My 1999 Dodge Durango needed a heater core. We had the original diagnosis done at Pep Boys because it was the closest place to get it to. After calling a few places, the best price we could get it repaired for was Midas in Howell, NJ. So we brought it in on October 13th. It was supposed to be a 5 hour job. But what it turned into was a nearly month long nightmare!
They called my husband on the 14th to say that they hadn't the job yet. They were waiting to have their "best" mechanic work on it so that the job would be done right. They then called on October 16th to say that it was completed and we could go pick it up. I went within an hour of that phone call to get it. The manager didn't give me the key until after I paid them. As soon as I got into the car I noticed something was wrong.
On the bottom center of the dashboard, where it meets the carpeting, a plastic cover was missing. So it was now exposed metal. I put my key into the ignition and turned it on and attempted to move the shifter, located on the steering column, into drive. It wouldn't budge. The orange indicator was not even showing up in park. The manager, Mike, came out to try it. He then forced it out of park and tried saying it was fine. I had to argue with him to fix it since they had to take the steering column out to fix the heater core. Obviously, they didn't put it back in right.
Mike then called on October 19th to say that it was ready. I went there with my mother to check it. It still was not fixed. Instead of clicking into gears it would just slide between P,R,N,D,1 and 2. It wouldn't lock into them and the orange indicator to show what you are in was not showing up in any of them. He said it was fine and was viciously moving the shift around and being very arrogant towards me and my mother. We left and went back with my father. The manager then told us that he would try fixing it again.
That night my husband received a phone call from Mike stating that he thinks he figured out the problem and that a cable was needed in the steering column. I went back to Midas on October 20th to see what was going on. As soon as I drove up I could see something was wrong. My driver side door had a huge gash in it and they were already attempting to fill it in with bondo. Mike tried to assure me that it was nothing more than a scratch and that another customer had opened their car door on the truck. I told him not to do anything else to the door until I was opened to photograph the damage. Mike then told me that he would not be repairing the door, but they would be sending it to a local auto body facility for the repairs to be done. He said he just needed to put the cable in and fix that and it would be sent over to the auto body place. He also said that there were problems because "someone" installed a security system. That security system came FACTORY INSTALLED with the truck.
On October 21st I went back to Midas to take the photos of the door. When I went there I discovered that they had filled in the gash and covered it with a similar paint. So the full extent of the damage was not documented. The District Manager, Rob, was also there at this point. He told me that there was no cable ordered or put on. He also said that he would personally be working on the truck from that point on. I had expected things to be fixed but they just turned into a deeper nightmare.
On October 24th, Rob called to say that the steering was fixed and that we could take the truck for the weekend. He said they wouldn't be able to get it over to the auto body facility until October 27th. My husband went over to pick it up. This is when we discovered just how many other problems there were. My husband brought the truck home and I went out to look at it. These are the problems: Interior lights didn't work, no heating or a/c, door locks didn't work, when you hit the door locks the lights on the heating and a/c controls would light up, when you played with the heating and a/c controls the interior lights would come on and you can dim them with the same controls, parts of the backing on the dashboard were broken off, they "lost" part of the bottom piece of the dashboard.
We brought the truck back to midas on October 27th and explained to Rob all of the issues. He first attempted to blow it off as another issue all together. Then said he would try to fix it. The truck was then brought to the auto body facility on November 2nd. Midas called on November 5th to say that my truck was all ready to be picked up. I went that day to pick it up. I asked Mike what the compensation would be since we had already discussed that we would be getting something. He said he didn't know and that Rob would call. I get in the car and discovered that it still was not right.
Now, the factory cigarette lighter was gone and replaced with a used plain one that does not fit right. The missing part of the dashboard is still not replaced. The interior lights still do not work properly. The steering column is still not fixed right. The shift is still not fixed right. The door locks still do not work and I discovered that my front passenger door panel was taken off and it is very obviously glued on. The power outlets also are not getting any power to them. After reporting this to mike I took the truck home and spoke with my husband.
We called Midas again on November 7th. after not hearing from Rob like we were supposed to. I again asked them for the paperwork showing what else was done to my vehicle. I was told by Rob that I do not need any paperwork and that he doesn't have to give me anything. He told me that he fixed the truck and that was that. I informed him my truck is not fixed and that I need some sort of proof of what was done to the truck and how long the truck was there for. It turned into me going down there with my husband and having to call the police because they refused to give me any type of receipt. Now, I at least have a police report of how long the truck was there for.
I have to take my truck to the dodge dealership to have an estimate done of how much it will cost to fix the things they broke on my truck. I will have to take them to court to force them to pay for the repairs. I have a 3 year old to drive around in this truck and I don't even know if it's safe to drive. This is the only vehicle I have!
JWolf
howell,#2Author of original report
Tue, November 24, 2009
I brought my vehicle to the Dodge dealership on 11/20/09 to get an estimate of the damages done. I brought my paper with a list of the problems that I have noticed and let them have a copy of it. I was told that it would cost $250 to start and that it could go up to $1,000 just for the estimate. They said they would call me to let me know before hand if they had to go above the $250. I was then called on 11/21/09 and had a voicemail from the dealership. They stated that they had started the work for the estimate and the service manager did not want to get involved. Their words were "it's a very unproffessional job" and that "there is extensive damage" and to "call the service manager, John, to discuss the severity of the damages"
I called John on 11/23/09 and was told that they took the dashboard panels off and just off the visual it is a very bad situation. The steering column is missing a bolt and that may cause it to fall down while driving. I was told just based on that not to drive the vehicle. I was also told that there is electrical tape holding things together and that nothing was put back together right. The safety interlock has been damaged which is why I can take the truck out park without pressing the break and also the reason for the truck not coming out of park when I first went to pick it up at Midas. John said he does not want to get involved because the estimate will be very costly since they would have to take the entire dash and lay it out and go over everything. Him and his mechanics would lose money by having to testify in court and it's not something he wants to get involved in. They charged me the minimum of $100 for the estimate and they gave me the paperwork from them stating that they do not want to get involved due to the severity of the issues.
I have contacted my attorney regarding this matter. Midas in Howell, NJ has knowingly put the safety of my wife and 3 year old daughter in jeapordy. The service manager at Midas has continued to call me trying to offer us the $749.90 back in return for not filing suit. I have declined it each time. Due to everything that has been damaged it would cost several thousand dollars to repair the truck. I am willing to settle with them for the amount I owe on the truck, which is less than what the repairs would cost, since I am no longer able to drive the vehicle. I still have not been able to speak with the franchise owner. I have contacted corporate regarding the issue and they say they have no control over their franchisees and said they would contact the owner to have him call me. They still have not been able to contact him either.