Complaint Review: Kettering Automotive - Kettering Ohio

  I'm sorry for all those people who have been ripped off by Ed Moser. I know him, and the people he deals with, and ANY story I hear  about Ed would not surprise me! His father was a pretty good guy, but somewhere the ball got dropped! Ed was, is, and will most probably, continue to be a rip-off artist. Thank goodness he's out of business!

I need to argue a minor point with a past poster. It is possible to "diagnose" a battery. You can measure CCAs, voltage, look at electrolyte level (if possible), test electrolytes with a hydrometer, measure the electrical draw between terminals on the top of the case.... A battery itself can fail for a few reasons other than age, like overcharging and excessive current draw through a trail of corrosion on the case. I must say these problems are rare on modern batteries though!

I worked for Ed for 6 years, thought the grass was greener, and moved on. Worst mistake of my life. Been through 4 different shops since then and nobody treats me as good as he did. Heard about the shop closing up. Swallowed my pride and called him. Ed told me how his former office girl stole a lot of money over a couple a years by stealing money for taxes. She new the IRS would take along time to catch it. When they did, they started cleaning out his bank accounts. He closed his place until he could decide what to do. He told me his accountants didn't see it and he will probably sue. Shure speaks bad for the feds when a guy pays taxes for 50 years, gets ripped off by someone he trusts and then they clean him out. Too bad for the city, cause he had a great place. My heart gos to ya, Ed. You are the best!

I worked for Ed for 6 years, thought the grass was greener, and moved on. Worst mistake of my life. Been through 4 different shops since then and nobody treats me as good as he did. Heard about the shop closing up. Swallowed my pride and called him. Ed told me how his former office girl stole a lot of money over a couple a years by stealing money for taxes. She new the IRS would take along time to catch it. When they did, they started cleaning out his bank accounts. He closed his place until he could decide what to do. He told me his accountants didn't see it and he will probably sue. Shure speaks bad for the feds when a guy pays taxes for 50 years, gets ripped off by someone he trusts and then they clean him out. Too bad for the city, cause he had a great place. My heart gos to ya, Ed. You are the best!

I worked for Ed for 6 years, thought the grass was greener, and moved on. Worst mistake of my life. Been through 4 different shops since then and nobody treats me as good as he did. Heard about the shop closing up. Swallowed my pride and called him. Ed told me how his former office girl stole a lot of money over a couple a years by stealing money for taxes. She new the IRS would take along time to catch it. When they did, they started cleaning out his bank accounts. He closed his place until he could decide what to do. He told me his accountants didn't see it and he will probably sue. Shure speaks bad for the feds when a guy pays taxes for 50 years, gets ripped off by someone he trusts and then they clean him out. Too bad for the city, cause he had a great place. My heart gos to ya, Ed. You are the best!

Debbie, I'll assume you are more intelligent than the OP. I said the cost of repair has NOTHING to do with the value of the vehicle, and it is 100% fact. Let's say your car is worth $100. Mine is worth $10,000. Both cars use the same battery, which retails for $150. You may consider spending that a waste of money, since the car will still be worth only $100. Mine would still be worth $10,000. The value of each car is not increased at all by the battery. The fact is, both cars need a $150 battery in my scenario, and the cost of the battery is not determined by the value of the car. Neither is the total repair bill. The total bill is calculated by the retail price of the parts, plus the labor, shop supplies, and taxes/fees. Nowhere on the invoice is a box placed so that the value of the vehicle can be used in calculating the total price of the repair. Let me put it in even simpler terms. You pay the exact same amount per gallon of gasoline to fill a $100 car, as the next guy...no matter what he/she is driving.

This is in response to robert of Jacksonville Fl. Here is a classic example of why a car isn't worth the repair. I have a 1989 Jeep Cherokee that is a total and complete P.O.S. I have checked around and if I were to trade it in I would get a whopping $200.00 (NADA confirms this) It needs a $660.99 part (not including labor) Do you really think that would be worth it?

Nobody has to worry about being ripped off by Kettering Automotive anymore because Ed owes the IRS so much money that they shut his sweet little family business down. He wasnt paying taxes or anything. I guess that's what you get for treating your employees like dirt and ripping off customers for so long.

Hey Mas! I live near Carlton/Pete Park. What's your shop's name and where is it?

peter i own a automotive business and i can tell you that your car was fixed and you did agree to the charges but, if i was to charge that much i wouldn't be in business for long. i have owned my company for 16 years now. i'm thinking they used a interstate battery. the battery cost i say around 89.99. if they charge that much to diag battery then it sounds like they should hire some new help. i also sell interstate batteries and the total i came up with was 153.69 thats tax, labor,battery, and diag. i have been in buisness this long and have had only one serious complaint against me that i resolved quickly for the customers sakes. that customer is still with me today and many others cause i don't go crazy on marking up my parts and i don't overcharge on labor. i'm very honest and i'm not saying kettering automotive isn't. all i'm saying is ed you need to grow up and worry about keeping customers and not wasting time blogging them away. this is why the automotive field has such a bad rep. the money will come it takes time not rip off jobs...

It sounds like the garage owner has been threatened with extortion. You can not tell someone that you will slander their name if they don't give you money. I say file a lawsuit and make this guy pay for slandering your buisness.

Your vindication rebuttal is as clear as your billing. Organized responses or not? Overcharge for work or not? I think that both sides of the story have been presented in this forum. Caveat emptor.

Please note that the second paragraph in my rebuttal contains an error! The following sentence should have read, "As for you, Mr. S (Peter), on behalf of Kettering Automotive, Inc., WE DID NOT SOLICIT ANYONE to respond to your allegations." It is apparent that Mr. S (Peter) believes we organized a massive conspiracy against him and I just want it documented, for the record, that we did not. Thank you so much, once again, to everyone who expressed their support in our behalf!

WOW! I haven't responded to this site since March and am overwhelmed! I wish to thank all of you, from the bottom of my heart, for your sincere and honest responses to Mr. S's (Peter's) unfounded complaints. It's reassuring to know that people really want to seek out the truth and will voice their beliefs openly. As for you, Mr. S (Peter), on behalf of Kettering Automotive, Inc., we did solicit anyone to respond to your allegations. Also, I did not ask anyone to respond to your writings. What your are seeing is something you created all by yourself. It's apparent that you are too busy spreading rumors from Strongville, Ohio, as you do not seem to be informed about current events. The Sears Company, you so fondly refer to repeatedly in your writings, are on the "burner" for some interesting shenanigans. According to local newspapers, the following is Sears' Track Record (on going since 1989): In Florida, alone, they sold used car batteries as new ones, but agreed to pay $985,000 to customers after they got caught! Nationally, they paid over $100-million to settle charges that they used illegal tactics to collect debt from bankrupt customers, sold old batteries as new, and illegally employed minors in tasks for which they are not suited! They defrauded customers of $400-million by charging for wheel balancing they did not perform! They paid $30-million in "hush money" to employees and vendors to keep it quiet! They avoided charges by reaching a pre-trial diversion agreement to pay $62.6-million! They paid $46-million to customers to settle allegations that it systematically over-charged customers and performed unnecessary repairs! Jeesh! How many cheap batteries would one have to sell to off-set that amount of debt? Looks to me that Sears is "RIP-OFF CENTRAL!" Just so you know, this is why I told you in our first phone call this year that, "I'm not Sears." My family business has been successfully operating in our current location since 1960 only because we are honest with our clients. I'm sorry that you believe "price" to be the only indicator of sincerity and honestly in your world. I warn you to be careful in this belief because it's been proven that, "the bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of the bargain is forgotten."

between testing a battery and testing the whole system. You keep saying that Sears, or other shops, would charge 100 dollars for diagnosing and replacing the battery. That is not what this shop did. They checked everything over and tested it out to be sure that it was your battery, and there were no other problems. They made sure that the battery was just old and no longer working, made sure that there was nothing else wrong that might have caused that battery to die, and that would do the same to any other battery you put in there leaving you on the side of the road soon after having a new battery installed. You don't see the value in that? Testing a battery is easy, doesn't take much time at all to see if it is any good. So Sears, or any other place, isn't charging you extra to "diagnose" the battery (which btw you diagnose problems - such as a no start, you test individual items or parts - such as the battery... there is no such thing as diagnosing a battery. The diagnosis is the conclusion of the testing, what the cause of the problem is, determined by the results of the testing performed.) All they are doing is simply checking your battery and replacing it. They aren't checking out anything else that could have caused the no start condition, or caused the battery to die prematurely, and would cause the problem again soon after. They test it, find it's no good, and replace it. Basically, they aren't diagnosing anything. They are performing one simple test- checking the battery and basing their conclusion on the results of that one test. Of course they can do that for less money. If you are ok with that, great. At least you are saving money right? I mean, if there were another problem you would soon find out when the car wouldn't start again right? And then you would have to have it towed to the shop again, and then pay for the diagnostics. But really, why pay for it the first time? Why not wait and see what happens? If it was just the battery, you saved 120 bucks! If it wasn't just the battery, you will pay for another tow, the diagnostic fees, possibly another battery, etc. And then you would be blaming the shop for not checking it all out the first time! Some people are illogical and unreasonable, and you happen to be one of them! You continue responding to the people who disagree with you, yet you never answer any of their questions. You avoid the questions and keep trying to prove that they are all wrong and you are right. I am certain that Kettering Automotive is glad to have "lost" you as a customer, because you will never be happy with anything. You are happy that you only paid 120 dollars, or whatever, for a battery replacement in another car. Luckly for the shop that did the job they guessed right! Because if it wasn't just the battery, you would be posting a new report about how they ripped you off as well. As already stated above, you agreed to the price up front, before the job. At the time, it was worth it to you. Now you change your mind because someone else could do half the job for half the price. Imagine that! Either way, the shop gave you a price, you agreed on the price. If you had told them that it should have been less before the job started, they wouldn't have agreed to do the job for that price so why should they give you any money back afterwards.

Well, it really doesnt matter to you what I have to say, you are just reading this to see if I agree with you or not. The fact is that I have to side with the repair facility on this one and I will tell you why they are right. The first and foremost reason is that they performed a repair that was authorized for the price quoted before the work was performed. No matter how much, it was authorized. There is an old saying in the car business that a car is only worth as much as someone will pay you for it. The same principle applies here. If the repair facility said it would cost $300 and you authorized it, that is how much it is worth. If they said it would cost $100 and you authorized it, that is how much it is worth. Now, here is the variable- If they said it would cost $100 and you said fix it and when you went to pick it up and the bill was $300........now THERE would be a problem. Unless I am missing something, this is NOT the case. Seems to me like, in a pinch, your told them to make a repair without doing your homework first (note the college reference to homework...impressive, huh?). I do not care WHAT you have done to a car,if you look long enough you WILL find someone else to do the repair cheaper. Call your dealership tomorrow and ask what their diagnostic rate is. I bet it is $70-$90 per hour. Why should a local garage be any less? I pay my lead transmission builder $35 per hour....thats right $35 per hour! Thats $1400 PER WEEK BEFORE OVERTIME! Thats enough to make most college students reconsider their course of studies. Thats ALOT of money! The point?? Point is that because of the quality of work I insist on for MY customers I am forced to charge similar diagnostic fees. And as a result, my customers are appreciative of the service they recieve. Not the least expensive, closer to the MOST expensive in the area, but they know that when I call them and tell them that their car is ready it is ready.....unlike local 7 day a week tire stores that have $8 per hour mechanics that rely on upsales by the salesman on duty to make a living. Is your car still functioning properly, or have you had constant problems after the repair? A better question is how much is YOUR time worth? how much is it worth for you to NOT have had to return 4 times to have your car looked at because something is not right that they should have seen when you had it repaired? Now then, I have to go for now. I need to have a cat scan because I was in my local garage and stubbed my toe on a piece of their equipment while they were checking out my battery when I told them to....and I am thinking about sueing them.

Kettering Automotive must feel good with the numerous henchmen, probably family members and mentally deranged, that enjoy speculating on irrelevant details and taking pot shots while never addressing the main issue regarding this one repair. Maybe you like KA. Maybe they treat you well. All I can say is that this repair experience was completely different. Sears will diagnose and replace batteries for about $100. I had another car diagnosed, battery replaced and an oil change for $125. KA charged me $225. Many of you seem to think that this is fair and like to engage in innuendo and slander while never addressing the over charging by KA. If you like paying two times what customary charges are, please let me know so that we can do more business together. I assure you that I will treat you well too. KA could have put an end to this a long time ago by treating this customer better. Most reputable business establishments that I know of treat customers much better than this. KA finds people to intervene in their behalf. Usually people that are so defensive have something to cover up. You be the judge or continue to be duped. This web site is powerful because it allows those that have been ripped off to provide the information so others can be informed. Cindy, to be clear, I am not a competitor. As for your need to spank, I suggest that you find another appropriate forum to express yourself, verbally or physically, your choice, you nut.

Peter, or whoever you are: You did not tell the truth in your original letter to RipOff Report, you did not conduct business with this shop, and you continue lying and hiding behind your computer monitor. Looks to me like you are a competitor trying to disparage this shop's reputation and are using this media to accomplish it. Someone needs to take your computer away from you, give you a good spanking, and send you out into the real world. As a woman, I have been taken advantage of by lots of shops in the Dayton area, but finally found Kettering Auto. These people are always honest with me, give me reasonable prices, have been around forever, and always show me ways to make my car last longer. THE LAST THING I NEED IS A CAR THAT WON'T START BECAUSE MY HUSBAND IS TOO LAZY TO KEEP IT UP! Seems you have a problem keeping it up! This website is intended for people looking for truth & accuracy about businesses and not for use by people like you. I want to thank the editor of this forum for this opportunity to voice my opinion. Kettering Auto rocks!

There are many meaningless accusations and tangential comments made regarding this post that are not worthy of a response. At the end of the day, this is simple. It should not cost $225 to diagnose and replace a battery. Case closed. If you would like to continue to use a service that conducts business in this manner, do so at your own risk. I would suggest that any new customers would proceed with caution. If any of this upsets you, you need professional help and stay away from guns and sharp objects.

As a customer of Kettering Automotive, I personally resent your continuing degrading of this company's reputation. I have carefully read all of the posts, discussed them with the owner, Ed, and have determined that you, sir, are a liar and cry-baby. The shop owner, Ed, says your son, not you, originally took the car in for the break-down. I want to point out that your original complaint, compared to the later ones, is not consistent and makes you look silly. You even signed your first post in this forum like you lived in Dayton and later posts show that you really live somewhere in Strongville, Ohio. Are you divorced? Did your ex-wife and son give you that bill to pay and that upset you? Are you going to put the University of Dayton in RipOff Report after your son graduates? Are you ever going to answer Robert's questions directly? Ed told me that your son and wife approved all the work and that only needed repairs were done. He also said that the tow truck driver told his mechanics the starter needed to be replaced because it wouldn't jump start. Ed's people didn't guess at it and only did what was necessary to fix your son's car. This is why I continue dealing with Kettering Automotive; they are always honest and caring. Now you report that you have another car that won't start, but this time it's summer. When are you going to start taking care of your cars so they quit breaking down? You probably complain about your dentist, doctor, and everyone else you ever dealt with blaming them for all of your problems. Sounds like you need some therapy! Your June 8th post attacks Kettering Automotive, again, but you never even gave out the name of the shop that fixed your car to your satisfaction. Why? Because you can't say anything nice about anybody. Why don't you grow up and join the adult world?

We had another car in the family not start. We had it towed to another mechanic (not Kettering Automotive - learned the lesson the first time) and the battery needed to be replaced. Cost? $123 including an oil change. Half of what KA charged. No BS, just an honest business man the second time. Guess who we'll use again? Guess who we won't?

Robert, I almost appreciate your spirited posts. If you're as honest as a baseball bat, explain to me your relationship to Kettering Automotive or why you have such a keen interest in this issue. As for your last post, you may be as "Blunt as a baseball bat", you appear to be as smart as one too. Your question was "How did you come to the conclusion the shop should refund uou (sic) $60?" I answered that question pretty clearly. Now you have another question with a derogatory preface. Now I understand why your shop is in a back alley, people offer to fight you and I'm glad that YOU did not fix the car! Florida? Isn't that the state that couldn't count ballots right too? You go from counting ballots to fixing cars? Time for another career change buddy. Best of luck with brain surgery. Your future customers will be posting here in no time, if they survive.

How did you come up with your estimate of a fair and resonable price? Be specific. You say $100 is fair and reasonable. How did you arrive at that number? Jennifer, I don't let them drag me down. I read online(MSN) about a poll that was taken in various parts of the Country. It showed that 90% of the American public wants to be lied to, as long as they are being told what they want to hear. That left 10% who only want to hear the truth, no matter what. My shop is in a back alley, off the main drag, and a bit difficult to find if you don't know where the area. Despite that, I have been in this horrid location for 3 years so far, longer than any other shop for the past 20+ years. They all went down. I'm going like gangbusters. It's not because I have no "people skills", or because I rip anyone off. It's because all of my customers seek me out. They have used the liars and charlatans, and have decided they'd like to be told the truth for once. I've had customers threaten to fight me, and then come back with friends so I can fix more cars. You see, everyone wants their car fixed right, the first time. I'm blunt as a baseball bat, but only because I am incapable of telling lies to anyone. The truth hurts. So, let's have it Peter. What mathematical equation did you use to arrive at $100.

Sounds like they did a fine job of fixing your car, just charged more than what you wanted to pay. They did everything they should have done after your car would not start. It's good they keep detailed records, because you left quite a bit out of your initial complaint that the shop cleared up in their rebuttle. You were not ripped off that is the consensus on this board, sorry you disagree. You did get estimates on all the services before they were done, and authroized them. If you feel ripped off, you did that yourself. Geez Robert, what do you say to always get these responses. lol. It's always you too even though lots of people will post rebuttles.

How did I arrive at $60? Easy. I feel that a new battery (new cables were not installed) is worth about $100. The total bill was about $220 so the amount in question is about $120. Splitting the differnece, $60, is the middle ground that most reputable businesses would agree to while avoiding all subsequent conversation. For the record, there was never a threat to disgrace me (Kettering Automotive) on the internet as indicated in the quotes. There was a discussion about not recommending this shop on campus. Certainly there is no consensus on this bulliten board, but it certainly has provided a record of I believe to be high pricing for other people that may chose to use this shop. If Kettering Automotive did as good a job fixing cars as they do keeping such detailed records, then there wouldn't be any problems. I have to cast an aspersion as it looks like they are pretty good at covering their behinds. Maybe things like this have happened before? Are Robert and Edward brothers-in-law or what?

Could someone please explain to me what the age of a vehicle has to do with the price of a repair part? How did anyone come up with the theory of "my car isn't worth that much?" in relation to the cost of the repair? If my car is worth $500, and the repair is worth $500, then the repair is still worth $500. If my car is worth $50K, and the repair is worth $500, then the repair is still worth $500. One has absolutely NOTHING to do with the other. The repair facility is not going to use the CHEAPest parts they can find. They will use the BEST. The batteries I sell are NAPA Legends, and NAPA NASCAR. They outperform every other battery on the market. CHEAP? nope. GOOD? Yes. Notice how the two are not equal? Your battery warranty has nothing to do with the age of the vehicle. Nor does the price of the battery, or the labor to install it. Please answer this Peter. How did you come to the conclusion the shop should refund uou $60? Let me guess. you called AutoZone, Advance, Kragen, Pep Boys, or some other junk part store, and decided the price they sell it for is what the repair facility should charge. And since those places will usually install the battery for FREE, you also decided the repair facility should also charge that much. FREE. Amazing. You are a student? I'll assume it's college. Try taking a course or two in Business Administration, and Economics. You'll be amazed at how much you DON'T know about both.

Could someone please explain to me what the age of a vehicle has to do with the price of a repair part? How did anyone come up with the theory of "my car isn't worth that much?" in relation to the cost of the repair? If my car is worth $500, and the repair is worth $500, then the repair is still worth $500. If my car is worth $50K, and the repair is worth $500, then the repair is still worth $500. One has absolutely NOTHING to do with the other. The repair facility is not going to use the CHEAPest parts they can find. They will use the BEST. The batteries I sell are NAPA Legends, and NAPA NASCAR. They outperform every other battery on the market. CHEAP? nope. GOOD? Yes. Notice how the two are not equal? Your battery warranty has nothing to do with the age of the vehicle. Nor does the price of the battery, or the labor to install it. Please answer this Peter. How did you come to the conclusion the shop should refund uou $60? Let me guess. you called AutoZone, Advance, Kragen, Pep Boys, or some other junk part store, and decided the price they sell it for is what the repair facility should charge. And since those places will usually install the battery for FREE, you also decided the repair facility should also charge that much. FREE. Amazing. You are a student? I'll assume it's college. Try taking a course or two in Business Administration, and Economics. You'll be amazed at how much you DON'T know about both.

Could someone please explain to me what the age of a vehicle has to do with the price of a repair part? How did anyone come up with the theory of "my car isn't worth that much?" in relation to the cost of the repair? If my car is worth $500, and the repair is worth $500, then the repair is still worth $500. If my car is worth $50K, and the repair is worth $500, then the repair is still worth $500. One has absolutely NOTHING to do with the other. The repair facility is not going to use the CHEAPest parts they can find. They will use the BEST. The batteries I sell are NAPA Legends, and NAPA NASCAR. They outperform every other battery on the market. CHEAP? nope. GOOD? Yes. Notice how the two are not equal? Your battery warranty has nothing to do with the age of the vehicle. Nor does the price of the battery, or the labor to install it. Please answer this Peter. How did you come to the conclusion the shop should refund uou $60? Let me guess. you called AutoZone, Advance, Kragen, Pep Boys, or some other junk part store, and decided the price they sell it for is what the repair facility should charge. And since those places will usually install the battery for FREE, you also decided the repair facility should also charge that much. FREE. Amazing. You are a student? I'll assume it's college. Try taking a course or two in Business Administration, and Economics. You'll be amazed at how much you DON'T know about both.

I read Edwards response and it sounds like this 10 yr. old car was neglected in the area of the battery. The shop spent time diagnosing the charging system, had to undo years of rust and corrosion, put in a new battery, clean up the battery terminals. It does not sound like the cables were replaced. This bill sounds quite fair and the shop sounds like the kind of place I would not hesitate to take my car to. Get it done right the first time, so the car does not die along the road somewhere. Edward it sounds like you run a fine shop and have nothing to apologize for.

The facts: The 11-year old Honda was towed in by Peter, a student at the University of Dayton, on Thursday, March 1, 2007. He informed Nancy, our service writer, that he arranged the tow because, the engine wouldn't start or take a jump. In addition, he stated that, the engine did not crank and made some kind of noise, but not the engine. Peter then agreed to pay our initial analysis estimate of $66.59 (including tax) at 2:53pm on Friday March 2, 2007. This included an attempt to re-charge his dead battery and to analyze his vehicle for the possible cause/s of the battery discharge. At 4:34pm later that day, he approved the additional amount of $157.20 for our battery, labor to install it, and tax. The battery cables were badly corroded and all of the hold-down hardware was badly rusted. Upon completion, he was informed that the starting/charging system functioned normally and that no other charging system-related work was needed. In addition, at one point before the battery was installed, Peter's mother called in to confirm that we could get her son's car done before the end of the day. In that call, she re-assured Nancy that the final total estimate of $223.79 to fix her son's car was approved. It was not until Monday, March 12, 2007, that Mr. --- discussed his dissatisfaction with his bill. By phone, he told me, I think the bill should only be about $100 because my son is in college and has limited income. He also threatened to disgrace me on the internet if I didn't give him a refund. My technicians did not guess at what his son's car needed, approvals were given before any work was done; it was fixed right the first time, on time, and fixed it with honesty, quality, and integrity. And yet, it is Mr. ---- who masquerades (in these posts) in the guise of his son when he didn't arrange the tow, had no prior discussion with our staff, and had prior opportunity to tell us, in his opinion, that our prices are too high. We do not fix cars by guessing at problems, and with an old car like Peter's, it was agreed upon to be thorough with our analysis. Besides, our diagnostic crystal ball is on the blink! I shudder to think what would have happened if we simply threw a battery in it and the vehicle died in some rural area between Dayton and Strongsville! What would the content of these posts say, then? I wonder, is Mr. --- going to enter UD in the Rip-Off Report, after his son graduates, because the tuition was too high? After all, you can get a degree at an on-line college for $475; why pay over $35,000-plus per year at UD? I wonder, does Mr. Sullivan eat at quality restaurants and then complain he could have eaten cheaper at McDonalds? Our pricing calculations are based upon expenses such as state, federal, & property taxes, liability insurance, equipment & training costs, technician wages, rent, advertising, health insurance, workman's comp fees, and a finite number of other administrative costs. We do not guess at prices and advertise fair pricing and quality work. Our shop has existed at this location since 1960 operating on that basis. We do not apologize for our pricing and abide by Ohio State Laws designed to protect consumers against illegal sales practices. We offer "excellent service & high quality," but cannot always offer "low price" to our repertoire.

The facts: The 11-year old Honda was towed in by Peter, a student at the University of Dayton, on Thursday, March 1, 2007. He informed Nancy, our service writer, that he arranged the tow because, the engine wouldn't start or take a jump. In addition, he stated that, the engine did not crank and made some kind of noise, but not the engine. Peter then agreed to pay our initial analysis estimate of $66.59 (including tax) at 2:53pm on Friday March 2, 2007. This included an attempt to re-charge his dead battery and to analyze his vehicle for the possible cause/s of the battery discharge. At 4:34pm later that day, he approved the additional amount of $157.20 for our battery, labor to install it, and tax. The battery cables were badly corroded and all of the hold-down hardware was badly rusted. Upon completion, he was informed that the starting/charging system functioned normally and that no other charging system-related work was needed. In addition, at one point before the battery was installed, Peter's mother called in to confirm that we could get her son's car done before the end of the day. In that call, she re-assured Nancy that the final total estimate of $223.79 to fix her son's car was approved. It was not until Monday, March 12, 2007, that Mr. --- discussed his dissatisfaction with his bill. By phone, he told me, I think the bill should only be about $100 because my son is in college and has limited income. He also threatened to disgrace me on the internet if I didn't give him a refund. My technicians did not guess at what his son's car needed, approvals were given before any work was done; it was fixed right the first time, on time, and fixed it with honesty, quality, and integrity. And yet, it is Mr. ---- who masquerades (in these posts) in the guise of his son when he didn't arrange the tow, had no prior discussion with our staff, and had prior opportunity to tell us, in his opinion, that our prices are too high. We do not fix cars by guessing at problems, and with an old car like Peter's, it was agreed upon to be thorough with our analysis. Besides, our diagnostic crystal ball is on the blink! I shudder to think what would have happened if we simply threw a battery in it and the vehicle died in some rural area between Dayton and Strongsville! What would the content of these posts say, then? I wonder, is Mr. --- going to enter UD in the Rip-Off Report, after his son graduates, because the tuition was too high? After all, you can get a degree at an on-line college for $475; why pay over $35,000-plus per year at UD? I wonder, does Mr. Sullivan eat at quality restaurants and then complain he could have eaten cheaper at McDonalds? Our pricing calculations are based upon expenses such as state, federal, & property taxes, liability insurance, equipment & training costs, technician wages, rent, advertising, health insurance, workman's comp fees, and a finite number of other administrative costs. We do not guess at prices and advertise fair pricing and quality work. Our shop has existed at this location since 1960 operating on that basis. We do not apologize for our pricing and abide by Ohio State Laws designed to protect consumers against illegal sales practices. We offer "excellent service & high quality," but cannot always offer "low price" to our repertoire.

The facts: The 11-year old Honda was towed in by Peter, a student at the University of Dayton, on Thursday, March 1, 2007. He informed Nancy, our service writer, that he arranged the tow because, the engine wouldn't start or take a jump. In addition, he stated that, the engine did not crank and made some kind of noise, but not the engine. Peter then agreed to pay our initial analysis estimate of $66.59 (including tax) at 2:53pm on Friday March 2, 2007. This included an attempt to re-charge his dead battery and to analyze his vehicle for the possible cause/s of the battery discharge. At 4:34pm later that day, he approved the additional amount of $157.20 for our battery, labor to install it, and tax. The battery cables were badly corroded and all of the hold-down hardware was badly rusted. Upon completion, he was informed that the starting/charging system functioned normally and that no other charging system-related work was needed. In addition, at one point before the battery was installed, Peter's mother called in to confirm that we could get her son's car done before the end of the day. In that call, she re-assured Nancy that the final total estimate of $223.79 to fix her son's car was approved. It was not until Monday, March 12, 2007, that Mr. --- discussed his dissatisfaction with his bill. By phone, he told me, I think the bill should only be about $100 because my son is in college and has limited income. He also threatened to disgrace me on the internet if I didn't give him a refund. My technicians did not guess at what his son's car needed, approvals were given before any work was done; it was fixed right the first time, on time, and fixed it with honesty, quality, and integrity. And yet, it is Mr. ---- who masquerades (in these posts) in the guise of his son when he didn't arrange the tow, had no prior discussion with our staff, and had prior opportunity to tell us, in his opinion, that our prices are too high. We do not fix cars by guessing at problems, and with an old car like Peter's, it was agreed upon to be thorough with our analysis. Besides, our diagnostic crystal ball is on the blink! I shudder to think what would have happened if we simply threw a battery in it and the vehicle died in some rural area between Dayton and Strongsville! What would the content of these posts say, then? I wonder, is Mr. --- going to enter UD in the Rip-Off Report, after his son graduates, because the tuition was too high? After all, you can get a degree at an on-line college for $475; why pay over $35,000-plus per year at UD? I wonder, does Mr. Sullivan eat at quality restaurants and then complain he could have eaten cheaper at McDonalds? Our pricing calculations are based upon expenses such as state, federal, & property taxes, liability insurance, equipment & training costs, technician wages, rent, advertising, health insurance, workman's comp fees, and a finite number of other administrative costs. We do not guess at prices and advertise fair pricing and quality work. Our shop has existed at this location since 1960 operating on that basis. We do not apologize for our pricing and abide by Ohio State Laws designed to protect consumers against illegal sales practices. We offer "excellent service & high quality," but cannot always offer "low price" to our repertoire.

The facts: The 11-year old Honda was towed in by Peter, a student at the University of Dayton, on Thursday, March 1, 2007. He informed Nancy, our service writer, that he arranged the tow because, the engine wouldn't start or take a jump. In addition, he stated that, the engine did not crank and made some kind of noise, but not the engine. Peter then agreed to pay our initial analysis estimate of $66.59 (including tax) at 2:53pm on Friday March 2, 2007. This included an attempt to re-charge his dead battery and to analyze his vehicle for the possible cause/s of the battery discharge. At 4:34pm later that day, he approved the additional amount of $157.20 for our battery, labor to install it, and tax. The battery cables were badly corroded and all of the hold-down hardware was badly rusted. Upon completion, he was informed that the starting/charging system functioned normally and that no other charging system-related work was needed. In addition, at one point before the battery was installed, Peter's mother called in to confirm that we could get her son's car done before the end of the day. In that call, she re-assured Nancy that the final total estimate of $223.79 to fix her son's car was approved. It was not until Monday, March 12, 2007, that Mr. --- discussed his dissatisfaction with his bill. By phone, he told me, I think the bill should only be about $100 because my son is in college and has limited income. He also threatened to disgrace me on the internet if I didn't give him a refund. My technicians did not guess at what his son's car needed, approvals were given before any work was done; it was fixed right the first time, on time, and fixed it with honesty, quality, and integrity. And yet, it is Mr. ---- who masquerades (in these posts) in the guise of his son when he didn't arrange the tow, had no prior discussion with our staff, and had prior opportunity to tell us, in his opinion, that our prices are too high. We do not fix cars by guessing at problems, and with an old car like Peter's, it was agreed upon to be thorough with our analysis. Besides, our diagnostic crystal ball is on the blink! I shudder to think what would have happened if we simply threw a battery in it and the vehicle died in some rural area between Dayton and Strongsville! What would the content of these posts say, then? I wonder, is Mr. --- going to enter UD in the Rip-Off Report, after his son graduates, because the tuition was too high? After all, you can get a degree at an on-line college for $475; why pay over $35,000-plus per year at UD? I wonder, does Mr. Sullivan eat at quality restaurants and then complain he could have eaten cheaper at McDonalds? Our pricing calculations are based upon expenses such as state, federal, & property taxes, liability insurance, equipment & training costs, technician wages, rent, advertising, health insurance, workman's comp fees, and a finite number of other administrative costs. We do not guess at prices and advertise fair pricing and quality work. Our shop has existed at this location since 1960 operating on that basis. We do not apologize for our pricing and abide by Ohio State Laws designed to protect consumers against illegal sales practices. We offer "excellent service & high quality," but cannot always offer "low price" to our repertoire.

The tow truck was not associated with the garage. He never offered to jump it; just tow it to a garage. I believed that Kettering Automotive was reputable and I had it towed there. Had I known it was not, or that it was just the battery, knowing what I know now, I would not have gone there. I'm not against anyone making a fair profit but I don't know anyone that thinks that $223 is a fair price for a battery replacement for a 1996 Honda Civic. He put a great battery in too. Basically, it was a very expensive battery. I did not get any options on the battery and why would anyone put a 6-7 year battery in a car that is 10 years old with 140k miles? I spoke with the owner and he was very indignant and uncooperative. I'll never go there again and I'll make sure that I mention to as many people as I can to not take their car their either. I thought that about $100 would be fair. He charged me $223. I was willing to split the difference and would be happy if he would refund me about $60. I think that this is more than reasonable. I'll post again if he steps up to plate to resolve this like an honest gentleman.

Cars today are computerized. Many cannot be used to jump another vehicle or be jumped at all. Drivers are not mechanics, but I'm sure customers would love to blame them for their car repairs. I will do jump -starts only after the car's owner signs a release that if his electrical system goes up in smoke, it's on him. Also, some car batteries take a lot of work to swap out. Some require the wheel and inner fender be removed,or worse, and that takes time. A competitor will always tell you that he would've done the job cheaper, because you've already had the work done and he wants to piss you off at the other guy..

I love people who pretend they don't understand the concept of making a profit. I get them all the time. They'll admit the store that sold them their clothes, food, car, etc did so for more than the store paid for the items, but feign shock and surprise when an automotive repair facility does the same thing. You people slay me.

If you will please pass on some more information concerning the year, make, model and engine size of the car involved it may give more support to your claim of being ripped off.

Most tow trucks will check the battery first for a no crank condition. Why? Because they still collect on the service charge and don't have to load the vehicle. Unless this guy was associated with the shop.