J & M was recommended to me after my Honda Pilot was stuck by someone that ran a red light. The body work they did for a family member (a minor, one day job) looked great and the price was fair. The shop is actually the one used by local Honda dealerships. Right after the vehicle was towed to the shop, J & M really gave me the impression that they were going to be on top of things. The auto insurance companies were contacted and the damage was appraised fast. Then, the parts had to be ordered. What should have been a two or three week job extended to four. I was in constant contact with the shop. I rarely spoke with the owner, John. He was always with another customer or out of the shop. When week four transitioned into week five, I realized that I would have to be relentless in order to get my vehicle back anytime soon. John told me that parts were on back order and that some of the parts he received were the wrong ones so they had to be shipped back. It was clear that there was no progress. As I pressed the shop more and more, I started with being promised that it would be completed by the end of the week. Weeks went by and John kept passing the buck to Honda and their lack of readily available parts. He explained that sheet metal parts are harder to come by than mechanical parts. Maybe that's the case for his shop. Over two months passed and finally I was told the vehicle was ready for pickup. When I arrived at J & M, I inspected the vehicle. There was a gauge in one of the rims. John told me that he recently ordered a replacement and that I would have to come back so he could switch it. I did and that was a mess too. He explained that it can be done first thing in the morning and he was going to run it over to a local wheel alignment shop to make certain everything was in alignment. John supposedly did this and I received a call from him stating that he took the vehicle for a test drive after the alignment and it didn't feel right. So, it was back to the alignment shop. It took an entire day to get the truck back. The aligment should have taken no more than an hour. \r
The biggest problem I had with dealing with J & M was the use of a rental vehicle. The insurance companies allowed a rental for a maximum of twenty days, based on the original appraisal. I fought with them and J&M. I was able to have the insurance company cover more than the twenty days, but they said that if I could provide them with the proof that it wasn't the body shop's fault for the delay, they would cover the entire amount. Once again, I had to contact John. He explained that he recently hired a new office manager and all the customers files were mixed up or missing pieces of paperwork. My file, naturally, was one of them. I was lied to relentlessly. The office manager told me that she personally delivered my file to John. When I spoke with John, he told me he was unable to locate it. He said that all the replacement parts were genuine from a dealership. I then asked if he could contact the dealership for proof that parts were on extensive backorder. Days passed and nothing. Finally, John was honest enough to tell me that parts were on back order, but by the time he received them, he was already in the middle of doing repair work on other vehicles. My truck was pushed off. He could not find the time to complete the job. I could not believe it, but it was nice to finally hear the truth. John said that I should speak with someone from the insurance company and find out the maximum amount they would pay towards the rental. After obtaining the dollar amount, I contacted John again. It was a difference of about $600.00. He said that he could work something out with me. I told him that the only thing that can be worked out is if he paid the remaining portion. I am still waiting. This took place last spring.
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