YOU!!! Won't believe this....!!!!
11-04-2014, 08:18 PM
#1
YOU!!! Won't believe this....!!!!
Unbelievable. Look at the condition at which the Geico Auto Body Shop tried to release my vehicle!
I drove it to work only to bring it right back as the car was literally in shambles. It was hard to initially detect in the early morning dawn
Where to begin:
1. Paint didn't blend into all panels.Looked blue and purple
2. Didn't wash car
3. Didn't detail inside leaving paint dust, sanding dust and bondo dust settled on entire interior of vehicle.
4. Driver seat setting buttons not working....wth!
5. Left random piece of old door rubber trim laying in backseat of car
6. Swirl marks on entire side of car. I got dizzy looking at it
7. Burned buffer too deep into freshly painted door
8. Scrapped buff marks into rear quarter panel. Wasn't even supposed to be touched
9. scratched car removing door pillar. Didn't even try to fix
10. door handles painted 2 different colors...wtf!
11. Door handle fell off...seriously????
12. My f-ing driver headlight not working.....how the hell did they blow my bulb???
13. Reemed Geico. shop and geico adjuster.
I drove it to work only to bring it right back as the car was literally in shambles. It was hard to initially detect in the early morning dawn
Where to begin:
1. Paint didn't blend into all panels.Looked blue and purple
2. Didn't wash car
3. Didn't detail inside leaving paint dust, sanding dust and bondo dust settled on entire interior of vehicle.
4. Driver seat setting buttons not working....wth!
5. Left random piece of old door rubber trim laying in backseat of car
6. Swirl marks on entire side of car. I got dizzy looking at it
7. Burned buffer too deep into freshly painted door
8. Scrapped buff marks into rear quarter panel. Wasn't even supposed to be touched
9. scratched car removing door pillar. Didn't even try to fix
10. door handles painted 2 different colors...wtf!
11. Door handle fell off...seriously????
12. My f-ing driver headlight not working.....how the hell did they blow my bulb???
13. Reemed Geico. shop and geico adjuster.
11-04-2014, 09:06 PM
#6
Race Director
iTrader: (8)
I bet it smells inside too?
The smell will go away after a week.
I was left with interior dust also, and gave it a nice wipe which took a while.
Time is money, hope they fix everything for you.
The smell will go away after a week.
I was left with interior dust also, and gave it a nice wipe which took a while.
Time is money, hope they fix everything for you.
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11-04-2014, 09:35 PM
#10
I don't believe it.
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GhostTL09 (11-06-2014)
11-04-2014, 10:20 PM
#13
Team Owner
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That's awful...I'd love to know how THIS turns out.....
11-04-2014, 11:32 PM
#15
Moderator
iTrader: (7)
actually... I do believe it. While there are a lot of good body shops around my area, there is also a fair share of shady ones. That's not even the worst case I've seen.
There's a guy who brought in his 40th anniversary 370z(only 1000 made) and they totaled the car while working on it. Can you believe that?
There's a guy who brought in his 40th anniversary 370z(only 1000 made) and they totaled the car while working on it. Can you believe that?
11-05-2014, 12:41 AM
#16
Registered Bike Offender
iTrader: (3)
YOU!!!! Need to call Geico and the shop and escalate this right away!!!!! Unacceptable doesn't begin to describe this. I would be absolutely livid. In addition to requiring them fixing everything for free, ASAP, I would actually put an effort towards writing a negative review of that shop on every site I can find. And file a complaint with the BBB (assuming they're even accredited). You should also demand a free rental car from Geico for the duration that it takes for this to get repaired, since you went to one of their "approved" shops. Sorry OP. Best of luck resolving it. Let us know how it turns out.
BTW, what shop did you use?
BTW, what shop did you use?
11-05-2014, 05:52 AM
#18
Stay Out Of the Left Lane
Join Date: Oct 2003
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OP - that's absolutely unacceptable. I hope the fact you drove away with it in that condition doesn't work against you in any way. They need to take care of all of those issues and then have a sit down with their entire staff in terms of customer delivery expectations.
gatr - you are very bad, but I did laugh out loud.
gatr - you are very bad, but I did laugh out loud.
11-05-2014, 05:54 AM
#19
Moderator
iTrader: (3)
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Spectra Phantom (11-05-2014)
11-05-2014, 06:46 AM
#21
Safety Car
iTrader: (4)
And this folks is why when buying used I will only consider a car that has never had any body work or repainted panels whatsoever. Sorry to see you are not happy with the results, but I have a feeling this isn't all that far from the norm from some random body shop.
11-05-2014, 07:05 AM
#22
A good shop will actually do much better than Oem paint.
11-05-2014, 07:28 AM
#23
Safety Car
iTrader: (4)
Well I personally haven't had to use a body shop due to an accident (knock on wood), however I can almost ALWAYS spot a car that has been repainted just by looking at clear coat inconsistencies, blemishes in the paint, difference in colors etc etc. I stay away from cars with body work. I dont doubt there are good shops, but overall speaking, most of the time its half ass work.
11-05-2014, 08:49 AM
#25
Registered Bike Offender
iTrader: (3)
This is a good forum (pun intended) to provide advice on how to find a good body shop! I, for one, actually don't have a clue. So far, I've dealt with body shops through insurance, or through automotive mechanics. Throughout the job, I'm constantly following up with, and apologizing for being anal to, the shop to make sure that the repair is going correctly. Probably not the best shops that I've visited, but the work was good enough for me not to notice any significant issues.
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guitarplayer16 (11-05-2014)
11-05-2014, 11:36 AM
#28
Suzuka Master
the headlight isn't blow, the connection is loose it happened to my dad TL before with smiliar experience, finishing paint on the driver door look worst than me with a $10 spray can from walmart and yes Geico is the company fix the car.
11-05-2014, 01:40 PM
#29
Very sorry to see this. But actually, no, sorry to tell you, not surprised at all.
Most body shops are "in and out" operations. They're looking for quick easy jobs, quick buck, get to the next car. They treat the car like most people treat the car themselves. Truth is most people are probably not as particular as you and they wouldn't notice a lot of the stuff you noticed. That is hard to believe, because in my book I agree with you, those are major grievances. When the damage is gone and the car looks so different, that's all they will notice and they'll drive off saying "wow, looks like new!"
The reason why I get so stressed and angry at any fender bender is exactly this reason; the body shop. I KNOW I am in for hassle, stress and a run around that will eat my time, even if I'm "not losing money". I have NEVER once had a body shop that can do work to my expectations. I tell them up front I am the nicest guy in the world; EXCEPT when it comes to my car, lol. It makes me a straight up prick because I am very particular. I tell them if they can't measure up to say so before the work, I'll go somewhere else. But on the flip side if they really know how to do the job right I'm willing to pay more! Well you know what they do; they tell you they been doing this for 30yrs, pics of Porsches, Ferarris, Bentleys, show cars, awards, lifetime warranty blah blah yada yada, they all pull the same thing. I'm like, yea, that's nice. You don't get it....I don't care. This has to come out perfect.
So when I go to pick up a "finished" job I already know that I am not going to actually end up picking up the car. I inspect and invariably I know I will find something that they will have to fix or complete. They are THE masters of concealment and cutting corners. They'll just tape or screw things from behind or take all your OEM fasteners off, mix them all up and use the wrong ones or cheap aftermarket ones that will break or come off fast. Panel alignment will be off. You really DO have to look carefully before you drive off. In one case I even had them completely redo a job THREE times over again to get it properly blended in. I warned them that metallics are hard to match and that simply color coding it is not enough. In order to compensate for UV fade it has to be blended in properly and not all shops know how to do that right. Also that is usually not in an adjusters original estimate, you have to demand and fight for that extra paint and labor time. (especially for cheapos like Geico, they are notorious for paying out bare minimum on everything.) I've even had 8 months of back and forth battles with demands to insurance companies to reimburse in full what they owe, taking them to court etc. Old story, mentioned elsewhere. It's all about the money to them but if they understand you are going to see something till the end, you will win.
Don't be Mr niceguy on this, you wouldn't want to see what I'd do if they did this to me, lol.
Most body shops are "in and out" operations. They're looking for quick easy jobs, quick buck, get to the next car. They treat the car like most people treat the car themselves. Truth is most people are probably not as particular as you and they wouldn't notice a lot of the stuff you noticed. That is hard to believe, because in my book I agree with you, those are major grievances. When the damage is gone and the car looks so different, that's all they will notice and they'll drive off saying "wow, looks like new!"
The reason why I get so stressed and angry at any fender bender is exactly this reason; the body shop. I KNOW I am in for hassle, stress and a run around that will eat my time, even if I'm "not losing money". I have NEVER once had a body shop that can do work to my expectations. I tell them up front I am the nicest guy in the world; EXCEPT when it comes to my car, lol. It makes me a straight up prick because I am very particular. I tell them if they can't measure up to say so before the work, I'll go somewhere else. But on the flip side if they really know how to do the job right I'm willing to pay more! Well you know what they do; they tell you they been doing this for 30yrs, pics of Porsches, Ferarris, Bentleys, show cars, awards, lifetime warranty blah blah yada yada, they all pull the same thing. I'm like, yea, that's nice. You don't get it....I don't care. This has to come out perfect.
So when I go to pick up a "finished" job I already know that I am not going to actually end up picking up the car. I inspect and invariably I know I will find something that they will have to fix or complete. They are THE masters of concealment and cutting corners. They'll just tape or screw things from behind or take all your OEM fasteners off, mix them all up and use the wrong ones or cheap aftermarket ones that will break or come off fast. Panel alignment will be off. You really DO have to look carefully before you drive off. In one case I even had them completely redo a job THREE times over again to get it properly blended in. I warned them that metallics are hard to match and that simply color coding it is not enough. In order to compensate for UV fade it has to be blended in properly and not all shops know how to do that right. Also that is usually not in an adjusters original estimate, you have to demand and fight for that extra paint and labor time. (especially for cheapos like Geico, they are notorious for paying out bare minimum on everything.) I've even had 8 months of back and forth battles with demands to insurance companies to reimburse in full what they owe, taking them to court etc. Old story, mentioned elsewhere. It's all about the money to them but if they understand you are going to see something till the end, you will win.
Don't be Mr niceguy on this, you wouldn't want to see what I'd do if they did this to me, lol.
Last edited by rockyfeller; 11-05-2014 at 01:44 PM.
11-05-2014, 09:46 PM
#32
Suzuka Master
iTrader: (2)
actually... I do believe it. While there are a lot of good body shops around my area, there is also a fair share of shady ones. That's not even the worst case I've seen.
There's a guy who brought in his 40th anniversary 370z(only 1000 made) and they totaled the car while working on it. Can you believe that?
There's a guy who brought in his 40th anniversary 370z(only 1000 made) and they totaled the car while working on it. Can you believe that?
We all know there are places that can paint better than OEM, and that's great if you're looking to have the whole car painted, but when it comes to collision repair it just needs to look as good as the rest of the car. Having two panels look better than the rest of the 10 year old car is no good either. The major issue here is general disregard for someone else's property.
11-06-2014, 10:46 AM
#34
Keep Right Except to Pass
I would have gone ballistic! The one that really sticks out the most to me is the missing door handle extension. Part of that is that I've had to replace two of those stupid things this fall, but the main thing is that I cannot possibly begin to fathom how the body shop employees could not have noticed it was missing. Swirl marks—OK, I recognize sometimes how noticeable those are depends on the lighting and the angle it hits your car, though a body shop should have lighting that ensures they see these things and I'm not trying to excuse them. But the door handle extension is so blatantly obvious.
I hate to say this, but I am frankly not surprised to read the service was lousy because I saw the name "GEICO." I do not have my insurance through them, but I have been in an accident where the driver at fault was a GEICO policyholder and I felt like they tried to economize in every way possible. I now never deal with the other driver's insurance—I go through my own carrier (State Farm) and let them subrogate (of course I am hoping never to have to do EITHER thing again!). While that does mean I have to pay my deductible and recover it later through subrogation, I find I get consistently better service without being nickel-and-dimed (probably because State Farm doesn't have any incentive to cheap out when it's the other carrier who's ultimately liable).
I have heard a lot of other people complain about GEICO seeming to cheap out and my impression is that while GEICO may appeal to a lot of people with their advertising that focuses on lower premiums, there is definitely something to the idea that you get what you pay for, or I guess in that case you could say you don't get what you don't pay for.
BTW, somebody mentioned filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. That won't likely do much. The BBB has no legal authority and many, probably most, businesses are not members. They do offer to mediate disputes between consumers and businesses, but mediation is voluntary and non-binding.
I hate to say this, but I am frankly not surprised to read the service was lousy because I saw the name "GEICO." I do not have my insurance through them, but I have been in an accident where the driver at fault was a GEICO policyholder and I felt like they tried to economize in every way possible. I now never deal with the other driver's insurance—I go through my own carrier (State Farm) and let them subrogate (of course I am hoping never to have to do EITHER thing again!). While that does mean I have to pay my deductible and recover it later through subrogation, I find I get consistently better service without being nickel-and-dimed (probably because State Farm doesn't have any incentive to cheap out when it's the other carrier who's ultimately liable).
I have heard a lot of other people complain about GEICO seeming to cheap out and my impression is that while GEICO may appeal to a lot of people with their advertising that focuses on lower premiums, there is definitely something to the idea that you get what you pay for, or I guess in that case you could say you don't get what you don't pay for.
BTW, somebody mentioned filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. That won't likely do much. The BBB has no legal authority and many, probably most, businesses are not members. They do offer to mediate disputes between consumers and businesses, but mediation is voluntary and non-binding.
11-06-2014, 12:17 PM
#35
Three Wheelin'
Very sorry to see this. But actually, no, sorry to tell you, not surprised at all.
Most body shops are "in and out" operations. They're looking for quick easy jobs, quick buck, get to the next car. They treat the car like most people treat the car themselves. Truth is most people are probably not as particular as you and they wouldn't notice a lot of the stuff you noticed. That is hard to believe, because in my book I agree with you, those are major grievances. When the damage is gone and the car looks so different, that's all they will notice and they'll drive off saying "wow, looks like new!"
The reason why I get so stressed and angry at any fender bender is exactly this reason; the body shop. I KNOW I am in for hassle, stress and a run around that will eat my time, even if I'm "not losing money". I have NEVER once had a body shop that can do work to my expectations. I tell them up front I am the nicest guy in the world; EXCEPT when it comes to my car, lol. It makes me a straight up prick because I am very particular. I tell them if they can't measure up to say so before the work, I'll go somewhere else. But on the flip side if they really know how to do the job right I'm willing to pay more! Well you know what they do; they tell you they been doing this for 30yrs, pics of Porsches, Ferarris, Bentleys, show cars, awards, lifetime warranty blah blah yada yada, they all pull the same thing. I'm like, yea, that's nice. You don't get it....I don't care. This has to come out perfect.
So when I go to pick up a "finished" job I already know that I am not going to actually end up picking up the car. I inspect and invariably I know I will find something that they will have to fix or complete. They are THE masters of concealment and cutting corners. They'll just tape or screw things from behind or take all your OEM fasteners off, mix them all up and use the wrong ones or cheap aftermarket ones that will break or come off fast. Panel alignment will be off. You really DO have to look carefully before you drive off. In one case I even had them completely redo a job THREE times over again to get it properly blended in. I warned them that metallics are hard to match and that simply color coding it is not enough. In order to compensate for UV fade it has to be blended in properly and not all shops know how to do that right. Also that is usually not in an adjusters original estimate, you have to demand and fight for that extra paint and labor time. (especially for cheapos like Geico, they are notorious for paying out bare minimum on everything.) I've even had 8 months of back and forth battles with demands to insurance companies to reimburse in full what they owe, taking them to court etc. Old story, mentioned elsewhere. It's all about the money to them but if they understand you are going to see something till the end, you will win.
Don't be Mr niceguy on this, you wouldn't want to see what I'd do if they did this to me, lol.
Most body shops are "in and out" operations. They're looking for quick easy jobs, quick buck, get to the next car. They treat the car like most people treat the car themselves. Truth is most people are probably not as particular as you and they wouldn't notice a lot of the stuff you noticed. That is hard to believe, because in my book I agree with you, those are major grievances. When the damage is gone and the car looks so different, that's all they will notice and they'll drive off saying "wow, looks like new!"
The reason why I get so stressed and angry at any fender bender is exactly this reason; the body shop. I KNOW I am in for hassle, stress and a run around that will eat my time, even if I'm "not losing money". I have NEVER once had a body shop that can do work to my expectations. I tell them up front I am the nicest guy in the world; EXCEPT when it comes to my car, lol. It makes me a straight up prick because I am very particular. I tell them if they can't measure up to say so before the work, I'll go somewhere else. But on the flip side if they really know how to do the job right I'm willing to pay more! Well you know what they do; they tell you they been doing this for 30yrs, pics of Porsches, Ferarris, Bentleys, show cars, awards, lifetime warranty blah blah yada yada, they all pull the same thing. I'm like, yea, that's nice. You don't get it....I don't care. This has to come out perfect.
So when I go to pick up a "finished" job I already know that I am not going to actually end up picking up the car. I inspect and invariably I know I will find something that they will have to fix or complete. They are THE masters of concealment and cutting corners. They'll just tape or screw things from behind or take all your OEM fasteners off, mix them all up and use the wrong ones or cheap aftermarket ones that will break or come off fast. Panel alignment will be off. You really DO have to look carefully before you drive off. In one case I even had them completely redo a job THREE times over again to get it properly blended in. I warned them that metallics are hard to match and that simply color coding it is not enough. In order to compensate for UV fade it has to be blended in properly and not all shops know how to do that right. Also that is usually not in an adjusters original estimate, you have to demand and fight for that extra paint and labor time. (especially for cheapos like Geico, they are notorious for paying out bare minimum on everything.) I've even had 8 months of back and forth battles with demands to insurance companies to reimburse in full what they owe, taking them to court etc. Old story, mentioned elsewhere. It's all about the money to them but if they understand you are going to see something till the end, you will win.
Don't be Mr niceguy on this, you wouldn't want to see what I'd do if they did this to me, lol.
People learn in life this saying isn't true "Nice guys don't finish first"
I've learned the hardway and realize that in order to get what you want being nice doesn't work.
when I had my accord totaled by a redlight runner. Geico, who was my insurer at the time. Wanted to blame it 50-50. Despite me having several eye witnesses to this bitch flying across the intersection.
I had to contact the witness so they can call geico and give their statements.
I had to follow up almost on a daily basis on wtf is going on since the adjuster wanted to have the car fixed.
I had to fight to have it totaled because the whole front frame was twisted.
MEanwhile, the other parties insurance, State Farm would contact me and give me updates as to what is going on. Which I found odd but however, at least someone was getting back to me.
I dropped GEICO the second I moved and till this day, I get mail from them wanting me to get insured by them.
GEICO is cheap and so is their fight for you.
sorry for the rant. got flashbacks reading your response.
11-06-2014, 01:20 PM
#36
Moderator
iTrader: (7)
11-06-2014, 03:08 PM
#38
Three Wheelin'
as I remember them telling me.
Since I was on the road and had no one to witness who's at fault the blame would fall on both of us. I guess they didn't listen to me when I told them I had witnesses.
11-06-2014, 08:07 PM
#40
YOU!!!! Need to call Geico and the shop and escalate this right away!!!!! Unacceptable doesn't begin to describe this. I would be absolutely livid. In addition to requiring them fixing everything for free, ASAP, I would actually put an effort towards writing a negative review of that shop on every site I can find. And file a complaint with the BBB (assuming they're even accredited). You should also demand a free rental car from Geico for the duration that it takes for this to get repaired, since you went to one of their "approved" shops. Sorry OP. Best of luck resolving it. Let us know how it turns out.
BTW, what shop did you use?
BTW, what shop did you use?
The shop is Kennesaw Mtn. Collision in GA. I have filed 2 formal complaints and my adjusters supervisor for signing off on the work.
I am getting everything done at their cost. I will be doing a thorough re-inspection and if the paint isn't blended into the panels I will request that they continue to blend as my car was not mismatched when dropped off.
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Vlad_Type_S (11-08-2014)