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Review 5/6/2011
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Beware of this company. Our complaint is one of two that Elite Gates has refused to adjust to date, in addition to several others that were apparently resolved.
Elite Gates works hard to keep up appearances, but in our experience they are nothing short of despicable. Complaints have also been filed with the District Attorney's office, the California State Contractor's License Board (CSLB), and the Department of Consumer Affairs for investigation. The BBB complaint was closed with zero review by a human, no request for supporting documentation, adjudicated based solely on the input from the business.
Sadly, it seems that BBB ratings don't hold water anymore. The logo is more like a badge of honor for shady companies to display on their websites for credibility. How many more complaints must be filed before a business loses its "A" rating?
Below is a copy of the complaint, so that you can better understand Elite Gates' duplicitous business practices, their use of threats and intimidation, and the way they really treat their customers.
Complaint ID: 98601232
Complaint Description - Posted 4/4/2011 4:14:48 PM
Overcharge discovered immediately following repair service by Elite Gates on 3/18/11. Elite Gates did not return calls in a timely manner, so a stop payment was ordered on the check until the billing discrepancy is resolved. It came to my attention that a gross error was also made on the bill for Elite Gates' previous visit in December 2009. Following is a summary of the charges in question: 3/18/11: Total charge $395: $250 for two limit switches, and $145 for installation and diagnosis. The Elite Gates website advertises the retail price of the limit switch as $19.99 a piece. Total overcharge for this visit is $210.02. Correct total charge is $184.98. 12/29/09: Total charge $395: $250 for a replacement battery, and $145 for installation and diagnosis. The Elite Gates website advertises the retail price of the replacement battery as $59. Total overcharge for this visit is $191. Correct total charge is $204. Correct total charges for both visits is $388.98, previously paid by check on 12/29/09 in the amount of $395. Balance of $6.02 is due and payable. Total overcharges for both visits are $401.02. Elite Gates refuses to honor the prices posted on their website. They have left messages threatening to place a mechanical lien on my property, increase the amount owed substantially, and take legal action if I do not pay them before Monday morning. Elite Gates has demonstrated a pattern of overcharging customers and engaging in unfair and deceptive business practices.
Company's Response
Company's Initial Response - Posted 04/05/2011
Ms. [Customer name] called for gate repair. We arrived and diagnosed the problem and provided her with the cost to replace the faulty parts. She agreed to the amount and paid with a check. We did not trick her or force her into buying the parts nor did we hide the price for which we sell them for online to do-it-yourselfers and wholesale dealers - Ms. [Customer name] purchased the parts on her own free will and is suffering from nothing more than buyer's remorse. Had she called our office she would have understood that the price you pay for parts at your home to solve the problem on the spot, have your gate working again and to have the repair warranted by us is not the price you'll pay online, wait to receive them by mail and install them yourself without warranty. Ms. [Customer name] subsequently placed a stop payment on the check without notifying us. After repeated attempts to contact her without success, she sent an email claiming we overcharged her for this and another service call more than a YEAR prior and that in fact we owe her money. Had she called and requested that we return to remove our parts, we would have gladly went back to do so and charged only for our initial minimum service but Ms. [Customer name] opted to keep the parts, our diagnosis, labor for installation and keep her money too. This preposterous claim will be handled by the courts and a lien has been placed on her property to satisfy the outstanding balance owed by Ms. [Customer name].
Consumer's Rebuttal
Consumer's Rebuttal - Posted 04/05/2011
Elite Gates never informed me that they use a dual pricing system, whereby the price of parts is many times higher when purchased in person vs. directly from the Elite Gates website. This policy is not mentioned on their website, nor was it communicated when I scheduled the appointment or at any time during the visit. When I questioned the high price of the parts, Ron assured me “that is the price of the parts, $125 each.” He did not explain that this amount included an additional fee for the convenience of having him install the part, over and above the regular $145 fee charged for labor and installation. By this logic, the labor charges alone would have amounted to $355.02 and $336, respectively, an obscene amount for repairs completed in less than 15 minutes. Parts are parts and labor is labor - just like the receipt shows. Efforts to contact Elite Gates on 3/18 and 3/29 were met with lengthy hold times of over 10 minutes, then being told that no one was available to take my call. Even more egregious than the deceptive business practices and unwillingness to discuss the matter is their aggressive and abusive behavior, up to and including their latest response to this complaint.
Company's Final Response
Company's Final Response - Posted 04/07/2011
Indeed there is no policy in place to inform our clients of the difference in price between us and any other company - we don't need to have one as it is obvious. We are not obligated to match anyone's prices such as Ms. [Customer name] suggests - not Amazon, Walmart, Walgreen or even other companies owned by the same parent corporation. Nowhere do we post, claim or suggest that we guarantee our prices or that we are the cheapest company in town. Furthermore, in case Ms. [Customer name] didn't notice, we are a boutique gate company catering to people that have jobs and are too busy to fiddle with their gates. Our clients want a piece of mind knowing that they hire and pay a professional company to diagnose, repair and warrant their gate. What Ms. [Customer name] really wants is to shop at Tiffany's for Ross's prices - sorry but nobody can. Does Ms. go to Nordsrom to complain that a shirt she boght for $300 is now at Nordstorm's Rack for $9? Ms. [Customer name] claims that we were not responsive yet in the same sentence she states that we left her a few messages and that we must stop calling her - now how does that add up?
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