Chimera Radiator Co. Inc. Your "100% guaranteed analysis or you don't pay" policy is bogus Kissimmee Florida

I have had totally different experiences with Chimera Radiator than the gentleman who filed the complaint with Ripoff Report.

The company I work for has been doing business with Chimera Radiator since 1988. Chimera Radiator has maintained a relationship with my employer and has provided quality work and customer service for 20 years. I have been with this company for 7 years and can not remember the first incident of inferior repairs, products, or services.

Last year, my personal vehicle broke down. I had sludge in my cooling system. Naturally I took my vehicle to the shop that I knew would not take advantage of my mechanical ignorance and would make repairs that I knew I could trust. John told me what he believed the problem to be. (I had previously asked around about the possibilities of the repairs and they were nearly identical). I don't remember mechanically what all was done, but I know it involved a head gasket. John kept in contact with me to let me know what was wrong prior to repairs being made, he updated me on the status, and he stayed true to his word from price, to repairs, to time frame.

A couple of months ago, my trusty steed acted up on me again... this time it was a weird noise and the vehicle was a little sluggish. I knew someone who was a mechanic and they listened to it. They told me it was the fan clutch. I decided I was going to try to save a few dollars and take it to a friend of a friend. After delays in the repairs, surprise parts "needing" to be replaced, missing parts, and other headaches, I fired the other mechanic and called Chimera.

I explained to John that I needed to get the repairs done a.s.a.p. but I had no way of getting the truck to him. I dreaded calling a tow company because my vehicle was only about a mile away and the extra cost was an issue of concern also. The belt was partially off, but instead of towing the vehicle, John came out, took 2 minutes to put the belt back on, and had someone drive my vehicle the short distance to his shop. I was very appreciative of the special attention that I received and assumed it was because I was now a repeat customer! But apparently he also provided the person who filed the "ripoff report" with transportation free of charge. But I still feel like I got special attention and I'm still appreciative. John can't go that extra mile with every single customer so I feel fortunate to be one of them.

Chimera looked it over and called me and confirmed the repairs: the water pump, belt, and fan clutch had to be replaced. I had already bought two of the parts for the other mechanic and John said it was no problem and that he would use those. Chimera again got the repairs done quickly and kept in contact with me. His estimate was again right on and the vehicle was ready when he said it would be. Funny thing is... I only paid a little more for Chimera to do the repairs and I got a cooling system flush and a year warranty on top. Next time I'll know to just call Chimera.

I hate to think that because of the one documented case of miscommunication / misunderstanding (whatever the case may be) that anyone would be hesitant to take their vehicle to Chimera. If they were in the business of dishonesty and doing shoddy work, would they have been able to survive for over 30 years in a town where there seems to be a mechanic shop on every corner? Chimera Radiator is my first choice in automotive repair shops based not only on reputation, but also on personal experience.

First I would like to talk about this "100% guaranteed analysis or you dont pay" incinuation.
That is not what was said to the customer. He was told the same thing every
other customer who has been to us in the past 39 years, in the same location, has been told.
He was told that there would be a 40 dollar charge for an estimate. If he decided to agree to the repairs, 100%
of his 40 dollar estimate charge would be refunded.

The customer's complaint was that he kept getting air in the system and it was boiling
over. At the time he brought the car to us, he had been to 2 shops which had made
repairs to his car. The last repair was a thermostat.

Now I'll get back to the car in a second. What I would like to explain now is the title
to this rebuttal. When the customer (and unlike him I won't use his name) came to me,
he had no way back to the hotel he was staying at, which I might add was 18 miles from
my shop. However, rather than have him take a taxi back at 50 dollars each way, I drove him
there and picked him up at no cost to him. I noticed he said nothing about that or the
fact that he had been to several other places. Now as far as not calling him back i have
made more than one call to his cell phone and left him many messages before even seeing this post.

With that said,when he first came in I told him it was a possible plugged radiator. He was
quoted a price and agreed to do the work. Now here is where his story falls apart!!! I called
him after we did a complete inspection of his car and said "listen, we did not find a plugged
radiator" (now this is where if I was going to rip him off, since I had already sold the job, I would have but
instead told him the truth which was...) "the only thing we found is on the lower, yes lower, hose. There is a
small hose that comes off in a 'T' shape, that is cracked. He asked how, and I said, possibly, whomever installed the thermostat broke it.

Now ALL WE DID was replace his lower hose, which was special order from Ford.Now, he assumes that I'm
supposed to warranty his whole motor. Tell me if you think that sounds fair.

A day or so later the customer had an unmarked product delivered to my shop. He claimed it was to be a head gasket repair product.
At this point, we called him to be sure that this WAS the right product. He confirmed that it was. We installed
it to his exact specifications. Afterwards, we DID flush ALL of the antifreeze out and ran the car like we were told by him. Now as you saw in his
post, we also discussed new antifreeze, which he also agreed to have, and we proceeded to fulfull that as well.

I feel that I have given a fair and accurate statment of what happened with this customer and his car.
Now if he would like to call me and settle this issue, he has the number for my direct line, and I would be more than happy to deal
with things in an appropriately fair manner. However, I refuse to lower my standards of business by attempting to argue on this forum.

With that said, I would also like to say thank you. This site is a great way for industries to have the good and the bad revealed.
It is the perfect way for consumers to know the truths of businesses, as well as experiences of other consumers.
I do, however hope that all remember that there are ALWAYS two sides to every story.

Thank you for you time and anticipated understanding,
John Soock, Owner and manager of Chimera Radiator Co. Inc.