Sterling Collision Center DO NOT TAKE YOUR CAR THERE! Your car will never be fixed and you'll have more problems than before! Tustin California
This collision center is very welcoming and very trustable to the eye at first sight! They let you go in the back and show the whole process, and how they "fix" Bentley's, Porsche's and BMW's etc.. They treat you like you are in good hands! They tell you that your car will be fixed in no time and how they are certified and how they are the best! Bla Bla Bla... Complete B.S. and I feel very sorry for everyone who trusted them!
I had an accident and I took my car there because my dealership recommended them. After I saw the place and the cars they fix, I was completely sold! I had an expensive German car which I love and take very good care of in my garage. They told me that my car would be ready in 4 weeks and someone would send me weekly reports with pictures of their progress!
I was able to get my car back after 3 MONTHS with more problems than ever before. All they needed to do was to change a bumper and paint it, but when I got the car back, the paint that they brag so much about was already peeling and no one even had the decency to check if the job was done right in 3 MONTHS! They just hoped that I was an idiot and I would go home with that!
They scratched and broke other parts of my car and blamed it on me saying that they were already there. Every time I mentioned something, I was treated like a nutcase who was trying to get things fixed for free! (I have money you TWO-FACED PUNKS! I'm not stupid or a liar. I just don't want to pay for something you clearly broke or scratched! I don't need your pity hug, it is about being HONEST and having PRINCIPLES!!!) I know that sounds very mad but believe me you'll find yourself in my position if you take your car there...
My story didn't end there! These guys also tried to rip me off by telling me that a part in my car was broken which would cause problems in the future and quoted me $3500 to fix it! It just didn't sound right so I refused to have them repair my car. After the first time I got my car back all scratched up and parts broken, I took it to my dealership for an oil change service and to get it fixed properly. While I was at it, I told the guys at the service department to check the car for that problem Sterling found; and they found the same problem but on the other side of the car! I paid $600 to get it fixed (including labor) and the service manager at the dealership was shocked to hear what Sterling quoted for it! I paid an extra $1000 at the dealership to fix damages caused by Sterling Collision Center.
Now, I know this all sounds too crazy and you might think that I'm making some of the stuff up or exaggerating but I have proof for every word I say! I have pictures of my car before it went in for the repairs and they have damage reports of my car from the first time they saw my car! I have an electronic copy of the $3500 quote directly sent to me from Silvia Kelpin's (Administrative Manager) company email and I have the receipt I got from my dealership! If you want to see for yourself, I would be more than happy to send a copy to you!
Please do yourself a favor and just STAY AWAY from STERLING COLLISION CENTER! You'll just add stress to your life with a side of mistreatment and your car will never be the same!
p.s. If there are any lawyers out there who knows my rights and what I can do about this situation, please contact me! I am very willing to take this matter to the court, because Sterling Collision has a lot more skeletons in their closet that I know of and I just don't want anyone else to go through what I went through...
Matt
Costa Mesa, California
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Live and Learn
LA VERNE,United States of America
Nobody's Perfect
#3UPDATE EX-employee responds
Thu, November 29, 2012
I just so happen to be a former employee for this shop and I can tell you straight up that the owners of this shop absolutely care about their customers and their employees. They do not intentionally or willingly commit any form of fraud. Their customers are extremely valuable and so is their reputation in the community and in the collision repair industry. Just out of curiosity, I went and read some reviews on Yelp and I read the review that linked to this "Rip off Report" and I was disappointed to see that so many people had written horrible reviews. But then I also read a whole bunch of positive reviews showing how amazing they are and how great their quality is and how good their customer service is. I cannot read a poor review without raising an eyebrow. It's like this, Collision repair is a very VERY complicated industry to be in. It is overwhelmingly stressful to work with angry customers. You have to consider all of the variables that go into repairing wrecked cars. They have become more and more hi-tech and extremely sensitive and they require massive amounts of education,training and experience. Sterling is a very large shop. They work on hundreds of cars all at the same time. They have invested millions upon millions of dollars in equipment and that facility so they can repair BMW's Audi' Porches, Lambo's Bentley's and any other make and model. These German cars are the most expensive and most complicated cars to repair and THEY TAKE TIME AND MONEY TO FIX. I am certain that many of the people who posted negative reviews are probably some of the most difficult customers to make happy. BMW owners are some of the most arrogant and self serving people in society. That right there is the main reason I left back in 2004 because I was fed up with the snotty, ignorant rude and inconsiderate BMW customers and I just could not stand to look at another BMW ever again. I still hate the car. I see BMW drivers passing me and tailgating me, swerving in and out of traffic like they own the road and if I see a BMW I should just pull to the right and let the royal bastards have their way. I'm also certain that Sterling has many times dropped the ball with a customer or made mistakes on estimate amounts, but I know for a fact that they stand behind their work and if they owe a customer something or if they damaged something, they will absolutely stand up straight and handle the customers concerns. But they are not going to just roll over and have a customer scream and yell at them trying to get something for free either. I just want anybody reading this to realize that Sterling is a great shop that cares about the customer. I know this for a fact because I know them and I spent many years hearing from the owners how important customer satisfaction is. So don't believe all the bad reviews you may read. Some of them may be legitimate complaints that I know they would be willing to correct, but I also know that a lot of those reviews are spiteful and are a revenge tactic because they didn't get their way. I highly recommend Sterling Collision and if you go there...be patient and don't act like a spoiled BMW brat.
David
Tustin,California,
U.S.A.
Our Intention
#3UPDATE Employee
Fri, January 09, 2009
Dear Matt.
It is our goal to please 100% of our clients 100% of the time. Unfortunately, we may have failed to reach this goal with your vehicle. We are sorry to see how upset you are and would like to have the opportunity to speak to you to see how we could answer your questions and requests. Please feel free to contact me at your convenience.
David
Sterling Collision
714-259-1111