Cottman Transmission Center Ripoff poor quality service lack of communication, discourteous, EXCUSES! Metuchen New Jersey

Before I reply to any of the allegations made by this customer, I want to Thank You!-for considering our center for your vehicles repair, despite what this individual claims.

We are a small business independently operated and owned. For over 25 years we have been in the same location and this is our second generation of operation. To that end, we have satisfied thousands of customers over the years and this is the first complaint of its kind. In the service of our much appreciated customers we rebuild over 500 transmissions a year.

These allegations and this website came as a surprise to me. As soon as I found out about these allegations, I decided to reply.

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THESE FACTS:

As admitted by the customer when reading this document carefully and without prejudice.

*At no point did we refuse any work.

*Each and every complaint was addressed.

*Customer received a rental while car was being repaired to his satisfaction.

*Everything was authorized and signed for.

*As customers updates will show, his objectives are not inform public of repair but for whatever reason are to slander, discredit, and harm our well standing establishment.

*As the reader will conclude; many of these complaints are frivolous and are of a personal nature having nothing to do with real events.

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1) Customer called me (mike) and told me the Saturn dealer wanted $3,500 to repair the car. I told him worse case scenario would be $2000. (Repair was $1600 + tax)

2) Customer approved $276 for removal and disassembly of the transmission.

3) Customer was called and was told the repair would be $1600 + tax. Maybe he was upset that Georgette talked to him instead of me (Mike).

3a) In no way (never) are repairs began without customer approval. We get S.S#'s, D.L.#'s, and D.O.B.'s or signature for approval.

4) The car was checked and road tested. The customer insisted that he get his car. He became irate and impolite. As a consequence he took his car and we told him to come back for a ten day check.

5) When the customer brought the car back, we could not replicate any of his symptoms. The only thing that the customer states correctly is that the steering wheel was not centered. This is why we have a ten day check, so that matters like this can be resolved.

6) Fortunately the customer admits that we gave him a rental for any inconvenience, even though we could not replicate the problem.

7) I drove the car for 3 days and felt none of the customer's complaints. Considering the fact that many transmission problems can be intermittent, I decided to continue my diagnosis. Furthermore, I was afraid to call this customer and tell him I could not find anything considering his behavior up to this point.

8) I worked my fingers to the bone trying to find something wrong with the car. I do admit taking my time because I put him in a rental. I did not want to be rushed so that no further problems would arise from drivability concerns.

9) Concerning the rental-we did not know he was paying the insurance waiver. In any case Georgette offered him the SHOP loner car not her personal car. Yet, he refused the gesture even though he could have saved the $12 insurance fee.

(As the reader may begin to conclude; many of these complaints are frivolous and are of a personal nature having nothing to do with real events.

8) Customer complains that car was left unattended. Cars are never left unattended; we have five employees who keep constant watch of all our customers' vehicles. In 25 years of business their has never been an incident involving a car being ran outside with any trouble. KEEP in mind it is March and VERY COLD, so we cannot keep cars running inside the shop, unless we aim to harm our health and more importantly the customer's health.

9) In 25 years of business we have never had a customer openly offend, criticize and intentionally try to dissuade a present/potential customer from doing business with us.

10) Everything stated above proves that we made any and all attempts to satisfy this customer; from rental car, to maintaining our estimated price range for repair, to working diligently and professionally to satisfy any and all complaints, we did our best!!

After several vists to the shop to obtain a report on what was done to my vehicle and receiving NO RESPONSE whatsoever, I let the matter rest for a bit.

The vehicle was taken to Saturn on 21 June for its 200k service and I specifically asked the service department to make a note of any conditions related to the ongoing problems which I contend are related to this repair, to wit, erratic shifting in the 30-40 MPH range, coolant/temperature lights, and coolant leaks.

The Saturn dealer has recommended repair/replacement of the coolant sensor and harness, the radiator, the water pump, and the transmission cooling tubes. Hoses and mounting hardware will also need to be replaced. According to qualified service personnel MOST OF THESE ITEMS WOULD HAVE HAD TO BE MOVED OR REMOVED BY COTTMAN TO EFFECT THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR!

I am of the opinion that these items need to be replaced as a direct result of improper handling by the Cottman technicians. All told, these items will cost me more to fix than the $1000 that I supposedly saved by taking my car to Cottman instead of Saturn for the transmission work.

I recommend more strongly than ever AGAINST taking any vehicle to Cottman Transmission Centers.

On 21 March, an ultimatum was delivered to the Cottman Transmission Center in Metuchen NJ:

Repairs were to be completed by close of business on Wednesday, 22 March, and the vehicle returned to me or - if they were unable to find the problem - the vehicle was to be sent to my Saturn dealer for repair/replacement of the transmission at Cottman's expense. These requests are consistent with Cottman corporate policy and their published Code of Ethics.

I received a call at around 5 PM on Wednesday - one month to the day that the car was originally presented for repair - that my car was ready. When I arrived, my vehicle was again open, running, and unattended in the parking lot.

I took the car for a test drive. Note there was an overwhelming smell in the car which turned out to be from the floor mats which apparently had been cleaned and "freshened" in the extreme. There were no warning lights and the steering wheel was positioned within acceptable limits when the wheels were straightened. Initial assessment of the transmission operation during this test drive was that the car did shift more smoothly. It did appear to have sufficient passing power on the highway. The car idles at 900+ RPM; it should be
I asked for but DID NOT RECEIVE any paperwork related to the repair. I requested that I be given my warranty papers and a detailed report of the work including who did what when and a list of all parts replaced not later than the final checkup. This request was acknowledged verbally by "Georgette."

"Georgette" asked me to do her "a favor" and reconsider my recommendation against the establishment. An unidentified technician who was present commented that "this car made everybody carzy."

I was asked to remove my report from this site. I replied that it could not be removed but that she would be able to post her rebuttal to my comments.