Our family recently brought a vehicle to AML Auto Service and received excellent, efficient…read moreservice, which is why we trusted the shop to handle a standard safety inspection for our 80-year-old neighbor. Unfortunately, this experience was completely different and caused us to lose confidence in the business.
We had an 8:00 AM appointment on May 21st that was made a week in advance while picking up another vehicle from the shop. The appointment was scheduled with Penny at the front desk. We specifically chose the earliest appointment available because we were told that dropping the vehicle off first thing in the morning would allow the inspection to be completed by closing time. Our neighbor is elderly, has no alternate transportation, and was very uncomfortable leaving her vehicle overnight.
When we arrived at 8:00 AM, my husband briefly stepped away while I approached the counter to ask a few basic logistical questions on behalf of my neighbor regarding the inspection process and expected timing. I was not rude or confrontational, yet I was met with cold, dismissive, and hostile responses from Penny at the front desk, who seemed more concerned with her sandwich than speaking with me.
When I asked to confirm whether the vehicle would be ready by the 5:00 PM closing time -- which was very important to the elderly car owner -- I was told defensively that they were "doing us a favor" by trying to complete it the same day, despite the fact that we had a pre-scheduled 8:00 AM appointment specifically for that purpose.
The situation deteriorated further later in the day. At approximately 4:40 PM, I called to confirm whether the vehicle was ready. After checking our name, the receptionist told me, "Oh yes, it's ready for pickup," and stated that a colleague was already speaking with my husband. I immediately called my husband, only to learn the exact opposite: the vehicle had not been inspected at all and would need to remain overnight.
I called back immediately to clarify the conflicting information. Rather than answer me directly, staff attempted to brush me off by saying my husband would explain it to me. Only after I insisted on receiving a direct answer from the shop did they finally acknowledge that the inspection had never taken place. At that point, it honestly felt insulting. Instead of simply apologizing for giving me incorrect information, I was effectively being told that my husband needed to "explain" the situation to me -- namely, that the vehicle we had left there for nine hours had not even been touched by closing time.
My husband was then told there would be a 7:00 AM make-up appointment the following morning, only to later be told that appointment had suddenly disappeared due to "phone traffic and confusion." We were then informed the next available opening would be five days later.
The issue was not simply that the shop was "busy." The issue was rude communication, contradictory explanations, and a vehicle sitting at the shop for roughly 9 hours without being inspected. An 8:00 AM appointment should mean the vehicle is integrated into the day's workflow, not left untouched all day while customers are repeatedly given conflicting information.
Because of this, we picked up our neighbor's car after a completely unnecessary overnight stay she had specifically asked to avoid, and without the safety inspection being completed. My neighbor was distressed unnecessarily, and both she and my husband had their entire day wasted due to the shop's scheduling and communication failures.
We then made an appointment with another auto shop, which not only completed the inspection and returned the car in under two hours, but they did for half the price of this shop.
What made the situation even more disappointing was the owner's public response on Google. Rather than acknowledge the scheduling breakdown and contradictory communication, we were described as "disgruntled," despite the fact that we absolutely did have an appointment scheduled for May 21st at 8:00 AM. Calling customers "disgruntled" does not change what happened; it only reinforces the unprofessionalism we experienced throughout this process. What makes this even more unpleasant is I've seen his other responses to similar reviews where he took accountability and apologized. But in our case, all we got is defensive, emotional responses calling us disgruntled people and doubling down instead of acknowledging the communication and service failures. Very disappointing.
Needless to say, we will not be returning to AML Auto Service.
