Empire glass is a ripoff! A bunch of idiots and liars!!!
We originally had Empire glass repair the windshield in my wife's new 2004 vehicle in October. They came out to her work and installed a new windshield within 30 minutes, plus they gave her coupons for free meals at a local restaurant. Fantastic we thought... Oh yeah this will turn out to be just feakin' fantastic!
On or about January 18, we called them about a leak in the top corner of the windshield. The same technician came out and made a repair.in the beginning of February we called them again to let them know it is still leaking in the same spot. This time the same technician came out and replaced the moulding around the windshield. At the end of February we were again experiencing the same water leak in the same spot and it had now stained the headliner. They asked us to bring the car to their shop on a Saturday, so they could replace the windshield and do the job right. They would look at the water stain on the headliner and make arrangements to send it out to a detail shop. I thought great, it will finally be finished. Yeah, what an understatement!
The job that was supposed to take one hour turned into 2 and 1/2 hours. I don't think they had the glass in stock even though I had made an appointment 3 days prior.
First of all... The technician felt compelled to remove all of the plastic coverings from inside the engine compartment and the chrome strips that run the length of the roof to even remove the windshield. To which my wife tells me the original technician didn't do that. That should have been my first clue that this was about to get ugly.
Then he bent the chrome moulding around the windshield so they had to order a new piece of moulding... At their cost of course. They finally put in a new windshield and the new chrome moulding, but the windshield is not PPG glass, which was stated in the first sentence of the workorder 'Customer wants PPG glass only!'. Because this was taking so long the technician offered us another set of free meals.
So finally the car is finished. I walk around to get in the car, but the technician jumps in before me and starts to back out the car. I notice something above the driver's door while he is backing the car out. The manager of the day had asked me to sign the workorder but I ignored him and followed my car outside, which the technician had parked so I was facing the passenger side. I walk around to the driver's side and a dent the size of a baseball, right below the chrome moulding that he had to remove and put back on just jumps out at me. I told him..."we have a problem... Someone dented my car"... To which he replied. "we didn't do that".
Also, there was no mention of how to care for the windshield for the next 48 hours. No mention of the water stain on the headliner. They didn't even mention the additonal free meals that the technician offered us. I told the manager-of-the-day that the dent was not there when I brought the car in and he again replied, "We didn't do that, and if that's the attitude you're going to take, then you can just leave right now."
I was very upset to say the least but I never used a derogatory word or raised my voice during this process. Beside the fact that there was no dent any where on my car when I brought it to them. Their actions of trying to get us to sign the workorder and leave as soon as possible prooves their guilt to us. They wanted us out of there as quickly as possible. I said I would be calling their manager and wrote a message on the original workorder about the dent on the car. I wrote down the name of his manager and called him on Monday 3/1/04 and left a message - I still haven't received a call back from anyone at Empire.
We have little glass shards throughout the front seats and dash. The headliner is stained. They have scratched the paint off in several places on the edges of the hood. I now have an after market windshield installed on my car, not to mention a dent the size of a baseball!
On Tuesday, my wife tells me that her windshield washers are no longer working. I have turned this all over to my insurance company and told them. "You referred me to Empire... You make my car right". We are currently in the process of doing that.
The inspector from our insurance company confirmed that it is in fact after market glass. They have indicated to me that they will charge Empire back for a new OEM windshield and for the cost to repair my vehicle.
So the next time you see an Empire commercial or someone mentions their free meal plan... Think about this... There is a very good reason that they have to offer free meals to get your business!
Stephen
Phoenix, Arizona
U.S.A.
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