Complaint Review: Mom's Automotive - Elkridge Maryland

I currently had a Kenwood pull out sterio and 140 watt sony speakers in my car. When that was hooked up the friend who installed it could'nt get both speakers to work so he split the sound from one speaker to both speakers so I could have sound from both sides.This was the only current problem with my sound system.

On 11/30/02 I was bringing my friend to Mom's tires to get some tires put on our cars. I had been going there for the past 5 years or so for tires. They had branched out into sterio systems by then so I thought I would get a sterio too. So I chose a Pioneer DEH 1400. I left a 150.00 deposit on it and was told I had a balance of 93.59 left.

So then on 12/07/02 I went back to have it installed. Then on 12/08/02 I noticed when the sterio was loud on volume 20 or so it would cut off. So I kept the sound low and thought I would mention it to the shop. I was driving and put my headlights on and I heard a pop and the sterio cut off. I had blown a fuse. I called the shop and told the owner what happened and he said they were closing and to come in on Monday.

So on 12/09/02 I went in after work and the owner said that the installer did not come in so he would look at it. So we went out front and he got some fuses and they were blowing so he said not to use the sterio and the headlights at the same time and come in the next day and the installer would fix it. I went to work and noticed I was driving with no tailights also I had no dash lights.

So I went there after work on tuesday 12/10/02 and told the installer that the sound cuts off when it is loud.

He said that was because my speakers were blown. so I bought new speakers and he charged me 30 dollars cash to install them I only had 29 so he said that would work. He said he fixed the problem with the blowing headlights fuse. I went out to my car and the sterio was on and my headlights were also on. I was curious to see if my tailights were on and checked and they were not.The installer said that I needed a new wiring harness. So I went inside and charged the harness on my charge card. They said that it would be in in 3 days.

The next day was an ice storm and I was by that time fed up with Mom's tires and looked up the model sterio they sold me for 199.00. I found it for prices ranging from 98.00 to 130.00. I called and left a message asking how they could do that. I then took my car to a mechanics shop I had been going to since the mid 1980's for car repair. The mechanic knows about sterios too and was wondering why I didn't just take it to him. So I paid him 60.00 to fix the mess. He told me these thing were done to my car:

1. The ground wire from the harness was capped off.

2. The ground wire to the sterio was hooked up to the brown wire which goes to the parking lights, dash lights and tail lights.

3. A Positive hot wire was hooked up to the speakers.

4. The power wire was replaced with a lower gage blue wire

5. The keys used to remove the sterio was not given to me.

This explained everything logically to someone like me who dosen't know that much about wiring. #2 is the reason for the blowing of fuses when I put on the lights. #4 explained why the sterio cut off when the sound was turned up: too much power going through a too small wire.

So I called the owner and asked for my sterio back and speakers back and for the keys to the sterio. I also told him what was done to my car and told him my mechanic said that I was lucky it didn't short out and cause a fire.

I told him I wanted a refund and he told me to come in. So I went in and he gave me back the 22.00 that I charged on my card for the wiring harness that I didn't even get to use. He said that the installers Father had a heart attack and was in the hospital and that was were the installer was. He also located my sony speakers and gave them back to me. So I told him I would come back after the holidays.

So on 1/4/03 I went there at 12:30 and they installer started screaming at me when I told him I wanted my money back. I am not used to some one screaming at me so I argued with him until I got a headach. I followed him around telling him what he had done to my car and he kept denying it saying he fixed my cars wiring problems.

He finally located my sterio he took out of my car and gave it back to me. I told him thanks for ripping me off and to use the money on his kids consider it a donation and left.

He had ripped me off for 75.00 cash I had paid to him to install my sterio. And 29.00 that I paid for him to hook up my new speakers that I didn't even need. Also he should pay the 60.00 I paid to S&S Auto Repair to straighten out his mess. I still need the too small gage power wires replaced with larger gage wire. I don't know what that will cost estimating 25.00. Total ripped off money 189.00. This does not count the over charge on the sterio which is roughly 60.00 to 100.00.

Diane

Elkridge, Maryland
U.S.A.