Dominic G

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Verified Reviewer
| map-marker Tempe, Arizona

Salem Boys Auto totally trashed my vehicle due to their shoddy work and after further review and examination it appears may have committed fraud as well.

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Salem Boys Auto totally trashed my vehicle due to their shoddy work and after further review and examination it appears may have committed fraud as well.
Salem Boys Auto totally trashed my vehicle due to their shoddy work and after further review and examination it appears may have committed fraud as well.
Salem Boys Auto totally trashed my vehicle due to their shoddy work and after further review and examination it appears may have committed fraud as well.
Salem Boys Auto totally trashed my vehicle due to their shoddy work and after further review and examination it appears may have committed fraud as well.
Salem Boys Auto totally trashed my vehicle due to their shoddy work and after further review and examination it appears may have committed fraud as well.
Salem Boys Auto totally trashed my vehicle due to their shoddy work and after further review and examination it appears may have committed fraud as well.
Updated by user Jul 13, 2021

Update: More damages caused by Salem Boys Auto Repair! In addition to the mess I sited in my original complaint that Salem Boys Auto Repair caused to my vehicle which has rendered it inoperable now for over 7 months, an experienced mechanic examined the engine...

Original review May 11, 2021
1. My vehicle has been rendered inoperable due to SBA's negligence and it has now been over 5 months now without being able to drive my vehicle after spending over $8,000 in repairs at SBA. (See picture of stranded vehicle in garage) 2. SBA trashed my perfectly running carburetor and now the CEO told me to go get it fixed someplace else and then bring the car back to them to work on. Seriously? (See picture of black soot on garage floor due to SBA' s shoddy work). So SBA does admit the carburetor is damaged and does not accept responsibility for it. Funny, the mechanic nor the invoice never mentioned the carburetor needed repair when I came in pick up my vehicle which the mechanic said was running well. Turns out both were lies. 3. Fraud? SBA claimed the spark plugs (over 10 years old) which I ask them to replace were in good condition and did not need replacement. So the CEO and mechanic said they decided not to replace the spark plugs but instead (unauthorized repair) to clean the plugs instead of replacing them because the tips were in good condition and charged me $197 in labor to boot. After I thought this story sounded suspicious I decided to remove the spark plugs and discovered they were in horrendous condition and clearly needed replacement and certainly were never cleaned by SBA to quality condition. This was a blatant glaring lie on SBA's part. Did they think I would not remove them and examine them after they trashed my vehicle? I bet most people don't double check the work their mechanics do at SBA. It's not the lie that looks bad it's the coverup. (See picture of spark plug) 4. There are many repairs that I believe you over charged me in some cases 200%-300% or more as compared to other shops average prices in the area for either parts or labor. For example, SBA charged me $190 for two front shock absorbers that was just for the parts. After further review two shocks shocks should only cost around $50. Now , asked the CEO Andi, if she would tell me what quality and type of shocks they charged me for? To this date she has failed to respond. Same goes for the starter replacement your shop charged me $300 for? Compare at $150-$175 average repair price in the Phoenix area. 5. The list goes on and on. (see other reviews for more details about the shoddy work and the excuses and excuses of why SBA feels they allegedly are not responsible for trashing my vehicle and never offered to repair the damages they have caused me. Just the fact alone that not be able to drive my vehicle after spending over $8,000 would warrant any decent auto repair shop to come to at the very least to offer to make things right. Not so, just excuse after excuse and it seems they like to ridicule and yell at their customers who complain like they did to me. Not only that I have to hear a sincere apology for the condition they have left my vehicle. 6. Check engine light is on which I asked SBA to diagnose and repair as part of passing emissions on two occasions. SBA denies this. Why would you take a vehicle to emissions with the check engine light on and not need to repair it makes no sense as does most of SBA's deceptive and misleading responses. There are many which I have documented (See Photo of check engine light). The mechanic told me when I came in to pick up my vehicle he fixed the check engine light issue and now SBA denies I ever asked them to repair it. 7. How about after failing emissions a second time and SBA claiming they lost the emissions results when I came in to pick up my vehicle. Very suspicious. The mechanic told me they had them before I came in and then all of a sudden they went missing. Was SBA trying to hide something here? 8. Then there was the unauthorized changing of my battery where SBA tried to charge me an additional $40 on top of the cost of the battery to check my electrical system (again unauthorized) for what the CEO said is normal practice for them each time they change a battery? When I questioned the CEO about this charge and said it sounded like a scam to me she did refund these charges. Either way, very suspicious practice here. Never heard of a shop without consent charging customers to check their electrical system when changing a battery and tacking on $40. Summary: One thing SBA is good at is taking your money, charging outrageous premium prices and then denying all wrong doing for trashing my vehicle. How treating a good paying customer horribly and trashing his vehicle, who never complained about their premium prices (until after they trashed my vehicle) and patiently waiting over two months to get their vehicle fixed is beyond me. Not good business practices no matter how you look at it. Photo of Salem Boys Auto - Tempe, AZ, United States. Check engine light on constantly which I asked SBA to diagnose and repair twice to pass emissions. SBA denies this. Check engine light on constantly which I asked SBA to diagnose and repair twice to pass emissions. SBA denies this. Photo of Salem Boys Auto - Tempe, AZ, United States. Spark Plug removed with approximately 200 miles driven.SBA lied about the condition of the plugs and charged me $197 for unauthorized labor
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Cons:
  • Fraudulent practices
  • Horrendous service
  • Outrageous pricing

Preferred solution: Deliver product or service ordered

User's recommendation: Stay as far away from Salem Boys Auto as you can. I wouldn't send my worst enemy to this company.

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