AAA Carolinas: Travel
| Address: | 4526 Forest Dr, Columbia, SC 29206, USA |
| Phone: | +1 803-798-9205 |
| Rating: | 2 |
Location
Photos 1
Reviews 6
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Chris Grimm
My daughter and step-son had their car towed here because it was overheating. She called me first to ask what to do. Since I had paid for her to have AAA Plus, I suggested she get it towed to avoid causing any engine damage. AAA recommended their own service center, well OK I guess. Before authorizing any work, I urged her to ask them exactly what tests they would do to confirm the engine would be OK, and especially I said to ask them to do a compression test among whatever others they recommend. (Past experience - I had a car that became worthless after overheating, and a compression test clearly showed why - but that is a different story!) She did request for them to do the compression test while I was on the phone with her, and they agreed. HOWEVER, they did not DO the compression test. Instead, they told her it needed just a new radiator, and they assured her no further testing was needed because they could tell that was the problem. Well guess what! After putting in the new radiator, they found out the car still had major problems (before she even paid and got the car back) and they THEN said the car DID have internal engine damage, guess what, they want to charge more $$$ for something ELSE that they could have known if they had done the testing they agreed to do! If we had known this, we never would have put any money into it. The car is very old. They refused to give her back the car, unless she paid for the new radiator, and we would have to go through an arduous legal battle to fight them for whatever value was left in her car. I dont know what we can do. Ive never heard of an automotive shop being so unprofessional.
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Jack Ezel
Not sure how the previous reviews of one star and two stars gave this place an overall rating of 2.5 stars, but hey. O.o When I had been in there previously for an oil change and brake check, they told me my left rear caliper was leaking and that if my brake light kept coming on, then I would need to get it replaced. They said it would be between $200 and $300. A few months later, my brake light came on (and off and on), so I took it back in there to have the caliper replaced. Imagine my surprise when I was told that I would have to replace both of them, "cos you cant just replace one, youd have uneven brakes, it would be like replacing one shock," to the tune of $700+. Wha?! Then I was informed that they would have to send someone out to the warehouse to get these calipers, and the warehouse was out by the airport. Why is the warehouse on one side of town, and the service center on the other? Sat there for hours, they finally finished, and then as Im driving away, my brake pedal goes straight to the floor before the car stops. Turned around, took it back, and they said it was a defective caliper. Had to wait AGAIN for the part to be brought back, and even longer for them to replace it. There isnt even a freaking snack machine in the building! Really? All in all, I was there for WAY too long (6+ hours) and charged WAY too much money, and couldnt even get anything to munch on. Thought I was going to throw up by the time I left. Wont be going back.
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William Johnson
Avoid this place at all costs. I had my car towed there last week because my tensioner assembly snapped and my serpentine belt needed to be replaced. They did that, did an oil change, and replaced the air filter for a total of $400 (after a 10% AAA discount), when it should have been nowhere near that cost. I needed my car back ASAP so I couldnt tow it to another shop, but I would recommend avoiding them in the first place. They gave me a list of things that they said were "urgent" and would cost about 2k to get fixed. I politely told them I didnt want them to do those repairs and that Id be going elsewhere. I took it to my local mechanic and he said most of the things they said were "urgent" were actually fine. Lastly, after getting my car back I noticed that it was harder to control, and the breaking was considerably worse. Now Im not accusing them of purposely damaging my car; however, breaking was not an issue before having the car "repaired" by them. They told me two of my brake lines were leaking (which was not a issue present when I got my vehicle inspected literally a week before) and that my brake pads needed to be replaced. When I went to get something out of my car while they were working on it, I noticed that there were brake pads sitting on the lift that my car was on despite that not being something they were working on with my vehicle.
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Michael Affronte
My issues are not with the car care center, its how disjointed AAA is on a whole. The people at the car care center do a great job, and are very friendly, kind, and understanding. They will do everything they can to meet your needs in a timely manner. Theres a nice place to sit and watch TV, free coffee, a soda machine, Trader Joes is next door for snacks, and pizza and bagels across the street. But, like I said, AAA as a whole appears to be disjointed, and charges pop up and get lost in the system that youre not supposed to pay for (towing is the specific example in my case). I have to talk to 8 different people to get a refund for my towing, which was to an authorized AAA car care center, and I had the work done there, and its still not completed. The car care center appears to operate under the AAA umbrella, but seems somewhat independent in the system (even though there is a AAA travel office in the lobby, etc.). Confusing, and cumbersome. I want to pay for a membership that I dont have to do all the work to get my benefits.
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Melida Daniels
Be very careful taking your car there for service. Google what they say the "diagnosis" is and what the "repair" will be.... I left without a scene by simply saying I needed to reschedule due to the amount of "time" it would have taken to get the "work done. They said my ABS light was on but I needed new CV joints/struts. When I left, it was the light that says that one of my tires was low and needed more air; NOT The ABS light! PLUS the dash display said "Front time low---add air"!!!! Also, I **watched** them the entire time they "checked" and "diagnosed" my car for repair.... At no time was computer attached; just a brief walk-around with a flash light was done... come on now! ...in the 21st century where all cars have sensors and can tell you EXACTLY what is wrong with it by simple plug-in... I guess you thought you could "con" me into both expensive and unnecessary repairs. #notTODAY #youhadtheWRONGone #WeCANgoogleEVERYTHINGinREALtime #its2016... #stopTRYINGtoHUSTLEladies
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Troy Hall
They are prompt and courteous from start to finish! Ive had work done on my transmission and AC there and every time they have been extraordinarily polite. They always kept in contact with me and explained the work that needed to be done in a simple way and they always gave me accurate quotes. They dealt with my warranty company for me and even arranged transportation to pick up and drop off my rental car. Josh (and everyone else I spoke to there) has been great to work with. Ive had some nightmare experiences with auto shops gouging me with inflated prices, causing further damage to my already broken vehicle, and just general rudeness. Nothing like that has ever happened to me at AAA! I would highly recommend a AAA membership to anyone with a car, and anyone with AAA should go here for service!