Atlantic Avenue Tire & Service

Mr. Wilson, I am sorry you are unhappy and wanted to acknowledge your complaint. I was aware of the conversation that you had with Brian today and we discussed the situation. There are some things that I would like to clarify though. First, you are correct concerning the State Inspection incident from last year. I became involved with the situation when we found out that the technician had entered the wrong VIN# into the DMV/Inspection computer while inspecting your car- one letter off. I was the person that spoke with you when you had to return, to have us enter the information correctly, so you could return to DMV and renew your registration. I believe that the registration was expiring that day. I remember the situation because of the language you used and your tone of voice. I would have been upset also. I apologized for the mistake, offered to at least refund the inspection fee to you, which you accepted the offer and thanked me. You obviously have returned since. Secondly, I would like to address the tire situation. You emailed us requesting a price for rear tires for your Mercedes, you even provided us the size for just the rear tires. As you know, you have a different size tire on the front--you have bought tires from us before. When Brian responded to the request, he provided you with a price per tire, $138.00, and a total for the tires installed-$339.76. You had us install the tires on 6/12/12 and paid $339.76 for the 2 tires plus a state inspection of $30 for a total of $369.76--exactly what was quoted. There was never a mention of front tires then or in your email. In fact, the tread depth on your front tires is 6/32" deep, which is 4/32" above minimum tread depth. They obviously passed inspection--you do not need front tires. Today, a week later, you called and said that we quoted you for four tires and wanted 2 tires free, since we only put on two? So, I investigated. I saw where Brian emailed the quote to you and he made reference to four tires, in his response, by mistake and out of habit, but the math obviously adds up to only 2 tires. Brian was also corresponding with you about 4 tires for your other vehicle, maybe where the word confusion came in, but the math was correct. By the way, $138.00 times 4 would be $552.00 plus the other taxes, etc. You admitted over the phone today that the math did not add up to 4 tires, but why did'nt you bring that up prior to the purchase, during the checkin, installation, or checkout? Were you hoping that we would put on four tires for the obvious price of two? Again, you do not need front tires, nor did you request pricing for front tires of a different size. Everything said, today you insisted that we give you 2 tires, I guess, to take advantage of a "word" error, not a math error, in our email. Brian shared with you that if you want 2 front tires, that we would negotiate a reduced price, but would not give you 2 tires free. Brian tried to be as empathetic and helpful as he could be, I listened to him speaking with you on the phone, but you hung up on him during the conversation. I am again sorry for your inconvenience last year, but this word mistake does not constitute free tires. Richard Leicht, President

Dear jbuck50, I have read your review about us and I appreciate your feedback. I can understand your frustration, the "diagnostic" processes and repairs on today's vehicles can be confusing and costly. We try to provide quality products and service to all of our customers and certainly do not try to make anyone upset. I would like to provide, though, a further explanation of what the word "diagnostic" means in our industry and the processes required to diagnose these complicated car systems accurately. First, a "diagnostic code" is just a number in your car's computer that tells us what system on the car needs testing to determine what component,etc. is malfunctioning. There are flow charts that lead us thru this testing process. The $85 fee is for a technicians time, possibly using other testing equipment, to perform these tests and determine the actual fault. Bottomline, the code does not tell a tech what is actually wrong or what to replace. Secondly, what if their diagnosis was wrong? Now, you bring the car to me to do the repairs and it does not fix the car-you are mad at ME, not them. Certainly a doctor would not operate on a patient based on someone else's diagnosis, they would perform their own testing to confirm or rebute. Otherwise, it could become a liability issue. We have to be the same way, or you could be paying us to perform the wrong repair-I do not know of many places that would do it any differently. In this case, it sounds like the diagnosis was the same. If they could not perform repairs, why did you go to "them"? If it was Autozone or Advance, they are not mechanics but parts salespersons and do not have the knowledge, info, or skills needed to perform actual diagnosis. Thirdly, price is a relative thing and prices on any commodity or service can vary from place to place. In our industry, there can be a difference in the quality of parts used, certification of technicians, warranties, etc. that can impact a "price". Also, our estimate would have included shop fees and taxes. If you called other shops, did they include those things in their estimate--most don't over the phone? Did they quote you on the "exact" same repairs? We choose to use high quality parts and my techs are ASE certified. As a NAPA Autocare center, our warranties are also covered nationwide. We are not the cheapest nor the most expensive auto service shop in town. Most consumers find that "the cheapest" is rarely the best place and they are looking for overall value-that is what we strive to provide. Again, I am sorry we did not meet your expectations and that you found a shop that can. I would certainly be glad to discuss the situation with you further to clear up any misunderstandings and/or lack of service on our part. Thanks