Action 9

Action 9 investigates auto body shop

Two customers claim a big auto body shop collected thousands from their insurance companies, then failed to fix their wrecked cars.
They said they've been stuck for months with cars they're scared to drive, so they called Action 9's Todd Ulrich. 
“This whole unit had to be replaced,” said Stacy Titolo as she pointed at the front of her vehicle. It's been five months since her car accident, and fixing her 2015 Hyundai Sonata has been an ordeal that seems endless.
She blames Assurance Collision and Towing.
“I felt like the car was being held hostage. I was just done with them,” said Titolo.
She said the body shop delayed repairs, then she discovered her insurance company paid $7,000 for major repairs that were not completed.
A Hyundai dealer inspection found the vehicle’s bent frame was never fixed.
Titolo is scared to drive it in that condition. 
She called Assurance Collision to complain. “They got their money, they're done,” said Titolo.
Todd Ulrich went to the downtown auto body shop looking for answers.
She paid $7,000, but a dealer says a lot of work was not done. I’m here to find out how that happened,” said Ulrich.
“Well, I wasn't here, so I don't know who you're talking about,” replied a manager, but he promised to review her file.
Ulrich found more complaints against the shop. Other customers were upset about insurance paid and the work that was done. They complained to the BBB, where Assurance Collision is rated D-minus, and five customers contacted state regulators.
Did they fix your car?” Ulrich asked Fay Douglin.
“No, not at all,” she replied.
Douglin paid the shop $8,000, but said the workers there only did half the repairs.
“I just bought my car in June 2017, and all of these things are wrong now,” Douglin said. She recently hired an attorney.
Titolo sent a complaint to state regulators. I'd like them to start doing reputable work for people,” she said.
“She's in a bad way, and she blames this shop,” Ulrich told the manager at Assurance Collision and Towing.
“Okay,” he replied.
Since Ulrich contacted the company, Assurance Collision and Towing has offered Titolo a partial refund.
A company spokesperson said Douglin’s repairs covered by the initial insurance payment were completed, but there are additional damages that were not included.