Claimant says: "LAMICH CASEY 1555 East Washington Street Apartment # 115 Phoenix, Arizona 85034 November 11, 2014 Attorney General 1275 West Washington Street Phoenix, Arizona 85007 Attention: Consumer Information Complaints Telephone Number: 602-542-5763 I am sending this letter of explanation to help you better understand what took place. I was able to find information on this company though the Better Business Bureau. They currently do not have an account with the Better Business Bureau but did years ago. They” ...Show more »

Claimant says: "LAMICH CASEY 1555 East Washington Street Apartment # 115 Phoenix, Arizona 85034 November 11, 2014 Attorney General 1275 West Washington Street Phoenix, Arizona 85007 Attention: Consumer Information Complaints Telephone Number: 602-542-5763 I am sending this letter of explanation to help you better understand what took place. I was able to find information on this company though the Better Business Bureau. They currently do not have an account with the Better Business Bureau but did years ago. They had many bad reports against them so possibly this may be why they are no longer listed with them. I am a 64 year old disabled Veteran on a fixed income and live in a Senior Subsidized apartment complex. I also have to go for dialysis three days a week (Monday, Wednesday and Fridays), and in addition, I also have to go the VA Hospital two to three times a month for other health issues. Needless to say, I have to rely on my vehicle for transportation but currently I have to pay a cab fee or pay a fellow resident to take me to these appointments and dialysis treatments. I believe I was taken advantage of by this automotive shop, Advanced Transmission & Emissions, located at 2849 East Bell Road, Phoenix, AZ 85032. I felt confident that this was a reputable automotive shop due to the fact it has been in business for many years and in the same location. My vehicle broke down October 3rd 2014 and I contacted Advanced Transmission & Emissions to inquire about an estimate for my transmission as I believed this was the problem. I was informed by Tim, an employee, that prior to providing an estimate; they would have to have the vehicle in their possession. Tim offered to provide towing service once they assessed the condition of the transmission and provide me an estimate. I agreed the towing would be included in the charges, but if I did not agree to use their services, I would be responsible for the towing charges. Tim also informed me that if I was not physically at their place of business to sign for the estimate, he would need the last four digits of my social security number. I now realize I should not have given this information to him on the telephone. Due to them repairing my vehicle without my consent has prevented me from getting a second opinion. I was very adamant that I was not authorizing them to fix my vehicle but needed them to give me as estimate prior to faxing a quote to Presto Auto Loan, which I already have a loan with them. Before Susan, the Loan Officer for Presto Auto Loan, could even respond to their estimate, Advanced Transmission & Emissions had already repaired my vehicle without my permission (oral or signature On October 4th, 2014, I was in dialysis and received a telephone call from Greg, another mechanic from this shop, stating they had finished the job. Then Greg, the owner, told me it was going to cost $3,013.35 (see estimate sheet attached) and I could set up a payment plan with them or get a loan elsewhere. I stated I could not afford this amount of money on my limited income and told him I also needed to get a second opinion before they did any repairs on my vehicle. I requested they fax their estimate to Presto Auto Loan, which I already have a loan with. I never gave Advanced Auto Transmission my permission to proceed with repairs until I had received a second estimate. Since this incident, on November 5th, a friend???s daughter that is studying to become a Paralegal offered to contact them and Greg answered the telephone and he cussed her out using the ???F??? word and Greg contacted me via telephone and asked to speak with Mr. Casey and he said ???Get ???F???ed and hung up! I received a Notice of Storage With Fee letter using the date of 11/04/2014 (see attached) and then received a Notice of Impound letter 11/07/2014 (see attached). My worst fear, as a former mechanic prior to my disabilities, is when I receive my vehicle from Advanced Automotive & Emissions may do something to assure my vehicle will never be the same. Greg sent their estimate on Monday, October 6th to Presto Auto Loan. Unfortunately, I was still ill from my dialysis on Tuesday, October 7th and could not make the trip to Advanced Transmission & Emissions. Wednesday, October 8th, I had a friend take me to Advanced Transmission & Emissions after I finished with my dialysis to let them know I was going to get a second estimate. On this same day, October 8th, when I arrived at Advanced Transmission & Emissions, I found out they had already completed the repair work. Please see information below of copied and pasted information stating legal information with regard to estimates. Once you???ve picked a repair shop and need their services, you need to get an estimate and know your rights. An estimate should be given in person if it costs more than $100. Once you have received your estimate, the repairs cannot cost over 10% of the estimate without your prior approval. In most cases, the repair shop can keep your car until you pay your bill. However, you can take your car if the following things have happened: if during the face-to-face contact there wasn???t a written estimate given, if the charges were more than 110% without your approval, and if the repair shop did not post a sign stating ???your customer rights.??? If all these requirements were met, then you must pay your bill before you can receive your car. Prior to this, I had already contacted a gentleman named John, at SunDance Automotive, located at 2002 East Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ 85006 to get a second opinion. John told me I would have to have my vehicle towed to their establishment. This is when I was informed Advantage Transmissions & Emissions had already completed the repairs without my permission or signature. In addition to this, SunDance Automotive told me it could possibly have been a pressure line that caused the problem, which would have been a lot less expensive. With my past knowledge as a mechanic, I originally thought it was the pressure line due to the small amount of fluid that spewed. If it was the seal, the transmission fluid would have been everywhere. Now I understand how the tow truck driver was able to back my vehicle out of the parking stall and load it on his tow truck. I feel that, not only was I being taken advantage of monetarily, the repairs they supposedly made did not have need to be done. I since have checked this company out on the Better Business Bureau site and they do not have a good standing in the past and now are not even listed with the Better Business Bureau. This is the name and information of the attorney I contacted that was not willing to assist me to ensure my car was returned to me, Attorney Richard Grove, 4045 East Union Hills Drive Phoenix, Arizona 85050. Sincerely, Lamich Casey Cc: Better Business Bureau*” ...Show less »