I took my vehicle to Gray's Body Shop for collision damage repair the very 1st week of September 2023. JR (Owner/Co) advised me it would take three (3) weeks to complete the work. At the end of the 3 weeks, I was notified it would be another two-week delay. I went by the shop two weeks later on the date that he told me to return and was told it would be another 2-3 weeks. At the end of those 3 weeks, I went by to pay for and pick up my vehicle and it still was not ready. I questioned the shop as to why there had been so many delays. I was told it was due to other client vehicles being ahead of me which was not what I was told initially before I dropped off my vehicle. The professional way to handle this would have been to tell me upfront how many people were ahead of me and tell me they could not give me an accurate completion date and let me make the decision if I wanted them to do the work or find someone else. I use this vehicle for business purposes and each week it was out of service affected my revenue, but I still remained understanding and extended grace in the matter. However, they added insult to injury when they called me last Friday, January 12, 2024, and said that my vehicle was ready for pickup and that I needed to pick it up that same day or a $50 fee would be charged daily. I advised the owner I was handling business matters and would try to get there Monday, January 15, 2024, to pick-up the vehicle. On Monday, they called and asked me what time I was arriving to get the vehicle. I advised them I had some things come up and I would need to pick up my vehicle the next following Monday. I asked them to please allow me some grace like I extended to their business. At this point, JR (Co-owner) told me I was giving him excuses and that he's running a business and he needs to be paid when the work is complete. He went on to say he was going to charge me $50/day until I picked it up, starting Friday, January 15, 2024. I dropped everything I was dealing with and arrived at 8am on Tuesday morning, January 16th, to pick up my vehicle which further caused me to have to cancel appointments with other vendors that had been previously scheduled. Their sign states an opening time of 8am; however, they arrived an hour and seventeen minutes late, finally opening at 9:17am. In closing, they kept my vehicle 4+ months over the scheduled completion date. They were never proactive about contacting me with delays, rather I had to leave my business and go to their shop many times to find my vehicle wasn't ready. They were not reciprocal in understanding about my schedule as I did their delays and they actually threatened to charge me late pick up fees. Bottomline, they were more concerned about making money than creating a long-lasting customer relationship with someone who has given them business for over 9+ years. I will never use them again, nor would I recommend them to anyone in the Norfolk, Virginia area or surrounding counties. I am very, very displeased with their service and more than that, they have lost a valuable customer. read more
