Carters in itself is a decent shop with slightly higher, but average pricing. Sure- there are some other places with lower pricing than them, but the convenience of going to your local town shop in a pinch sometimes you got to just do it. However, I will say that the customer service is very poor. The guy who is younger (Matt) I believe- that is always at the front desk needs a new job somewhere not in customer service. He has always been rude to myself, my partner and anybody I have recommended to go there. Not somebody I want as the face of my business. The other thing I noticed, while you are never going to be able to please everybody- as somebody who has runs a businesses and works in customer service. The fact that the owner comments on the reviews taking no accountability on the bad reviews and situations. He does nothing to correct the problems at hand and in most comments trashes the person that has left the review is very poor bad business. Carters at one point was the place I told people to go and I do believe word-of-mouth is the best way to get business. They have lost my business and my respect- I will be taking my business elsewhere and I will make sure to send my recommendations to a different shop. I believe kindness goes a long way in this world and the way this owner conducts his business is bad ownership and someone who is not a leader to follow. A good businessman and a good owner would try to at least take accountability. Apologize for the poor experience they had and try to correct any problems. Trying to bring back the business stating we’ll try and make the situation better at your next visit.
(Owners comments): I’m sorry your interaction with Carter’s Auto was not up to your expectations. It’s interesting that you don’t mention in your disparaging commentary of my business, that your vehicle did not pass Maine State inspection because it has illegal window tint. At Carter’s Auto we do our best to follow the rules set by the State Police for Maine State inspections. Because your vehicle got a sticker at another station does not mean I should continue to pass a non compliant vehicle. You are right about one thing: I will not take accountability for customers that have unrealistic expectations. Most of the time a customer will bring a problem to my attention and we deal with it to make things right. The people that do not want to talk with me directly and write a review on social media instead can take their business elsewhere.
Point in proving never taking responsibility… I actually was not looking for you to give me a pass on inspection. I simply was asking questions and went back inside after realizing that you guys had removed my old passing sticker to ask questions about what to do if I got pulled over since you had removed my old sticker to then realize that I had manufacturer tint due to the fact that my vehicle was purchased out of state. I have only lived here two years and was asking questions on Maine State Laws. Also, Carters was the original auto shop to inspect my vehicle and give me a pass… So before you want go and talk poorly about the customers that provide income to your business maybe you should have all the facts. Your employees provided poor customer service, and communication that day. While also managing to take all day 8 AM to 5 PM for an oil change and inspection. This is not a place I want to recommend anybody to do business. Horrible horrible ownership and management.
Over the last year: noticed after an oil change, oil was overfilled. Noticed after an alignment, all tires were inflated to 50psi. Noticed after a winter tire changeover/balance, a tire weight had fallen from a wheel in my garage. Noticed after a battery replacement, positive terminal clamp was not properly seated, or cleaned, and the bottom half of the positive terminal clamp was completely corroded away. Most of these were brought to Carter's attention. None of this is defensible. Lack of attention to detail here could have caused subsequent unnecessary expense, wasted time, accident or breakdown. I hope Carter is able to monitor and improve service for their future clients.
Doug and his crew are the real deal. I’ve been a loyal customer of Carter’s Auto since 2001. I won’t take my vehicles anywhere else and have referred a number of my friends and they all say the same.
The people there are knowledgeable, thorough and patient. They take the time to explain the issues and the plan of attack. Their patience is particularly of value to me as I am a sex addict. In the middle of a vehicle diagnostic conversation I may feel the urge and have to excuse myself for a bit. No problem, they pick up right where we left off when I come back., without missing a beat.
My therapist and I are grateful to have them.
Doug and his team are the real deal. Honest, reliable, dependable, and detail oriented. I've been taking my 2010 F150 to Carters for the last 8 years and can't tell you how many times I've been happily surprised when my bill was a lot smaller than I expected it to be! Not once have I been up-sold on anything. In my 50 years of owning a vehicle, Carters is the first shop I trust without reservation!
The best shop around. My family and I have been going here since we moved to Gorham 20 + years ago. It is the only place I would go for any type of work. Anything from a pre purchase inspection to timing belts. From a big job to a small job my family and I recommend this shop to anyone in the Southern Maine area.
DO NOT BRING YOUR VEHICLE HERE!!!This is lengthy but I guarantee you're going to want to read it and not bring your car here!!!! I brought my car to Carter's (AAA approved) to have the blend door actuator fixed. They told me it would cost $230 and take about 2 hours. They kept my car for 2 days, according to them the internet was down, and they couldn't order the part. When I got there on the second day my car was still not fixed even though they told me to come and get it. I brought the mechanic out to my car, who apparently is also either the owner or manager of the shop. His(Poor customer service) attitude towards me was terrible, I showed him that my car was still not working right, I still didn't have heat, the light on my panel was still blinking.
He told me "It's been blinking the whole time I've been working on it. When I plug it in to run the codes it comes up as not fixed. You can leave it here and I can throw another part in and charge you another $400 if that will make you happy, but I don't know what to tell you." (very sarcastic) He then went on to tell me that my heater is supposed to blink and not work for over a min when I turn the car on... It's just heating up....
Say what????
He charged me over $250 for this..It just goes down hill from here!!!! I still have NO HEAT, it's still blinking, and when I drove back there to show him that it's still not working, he wouldn't even come out to my car to see......DO NOT BRING YOUR VEHICLE HERE!!!!!
The best auto repair shop in southern Maine!
Honest assessments of your vehicle issues, fair prices and great staff! They also have a amazing network of outside businesses that take care of the items they don’t do!
We had to do an emergency tire swap due to a flat and thankfully they allowed us to bring the vehicle in to see if they would have time to do it while every other shop quoted us about a week out got the car back in maybe about an hour. Very quick service, polite and very helpful we really appreciated it ?
I've been going here for years, and the one time I go somewhere else ( due to me moving further away) I get taken for a fool and luckily return back to Carter's for a significantly cheaper experience, but more quality! Carter's auto in gorham is the best!
Amazing, easy going staff.
Expert knowledge.
Prices that even I can afford ?
And I don't get anxiety when I go here, but full blown panic going to their competition.
I highly recommend Carter's Auto in Gorham.
My wife and I have had various cars serviced at Carter's over the years. Quality work, quick turnaround and fair pricing. We've had everything from sparkplug replacement to new tires and everything thing in between. Top notch local business.
Had front hub replaced in March of this year on my 4x4 very fast service today had transmission lines and cooler done as had bad leak done in less time than I thought very good service very polite people i recommend Carters completely thanks guy's. Dennis Clark
Made an appointment for inspection and at the day and time I dropped off my car off and went to get a haircut around the corner. It’s close to many downtown shops and also restaurants are also close by. I was halfway through my cut when they called me to say they were already finished with the inspection. They even regulated my tire pressure for me since I mentioned I was getting an alert on my dash.
I won’t be going anywhere else as long as I live in Gorham. Awesome!
Had my car towed here after my alternator died in the hannaford parking lot. The price they told me ended up being double what my normal mechanic said they would charge me even with my AAA discount(10%), I brought this up to the guy at the counter and all he had to say was "good for them". Then had to pay them $40 for a half done diagnosis to tell me my alternator was bad, my car had already told me in a big warning on my dash the alternator was bad but never tested my battery like they said they were going to do. Absolute waste and time and money, had my car towed to another mechanic.
As a Manager of an Auto Repair Shop in another state, I was concerned when one of my Customers had an unexpected break down while traveling out of town. The Customer took the vehicle here to be evaluated, and called me to ask for my advice. I was amazed that these guys were 100% honest (I'm a 30 year mechanic) and treated our mutual Customer with the same Customer Service as I would. Great job, guys!
Been bringing my Tacoma here since I bought it, they've replaced suspension components, front end brake callipers and rotors, bearings, etc. All quality work, I'll never let another shop touch any of my vehicles, I'm a customer for life. If you have a hard time finding an honest mechanic who does quality work, give Doug a call.
I've gone to Carter's a few times since moving to Maine and they have provided exceptional service. Each time I have taken my car in they have done detailed inspections. They literally fix mistakes my previous mechanics have made at VERY minimal cost to me. I don't want to mislead but I'm pretty sure they did the quick fixes free of charge. The extra services they have provided include: fixing my cruise control, patching a tire, tightening bolts around the air filter to my AC. They have always been detailed in describing why they do what they do and do not try to sell extra/unnecessary services. If it's a quick fix and they see it, when getting paid for another task, they do it. It's very important to me that I find a trustworthy mechanic moving from state to state and these guys are that. Because of them I now have cruise control (which would have been nice moving across the country), they saved my tire from needing to be replaced, and they stopped my car (specifically my AC) from making ridiculous noises that stopped close friends from wanting to be a passenger in my own car. 5/5.
Was referred here by numerous friends after a botched tire/wheel job at a different shop in Saco. I can add my compliments to all the ones I heard before coming here. These guys are class acts all around, treat you like a human being, don't waste anyone's time, and most importantly, they got the job done right and I had the biggest smile on my face driving away as I knew I should've come here first. I'm preparing for a long road trip and was not comfortable with the vibrations/judder from the wheels (bad balancing) as the original installers had mounted them -- now I have peace of mind and a very smooth-driving little car... I have Carter's Auto Service to thank for turning this around for me... I came in on the quietest, most beautiful morning, and left in less than an hour (it wasn't that big a job). The best way I can thank them is to send more business their way! They deserve it! Thanks a million, guys! :)
Carter's doesn't advertise rodent control but they did an excellent job clearing out a mouse nest and all its rubbish from under my hood, then repairing the chewed wires of the fuel injector! My "mouse-mobile" runs well now and the cost was very reasonable.
I think Carters Auto Service is the real deal!! I have brought two of my cars there and
I find them very honest, reliable and affordable. I just moved to Gorham and they
have a new customer!! Thank you for the great service!
Bought new tires at over $750 last year for my wifes SUV. Had Carter's do the alignmnent Within a couple days of putting them on. A few months later my wife complains about the truck pulling and making a noise. I have a different shop look at it thinking it was brakes, he calls me and says all but one of the bolts on the front end are loose. One nut he took off with his fingers, so I'd say never tioghtened from the alignment and tire wear was more than should be. I take it to Carters and they do another alignment for free. I should have put up more of a stink because the damage was done on the tires after a few months of driving the truck with the front end floating around. Fast forward 4 months and 4700 miles. I go to rotate the tires and the insides of both front tires are bald, one about ready to show cords, alignment cannot be right. I go to carter's and he talks about pot holes and Maine roads. I dont buy it. Says it couls be out of alignment from hitting something. It you hit something and mess up alignment something is bent or broke and the steering wheel should be crooked. He said he could align it again and I told him to not bother, i'll take it somewhere else. Now I ruined a set of tires in 14,000 miles in less than a year from THIER poor alignments. This is the second time I've had a problem. A few years ago I got an inspection sticker there and the next day a tie rod fell off my truck at 45 mph. Thank god I did not have my kids in the truck. I'm done with these guys. We pay alot for service and we expect it done right as our loved ones safety is on the line. Never again. Roger Charest
We switched from our dealer after they pulled some shady stuff with us, and I wish we had done so sooner. Professional, courteous service is all I ask for and it's what I got. I wll go back and I recommend it to others.
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