Today is November 4, 2023 and I am reviewing a business for the first ... read more Today is November 4, 2023 and I am reviewing a business for the first time since moving to Orlando almost 4 years ago. I originally went to Affordable alignment at the recommendation of a neighbor that works there and had a specialist with German vehicles which was perfect for my old Audi convertible, the mechanic specializes in German vehicles is a fellow by the name of Mike and I cannot say enough good things about him. His knowledge and dedication is legendary. That is the good news, now, for possibly the worst experience I’ve ever had with an automotive shop. A little background, I drive a 2020 Yukon and use it as a black car service and today I drove to Port Canaveral from Orlando and my air conditioning stopped working on the way back from that trip. I drove directly to Affordable alignment, because in the past, they have typically Fit me in and done work for me immediately. Today was no different. One of the mechanics referred an AC specialist in the shop to me and he immediately diagnosed the vehicle since he could hear that the blower motor seem to be working properly. he immediately stated that it was either a very dirty filter, or the actuator was not diverting the air to the proper vents. That led him to removing the filter behind the glove box, and discovering that it was one of the dirtiest filters he’s ever seen and was so blocked up that when he removed it, the air conditioning began to work fine. With a smile on his face he said will order a filter for you. It will be here in a few minutes and I will install it and you’ll be on the road. As you can imagine this is about the best news you can hear when you’ve suddenly discovered your air-conditioning is no longer working. It could be many many things all of them potentially quite expensive. This is about the cheapest fix anyone could hope for. I thought to myself even if they charge me a one hour minimum for a 5 minute diagnosis of $100 for labor and $34 for the part plus tax I’m looking at $150 worst case. After 45 minutes from my initial arrival, I went to the office and was presented a bill for $292, I paid it without question and stated on my way out the door that I felt I was being gouged, and I think made it clear that this was the last time I would put myself in that position with this particular business. Instead of saying something along the lines of I’m sorry you feel that way or is there anything we can do to go through this and make you more comfortable? Instead, I was insulted by the cashier, and was told I wasn’t gouged at all that they have to charge for labor and diagnostics, I was made to feel as if this was my first trip to the Mechanic And keep in mind earlier. I explained that I had witnessed the diagnosis it took 5 minutes and that’s being generous. I have noticed over the last year that this place is exclusively focused on money and profits and doesn’t really any longer focus on doing quality work for a reasonable price , I suspect a new generation has taken over and all they focus on is the Almighty dollar. If you’re one of those people like me who does not have money to burn, stay away. If I’m the other hand, you have more money than you know what to do with I must admit, they still do as quality work as they’ve ever done . This is just the last time they will do any work for me.
PLEASE READ: I'm not one to normally write bad reviews as I usually ju... read more PLEASE READ: I'm not one to normally write bad reviews as I usually just write this type of thing off as a learning experience and move on. But having now had a couple days to think, I just can't ignore the way this business treated me. After getting several recommendations I decided to bring my wife's vehicle here to address an overheating issue. The staff were all very friendly and I dropped the vehicle off feeling hopeful that I would have a better experience here than I'd had at other businesses. I received a call from these guys about 3 hours later where they explained what was causing the issue and how they would repair it. This was further reassuring to me as I knew what the problem was before taking them the vehicle and had even researched what it was likely going to cost to repair. The gentleman I spoke with was very friendly and said he'd even be able to offer me some coupons or discounts off whatever the cost would be. I thought "great, these guys know how to treat customers." We hung up the phone without him actually going over what the cost would be but I figured whatever it was would be reasonable given how minor the repair was. A couple hours later I received another call stating the vehicle was ready and good to go. After a little more friendly banter I told him I'd be down later to pick up the vehicle and before hanging up I asked him what the final bill was. He quoted me for 1.3 hrs. of labor plus parts and again mentioned that the final bill would of course be less with any added discounts he could get me. Mind you, I had already researched the cost of the part he replaced so when he told me the total cost I thought he was surely joking. All the van needed was a heater hose assembly which is available online for as low as $25. As this part is easily removed and replaced, I was a little taken aback by the 1.3 hours he says it took but was floored when he quoted me $589! He responded to my disbelief by again saying he'd be able to lower that with some coupons or other discounts and I hung up wondering what the heck the deal was. When I later went to pick up the vehicle, I took a peek at the initial bill and it wasn't $589, it was $627! They must have known I was about to lose it so they pretended to act as if they didn't know why it was so high and disappeared into the garage to presumably speak with the mechanic. They returned and started typing something on the computer and eventually asked me to come around and look at their screen. They showed me an invoice which was supposed to show their cost for the hose assembly which was $105. They discounted some of the other items and reduced the bill down to a final charge of $398.78. I usually avoid dealerships due to their high labor rates ($130+/hr) and endless maintenance recommendations but I'm quite sure even they wouldn't have charged such a ridiculous amount. I guess I should be happy that instead of paying the $262.57 they originally wanted to charge me for a $25 hose assembly I ended up only paying $145 (after markup)! By avoiding the $130+/hr. labor at the dealership I was fortunate enough to have paid $185.90 at only $143/hr., though once you include the labor they added in for draining whatever was left in the radiator I actually paid them $217.49 for 1.3 hrs. labor. To be fair, they did give me a $6.48 discount on the $14.99 gallon of antifreeze they advertise for $12.74 on their website. Even ignoring the $26 in taxes I still ended up paying about twice as much as I should have by the time I left there. It was in looking over my receipt again that the egregiousness of what transpired hit me. The strategy of overcharging me a ridiculous amount only to get me to accept them still grossly overcharging me worked flawlessly. My brother's a mechanic up north in Michigan and even he was shocked that a corporately owned establishment could be so brazen and figures these guys must work on some type of commission. If you value your money, do yourself a favor and don't lose any to these guys, they'll steal as much from you as you'll let them.
Dave Wallace is not only a great mechanic but also a great guy! Caring... read more Dave Wallace is not only a great mechanic but also a great guy! Caring, fair and a good listener! We've bought several of our vehicles to him for repair and general maintenance and have been very happy with the work performed and the price! Highly recommend Wallace Automotive! Mary Ellen
