Maher Chevrolet on 34th Street in St. Petersburg, was commissioned by myself and State Farm Insurance to repair my vehicle, a 1994 Chevrolet Astrovan (due to a collision I was involved with on 9/25/03-in which I was not held legally accountable in the accident, so my coverage was paid for by my insurance company—State Farm).
The vehicle was handed over to Maher Chevrolet on 9/26/03. When the vehicle was taken into the shop, Maher Chevy Body Shop, was only suppose to repair the back bumper and check the wheel alignment for me. However, they kept the vehicle for 5 days (what normally is a 2-day job for them—I know this because I had someone rear end me in a similar fashion in and took it to Maher Chevy and it was done in 2 days).
When I got it back finally on October 3rd, Maher Chevrolet had completely (and without my permission) replaced my interior (which might I add I kept immaculately clean for a 9-year-old vehicle) with a completely different and used pewter brown colored molding onto the entire interior. The problem is, my interior is gray (and that is the way I bought it—with all gray matching interior inside).
Now, the two colors don't match (pewter colored paneling and gray colored carpet, ceiling, and seats). Also, the back seat was replaced with an older, more worn seat that had holes in it). Because I picked up my vehicle on Friday, October 3rd around 5:30pm (near Maher's closing time and I think convenently planned by them that way), the representative: Carlos Ramirez (whom works underneath Sandra Hammond), rushed me around the exterior and showed me the bumper had been replaced. I really didn't pay attention to the interior (because I didn't know they were going to do anything with the inside!)
When I took this matter to Maher Chevrolet's Body Shop on the following Monday, October 6th, they (being the General Manager-Fritz and and the Collision Rep-Sandra Hammond) acted as if they did not know what I was talking about and that they never replaced the interior! They told me it was like that when they got it, and I told them that I believed I would have definitely noticed that before now, and that, why would I want to go to the trouble and expense to have that changed when I kept my interior clean and in very good shape.
Also, the invoice paperwork shows that the interior repairs were not on it (that was turned into my insurance company State Farm). However, I have several witnesses to the fact that my interior was all gray and in good shape before I took it into Maher Chevrolet as well as the original dealerships phone number that sold it to me and can state that the original interior color was gray (as well as documentation showing it).
Now, my insurance company—State Farm (after I brought this to their attention and they performed their own inspection by having two people come out and take pictures and document my vehicle's condition) refuses to handle this matter regarding the interior being swapped out because I did not take pictures of it before the work was performed on the body (and even though I have witnesses whom, State Farm did call and confirm my facts with—that I was indeed was not falsifying evidence).
I went to Superior Body Parts in St. Petersburg and had an estimate of approximately $1500.00 drawn up for me regarding the work that would have to be done in labor and parts to replace what has been damaged by Maher Chevrolet. Now, I will most likely be out this money from my pocket (money that I was putting in my savings account for the future). I think it is a travesty of justice for companies such as Maher Chevrolet to be allowed to get by with such disreputable and dishonest practices as these. We, as consumers, should be able to place some type of faith in vehicle companies' service departments—such as Maher Chevrolet—but, instead, they have destroyed that ethical and moral set of standards when they did this to my vehicle. It is unquestionably unfair practices and should be exposed for what it is! I hope to speak with you further about this matter.
Richard
St. Petersburg, Florida
U.S.A.
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