Gustafson Brothers Mechanic crooked mechanic, unscrupulous body shops, mechanic starts leak cover shoddy work, scare tactics Huntington Beach California

Some people are just plain crazy. You have to know we would not risk our excellent reputation that took 43 years to build by practicing business like this guest describes above. We go above and beyond to make sure they are satisfied. This particular guest has several mechanical problems he simply can't afford to fix. When we would not bow down to his requests to fix his vehicle for free he started an internet rampage trying to soil the reputation of Gustafson Brothers and AAA. You may see several reviews under several different aliases all trying to discredit us and AAA. The Bureau of Automotive Repair and AAA were called upon to review this customer’s complaint and found us to be correct in our diagnosis and how we handled the situation.

We have explored providing facts to get this review removed but we refuse to pay $2000 to do so (see Rip Off policy). “You are also given the opportunity to support your position with documentary evidence and/or sworn affidavits. There is a filing fee of $2,000 to pay for the arbitrator’s time and for administration of the program.”

I was involved in a car accident on May 2013. I called AAA for the towing service. It was after 6 pm; the auto body shop I asked to be taken to was closed so the towing company took my car to their yard and delivered the next morning another Auto Body shop on the opposite side of Huntington Beach Gustafson Brothers approx. 15 miles (together distance from the accident scene to the towing overnight then to the Body shop). The towing company charged $480 to my Auto Insurance. I called AAA to try to verify why the fee has to come out of my pocket (which would be paid by my insurance). Plus I was taken to a body shop I did not ask to be taken too. Why was I forced by AAA to go to some AAA body shop?!

AAA answered that if the car was involved with the accident and you DO have the "full" coverage from your auto insurance then, AAA won't pay for the towing, but if you DON'T have the full coverage, AAA will pay for the fee. NO ONE has verified my policy with me and no paper was signed at time of towing. AAA allowed their contracted towing company to claim the towing fee directly to their member's auto insurance without my authorization (not to mention the fee is unreasonably high). The fact is I do not have towing service added to my auto policy, that means I DO NOT have "full" coverage.

AAA membership should cover this expense, so I had to pay off the fee before picking up my car from the shop.  I talked to AAA office, they put me on the phone with the towing company. I had to deal with the towing company. By the end, AAA agent still didn't want to help me to solve the issue. Apparently, AAA does not have any idea what happened. I am very disappointed in AAA's service. AAA's negligence toward my case is very unsatisfactory!!

Gustason Brothers held my car for nearly two-months even though they promised it would only take 10-14 days.

John Gustafson and his brothers claim to be such a lovely Men of God! Hope they burns in hell for this one.  Taking advantage of people who have no resources to fight then.  I'm all for the class action lawsuit, but I doubt there's any money there. Just hope they goes to prison, but itll just be a country club like Miliken and company went to. 

Jubilee, Jabez and John Gustafson are out of business.  The FTC is looking for a missing $2million he or his brothers have"lost".  Jabez had few customers and not nearly as much money missing, but the same rip off scam. We need to go to Gustafson Brothers Mechanics and demand our money back...

CAUGHT RED HANDED

I worked as a driver for a  AAA approved tow company which had a deal with Gustafason Brothers of Huntington Beacht, California.

The drivers get $100 kick back for each car we misdirect to Gustafason Brothers and I heard my boss got 10%. Here's a typical scenario that we were taught in training.

A customer calls in asking for a jump. We were told to and told to make it looks like it chaLets it charge for a while, and then have the customer try cranking it up. Nothing happens. No cranking, then we say: "It's your starter," he says. OK, I the customer may say, tow me to my mechanic. You say No, "I'll tow it to my favorite shop get you a a new starter with a 2 year guarantee! If the customer refuses to be towed to Gustafason Brothers, then claim you will tap on their starter while under the hood, hook back up the cables again, and let the car start.

Then try to scare the customer that if the car stalls they are going to be stuck. Bad starter.

In my tratining I pointed out that the starter is buried  is burie under the car adjacent to the manifold and totally inaccessible from under the hood. You would have to have had to crawl under the car to "tap" it. I was told to "tap"the side of the engine while giving a real jump start.

We were told that if a car was not newest car in the world, and obviously not under warranty that is the ideal mark for the scam.

My boss said the only way they will never get caught because his sister is banging the supervisor at AAA and the only was of being caught is if AAA ran a "sting" operation to prove it to their own satisfaction. Frankly, that will never happen.

Gustafason Brothers is not some tiny, fly-by-night outfit. It is a big auto body shop that has a website and includes AAA in its corporate logo, and says it is "endorsed" by AAA. This outfit pays AAA big bucks, I am sure. I doubt very  much that something as minor as their members being ripped off will cause AAA to sever its connections with these mutts, but perhaps I am being too cynical.

Meanwhile I'd urge my motorists to be careful, and watch out for this particular scam, which is really a pretty smart one, I have to admit -- taking advantage of cold, frightened, stranded motorists.

Don't let yourself be talked into repairs by tow operators. They're notorious for scams, and having AAA affiliation doesn't matter one bit.

And speaking of AAA -- insurance companies offer towing coverage that is much cheaper. I've belonged to AAA for years out of habit. I think the time may have arrived to break this habit.