I went to Dent Wizard for paintless dent removal of two dents and a small "pimple" on a pickup tailgate. The estimator noted that a small crack on the pimple wouldn't be guaranteed against paint failure. They could remove the pimple and a dab of clear coat should seal it against rust. The other dents, both roughly the size/shape of a golf ball, were removable without affecting paint.
I'd previously allowed Dent Wizard to do PDR on other cars through dealerships, so I had every expectation of an excellent, undetectable job.
I met the tech and watched him remove the tailgate and lay it face up in the bed to work on it. I returned 45 minutes later as he was finishing. All three dents had been removed, but in their place were smaller reverse dents, five 1/4" diameter blobs of touch-up paint and a number of black scratches in various spots across the tailgate.
The tech told me he'd accidentally scratched the dented areas during the repair. While trying to buff them out with a power buffer he had "blown through" the paint into the primer. He also said he had accidentally disconnected the tailgate release rod inside the tailgate during the repair, requiring removal of the back panel. The other scratches were consistent with the tailgate having been drug against the bedliner while the back panel was being removed.
I paid the bill with my credit card to avoid a mechanic's lein and took the truck. When I got home I photographed the damage and called the shop to speak with the manager. She wasn't in, so I left a message and immediately filed a dispute with my credit card company.
The manager didn't to respond to my calls for several days until I commented that I had disputed the credit card charges. Then I got a call back right away; she promised to look into it. She later left a message stating that the tiny crack on the pimple had softened the paint on the entire panel and caused the blow through. (Really?) She had no explanation for why the dents had actually been reversed or where the long, black scratches had come from, but she was sorry that she couldn't help me.
I called back repeatedly until I actually was able to talk with her in person and discussed the "soft paint" line of reasoning. She clearly had no idea what had actually happened, but she said that because I'd signed for delivery the job was acceptable by definition. (Few small claims courts uphold such "fine print" agreements as they are generally considered to have been signed under duress.)
I told her that I would be following up with legal action if necessary and agreed to send her a copy of the repair estimate. She considered this for awhile and a couple of days later, coincidentally while I was filling out the forms for small claims court, she called back and agreed to directly pay the body shop the difference between what I paid DW and the cost to straighten and repaint the tailgate. Dent Wizard would also cancel the charge against my credit card.
Assured by the body shop that they had a check from Dent Wizard (I should have verified the amount with them, alas), I took the truck in for the repair. When I picked up the truck it turned out that she had shorted me by $16 on the payment. I paid this out of pocket along with the amount I'd originally paid to Dent Wizard.
Unfortunately, Dent Wizard never canceled the credit card charge, meaning I had to battle my credit card company (Capital One) for four months afterwards on the charge. DW refused to respond to my calls during this time.
Over four months I documented the Dent Wizard fiasco repeatedly for Capital One. They kept "losing" my submissions and re-applying the charge to my statement. I sent photos, quotes, bills, receipts, affidavits and even a signed statement from an expert by email, postal mail, fax and, finally (what I should have done to begin with) registered mail with a return receipt. I waited for hours on their customer service line to talk with reps who couldn't or wouldn't help me. Cap 1 just kept stonewalling me until I asked for their subpoena address during one call. Within a few days of that call Cap One had rescinded the charge, resolved the dispute and closed my account, something I'd been trying to accomplish for three months as a result of this dispute.
Needless to say I won't do business with either Dent Wizard OR Capital One again. This was a very simple problem of poor workmanship that should have been rectified immediately and with an apology by Dent Wizard. Failing that, presented with full documentation of the dispute, Capital One should have honored their "no hassle" commitment to stand between their client and an unscrupulous merchant.
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