OC Auto Collision, Habib Taghizadeh, Laguna Collision Inc. Scam, Vehicle Damaged, Con Artist, Faulty Body Repairs, Shoddy Work, Overcharged Laguna Niguel California

 Had my Mercedes S63 taken here after a minor front end collision. Not wanting the ding on my insurance, I advised the shop that I would be paying out of pocket for the repairs. I wasn't provided with any written estimate at all whatsoever, even after asking for one on more than six occasions. I didn't think it was a big deal at the time because I had been there before and I trusted them not to screw me over....boy was I wrong. The only estimate I was given at any point in time was a verbal estimate of $10,000. It was explained to me by the owner, Habib (goes by "Tag") that the bulk of the costs were simply parts costs, and that he would be charging me very little for labor, so there wasn't much room on the repair cost. I knew I could find the parts for much cheaper so I told Habib that I would get all of the parts myself and bring them to him, so we looked over my car together, and compiled a list of parts needed to repair my car. Over the next couple of weeks, I located all of the parts and had them delivered to the shop. Upon receiving the last part from me, the shop began repairing my car, still without giving me any written estimate and without receiving any authorization from me to even move forward with the repairs. Several days later, I received a phone call advising me that my car was done and to come pick it up. I was confused, but excited and surprised at the same time. Absent receiving any estimate, I totaled up the parts that I had purchased, which came out to $8,647. Relying on their verbal estimate of $10k, I brought $2,000 down to the shop thinking that would be more than enough to pay for the labor. Upon arriving at the shop, I immediately noticed a massive crack all the way accross the center of my windshield. Then, I noticed a couple of the trim pieces from my old car were missing. So, I told Habib and he pointed me to my old bumper, which was sitting on a rack, to look for the trim pieces. Well, the trim pieces were not there, but shockingly, I discovered two expensive sensor units were sitting inside of the old bumper, and submerged in a small pool of water that had collected in my bumper. I brought all of these concerns to their attention, and was given scapegoats as to each of them. Then, to make matters worse, the scammer hands me an invoice with a balance due of over $4,000 for the labor, and I literally turned bright red in anger. I tried to negotiate the cost with the owner, and, one of his employees, multiple times. I offered $2,000, then $2,200, then $2,500, and finally, I even offered to pay an additional $500 two weeks later, because I needed my car for work. None of my offers were accepted, and the scammers refused to give my car back without full payment! My complaints about the damages they caused also were ignored! I was completely shocked and left in disbelief. I then tried another approach, and told the owner that I would file a complaint with the Bureau of Automotive Repair. At that, Habib screamed at me and threatened to rip all of the repair work off of my car. I have never been more insulted and disgusted in my life. This treatment was coming from a company that I once trusted, and had referred business to on multiple occasions in the past. I'm not sure what happened, but this company is no longer trustworthy in any regard. I filed complaints with the BAR and a lawsuit against the company and its owners. They still have my car and refuse to give it back. Do not bring your car here unless you want defective bodywork, missing car parts, and atrocious customer service.