ALMAR Auto Repair
🚗 Auto & Repair · Charlotte
total experiences
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Most reported issues
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Experiences
Customer waited two hours despite having an appointment.
Business reply on Google
Again, I apologize for the inconvenience. I understand you are frustrated and will take your feedback into account when communicating with customers in future.
Business refused service and staff was rude.
Business reply on Google
Thank you for your feedback. I can assure you that this is not a typical experience at our shop and we will strive to communicate better in the future.
Refused to diagnose acceleration issue after timing chain installation.
Business reply on Google
I'm sorry that you feel disrespected. I believe this is a matter of miscommunication and could have been cleared up if you hadn't hung up on the service manager or answered any of our subsequent calls. While you may find a shop that is willing to take on the liability of such a diagnosis/repair, it is not our policy to do so. Thank you for your understanding.
Shop overcharged by $1,200 and attempted to charge for unnecessary work
Business reply on Google
Mr Daquan you clearly are mistaken in your review. We did not charge you 1200 dollars for any repair on your truck. We told you that you needed a radiator and I gave you an estimate that was clearly marked as estimate citing a repair of $690.00 to replace the Radiator and hoses. I told you that the need was immediate because your car was in the parking lot with a very large puddle of coolant under it and it was actively pouring out. You declined the repair. You were never charged the $1200.00 that you speak of in your false review. Im not sure why you would falsify this, I would appreciate a call at 704-522-9000. Maybe I can help.
Loose brakes installed by the business endangered customer's safety
Business reply on Google
Reviews like yours keep us working harder every day! So happy to help make your experience positive. Thanks for the great review! I have seen that you changed your review. Could you please contact me at 704 522 9000 and let me know what has changed. Id like to see if I could help. Thank you.
Shop demanded payment before work and charged storage fees.
Business reply on Google
This review is not accurate. The car was towed here and was very much disassembled. It had been towed from another repair facility that had apparently refused to finish the car. After receiving the car we assumed that the people that had disassembled the car were worried about getting paid for the repair. We did an initial check on this car and called the woman that owned the car and gave her an estimate to replace the radiator. Miss Means told that she did not have the money for the repair. We also expressed a concern that the car would need more work than she was aware of. We agreed with her to install the radiator if she paid for it in advance because truthfully there was concern over whether or not the repair would be paid for. She told us that she would pay for the repair on Friday. On friday afternoon we got call from Robert who then told us he would not pay for the repair until it was complete. He told us he would call back to further discuss the repair. We did not hear from anyone again. We tried to reach out several times after and got voicemail. As we are not able to leave cars sit in our parking lot I sent a text asking for a call and that we would charge storage if the
Excessive labor and diagnostic fees, expensive battery replacement.
Business reply on Google
I cant identify your by your online google name but as the owner of Almar Auto I would love to hear from you. Our labor rate has never been 300.00 per hour. We have a standard fee of 149.00 per hour for diagnosis. After the diagnosis is done that fee gets credited to the customer toward the repair needed on the vehicle as long as it repaired at our facility. The information in your review is absolutely incorrect. Unfortunately batteries have become much more expensive than they used to be. Many of todays cars require much more power to run the various systems on the modern cars. 200 dollars plus for a battery is very common place. AAA does sell batteries at a lower price but if you check you will find that most of them are remanufactured batteries and are not new. Its important to compare like products when calling someone out for a price comparison. I would happily address your issues and concerns in person. Please call me on my cell phone at 704-420-0519 Rusty@Almar
Aftermarket parts failed within a year, requiring expensive repeat repair.
Business reply on Google
Jonathan it is unfortunate that the water pump on your car failed. The water pump installed was a unit from advance auto. Under the terms of the warranty supplied by them it is a limited lifetime warranty. They will happily supply you with a new pump. The bad part is that they will only warranty the labor for 24,000 miles. After that they will not pay for installation. You have driven your vehicle almost 15000 miles past the warranty period. They will not cover the installation. Our company does not make the pump that was installed on your car. It was replaced professionally our shop ago almost 37000 miles ago and it unfair that you give us a poor review because we cant make them replace it under warranty. As a gesture of goodwill my company offered you a heavily discounted repair that will save you approximately 1000 dollars. I am truly sorry for your misfortune and I will stand by this offer. You can please call me at 704-522-9000 and I will try to help. Thank you.
Van returned with same issues after $2,000 repair
Business reply on Google
My name is Rusty and I own Almar Auto. When a customer isnt happy I really want to know why it happened and if it can be properly taken care of. There is no name on this review, and we dont have any record of anything that has occurred here that matches your complaint. If you would call me and tell me about your experience I would love to help you if I can. Please call my cell number at 704-420-0519. If something was done improperly at my shop I would like to fix it.
Customer charged for tire rotation that was not performed.
Business reply on Google
Tim as the owner of Almar Auto I am very sorry that you had a bad experience with my company. I have investigated your claim and I can only assume that the Service desk clerk that closed the work sheet on your car did not see the repair order return from the tech that worked on your truck. The miscommunication that occurred resulted in your rotation not taking place. I apologize for the error, and take personal responsibility for it. I appreciate the time you took to talk to me and only wish you would allow us to make up for the mistake that was made. This is not normal practice here, and I have put in place a different system between the technicians, and the front desk to make sure an error like this does not occur again. I would appreciate another chance with you and I am fairly certain you would be pleased in your experiences here. In any event you can call me at 704-522-9000 if you have any questions.
Car broken into and rims stolen while at the shop
Business reply on Google
We are sorry that your car was burglarized in our parking lot. Unfortunately it was left outside our gates after we had closed by the people that brought it here, and was not inside. Im also sorry that you felt ignored but our shop does not do the work that you required to help with the damage that your car received.
Misdiagnosed vehicle, overcharged for parts and multiple diagnoses.
Business reply on Google
I don't like to be disagreeable but you brought this car to us with an ac compressor that was installed by another shop which you alleged had failed. After testing the system, we told you that the ac compressor had not the failed, and that your ac system was inoperative because of a leak in one of the supply lines. This angered you because the warranty from the other shop would not pay for your repair. Our shop not allowing you to hold another shop responsible for something out of their control is not "misdiagnosis" , Its a shame that you would falsify a review for not getting your way. If you would like to discuss this further you are welcome to call us at your convenience.
Rude staff and questionable repair ethics led to loss of trust
Business reply on Google
As owner of ALMAR Auto it is very disheartening to receive a review like this. I am sorry that you felt you were not treated correctly. It is always difficult to give a customer the news that his vehicle is in need of extensive repairs. We work very hard to run an honest repair shop and strive to give nothing but the best of service to our customers. I believe that I was a bit short in my response with you but it may have been in response to being cussed out during the conversation that we had about your car. I am always open for discussion if there is something that I could do to help change your opinion of our shop. Please feel free to call us at 704-522-9000 if you would like to discuss it.
Truck still has vacuum leak after multiple repairs and high cost.
Business reply on Google
Jeff We at Almar are sorry that you are displeased with the work we have done for you. The review you have given makes it seem that you spent a lot of money on a vacuum leak. And that you are not happy with the performance of the transmission that you had installed in your truck. If there is a problem with the transmission in your truck it has warranty on it that I would be happy to help you with. On the first visit to our shop it was explained to you in writing on the repair order that the truck had a list of issues and possible existing problems that were related to prior improper attempts at repairs that were done poorly by a previous owner or facility. You had explained to us that this vehicle had been to multiple shops before ours and noone had been able to diagnose and repair the issues with your vehicle to date. We repaired what we could see but warned you that there were possibilities of more issues to come. This is due to the age of the truck and the improper repair history. It is not reasonable to hold this shop responsible for not foreseeing what would fail due to the repairs of a previous shop. Its also misleading to base a review saying that you have spent an exaggerat
Car damaged while in shop, business refuses to pay for repairs.
Business reply on Google
As the owner of ALMAR, I am sorry that you feel your experience here was not satisfactory. I do wish to state that there is a fair bit of untruth to the review that was left. We were not approved by the customer to do the repairs until the car had been left at our facility for five weeks while this customer attempted to get financing for the repair. Even after approval was given, the customer did not have the amount needed to complete the repair. The husband of Mrs. Henry called us and promised to make payments to complete the repair, however he never came through with any of the money owed. In an effort to promote goodwill and to stop the angry confrontational telephone conversations from Mrs. Henry, I elected to release the car with only partial payment.
Auto repair shop attempted to overcharge for unnecessary repairs
Business reply on Google
I am sorry that you were not pleased with your experience here at Almar. We try to be nothing but honest and have prided ourselves with normally underselling the need of repairs. I am not sure of a few of the issues that you had and I apologize if you felt that you treated "rudely" and I would love to talk to you about your experience if possible. I have attempted to call you several times and on the number that we have talked before and the person answering has told me I am calling the wrong number. I truly wonder what the motivation would be for placing such a scathing review while avoiding my call. I am available every day and would appreciate your call.
Incorrect brake installation and poor quality repairs
Business reply on Google
Miss Jones I am very sorry to hear that you are unhappy with a service that you received from Almar Auto. However, when you received the repairs on your vehicle our shop was run by the previous owner. I have investigated your complaint and found that the repairs had been done on your car on 08/16/2016 which was almost 3 years ago. If there is in fact an issue with your brakes from the previous management we would happily inspect your car and verify that the problem can be remedied. Please feel free to give us a call to discuss it. Thank you
Owner was racist and gave attitude; car was mis-fixed and no receipt
Business reply on Google
As owner of ALMAR Auto Repair, I would like to ask my customers to look at the hundreds of reviews that we have received from the many happy customers for our years of service. It is so important to us that we do not discriminate in any way based on religion, gender, or ethnicity. The reviews in our past have come from all types of people with all types of backgrounds. It is upsetting that as a business owner in customer service I can be accused of being a racist because of a look on my face, by someone using a pseudonym. We value all of customers and thank them for their years of loyalty.
Charged excessive labor and parts, then threatened customer over bill.
Business reply on Google
This is completely false. Customer was apprised of costs before repairs were made. Customer agreed to make repairs and then refused to pay bill. Customer lied about being informed of the costs during confrontation over final invoice and then changed his story when told we have surveillance. Customer's bill was reduced by more than 20% which was not enough for him, thus his complaint. Yes, we have surveillance in our shop for our safety. Notice is posted by the door. Our labor rate is average for this industry in this area, therefore three plus hours of labor would cost $300+. Customer was belligerent in our shop and is being utterly disingenuous in his review. Please note, customer is satisfied with repairs to his car. He just didn't want to pay for it.
Quoted high labor costs and charged for unmentioned diagnostic fee
Business reply on Google
Michael, It is unfortunate that you would not take the opportunity to call and say "Am I reading this right?" before writing such a scathing review. Of course we would not charge $450 for one hour of labor. No shop would. The estimate was for several things to be fixed on your car and the total labor, nearly five hours, is $450. While it is common practice to charge for diagnostic time, we always reduce that charge when repairs are made. Obviously, we failed to explain the estimate to you properly, and for that I apologize. We will certainly work to improve that part of our process.