after the call saying 'they could not fix it', the fuel line at the fuel filter was completely off (and the property was a dust bowl right there), every thing from my trunk was shoved in the back seat (to get to the fuel pump safety switch, which Mike moved for the mechanics, but no-body ever even pushed it), and the distributor was merely sitting in the hole loose.

(I TOOK PICTURES OF THIS, AS WELL AS A WITNESS WAS WITH ME)
I pushed the fuel safety switch, put the fuel line back on, and it started right up. BUT I drove it home NOT knowing the distributor had been left loose. By the time I got home the car was running so-so-sooo terrible. I figured it out, timed and then tightened the distributor, but after the drive home, the car bent something ?? or something happened, because it clanges and bangs like crazy now.

I had taken the car back to have the transmission looked at. Tony drove it for about 2 minutes and said there was absolutely nothing wrong with the transmission. I knew there was, I been driving this car for 5 years and know my car. SO I took it to another Cottmans, had them diagnose it, with-out telling them of the other problem I had. And I have it documented that 'I do in fact need major transmission repairs done!

All in all, I had to do the labor on the distributor myself, even though they had been paid for it, AND they refuse to refund my towing charges of $45.00. Even though I showed them what I neede done. PLUS it cost me 2 weeks of my life, being as I am dead in the water with-out a car for work or anything. There is not a bus system with-in 20 miles from my home. There should be something that can be done about mechanics who rip women (and others) off like this.

Jean
Round Rock, Texas