Phil Hogan of Trans Medic of Bend agreed to repair the transmission of my Dodge Durango for a total cost of $1,600. He said he would need money for the parts upfront and then would agree to receive two payments for the remaining balance.
The car was delivered for repair on December 14th with the verbal agreement that the car would be ready the next week. Over the next few weeks Phil continued to offer excuses of why the car was not repaired. At one point he confessed that he was steeling Peter to pay Paul and that was the reason he was not delivering the vehicle as agreed.
On December 28th I found an alternate mechanic and proceeded to have the car towed to the other shop. At that time, Phil said that the car would be done in an hour. The engine light came on when I test drove the car at pick-up. Phil checked the sensor, and released the car. I had agreed to pay the remaining balance in line with the two payments that were scheduled for that Friday and the Friday in two weeks.
Immediately, the car was taken to another shop. At the other shop the mechanic found several issue with the repair and documented them with pictures and written statements. Upon further inspection of the transmission fluid, the transmission was found to have been compromised due to medal in the fluid and a burnt smell to the oil.
When Phil was informed of the insufficient report of his repair and that I was not going to pay the remainder of the balance for faulty work, he said Ill see you in court. Now, vehicle is unsafe to drive and driving it would cause more damage to the other parts of the car. It is not acceptable for a business to completely under deliver on a service, so much so that that the service is more damaging and dangerous that the vehicle was prior to the service.
Beyond the extreme financial difficulty that Phil contributed to me as a single mom, the unethical behavior of taking pre-payment for a job that actually made the car worse cannot be tolerated. I have uncovered multiple rip-off-reports from his shop. So, shame on me for not doing my homework before trusting this man with my money, safety, and time. Nevertheless, this behavior must be brought to the light in society to set a clear boundary for acceptable business practices.
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