double a mc not (AAMCO)

i waited until all the emotion and opportunity for resolution passed to write this and don't feel any of the anger or hurt i originally felt last year when AAMCO of Sanford Florida provided the worst service i ever experienced at any auto mechanic business... i am certain now that i was lied to and they tried to rip me off beyond the poor work they did on my car and could have made them pay if i had the time and wanted to invest the money in hiring a lawyer... i've let it go and am writing this entry just to record the bad experience i had at AAMCO Sanford Florida...

simply, the $1600 transmission repair was faulty, i inquired about a tune up and was talked into a head gasket replacement i probably didn't need, and the repairs caused permanent damage to unrelated parts of the engine... part of that additional damage was repaired at for an additional $500 to repair at a much more reputable mechanic, Tibbits on University...

after leaving my car at AAMCO, Sanford Florida for two full days, the fact that it was not ready the third morning for my scheduled pick up should have been a red flag... i had explained that i was inconveniencing a friend to give me a ride and that is why i agreed to leave the car two full days... they acted as though i was imposing when i showed up at our scheduled time for pick up... running late for a meeting i did not insist on checking the repair work as much as i should have... they apparently rushed to put the engine back together which probably caused the damage that left the care getting 6 miles to the gallon on the highway (it was getting 30mpg highway when i brought it into AAMCO)... the engine started without a hitch, idled smoothly at 900 rpms and was rock solid never sputtering, stalling, or having any problems at all before i left it in the hands of AAMCO, Sanford Florida...

it sputtered, jerked into gear, lost acceleration, and had other engine issues (besides the 6mpg highway) upon driving out of AAMCO... the engine has never been the same...

Tibbits on University was able to identify the parts AAMCO broke and the car is running ok now, a year later, except for the hiccups in the new transmission AAMCO installed and diminished engine performance...

the worst part of the experience was the general manager's rude, aggressive, insulting language and attitude when i returned to have the car checked... i dealt with the owner for the repair and this was the first meeting of the general manager... i explained the car performance issues... he had a mechanic check the car and told me it was the fuel pump and they would repair it for around $600... i asked about the transmission and engine and he told me he didn't have time to discuss anything else... his words were "take it or leave it" as he stood up and showed me to the door...

i suspected this was not true and asked to speak with the owner who was the person i contracted with for the transmission and he got in my face and physically backed me out the door... i walked to the bay and called out to the mechanics that i requested to speak with the owner and would appreciate one of them letting the owner know... the general manager threatened to call the police... i then called the owner and the owner came out from a back area of the shop...

the general manager would not allow the owner to discuss my concern, repeatedly interrupting, calling me a liar, and again threatening to call the police if i did not leave the premises... he told the owner that i deliberately damaged the car... he insisted he was polite and professional, even as he was yelling that i was a liar and my complaints about the car were meaningless...

after stating to the owner that it is obvious he did not want to resolve my complain as he was allowing his employee to prevent us from having a conversation, i left... within 30 minutes the owner called to apologize, explained the general manager was hired just two weeks ago and was out of line, and he offered to do the gas pump job at his cost, no labor, for around $350... he gave me his private number and asked i did not call the office again... i told him i would think about it after getting a second opinion...

the reputable mechanic, Tibbits, told me my fuel pump was just fine and showed me the damaged fuel sensor part that needed replacing... the part was cracked, not worn out, and Tibbits said it likely occurred when the transmission and engine put back together, but there is no way to prove that...

i was done trying to negotiate with AAMCO Sanford Florida because they tried to rip me off for work that was not needed (fuel pump) instead of addressing the actual damage, not to mention the rudeness and intimidation tactics... unfortunately, the evidence of the damage done by the AAMCO of Sanford Florida shop was not concrete enough for my credit card company to stop full payment mostly because it was an old car, though they did withhold payment for six months while investigating and acknowledged a lack of responsibility and professionalism on the part of AAMCO...

the fuel pump is still fine a year later... the transmission and engine has permanent damage costing me a bit more in gas every week and proving less acceleration in traffic and on highways...

all i can tell you is that if you want to go to AAMCO for work on your car, steer clear of AAMCO of Sanford Florida not only because of shoddy work, but for unprofessional attempts to intimidate you into work you do not need... trust is an essential aspect of auto repair decisions and you do not want to trust AAMCO of Sanford Florida...

don't buy a car in orlando, fl

prices are way inflated when compared to other parts of the country... there is almost no selection, no selection if you are looking for a smaller economical car... and used cars are high mileage with prices that can get you a new car in other parts of the country...

that's just the way it is...

moldy nuts

the 2 LBS 1 OZ container of Planters nuts was disappointing at first, probably because i am not used to eating halves and pieces, but when i got about a quarter of the way through i found the discoloration was mold... that sucks so much cuz i ate almost half a pound over the last few days...

i told them about it online, but there's not much they can do about the bad taste in my mouth about planters nuts... from not on i'll but the cans, not the clear plastic containters, and the smaller packages... and whole nuts, no more of the scraps from the bottom of the assembly line... and probably not planters...

most of all, i'll be inspecting the nuts before i put them in my mouth...

i love nuts...

not mold...

equity residential

arriving home i found a notice at the door that warned of eviction if the rent was not paid... so what happened to the auto-pay i had authorized for more than two years that the new office staff (and the old office staff and every office staff at every apartment community that was owned by Equity Residential) said "no problem, the auto-pay will transfer as soon as you sign the lease", i wondered... i rushed over to the office and found it locked, but one of the staff came to the door and did not have answers about why the auto-pay did not switch over and refused to take a check saying i could only pay with a money order and when i asked why a check was ok last month there was, again, no answer... meanwhile, they want $78 in a late fee... very curious way of extorting a late fee from a resident...

so i wrote a few emails to their corporate offices and hopefully will find some responses on monday and then, we can discuss what went wrong and why my rent check was refused and whether they actually want me to pay rent and how i can actually do that... they can also explain how they justify a late fee when they stopped my auto-pay and refused my check...

meanwhile, the previous equity residential apartment community where we experienced the worst service i ever experienced in an apartment community at the highest prices i ever paid in an apartment (more than $1200 for a two bedroom) tacked on a $100 additional fee to clean the carpet over the $400 they originally took as a non-refundable deposit for a pet... the carpet had no stains or smells and was immaculate except for normal wear on the entry path, but $400 was not enough to clean it... meanwhile, local professional carpet cleaners will clean a whole apartment for under $100 and we can only imagine the cost when the contract is for cleaning thousands of apartments (which is what equity has in this area)...

Equity Residential has an F grade at the Better Business Bureau and after a year at the most expensive Equity Residential owned apartment community in the area, i understand why...

remind me to update one of these days...

legalized identity theft

your credit card company might be selling your identity right now and you'd had to read the fine print in their privacy policy to find out what they are doing and that you must call and tell them you don't want them to because they automatically do it unless you find out how to stop them...

of course they are not making it easy for you and they are not advertising what they are doing, but you can read one of the ways your identity can be stolen or sold in the privacy policy for Paypal and their bank, GE Money Bank... I emphasized the potential for identity theft, or at least for SPAM that you might never connect with Paypal or GE, and we can note that the state of Vermont has a law that does not allow Paypal or GE to do what they do... too bad other states aren't protecting your consumer rights and privacy and money the way Vermont is...

take this:

"Third Parties, Who are Interested in Offering Special Products or Services to You"

in other words, SPAM... Paypal and GE team up to sell your personal information, interests, buying habits, financial worth, credit information, and who knows what else to people/companies that want to sell you stuff unless you tell them not to... don't take my word for it, read their words:

"For example, we may disclose information to financial services providers offering products such as insurance, mortgages or loans, and nonfinancial companies offering consumer products and services. We may disclose name, address and telephone numbers, as well as Credit Card Account purchase and performance history."

and can you really opt-out once you've given your presonal information to Paypal?... well, here's what they say:

Please understand that, even if you opt out as described above, we will continue to share information with PayPal, Inc. and its affiliates, joint marketing partners and service providers as described in this policy, and as otherwise permitted by law. And we will continue to share information that identifies you, and about your transactions and experiences with us, with companies within the GE Family.

• We will process your request promptly. However, it may take us several weeks to ensure that all records are updated with your preference. In the interim, you may continue to be included in programs as described above. Also, after your request is processed, you may still be contacted by our affiliates and/or other companies based on their own information.

in other words, they will continue using the information they have to send you SPAM and they are not responsible for the other companies who use the information they sold during the several weeks it takes for them to comply with your request that they stop selling your information for profit to SPAMMERS...

it does get worse...

If you decide to close your Credit Card Account or become an inactive customer, or if we close or suspend your Credit Card Account, we will continue to adhere to the privacy policies and practices described in this notice to the extent we retain information about you.

in other words, you can opt-out, cancel your account, and they will continue doing what they do... retain information about you and share it with GE affiliates who will continue to SPAM you...

read the entire "privacy" policy here