Circuit City causes $12k in damage trying to install Z3

[spolkyc]

I am not sure about the details, which I am sure vary place to place, but a certified mechanic has several powers. For example if you don’t pay for the work done they can have a lean put on the vehicle. Check it out. It would not surprise me if they could prevent you from legally driving the car too. I bet this is especially true in places that have required safety inspections in addition to emissions testing. Actually it makes since. If a mechanic let you drive away with anything messed up that later caused a problem, like a stall on a major highway which lead to pile up, the mechanic could be held liable for not stopping you.

 

Anyways this looks like a case of two stupid people getting together. The owner never should have had them do the work and CC should have not tried to do the work.

[pmason718]

Here is a little more detail

 

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/31/man- ... stall-gon/

[VBLUE42]

Looks like they folded.

 

http://gadgetracker.com/circuit-city-co ... nda-civic/

[tillithz]

would seem cc has clearly taken responsibility

[WhiteBird00]

would seem cc has clearly taken responsibility

No, CC has decided that it would cost more to fight than to settle, as often happens with these types of claims.

[tillithz]

which is taking responsibility.

 

there is no way cc would pay out 10k + if they were in the right in any shape or form. a couple hundred, maybe even a thousand possibly.

 

hopefully you dont assume that they were proper and justified throughout the entire transaction. Besides it wouldnt cost them a damn thing if they were right and did everything properly, they could seek damages from the vehicle owner.. and surely they have contemplated the outcome prior to settling and realize the impact settling will have.

[WhiteBird00]

Clearly you haven't been involved on the business side of one of these situations. I work for a company that owns and operates gas stations. You wouldn't believe some of the bogus claims for carwash damage that come through our office! But many of them get settled because the cost - not just in dollars but in bad publicity - is less than fighting. Just the legal fees for preparing for a case like this will run $20K. So, $12K (especially when mostly paid by insurance) is a reasonable business decision without any admission of liability.

 

In this case, I don't know if CC was right or wrong but I suspect that it was a little of both. Perhaps the installers should have refused to do the modifications or done them differently. But the guy signed a waiver for a custom installation, didn't complain for almost a year, and then wants to be reimbursed for scratches to the door panels (and the sunroof?) that he should have been able to see the day he took the car home if they were caused by the installers.

[tillithz]

your right it is a little of both, I am totally with you on that.

 

Working for a large company though also tells you that once you have any part it a situation.... you own that situation, it doesnt matter no more who signed what and blah blah.. fact is they did 'something' along the way that exposed them and made them liable. Their motivation is nothing to me or the public. And actually for all intensive purposes... its binding and acknowledgment they messed up and accept the responsibility. it doesnt matter what their motivation is/was, fact is its publically known they paid the full dollar amount that was demanded.not some partial payment and then forced the customer to prove why he needed new bolts and screws for such and such if they truly felt or knew it was a COMPLETE scam. Thats the cost of business, you better believe the manager/installer/employees involved will have a better sense of what to do/not to do next time if not from the experience itself but id surely bet there was some discussion with management and the people involved.. I use to work for circuit city as a manager of the roadshop, and that whole mess was outside of policy. Those are the urban legends they tell you about.

[WhiteBird00]

Man, no kidding...I sure wouldn't want to be that manager or installer.

 

And you're right, the fact that they probably had the owner sign a release document that stated "in making this settlement, we admit no wrongdoing, etc." doesn't make much difference in the eyes of the public. Once something like this gets out on the internet, everyone assumes the settlement was an admission of liability rather than just a business decision. That's where their biggest mistake was - not settling before it got out of hand.

[ro.sniper]

Ummm, I have done the install my self on the Z1 and I have soldered and shrink wrapped the wires... everything was done super pro, the unit fits perfectly in the Civic as I have the same one as VTECinical. Everything is flush and perfect. I live in Canada and after spending 26+ on an 08 civic I would be really pissed if some accredited ahole tires to install this unit and cuts vents + uses electrical tape which will fall off with heat. If someone screwed my car up like that I would demand a new one as I could not see it the same anymore even if it was repaired. So in conclusion I probably would have taken CC for every penny. I have no sympathy for such garbage work. No one cares anymore about doing a proper job. I'm also part of 8thcivc and I have seen the high res pic, the install is horrendous my 10 year old cousin would have done a better job, better yet a trained monkey on crack would have done a better job.

[offroadzj]

not trying to start an arguement, but how exactly do you expect to be able to shrink wrap when connecting to a wire (without cutting the plug off). If the proper tape is used (ie Super33), it can withstand any bit of heat a vehicle can throw at it and work just fine for years and years. I agree that every wire should be soldered, but in my 3 years of installing, I have NEVER had a single wire connection problem with any of my non-soldered connections. however, I have had 2 connection problems with soldered wires. One of which was my own vehicle, where the wire itself physically broke in half at the edge of the solder joint. The other connection basically fell apart almost like a cold solder joint, but the joint was fine for almost 2 years without a problem... which you dont usually find with a cold solder connection. So personally, I trust my own non-soldered connections over a soldered connection... even though I do agree that solder is one of the best options. I do not agree with the shrink tubing... there are some instances in which shrink tubing cannot be used.

[born2winmf]

I have work for both of the companies and have seen my fair share of half a$$ installers. both companies want a car in and out. For my shop at CC I run it and I have all my employees basic and advanced certified to work for me. And I allow them to time limits on cars. Do it right the first time and dont do it again. And if you don't know how to do it, than dont.

[ro.sniper]

not trying to start an arguement, but how exactly do you expect to be able to shrink wrap when connecting to a wire (without cutting the plug off). If the proper tape is used (ie Super33), it can withstand any bit of heat a vehicle can throw at it and work just fine for years and years. I agree that every wire should be soldered, but in my 3 years of installing, I have NEVER had a single wire connection problem with any of my non-soldered connections. however, I have had 2 connection problems with soldered wires. One of which was my own vehicle, where the wire itself physically broke in half at the edge of the solder joint. The other connection basically fell apart almost like a cold solder joint, but the joint was fine for almost 2 years without a problem... which you dont usually find with a cold solder connection. So personally, I trust my own non-soldered connections over a soldered connection... even though I do agree that solder is one of the best options. I do not agree with the shrink tubing... there are some instances in which shrink tubing cannot be used.

 

very respectable answer