Complaint Review: Touch Of Class Paint & Body Shop - Miami Beach Florida

On November 11th 2008 I took my car a 1965 Lincoln Continental to be repaired by Touch of Class. the estimate said that the car had 8,156 dollars in damage and it was written on the estimate that the car would be done in 19 days. about 60 days later they said they had finished the work on the car and that I should come pick it up. At this time they are in the process of relocating the shop. Once I get the car back into my posession I begin to look over all the work they had done and was completely unsatisfied. I than took the car into an expert for an inspection on the work that had been done, the work that had not been done as well as a diminished value report to show what the car was worth now. In this inspection process I was notified of over 3,800 dollars in work that had not even been done to the car including parts and labor. It was than confirmed by my insurance company State Farm that I had been frauded. When I confronted Fernando Gonzalez the owner of Touch of Class, he said that he had "overlooked" those items on the estimate. What a joke. He than said that he was going to correct everything and have the car back to me in 2 weeks, another joke. 148 days later I decided enough was enough and regardless of the condition of the car I was going to take the car back into my posession. during all this time I would pay them a visit at least once a week to see how the car was doing. I even went by at 1 in the mornig to see where they were parking the car and came to see that they would leave it outside in a lot next to the business completly unprotected from harm, theft and the elements. Those who know about cars and Miami know that heat, humidity and salt destry cars especially 45 year old ones. The car was also damaged in the shop when someone collided into the quarter panel and they did a horrible job of covering up the damage. the also damaged the interior which was brand new and redone. Everything they did from putting pieces back on to painting to this they weren't even payed to touch the broke or damaged. I sent them a letter via certified mail demanding a full refund and they verbally responded by saying that not only are they not going to give me my money back but that they aren't going to correct anything on thi car (which i would never want anyways) that if the court said that they needed to pay me back than they would. So since I have filed a complaint with the Dade County Consumer Services Dept. who regulates body shops in Miami as well as filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and any other outlet of formal complaints possible. As soon as I get confirmation from thos complaints as to what they are going to do, I will then proceed with a Lawsuit against them for recovery of my money that was paid to them and money to replace and fix the other things that they damaged in the process. These guys are true typical SCUMBAGS who have no pride in the jobs they do and could carless about customer satisfaction. Anyone knows that in a 199 days at the pace of a turtle you could build any car. Ferraris don't even take that lond to build. Anyone who reads this I urge you to be very aware of Body Shops and the work that they do, beacause you can only verify what you can see unless you get an expert involved. The profit is nearly 50% of what the body shop charges and as sellfish as some may be they wont do work on what cant be comfirmed by the client.

Jose

Coral Gables, Florida

U.S.A.