Cottman Transmission Bill The Owner...He is a snake! Didn't fix the problem! Then wanted to change extra to fix the problem! Customer Relations doesn't help either! Kingston, Pennsylvania

Seems my family have become yet another victim to fall to Cottman Transmission.  January 31, 2011 we dropped of my fiances vehicle (Hyundai Elantra 2001) to have it fixed.

The big problem is that when you are driving the car, it just completely shuts off.  Which, is a problem since it is driven on the highway daily.  And at speeds of 65-75 mph, that can be pretty scary when it shuts off and you are in the middle of a four lane highway, trying to get over before your vehicle comes to a complete stop.  Among that issue, the car also has up and down shifting problems from time to time. 

So upon dropping it off, we spoke to the owner to let him know of these problems, and that they are the problems we would like to have fixed.  That same day, we receive a call from Bill, the franchise owner, and he tells us that is is the trubine something or other, and the catalytic converter.  So of course we give him the go ahead to fix those two things since he is saying, those are the reasons the car is shutting off and having shifting issues.  So the turbine part is 165, and the catalytic converter is roughly 650ish bucks.  The bill at pick up totalled $815.00. 

So Thursday, February 2, 2012 the car is ready for pick up.  I pick the car up, and it runs great!  For exactly two weeks, up until Tuesday, Febrary 14, 2012, the car was fine.  Well, on that fateful Valentine's Day, I get a call from my fiance telling me his car shut off.  I couldn't believe it!  Now what is really horrible, is that he was not able to get off the highway this time!  So he literally got out of his car and ran a bit to get away in case a car slammed into it.  Thankfully, nobody got hurt.  So he called a tow truck, and we had the car towed right back to Cottman Transmission in Kingston Pennsylvania.  I left a voice mail there since it was about 9:00pm at that time, and they are close, letting them know what happened.  And to please call me the next day with their findings.

So Wednesday, Febrary 15, 2012...Bill calls me and immediately starts the coversation with: " I hope you have had better days than this."  Funny Bill.  He proceeds to tell me that There is a map sensor and a crank sensor bad, and they are causing the problem.  Well, if they were the problem bill, why didn't you see this before on the diagnostic machine?  He stuttered a bit, and said that the crank sensor is a ghost problem, and the map sensor was bad previously, but he didn't think that was the problem.  So, it now all of a sudden is Bill?  Bill was always nice, very helpful to get the business, but once he messed up, Bill was not so nice anymore.  Bill then told me that he fixed this car like it was his own.  Well Bill, maybe you should have fixed it like it was mine, not yours.  Now we spend about half of our tax return on this, and the rest to pay bills, like I would assume most people do...I guess.  Bill then openly stated "Well it's not my fault you spent all of your tax return."  Wooooow I thought to myself.  This guy has balls.  But, not big ones that is for sure.  There is a long list of inappropriate comments Bill said to me and my fiance.  But I will save the rest for court.  :o)  

I asked Bill to explain to me why I should have to foot this bill since A: They are the experts, and I took it to them to fix the problem and they charged me to things that did not fix the problem.  Well, thats just it, no "B," just "A."  So, Bill said   " We fixed what we said we would fix."  Really?  I mean...Really Bill?  Come on.  He then started to say I told him nothing of the cutting off problem.  So this is where the lies begin.  "Yea bill, I walked in and asked you to fix to my turbine something and my catalytic converter."  LoL.  Bill think I was born yesterday apparently.  No Bill, I told you my problem, like many other customers do, they tell you the problem, you diagnose it, and you fix it.  Point blank.  You do not diagnose half a problem, fix it, say its good, and now try and squeeze more money out of me.  How do I even know you really fixed what you said you fixed now, since the problem is still going on?  So neither myself or my fiance got anywhere with Bill. 

I then proceed to contact "Customer Relations."  Well, apparently, nobody answers the phone, or returns messages.  So I posted a "nice" comment on their facebook page.  Well, surprisingly, they responded very quickly.  They advised me to contact Carol Iacullo-Kohlmeir , that she is the one who can help.  Well, were they ever wrong.  I called her on Wednesday, February 15, 2012.  Called all day, left voice mails all day, to no return.  Finally, at the end of business I get in touch with her.  I spoke my case, gave her all the info, and she said she would see what we could resolve.  So it is now today, Thursday February 16, 2012.  Again, calling Carol all day to see what she found out.  Again, finally at the end of the business day, she answers.  She starts the conversation off with "Well, I have bad news."  The rest is blah blah blah. 

So in conclusion, these people suck for the most part.  Both the owner lied to my and Carol about the situation to make his actions verifiable.  Point blank, Bill was paid to fix the car, bill did not fix the car.  And everyone is ok with that.  Who gave this man a franchise?  Oh, yea...the guy who got the money.  Of course.  So I am not finished here, we will be taking them to court for this.  In the end, Bill will be paying a lot more than the $267.74 that he wanted to change for a "second chance" fix job.  I have copied and pasted below Cottman Transmission's pledge and service philosophy.  Which is just for looks since they really don't follow either. 

Service Philosophy

All Cottman Transmission centers abide by Cottman's complete service philosophy, which calls for your vehicle's transmission to be repaired properly the first time, so that you don't have to lose either time or money. We will road test your car, perform our FREE and exclusive TransCheck 21 PLUS Service and examine the transmission pan to determine if your transmission problem can be repaired without the transmission being removed from the vehicle. If it is necessary for your transmission to be "rebuilt", "overhauled", "remanufactured", or "reconditioned", (these are interchangeable terms), a rebuilding procedure will be performed according to our rigid technical standards and backed by our nationwide warranty. Cottman will never compromise its standards just to make a vehicle "superficially driveable." We will never perform a low quality service that would result in increased costs, inconvenience, and possible hazardous driving conditions for our customers.  Cottman's status, reputation, and growth are a direct result of our commitment to quality standards, parts, and warranties, as well as our commitment to our customers.

We Pledge:

* To treat you with respect and courtesy.
* To perform a thorough transcheck 21 Plus Service before recommending repairs.
* To honor the price quoted.
* To return the transmission to it's original condition at no cost to the customer if no internal problem is found.
::: Here is the real kicker of the "pledge."
* To resolve complains promptly and courteously.
* To develop a long standing relationship with our community.