Sep 29, 2009 10:59 pm US/Pacific
Call Kurtis: Wrangling Over Repairs
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) ―
All she wanted was a new windshield. But it's costing her, even though it cracked while her dealership had it.
"So here's the crack right here" says Tami Bowman, and it's through no fault of her own. "It's right in my line of vision."
That crack wasn't there when "Berberian European Motors" picked-up Tami's Volvo S60, and drove it to their dealership in Stockton for service.
"They verified that it was in good condition, because I assumed they wanted to return it to me in the same condition."
But when Berberian brought it back to her that same day, on August 18th, there it was.
"It bothers me a lot. Every time I see it I get tense, and reminding me about the whole situation and whole thing that occurred."
Here's what occurred after Tami saw that crack. She took her complaint up the Berberian chain -- from service advisor Brian Baker ... to general manager Brian Martucci. She says they promised they'd take care of everything.
But then a sudden change -- Berberian told her they would only pay her deductible.
"'We are only giving you a hundred dollars, and that's it.' And it was obviously the end of our conversations."
Berberian told Volvo's corporate relations people their stance, who in turn told us -- Berberian would only pay her deductible.
"Well, first of all, my deductable is not $100; so my deductible is $500, unfortunately. So I'm going to be responsible for paying for the window."
That token offer wasn't what Tami felt she deserved. "I would like them to replace the windshield."
General Manager Brian Martucci acknowledged to us that Tami's car was damaged while it was in for service -- though he wouldn't say how -- but it was her responsibility, not theirs. He said Tami had signed a "release of liability" before Berberian took possession of the car; Martucci then hung-up on us.
We asked Volvo for a copy of that release, and we got it. It says Berberian "...shall not be responsible for loss of, or damage to, the ... vehicle ... in case of ... cause beyond our control..."
And Tami signed that waiver.
"I understand your argument that you may not be legally liable, which I still don't understand, but... how could you feel good about the service you provided? … Quite honestly, I've learned my lesson. I probably won't be having my car serviced at Berberian any longer."
Tami will save money in gas; it's a long drive from her home in Sacramento to the dealer in Stockton. So a big lesson here is to be sure to read your service agreements very carefully before you sign them, or you could be held liable for any damage done to your car.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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