- Report: #1084487
Complaint Review: Wendel - Phoenix Arizona
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Wendel
8825 N Black Canyon Hwy, Phoenix, 85021 Arizona, USA
Phone:
+1 (602) 626-9530
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Wendel Manager of aamco in phoenix Con artist Wendel from aamco in phoenix Phoenix Arizona
Hello, I have a 2007 corvette that had slight overheating issues while sitting at a red light or stopped anywhere with the car still running. This past July (110+ degrees) it finally overheated and billowed a cloud of coolant steam after getting off the freeway. I made it home safely and the next day took it to Wendel who supposedly diagnoised my whole car and found it to be my cooling system with a cracked radiator, "most likely from a faulty water pump" according to him. He replaced the cracked radiator, water pump, all the hoses, thermostat... The whole nine yards and charged me way over $2,000 for the "repair" just for my car to be acting up and doing the EXACT same thing it was doing prior to being taken to him at AAMCO.
I paid him $900 or so upfront and agreed to make payments for a completed job. He informed me he would have to charge me more money to install a tracking unit GPS box that shuts down my car immediately if I miss a payment which added another $200 or so to my bill, this all after the job was already done and needing my car back. This past week, durning a cool snap, 75-80 degrees F, my car went from 220* into the RED in the time span of me ordering tacos from Taco Bell, and picking them up at the window. Worse than it has ever been prior to his involve my with my car.
I called Wendel and explained to him that the job wasn't done right and that it needs to be rectified immediately, or remove the box from my car so I can have it repaired by someone I can trust and know personally and call the $1300 or so already paid to him square. He immediately tried to say "how do I know it was HIS repair that is faulty" and continued to try and tell me "it can be several other things the can equate to the underlying problem" and that he "would need to diagnose the car again to see if it was "his work" or something new". I asked if it is infact something different, if they would charge me more money and he confirmed that suspicion. I explained to him I would much rather have it fixed by someone I trust than have him look at my car and try and tell me it's something new, his first diagnostics didn't find the underlying issue the first time, why trust it a second time? what good is a diagnostic if its not finding the underlying issue in the first place? To rope a customer back in and charge them more money to fix something they didn't fix at first in order to have the customer return over and over again, especially if the car is held "hostage" with a control module box the kills the engine.
He tried to tell me I can come in and get a free diagnostic for free at "absolutely no charge", and would warrantee his work, "if it is infact, it was to be his work" but I informed him I do not want him or his employees touching my car again after, 1 my speakers in my truck were messed up after a cooling system repair, and 2, the job wasn't done correctly the first time. Of course I have the "option" of taking it somewhere else after his "free" diagnostics to potentially find something else and charge me for, but that is his tactic to rip people off as he has done to other people, which has been recorded on here by Ripoff Report.
Diagnose and blame on a whole different issue, his diagnoses didn't find the first time, supposedly. My suspicion is they know about it, but fail to fix it right there and then, knowing it will be brought back in the next few weeks/months to be "fixed" again for MORE MONEY.
I have filed a complaint with the local news station "3 on your side" and next will be calling all other news channels to bring light on this scammer. Probably been ripping people off from back in the 80's if this shop has supposedly been owned by the same person for that long according to him, as if conartists never stay in business; sidesteps issues trying to discuss irrelevant jargon, to throw people who are less informed, way off their ability to maintain focus on the issue of their vehicle.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
David
Phoenix,Arizona,
Having a car held hostage is unreasonable.
#2Author of original report
Thu, September 19, 2013
First, the issue was never rectified as the over heating issues remained right after I obtained my car back from them anyways but didn't care to take it back to them after my speakers were ruined, along with a new rough sound in the engine that never existed. My mechanic who is a family friend informed me to NOT take it back there what so ever as 1) they couldn't or refused to find the whole issue(s); and 2) which then becomes a statistical probability that they will blame on a different issue In order to charge me for more money, as documented on here, how he has personally done that prior and known to be done by many many other scandalous shop owner and or employees such as Wendel.
The only reason I brought my vehicle to that particular AAMCO off i17 and dunlop exit, was its close proximity to my house and the ability to take it there compared to a tow to my mechanic in queen creek or the dealership where it is now getting the second opinion as suggested by the local news in order to pin this scammer Wendel with the truth that he DIDNT fix what it was that was supposed to be fixed in the first place, and that he is incapable of finding the correct issue the first time with his outstanding ability to diagnose a simple overheating issue, or other simple issues as documented here on ripoff report.
Second, my ability to pay or not pay has absolutely nothing to do with the matter at hand, because anyone given the option to pay payments for a job completed shouldnt have an issue as its much more financially responsible than draining ones bank account. The issue lies with the control box for a "repair" that wasn't completed; done right the first time; or fixed when it didn't need to be. Period. The dealership will find the issue of the slight overheating issue and will provided me with the ammunition to take this scammer to court and enough grounds for the removal of the box and calling it square for payment recieved already, again for a job uncompleted or for something that didn't need to be fixed at all anyways.
I'm the only driver that has ever sat behind the wheel of that car from when I rolled it out off the showroom floor in '07 at 22 years old (which makes the car only 6 years old with roughly 75+k miles on it, so brush up on your math my friend...) and know the ins and out of that car including all nuances and sounds it creates, it was not the same after going to them. So I will not allow them to continue ruining my vehicle and shouldn't of let them touch my car in the first place as grease ball shops like that are known to rip people off, and don't have the true means to work on such a performance vehicle. This isn't over and I will prevail in the end shedding light on this scammer named Wendel over at AAMCO off i17 and Dunlop In Phoenix, So others will not be effected like i and several others on here were by him. Period.
I have plenty of video evidence and videos never lie.
Crucible
Arizona,You sound quite unreasonable.
#3Consumer Comment
Tue, September 17, 2013
Your car was repaired and went from July to September without overheating. You appear to be claiming that you can attribute the recent incident to shoddy work by the mechanic, but you don't seem to be able to back up the claim. In fact, you don't even attempt to.
Take a deep breath and consider what you're asking. The mechanic says he'll honor his warranty, but you won't let him see the car to verify if the repair is warrantable. You apparently want him to take your word for it, although you appear to know next to nothing about auto mechanics. There's no mechanic on earth that would operate the way you think this one should. While it is clear that you personally do not trust this person's work, you have also not made the case that this person's work was defective. If you want a mechanic to stand behind a warranty, you have to allow them to inspect the vehicle to verify that the problem is indeed related to the work that they did. Simple as that. That's how all warranties work.
BTW, if you couldn't afford the original bill, you should probably consider driving something that is more maintenance friendly than an 8 yr. old Corvette.
