Bob was highly recommended by a friend of ours as a great place to have our car serviced. We have been coming here for years ever since . He has always been upfront, honest, and considerate about cost. Once he told us that it may not be worth the money to fix the AC in our suburban that had over 200k miles. When is does an auto service shop tell you that?
On May 1st, 2015 I went to Red’s Auto at 88 Southern Drive. I visited Red Auto to get an inspection for my 1992 Toyota Camry XLE V6, in addition to having an oil change completed and to have the air conditioning fixed in the car. During the inspection by the owner, I was told the brakes needed to be fixed for a price of $1,400. I was also told the air conditioning “popped” when trying to fix it and that the air conditioning was now permanently broken. Not having the necessary cash to place towards the car, I was unable to afford $1,400 to fix the brakes.
Unable to fix the car, the owner told me he would junk my Camry. The Camry had about 130,000 miles on it. He informed me that the Camry had rust, a sign that the Camry was on its way out to no longer working and that none of the Camry’s parts could be salvaged for money. I asked about the decent tires I had previously purchased for the Camry and if they were salvageable for money. The owner responded by saying those tires would only fit that Camry and could not be salvaged. After calling the local junkyards for the best price, he informed me the best he could get was $100 from the junkyard to collect the car, and this was a better price I would get since the junkyard workers knew him. The owner charged me for the oil change and for his attempt at trying to fix the air conditioning and took off $100 for what the junkyard offered him, with a final balance of $180 that I paid the owner in cash.
I was informed to sign papers in order to give the car over for when the junkyard came to collect the car. After signing the car over, I did not feel right about the exchange. I am not automotive specialist. I then called some local junkyards myself, finding out that another junkyard would of picked up the car for $200, which is $100 more than what Reds Auto Sales offered. I went back to Red’s Auto on May 4th, 2015 since I was unhappy about the car exchange and having been deceived by Red's Auto. The owner asked what he could do about the situation, and I asked for $100 as the difference from what the junkyard had offered. Red's paid the $100.
A few weeks later, while driving in my own neighborhood, I spotted the very same 1992 Toyota Camry V6 XLE in a neighbor’s driveway!!!! The very car that I was told would be junked and could not be salvaged for parts. Knowing the Camry very well, a few clues confirmed it was indeed the very same Camry. I attended Daemen College as a student, therefore my student-parking sticker was visible on the back left window and the outlines of bumper stickers that I had removed in years prior were subtly visible where the paint color difference could be seen. The car had not been junked as Mr. Red had stated, but in fact had been fixed and was in use. The car was fixed and sold without my knowledge.
I had written the above statement 2 and a half years ago after the event had taken place. Since I was completely taken advantage of and had a HORRIBLE experience at Red's Auto Sales about 2 and half years ago, I felt the need to share my experience.
Website
