This page is just a page I put together
to let off a little steam. This is the very first page I have ever put
together in the 6 years I have been on the web that I can call a
"Bitch Page". This page talks about events that have happened
to me while dealing with an accident. I now realize how little Gerber
Auto Collision and American
Service Insurance cares about myself, my personal property, my time,
and particularly my feelings.
NEW GERBER AUTO COLLISION FORUM
Since I have been receiving an increase email concerning the
subject below I have decided to create a forum for individuals to
post experiences they have had with Gerber Auto Collision. This
forum can be seen by visiting: http://eclipse.chi-town.com/Forums/forum-view.asp?forumid=9
Table of Contents and
Timeline
08/06/2000 - The Accident...
08/22/2000 - The Eclipse was dropped off at Gerber Auto Collision...
10/21/2000 - Picked up the Eclipse from Gerber Auto Collision...
10/23/2000 - Took the Eclipse to Schaumburg Mitsubishi...
10/26/2000 - Took the Eclipse to Schaumburg Mitsubishi...
11/06/2000 - Dropped the Eclipse off at Gerber Auto Collision a 2nd
Time...
11/16/2000 - Picked up the Eclipse from Gerber Auto Collision a 2nd
Time...
11/21/2000 - Took the Eclipse to Libertyville Mitsubishi...
01/23/2001 - Dropped the Eclipse off at Gerber Auto Collision a 3rd
Time...
01/24/2001 - Picked up the Eclipse from Gerber Auto Collision a 3rd
Time...
02/06/2001 - Dropped the Eclipse off at Gerber Auto Collision a
4th
Time...
02/08/2001 - Picked up the Eclipse from Gerber Auto Collision a 4th
Time...
03/23/2001 - Took the Eclipse to Libertyville Mitsubishi...
07/13/2001 - Update and a call from an Attorney...
01/16/2002 - Stopped by Sterling Auto Collision...
02/05/2002 - Court Date...
02/06/2002 - Stopped by Platinum (Sterling with a new name) Auto
Collision...
02/07/2002 - Trunk stuck on me again...
Totaling
6+ Months of Torture and still counting!
08/06/2000 - The
Accident...
Well, I guess I have to
start somewhere with this completely unreal story so lets start with the
accident.
I was returning home from a
trip with my 2 sons, Zachary (4 years old) and Ryan (2 years old) when
Richard Ledgerwood rear ended us at the corner of Old McHenry Rd and
Midlothian Rd in Lake Zurich, IL. I was traveling west on Old McHenry Rd
when I heard sirens and saw a Police car heading south on Midlothian Rd
through the intersection so I yielded to him. Needless to say Richard
did not yield and rear ending my 6 month old Eclipse.
The officer that I yielded
for then returned to the scene of the accident about 30 minutes later to
complete the report. Just for your information, both kids and myself
were fine, just a bit tired from the trip. The report that the Hawthorn
Woods police officer completed had a mistake as Richard was driving the
Toyota 4Runner but did not own the truck, it was a friend's, or at least
that is what he told me. He also mentioned how he had hit something else
and damaged the same plate on the front of this truck.. The officer
did not issue a ticket. If you would like a copy of this report you can
obtain it at the Hawthorn Woods police station, crash report number of
4530265. The insurance carrier of the 4Runner is American
Service Insurance. American
Service Insurance has still not, to this day, paid my insurance
company (Allstate) for the damages resulting in my $500
deductible not being returned.
I then took my car to Gerber Auto Collision
on Monday (8/7/2000) for an estimate.
Here is a break down of the damages:
-
Rear Bumper damaged
-
Rear Trunk Lid damaged
-
Sunroof would no longer
close completely
-
Trying to close the
Sunroof resulted in scratching the roof of the car
-
CDs stuck in the in-dash
CD changer (which I did not realize until I was driving my car to
Gerber the first time.)
Total Estimate: $2,378.59
Time Estimate: 6 Days (Boy, can I laugh about this now!)
Doesn't seem like a whole
lot of damage does it? I would have to agree with you on that. I was not
able to drive the car while I waited to take it to Gerber Auto Collision
because the sunroof would no longer close and living in Chicago the
weather changes very fast. So it sat in the garage for a couple of
weeks.
08/22/2000 - The Eclipse
was dropped off at Gerber Auto Collision...
Needless to say, the
drop-off went smooth. I mentioned the CD changer thinking that maybe
they could do something about it but that went in one ear and out the
other.
One Week Later...
Gerber Auto Collision
explained to me that my sunroof has taken more damage then they
expected and special parts had to be ordered. All of the other repairs
had been completed.
Did you realize that God
created the world in a mere 6 days and rested on the 7th day?
Two Weeks Later...
Gerber Auto Collision
explained to me that my sunroof has taken more damage then they
expected and special parts had to be ordered.
Three Weeks Later...
Gerber Auto Collision
explained to me that my sunroof has taken more damage then they
expected and ordered a completely new sunroof assembly. Do you see a
pattern yet?
Four Weeks Later...
Gerber Auto Collision
explained to me that my sunroof has taken more damage then they
expected and the Eclipse will have be taken to Libertyville
Mitsubishi.
I traveled to Boynton Beach
Florida for the week on business and was expecting to have my car back
when I returned. Boy, was I living in a dream world!
Five Weeks Later...
Libertyville Mitsubishi tells
Gerber Auto Collision
that they need to order special
parts to fix the sunroof.
Do you realize that this is
the first week of Autumn? Doesn't time just fly.
Six Weeks Later...
Libertyville Mitsubishi tells
Gerber Auto Collision
that they need to order special
parts to fix the sunroof. After Gerber Auto Collision told me this for
the sixth weeks in a row I decided to stop by Libertyville Mitsubishi to
check out my Eclipse. I'll tell you, looking back I wish I would have
never had made this trip. My Eclipse looked like complete SHIT! Every
panel had been removed on the inside of the car and just thrown in the
hatchback. The glass from the sunroof was laying on top of all of the
inside panels with cups littering the trunk. One of the rear quarter
panels had been sliced by some type of cutting tool leaving a gash which
Gerber Auto Collision claimed Libertyville Mitsubishi had done. Needless
to say, Libertyville Mitsubishi explained to me that the way the car
currently looks is the way it was delivered. I have no idea who to
believe so I'll leave it up to you.
Now, Libertyville Mitsubishi
is telling me that they need to order a completely new sunroof assembly
because Gerber Auto Collision screwed up the first one. I decided to
call my Allstate agent (Kim Havlic) who got on the phone with both
Gerber Auto Collision and Libertyville Mitsubishi, nothing that was
discussed actually happened so this was a complete waste of time.
I was hoping for an ass
beating but Kim tried to be as diplomatic here as she could with the
situation.
Seven Weeks Later...
Libertyville Mitsubishi is still trying to obtain a sunroof assembly.
Eight Weeks Later...
Libertyville Mitsubishi completes the installation of the sunroof and
gives the car back to Gerber Auto Collision but something happens and
the sunroof now has a funny vibration when it opens. Gerber Auto Collision
makes an appointment with Libertyville Mitsubishi again but
decides not to take the Eclipse to the appointment because a Gerber Auto Collision
expert was going to be onsite. Needless to say, it went back to
Libertyville Mitsubishi, I'm not sure what these guys were smoking to
make them think they could fix it.
Libertyville Mitsubishi then
explains to me that Gerber Auto Collision has made changes to the work they
had done and that is why the sunroof vibrates. Libertyville Mitsubishi
asks me to please bring the car back after Gerber Auto Collision
is done with it. This was one of the suggestions Kim Havlic suggested
two weeks earlier, which was brushed off and ignored. The car is finally
returned to me on Saturday (10/21/2000), 8 weeks after I originally
dropped it off.
Today I am now out $500
because I had to pay my deductible which I doubt I'll ever see
again.
Hey, I turned 31 years old
this week, what a week!
I would like to thank
Richard Ledgerwood for his awesome driving skills and American
Service Insurance for not paying the damages. What a great insurance
company!
10/21/2000 - Picked up
the Eclipse from Gerber Auto Collision...
This is where this story
gets totally insane!
When I get the
car back the following problems are found:
- Trunk
lid needs to be adjusted. Right side extends beyond the taillight
and the inside trunk release does not work properly. Looking at the
lid from the rear you will notice a larger gap on the right side.
- Rear
windshield wiper needs to be adjusted so it sits on the windshield
vertically and is horizontal when it swings down.
- Tape
stripes on rear glass molding and trunk lid near molding.
- Missing
cargo net hook in trunk. Cargo net was installed using the remaining
three hooks when it was returned to me.
- Rubber
bottom in cup holder is missing
- Mitsubishi
emblem looks like it is lifting.
- Headliner
and sunroof visor is dirty.
- Scratch
marks and bowing of molding on inside of front window.
- Scratch
found waste high behind driver’s door. Scratches found on molding
in rear seat on the passenger side.
- Rear
glass on the inside of trunk lid does not meet the inside molding
revealing metal. Seal on the outside of the window is coming apart.
- Unknown
part found on floor.
So I called Mike Ciszek
(Gerber Auto Collision) to schedule my next appointment which is
11/06/2000.
Again, I would like to thank
Richard Ledgerwood for his awesome driving skills and American
Service Insurance for not paying the damages. What a great insurance
company!
10/23/2000 - Took the
Eclipse to Schaumburg Mitsubishi...
I took the car into
Schaumburg Mitsubishi to have them look at my CD changer. They explained
to me that they would have to order a new CD changer and it would be in
the following week.
Once again, I would like to thank
Richard Ledgerwood for his awesome driving skills and American
Service Insurance for not paying the damages. What a great insurance
company!
10/26/2000 - Took the
Eclipse to Schaumburg Mitsubishi...
WOW, they were able to have
a new CD changers in 3 days! This was way too cool!
Once again, I would like to thank
Richard Ledgerwood for his awesome driving skills and American
Service Insurance for not paying the damages. What a great insurance
company!
11/06/2000 - The Eclipse
was dropped off at Gerber Auto Collision a 2nd Time...
Well, at least I do not have
to refer to weeks for this visit.
Here is the list of problems
it was given back for:
- Trunk
lid needs to be adjusted. Right side extends beyond the taillight
and the inside trunk release does not work properly. Looking at the
lid from the rear you will notice a larger gap on the right side.
- Rear
windshield wiper needs to be adjusted so it sits on the windshield
vertically and is horizontal when it swings down.
- Tape
stripes on rear glass molding and trunk lid near molding.
- Missing
cargo net hook in trunk. Cargo net was installed using the remaining
three hooks when it was returned to me.
- Rubber
bottom in cup holder is missing
- Mitsubishi
emblem looks like it is lifting.
- Headliner
and sunroof visor is dirty.
- Scratch
marks and bowing of molding on inside of front window.
- Scratch
found waste high behind driver’s door. Scratches found on molding
in rear seat on the passenger side.
- Rear
glass on the inside of trunk lid does not meet the inside molding
revealing metal. Seal on the outside of the window is coming apart.
- Unknown
part found on floor.
After talking to Mike Ciszek
he also said he would also take care of a few other minor things that I
didn't like about the way the car looked. He was trying to smooth things
over the best he could and if I would have gotten the car back in great
condition after this visit I would not be writing this webpage.
Once again, I would like to thank
Richard Ledgerwood for his awesome driving skills and American
Service Insurance for not paying the damages. What a great insurance
company!
11/16/2000 - Picked up
the Eclipse from Gerber Auto Collision a 2nd Time...
Yup, you guessed it, this
was not the last time my Eclipse will have to visit Gerber Auto
Collision. I get the car back with the following problems:
-
The rear windshield
wiper now hits the top of the trunk. Luckily, I bought all the
Eclipse service manuals ($120) from Mitsubishi, which allowed me to
fix this issue
myself.
-
The Drivers seat
(leather) was ripped.
-
They had received one of
the wrong interior moldings which was going to take some time
because it was on back-order at Mitsubishi.
-
Trunk does not open when
I pull the inside trunk release.
-
Mitsubishi Emblem on the
trunk is lifting.
So I called Mike Ciszek
(Gerber Auto Collision) to schedule my next appointment. I took my car
back to show Mike the damage the following morning and he said he would
order the required parts.
Wow, a new president was
suppose to be elected this month.
Once again, I would like to thank
Richard Ledgerwood for his awesome driving skills and American
Service Insurance for not paying the damages. What a great insurance
company!
11/21/2000 - Took the
Eclipse to Libertyville Mitsubishi...
Oh-my-god, a new sunroof was
installed and the vibration is now gone. Boy, was this a good day for
me! It's a shame its too cold to use now!
Oh, by the way, my oldest
son Zachary turned 5 years old, two days ago.
Once again, I would like to thank
Richard Ledgerwood for his awesome driving skills and American
Service Insurance for not paying the damages. What a great insurance
company!
12/21/2000 - First day of
Winter
01/23/2001 - The Eclipse
was dropped off at Gerber Auto Collision a 3rd Time...
After many phone calls,
Gerber Auto Collision finally gives me a date of 1/24/2001 to bring the
car in for the final repairs. Since I had meetings to attend the morning
of the appointment, I decided to drop my car off the night before. When
I pulled up I saw Mike walking through the parking lot, boy, did he
disappear fast. A new guy worked with me on these issues. When I
remember his name I will update the site.
Did I mention my youngest
son Ryan turned 3 years old in December. The state of Florida has
recounted all the votes for the presidential election and President
George W. Bush was sworn into office the 20th of the month but my
Eclipse is still not fixed.
01/24/2001 - Picked up
the Eclipse from Gerber Auto Collision a 3rd Time...
Just when I think Gerber
Auto Collision is going to get something right I get a phone call. The
new guy calls me stating that the new seat skin was the wrong color and
the molding that was back-ordered had been sent back because they did
not think they were going to see the Eclipse again (very wishful
thinking). So, I pick the car up and nothing was completed. After
looking around, I realized that the Eclipse leather seats only comes in
Charcoal or Tan. What the hell did they order and how the hell do parts
get sent back? Are these guys going to get anything right?
Now, the new guy at Gerber
Auto Collision is able to have both of these parts within 1 week, the
last time it took 2 months for the exact same parts. I think these guys
have been yanking my chain for 5 months now.
Once Again, I would like to thank
Richard Ledgerwood for his awesome driving skills and American
Service Insurance for not paying the damages. What a great insurance
company!
02/06/2001 - The Eclipse
was dropped off at Gerber Auto Collision a 4th Time...
Will this be the last time I
drop my car off at Gerber Auto Collision?
Here is the list of problems
that the Eclipse is going in for:
-
Driver side leather seat
is ripped.
-
Scratch marks and bowing
of molding on inside of front window.
-
Trunk does not open when
I pull the inside trunk release.
-
Scratch marks under the
Mitsubishi emblem. Looks like someone scraped the emblem off with a
screw driver the last time it was in.
02/08/2001 - Picked up
the Eclipse from Gerber Auto Collision a 4th Time...
The repairs took an extra
day because Gerber Auto Collision order the wrong molding, other than
that they did an excellent job detailing the car. The rip in the seat
had been fixed and the molding looked great. The trunk though still did
open on the first try, Gerber Auto Collision told me to spray some
silicon on all the moving parts. They then stated that there was nothing
more they could do to fix it. I did what they said with the silicon and
still, to this day, my trunk does not open on the first try. I think
I'll take it to Schaumburg Mitsubishi to see if they will fix it under warrantee.
3/21/2000 - First day of
Spring
03/23/2001 - Took the Eclipse to Libertyville Mitsubishi...
Well, this story is still a
far cry from being over. Today I took my car to Libertyville Mitsubishi
because of a defect in my rims and asked them to take a look at the back
of the driver's seat (yup, the same seat the Gerber Auto Collision
ripped). I thought that maybe a clip fell out and that was the reason
the plastic backing had a gap between the leather. Well, Libertyville Mitsubishi
told me that it would not be covered under warrantee because
it looked like a hack job. It looks like the plastic backing was broken
when removed and then someone tried to melt plastic together to get it
to go back into place. Well, the melted plastic did not hold and now I
have a broken seat. Thanks Gerber Auto Collision!
So, I decided to call my Allstate
agent to see how I can have this fixed without taking this back to Gerber Auto Collision.
I would actually prefer to have Libertyville Mitsubishi
fix it and bill the cost back to Gerber Auto Collision
or whoever. Don't forget, my trunk still doesn't open on the first try
either. Something else I am going to try and slide under Mitsubishi Warrantee
just so I do not have to take it back to Gerber Auto Collision.
Boy, having to coordinate all of this sure does eat up my time!
03/29/2001 - Spoke with
an Allstate representative...
After four days of playing
phone tag I finally spoke with Jerry from Allstate who handles Gerber Auto Collision
complaints. He told me that I can have my car taken to Sterling Auto
Collision to see what they can have done. They can then have Libertyville Mitsubishi
look at anything that they can not fix. This is actually acceptable to
me, as long as Gerber Auto Collision
is not involved I will be a little bit happier.
Jerry also mentioned
something about how the sunroof was involved and I think that American
Service Insurance is wondering the same thing. Maybe this will be a
good time to clear this up.
The day of the accident the
sunroof was fully open. Take a look at how the sunroof hangs out above
the rear windshield. I think (total speculation) when
Richard Ledgerwood rear ended my car the sunroof snapped. After the
accident the sunroof would not close completely and drug on the roof of
the car when opening and closing.
I am now waiting for a call
from Tom William (name might be misspelled) who will schedule my
appointment at Sterling Auto Collision.
07/13/2001 - Update and a
letter from an Attorney...
Sorry, I missed a few
updates but let me get you caught up to date.
I have taken my car to
Sterling Auto Collision a few months ago where they fixed my seat but
they failed to fix my trunk, it still sticks. You know what amazes me is
the fact no one ever followed up with me to see how everything
went.
Now for the good news! I
received a letter from an attorney named Bruce Armstrong today stating
that he is going to represent my case against Richard
Ledgerwood. He is going to do everything he can to retrieve the money
that is owed ,
which he stated was over $4,000. After I called him and told my story I
decided to pulled my records and noticed that the original quote was for $2,378.59.
WOW, it looks like someone else is going to pay for all of Gerber Auto
Collision's screw ups. I'm not sure if this is right but maybe I
have a chance of getting my deductible back.
Oh, did I mention my trunk
still doesn't open on the first try. If anyone happens to notice that Gerber
Auto Collision's domain name is available please let me know ASAP. I
would love to buy it and point it at this page!
I'll also try to do better
at keeping up with this page because the first day of summer has now
come and gone and I have been receiving email asking for an update.
01/16/2002 - Stopped by
Sterling Auto Collision...
I stopped by Sterling Auto
Collision to have them take a look at my trunk but of coarse, I get Joe
out to my car and the trunk worked fine. I tell you there is no love in
the world!
02/05/2002 - Court
Date...
Today I went to court to help Allstate's
attorney try to recover the money that American
Service Insurance has not paid. Although it seems wrong that Allstate
is suing Richard Ledgerwood, we did win the arbitration hearing which Allstate's
attorney explained to me can be rejected. If the defense attorney rejects
the outcome, it then goes to court. What a long drawn out process.
02/06/2002 - Stopped by
Platinum (Sterling with a new name) Auto Collision...
AWESOME! The trunk release
actually failed today and a tech made a slight adjustment to the latch and
everything was working. The problem is, once you open the trunk it'll keep
working until the car sets for a long period of time (roughly 8+ hours).
02/07/2002 - Trunk stuck
on me again...
Yup, the trunk stuck on me
today.
What is amazing is that this
is a very far cry from what my original quote was for.
Again, I would like to thank Richard
Ledgerwood for his awesome driving skills and American
Service Insurance for not paying the damages. What a great insurance
company! I would also like to
thank my Allstate agents, they tried to help me to the best of
their ability.
All I really wanted was someone to step in and just spank Gerber Auto
Collision, which my Allstate
agents never did to the best of my knowledge.
NEW GERBER AUTO COLLISION FORUM
Since I have been receiving an increase email concerning the
subject below I have decided to create a forum for individuals to
post experiences they have had with Gerber Auto Collision. This
forum can be seen by visiting: http://eclipse.chi-town.com/Forums/forum-view.asp?forumid=9
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