Hi, Terry here... with information you need to know. First, this page is a work in progress, check back for updates on how the story continues to unfold... and by all means, please share this page with all your friends !!! Everyone in the Austin area needs to read this.
Payless Automotive Repair at 1200 Pecan Street Pflugerville, Tx. are way beyond bad. On Nov 3, 2014, I dropped my classic 1970 Gremlin at the shop to have the brakes fixed and get new headlights put in. Even though I requested regular updates... in 6 months they never called me a single time.
On Friday - Jan 30, 2015, - I called for the weekly status, and they told me the brakes were ready, to come pick it up. After I got off work, I drove to the shop, arriving just a few minutes before closing... they insisted on me making full payment before taking the car... the brake portion of the bill was $735.85 (see scan of the bill).
While the headlights were installed, after I drove away, about a mile down the road the brake peddle floated all the way to the floor - zero brakes.
Since the shop had closed, I limped home a couple of blocks and parked the car... I went out of town that weekend and due to my work schedule, was not able to return the car until the following Saturday. I did call them on the Monday before to let them know I was bringing it back in, and they said that was fine.
Here's where, this story goes crazy...
After 156 total days of excuses as to why they did not have the brakes fixed yet, on April 6, 2015... I made my now bi-weekly call to them . As usual I got the same lame excuse that "we are working on it... looking for a different booster for the master cylinder" .... the last 4- 5 didn't work , nor did any of the other work they had already charged me for (yeah... that's some real good mechanic-ing there).
Anyway, after doling out the excuses, the owner - Ray says ... BTW...we have a little problem. (Bad feeling here)... Apparently, Ray was moving the Gremlin into the garage, AND HE WRECKED MY CAR ! Oh yeah ... as in running into his truck tire... bouncing off and then running into the garage wall. Upon hearing this news... I of course say, well... you guys will be responsible for fixing any damage.
( note: the next day I found out that he actually had wrecked my car a month earlier ... but that fact was never mentioned to me during any of the many calls I made during that month when inquiring about the brake repair status).
Ray (the owner of Payless Automotive) says no, they weren't responsible.... it was the car's fault... and that I should consider myself lucky that he was driving it and not me... or that someone didn't get hurt.... Get this... it's the car's fault... because it had no brakes.
(this is after 156 days of sitting in the shop to get the brakes repaired, and after being told falsely they were repaired and AFTER paying for repairs NOT done). Ray proceeded to get extremely belligerent with me on the phone, going on a 5 minute rant cussing me out... and then hanging up on me.
All because he ran MY car into His wall.
The next day, April 7, 2015... I call Pflugerville police to meet me at the shop at 9:00 am (call# 15-15941), to make a report, take pictures... and get my car...even though it still had no brakes and despite the fact I knew I was going to eat the $735.85 I had already paid for work that didn't fix the brakes at all. Upon arrival, Ray, the owner of Payless Auto Repairs, immediately start telling me how he was not responsible, not going to return any of my money, was not going to pay for any damages, I could just sue him, .... and get this, he is planning to sue me for the damage to his garage caused by him driving my car into the wall.
Then he was refusing to give me the keys to my car... until I paid him an additional $65.00, because he had to take my car to a mechanic to get consolation on how to fix my brakes... because in his 28 years of business, I guess he never learned how to himself. Thankfully, Pflugerville police was there and informed him (in a very firm way) to give me the "blankity blank" keys.
And that's the short synopsis of where this stands to date...
So why am I spending more of my hard-earned money on this website?... after all, I'm not rich.... I'm just an average person like most of you.... living day to day, trying to make ends meet.
But, this is what's wrong with so many businesses today. We have all experienced this in some form or fashion at some point in our lives. Payless Automotive Repair does not deserve to be in business. the way this business is run is a total disgrace and the owner needs to learn that he can not do this to people and get away with it. And You, as a consumer deserve, and have a right to know about how a business operates... BEFORE getting screwed over. Unfortunately the auto repair business seems to be plagued with types like this... and in my 40 years of driving, I've met my share, but I can honestly say .... Payless Automotive Repair has to be the worst automotive repair shop of them all.
Below are photos showing my Gremlin... how it looked the day it went into Payless Automotive...
and then the pictures of how it looked when I picked it up...
Once again... Payless Automotive Repair refuses to pay for any damages or reimburse the $736.00+ I paid for brake repairs that did not fix the brakes at all. -Terry Newsom
Terry: Looking forward to your comments!
Dave Rivers (04/07/18):
Why have you not sued?
Terry: Because, while winning a lawsuit against this lame repair place would be easy... the laws in Texas makes it virtually impossible to collect damages. Thus rather than spend money sueing... trying to get money from these low-lifes, money that will never be realized... I'd rather use put my efforts toward alerting others to these crooks and possible save others from becoming victims of them.... And costing them $$$ from lost business has it's own rewards.
Some guy in Cedar Park (04/28/18):
I saw your sign on the way to work, I'm sorry that happen man. For sure will tell others to avoid that shop! God Bless.
Marty (05/19/18) :
Saw your truck driving around Pflugerville and had to come see the story. Keep fighting the good fight.
Take 5 oil change employee (12/02/17) :
I saw you at take 5 oil change in Pflugerville, sorry that happened to you
Angry Guy (08/20/17):
I HATE PAYLESS AUTO THEY ARE A BUNCH OF TURDS
Terry: Thanks for commenting Angry Guy, I don't know if the are actual fecal matter, but their work definitely stinks like poop for sure :)
Brian:
Just saw your truck...unbelievable that this happened. Hope you come out on top. I will pass this along! Your car's fault.... I am still laughing at this.... what an idiot.
Terry: thanks Brian for taking the time to comment and for any help in spreading the word about this slimy business.
Jeena:
Saw your sign at HEB today! thanks for sharing, and sorry for your experience!!! good to know that you're getting the word out and hopefully this will help get this establishment shut down!
Terry: Thanks for the comments Jeena, It'd be a great day if Payless had to shutter their doors, but as long as I can keep a few people
getting taken by this crooked shop, I will feel like the time I've spent here was worthwhile.
M.Kunce:
Sharing your story up in Belton as well. Sorry this had to happen but I would most definitely contact small claims court. Bring all your evidence including this website and you should recover your costs. Good luck to you.
Terry: Thanks M. - small claims court is a waste of resources... winning the case would be a given... trying to actually collect on any
judgments against these lowlifes would be next to impossible. I'd rather spend the limited time and resources I have to
preventing them from doing this to anyone else.
Larry:
Have you tried filing a claim with his business insurance or property insurance?
Terry: He would not provide information on either, but instead he said he was going to sue my insurance for the damage (he did) to his
garage wall. I suspect he does not have insurance, or he wouldn't have had an issue taking responsibility for his actions.
Erin Mayer:
Omg! This is just terrible! I once had a reputable Ford dealership wreck my mustang so badly that it had to be totaled when all I did was take it in for an alignment and oil change but u know what they did? They GAVE me a newer and better car from off of their lot for free! Mine was a bit of a piece of work but it was my baby and they knew that! So they took care of me! Now that's good service! I will share your story on my wall so that others are aware! Good luck and I hope that things get made right, including them going out of business!
Terry: I'm glad things worked out for you... that is the way reputable businesses work... the take responsibility. Too bad Payless Auto
prefers to practice the low-life shady business plan they do.
Wendy:
I DO think we've seen your sign! I think my daughter pointed it out and said, "Mom, is that serious?" I remember giggling a bit! I believe we were on Pecan waiting to turn left onto FM 685 by HEB! Wow, what a story!!!
Terry: Thanks for stopping by Wendy, happy to see the word is getting out there.
Monty:
I have shared your site all over my Pflugerville related pages on FB. Might I suggest you get the Attorney General involved rather than spending the cash on a private lawyer. Good Luck!
Terry: thanks for sharing Monty, and thanks for the advice, not sure what the AG could or would do about it, but I might look into it.
Masschusetts Resident:
Your message is definitely getting out. Saw this on Facebook from massachusetts ! Take them to small claims court, its easy recourse for you. Good luck.
Terry: Thanks for stopping in, hopefully the entire world will eventually know how lame Payless Auto repair is.
Kim:
I can't believe this guy is still in business. We took a car there to get brakes fixed. We were quoted 300 dollars. When we went to pick up the car, the bill was 900. We were given the run around as to why that happened. We could not afford that, but had no choice. My husband told them at the time they had lost us as customers, and we'd be telling everyone. We have warned everyone away, but not nearly as well as you are doing! Great job!
Terry: Sorry to hear you got screwed over by these guys too Kim... But I'm pinning to the top the comments from people who have also suffered by doing business with this crooked and unethical auto repair business, so you will help stop others from going through the same thing we have. Thanks for taking the time to drop by and share your story.
Roby:
When I first moved to the area I went to mostly replace a radiator and water pump on my 1983 buick electra...he was suppose to be waiting to fix the car...instead he did a rush job on some things that didn't even need replacing plus charged me $15 for gas he say he put in my car when my car already had gas when I dropped it off one of his worker broke my front seat so now I cant move my seat .On top of all of that he was trying to get the title for my car because he was trying to sell it to someone else - just all around bad business .I would never ever let them touch my car again period.
Terry: Roby, thanks so much for sharing your story, I have a feeling there's a whole bunch of people out there that have been screwed by this auto ripoff repair shop... which is why I am investing in doing my best to take them down... not just get reparations for my gremlin damage (which I'm sure I never will).
Bill Grady:
I had a similar experience with them, not quite as bad as yours. I wished I had seen your sign prior to taking my truck in. Bill
Terry: I sorry to hear that Bill. I have a feeling as more people see the signs around P-ville, there's going to be a lot more people that come forward sharing the horrible experiences they had with Payless Automotive non- Repair shop. Hopefully we can help keep more from future bad experiences. Feel free to post details of your experience if you like, and I will add it to the page - if I get a few more stories, I'll add a dedicated page to other's stories regarding this shop.
Wendy:
I DO think we've seen your sign! I think my daughter pointed it out and said, "Mom, is that serious?" I remember giggling a bit! I believe we were on Pecan waiting to turn left onto FM 685 by HEB! Wow, what a story!!!
Terry: Thanks for writing Wendy, and tell your daughter thanks for noticing... unfortunately it is serious/real... But at least some people are becoming aware of this crooked shop.
Monty:
I have shared your site all over my Pflugerville related pages on FB. Might I suggest you get the Attorney General involved rather than spending the cash on a private lawyer. Good Luck !
Terry: Thanks for dropping by and leaving a note Monty, and for taking the extra incentive to share the page. It's people like you that help make the world a better place for all.
Michael:
I just saw your truck. Love it! I'm so tired of this type of person.
Terry: Thanks for stopping by Michael, yeah, pretty sure everyone is tired of this type business, which is why I'm trying to take some proactive steps to stop them.
Amy Kruse:
Saw your truck on AW Grimes today which is 5/17/16.
Terry: Thanks for dropping by the website and leaving a note Amy. Good to know the local folk are seeing the sign.
Cass:
Well, I don't even live in the United States and I've seen your tailgate. That should tell you that your message is getting out. I hope the owner steps up (or is forced to step up) and pays for the damages.
Terry: Thanks for taking the time to write Cass. It's good to hear that the sign is getting the word out.
Analisa:
Saw a picture posted by a friend that saw your truck. I think it's great what you're doing.
Hopefully you will get the money back and more than enough to pay for the damages they did!
Terry: It's good to hear then tailgate sign is working to get the word out and thanks for taking time to write me a note. (Looking forward to seeing what the huge truckbed A-frame sign will do).
Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure I'll never recoup a penny from this shady business owner, the most I can hope for is that the word will get out to enough people that he will find out dirty dealing has it's repercussions. And possibly save a few innocent people from getting screwed over by him.
Michael:
I applaud your motivation. It is people like you who change what is wrong in this world.
Terry: Thank you Michael for your kind words. I'm giving it my best try anyways. If one person is saved from being screwed over like I was, it'll be worth the time doing this.
Mesha:
Hi Terry, This is Mesha. Linda's daughter from across the street .
Do you mind if I share this on my Facebook? Sorry this has happened to you! We stand behind you!
Terry: Thank you Mesha. Yes, please share the page link and story... the more people that know about this scam repair place... the fewer people that will get taken by them. I know I will never get any monetary retribution from this crooked shop... as such, the sole purpose of this page, the truck signage, the BBB report and many reviews I have left are to save others from getting taken by this shop.
Baby:
Ha! I know where I'm NOT going to get my brakes fixed... I'll be posting this on Twitter.
Terry: Thanks for the commenting Baby... brakes or any other repair... Payless even screwed up putting in my headlights... When they wired in it all, they wired the instrument cluster into an always on fuse... which ran down the battery. These guys seriously have their heads up their butts. Thanks for sharing on twitter... maybe if everyone does that, no one else will get screwed over by this business.
Mark Berry:
Suggest you try the DIY Shop, ( DIYatx.com ). Nobody cares as much as you about your car!
Bill:
What a bunch of A-Holes!!!
steven dahl:
Nice job man and sorry about the bullshit. I'm in the process off getting my cat back in pre payed 1000 dollars labor and my car is sitting in the same spot as it was when I dropped it off. I hope you win your case I will also be making a case if they do not give me 100% of my stuff back.
Forest Priest:
The shop "should" be insured. I'm not a lawyer but I believe they may carry a certain minimum coverage in case of damage, fire, theft etc while in possession of customers cars. It only costs $50 to sue someone. I suggest you do. I'd love to see the judges face when he explains how he knowingly drove and wrecked a car that had no brakes. And why he as a mechanic couldn't fix the problem but still charged the customer for it. I can tell you that would go over like a lead balloon.I would absolutely take them to court. for as much as you spent on the website you could have probably brought suit against them. but yes continue to let the public know about the problems that you ran into so that hopefully others can avoid a similar situation I
Larry Q:
I support your effort to put this crooked and unqualified business under a spotlight to warn potential customers about their service practices. I will tell everyone I know in that area (and I had a business in Pflugerville for 18 years so that's a lot of people) to stay away from these crooked and inept mechanics. Good job shining a light on them Terry.
zack:
This is just a horrible thing to have happen and just insanity. I own a automotive shop and would like to try and help if you would like. You can look me up on yelp or google johnson automotive company. Please give me a call or email. I hate things like this happening to people.
yankeemike:
How the hell could they charge you for 6 master cylinders??? The car only has 1! I hope you sue this clown for all proper repairs and kick his ass in court!
- Terry: Hey Mike, I think that is for the labor hours, still, a probably a bit excessive.... but it didn't fix the brakes any way...
- none of the repairs they did fixed the brakes, to this day they bottom out on the floor board without stopping...
- if you pump the hell out of them and have lots of room you can eventually come to a stop if you are not going very
- fast... but essentially they are dangerously useless. It is my belief they worked on everything except what was really
- broken... the booster... and he had to have a different shop pull his head out of his ass to diagnose it was the
- booster... because 28 years of experience he never ran into such a hard issue <- (yeah, that is sarcasm you're hearing)
- add up all the work hours on this invoice and you get the number 11
- yet they had the car in their possession 149 days... (156 minus the 7 days I had it parked in front of my house after
- picking up only to find out the brakes were still non-functional, then having to take it back)
- that's 3576 hours they had the car in their possession to work on... if they did the above work (that did not fix the
- problem) in 11 hours... that left them 3565 hours to locate a booster for the master cylinder and put it on... a task they
- never accomplished... I pretty sure... THAT is an excessive amount of time to do that one task.
Misty M.:
Terry, you should also get Fox 7 on your side involved. They'll go investigate & ask them on camera why they screwed you like that. Then, the whole city will see it, and the message you are trying to send will be heard loud and clear. I can not believe they do business like that!! You can also file a complaint at the BBB, (better business bureau) and they'll also investigate it. Good luck in your lawsuit, you'll for sure win. I can't believe that a-hole actually said you were responsible for HIM wrecking your car... Unbelievable. Some people, smh. 😔
Lola:
I will be sharing this. This is absurd and I will never go there and i will encourage others not to, as well.
Zack:
hey terry, if the pedal goes to the floor and if you pump it quickly and get some pedal pressure that is 99% of the time air in the lines or a bad master cylinder. Basically not being able to build up the hydraulic pressure needed to have the brakes function. The Power brake booster is just that, it is basically a helper when you push on the pedal to boost your push, it is kind of a helper to your foot. If the booster was not working you would have a extremely stiff brake pedal that you have to push very hard to get the same brake pressure you would get easily with a booster. You can test this if you have a modern car with a vacuum brake booster. Before you start the car in the morning push on the brake pedal a few times BEFORE you start the engine. You will notice how hard the brake pedal is to push without vacuum assist from the booster. Once you start the car the pedal gets easier to push because of engine vacuum pulling on a diaphragm inside the booster. I would imagine this joke of a shop either didn't bleed the system properly (some vehicles are harder then others to bleed all the air out of the hydraulic lines then others. Or they tried to rebuild the master cylinder and couldn't do it properly and you aren't able to build the pressure.
Mari:
Are you gona sew him? I would and get my money back and have him pay for the damages! Hope you will!
Bonnie Jo Phelps:
It's called SMALL CLAIMS COURT! You will win!!! Hands down!
Bonnie Jo Phelps:
This should also be filed as criminal charges with the police.
Shannon:
Thanks for the heads up. Good luck.
Steve C:
Wow what a F'n crook. Thanks for posting this an warning everyone of the Jake leg mechanic!!!!!!
J.D. N.:
***Even, if the car had been fixed properly, and NOT wrecked, the statement of charges are ridiculous , absolutely,and the entire job should have only taken a couple of hours***NOT "6" MONTHS !!!
Jeannie:
I'm sorry this happened to you, I'll share this for sure. No need for these folks to continue this type of business.
Matthew Harris:
Your experience with this shop sucks, it brings to light a much larger issue. Why is it your barber needs a license to cut you hair, but a mechanic, or collision shop or technician does not? I promise you this. There are good and honest people in the automotive repair business. Few and far between, but they do exist.
Norma Jean:
I definitely won't go there!!!
Fine Print section V
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<= Name : The posting name you wish to appear by your comments.
<= Message : For whatever you want to say... I won't repost any racist remarks.
Say what you want, but try to keep it reasonably brief and
relative to the issue.
Thanks for dropping by, Terry
Worst Automotive Repair Shop Ever !!!!
Payless Auto Repair In Pflugerville Texas !!!!
To date, 10/15/20
Payless Automotive in Pflugerville, Tx. stills refuses to accept the responsibility for wrecking my car and reimbursed nothing for all the damages they did... In fact, the owner tracked me down on facebook last week and cussed me out again.
They have still not returned any of the money ($739.00+) that they charged me for NOT FIXING my brakes.
since 04/08/15 at 5:10 PM
<= Click link to see Finished pics and video of the "The Grem Reaper"
WAHOO! Almost 10 million Visitors!
EAT MY DUST PAYLESS!
You are visitor
VISITOR COMMENTS
Wrecked my car causing $3559.00 in damages
Some advertising for the site... traveling billboard is finished... Installed in truck bed .
EVERYONE in the area WILL know about how awful Payless Automotive Repair is.
Let me know in the comment section if you've seen the sign yet.
10/15/20 update: Cen-Tex Engine and Marine, owned by Bill Heiner - finished upgrading everything mechanical. The broken (by Payless Auto) grill was replaced, and he fixed the bumper damage... Bill did a complete disc brake swap on all 4 wheels, rebuilt the transmission, carb, installed a new Mopar 360 V8 with large cam, and lots of other mechanical upgrades.
The car is completely restored/ painted/ interior finished and named... The Grem Reaper.
Finished installing the sound myself, Three amp, 6000 watts, 28 speaker system - Sounds AWESOME!
The Grem Reaper is officially finished!!!! What a trip it was. I'm well into my next project car restore... a 1966 Thunderbird
To date... Payless Auto No-Repair has still not taken responsibility for the damages they did to the Gremlin.
<= Click link to see build process of "The Grem Reaper"
getting the word out to a few thousand people at Blues on the Green Concert night at TownLake.
Insurance estimate to fix this is
$ 3559.00
Owner of the garage still won't accept responsibility...or even apologize for wrecking my car.
6 years later... I'm still out $735.85 for a brake job not done