Long long novel. story of windshield star gone wrong with Safelite
#1
04-20-2009, 08:21 PM
Long long novel. story of windshield star gone wrong with Safelite
basically: windshield star was made into a long crack
my car:
letter to Safelite about issue:
This started Sunday April 19th on the way to Norman, I had a small pebble hit my windshield and caused a star on the passenger side of the windshield towards the top of the windshield. I called Safelite to take care of it on monday morning and by 11.30am the 'tech' was out in the parking lot of my work.
I went out to meet Justin at my car and he had a small bag with his tools. he stated that the star was fixable and that he would use this new kit his company had recently gone to as the main way to fix these. he stated that he would use the device to create a suction and then the same machine would fill it in with resin. He stated that later on it may get bigger but that they would come out again, if it did, and try to stop it. all this sounded fair to me.
so the 'tech' proceed to put this suction cup on the windshield and all the while resting his forearms on the windshield rail of my car. Now i know the car was a bit dusty from the commute, but it is still a well taken care of car and one that has just been polished and de-swirled and had a coat of Dodo Juice Supernatural wax. this tech is working away and just putting his elbows and forearms on my paint, i dont know why the company would not issue mats of some sort for this kind of procedure or instruct their technitians to work without marring or scratching a cars refinish.
so as the machine is working and he tells me how this new process makes the job 'monkey work' that takes no skill and anybody can do it and how all the new techs at his company love it. he tells me he has been doing glass for about 10 years and how this new machine cost 1700 dollars and the old tools were about 80 dollars. the end result of this new 1700 dollar machine that makes this repair 'monkey work' is that the star that was no more than 1/2 inch in diameter became a 12 inch crack.
the star:
only that middle part, the round star
the crack now:
now, when the tech started he told me about the vaccumm and the resin and that later on it may try to run, but he did not tell me that him doing the repair at that time, the repair that takes not skill, could make my small star a long crack. he stated he was not going to charge me the 99.99 dollar fee for this repair, and proceded to seal the crack with resin from a small bottle. after that was cured, he sprayed my windshield with some foam glass cleaner and tried to wipe it off with paper towels. I just treated my windshield with Aquapel and im sure this cleaner removed some of it. he tried to wipe off my whole windshield while liberaly spraying his cleaner, careless of the overspray falling on my roof. this was not going well with me on top of the forearms on the rail. so i asked him to stop cleaning my windshield, thanked him for his time and went back to work. (by the way, when i got home i noticed what appears to be black residue of some sort on my windshield rail, i have photos of this. The residue appears to be some king of grease or goo)
the residue:
later i called Safelite's 800 number and spoke with Ilene, a very nice lady who tried to help out as much as possible. I asked about what could be done in this situation and specifically about the tint strip running across the top of my windshield. I was curious about this since had the star been fixed i would not have to replace the windshield and i would also not have to replace the tint strip. she states she can give me a discount on a blue tint windshield that comes with that tint already, i told her i did not want that and i would have to have it retinted. the blue tint on glass looks horrible and would not match my car. she calls me back and states that she can give me a discount on her safelite glass, installation and all for 253.52 and this would include a 30 dollar discount for the tint strip.
I asked Ilene about OEM glass as have planned to do this all out of pocket and not a comp claim through insurance(besides, up to this point i thought it was going to be a 99.99 dollar repair) and Ilene states she will have to see about cost from honda. when she got that information she let me know that the OEM glass was 541.20 and they would have to get the reveal moldings for 27.23, and labor of 60 dollars and something else, im sure, because the total was 675.89 and she stated she can do no other discounts. I asked her to let me think about this and i would let her know.
about 30 minutes later i get a phone call from the guy who came out to do the repair and he says 'i just got a call that you are trying to get a whole new windshield?' i said, no, what i did was call your company and asked what options the had for me and what they would cover as far as liability or discounts, and i said, i also told them about what you explained and what you did not and you did not tell me that this would be bigger from the repairs itself. he then tries to tell me that the windshield was already damaged, to which i agreed, however, if the star had been fixed, the time i had left on the windshield could be several months to a year, specially since we are going into summer and having no really temperature drops in the near future. but now the process has been expedited and the windshield cracked and what was once a possibility was turned into a very real reality that the windshield will need replacement in the very near future. he then said "i think this is all a misunderstand and im going to call them back and see if they can take care of you." I thanked him for his call and hung up.
I get another call from Ilene about 30 min after that and she leaves me a voicemail stating that since I work for Farmers they can discount their Safelite glass with installation and all to 214.87, but that they still cannot discount the oem glass from honda.
so let me get this straight...Safelite, after me dealing with what i considered really horrible workmanship and haphazard procedures on my car, is only willing to discount their glass, which im sure they are only taking off their markup. but they are not willing to take take care of me as a customer when it actually takes money from their pocket. and what i mean by this is that i dont care about your glass being discounted if you are only taking off the markup. the OEM glass is not discounted, not even labor? Safelite is not willing to even say, 'hey, we screwed up, let us at least give you the OEM option with the cost of parts" No, that would be too much to ask, correct? God forbid you install the OEM for free after forcing me to have to repair my windshield and retint it, and retreat it with sealant and water repellent.
Your discount offer on this is only for a/m glass that, again, you're probably only taking markup off of. I find it to be really bad faith that you would still charge labor for installing the OEM glass if that was my option...and again, God forbid you admit to expediting the issue, forcing me to retint and say give me the OEM glass at cost, free labor and discount the amount it will cost me to tint that windshield.
to me, if i do the math correct, a fair option for OEM would be the glass for 541.20, plus reveal molding for 27.23, no labor(as a matter of good faith) and the 30 dollar discount for my tint stripe. that would come to 538.43 for the OEM option. but then again, i guess Safelite is only willing to compromise and take care of a customer on certain terms.
I realize my car is not a high end vehicle that your workers may consider worthy of good treatment or of all the fuss. but i take better care of my car than most people and i have included photos of the vehicle in its cleaned, polished and waxed condition. This vehicle is shown in meets and very careful records taken of the procedures done to it. these procedures include sports springs, performance suspension and sway bars, sound-deadening and aesthetic modifications; even every time its washed. Im sure your tech did not think twice about putting his forearms on my paint, but i really wish you to know what the vehicle is taken care off and take it very personally when a company does not take care of me.
as of now, i am considering other companies to repair my windshield or simply going to the dealership to install the OEM glass.
my car:
letter to Safelite about issue:
This started Sunday April 19th on the way to Norman, I had a small pebble hit my windshield and caused a star on the passenger side of the windshield towards the top of the windshield. I called Safelite to take care of it on monday morning and by 11.30am the 'tech' was out in the parking lot of my work.
I went out to meet Justin at my car and he had a small bag with his tools. he stated that the star was fixable and that he would use this new kit his company had recently gone to as the main way to fix these. he stated that he would use the device to create a suction and then the same machine would fill it in with resin. He stated that later on it may get bigger but that they would come out again, if it did, and try to stop it. all this sounded fair to me.
so the 'tech' proceed to put this suction cup on the windshield and all the while resting his forearms on the windshield rail of my car. Now i know the car was a bit dusty from the commute, but it is still a well taken care of car and one that has just been polished and de-swirled and had a coat of Dodo Juice Supernatural wax. this tech is working away and just putting his elbows and forearms on my paint, i dont know why the company would not issue mats of some sort for this kind of procedure or instruct their technitians to work without marring or scratching a cars refinish.
so as the machine is working and he tells me how this new process makes the job 'monkey work' that takes no skill and anybody can do it and how all the new techs at his company love it. he tells me he has been doing glass for about 10 years and how this new machine cost 1700 dollars and the old tools were about 80 dollars. the end result of this new 1700 dollar machine that makes this repair 'monkey work' is that the star that was no more than 1/2 inch in diameter became a 12 inch crack.
the star:
only that middle part, the round star
the crack now:
now, when the tech started he told me about the vaccumm and the resin and that later on it may try to run, but he did not tell me that him doing the repair at that time, the repair that takes not skill, could make my small star a long crack. he stated he was not going to charge me the 99.99 dollar fee for this repair, and proceded to seal the crack with resin from a small bottle. after that was cured, he sprayed my windshield with some foam glass cleaner and tried to wipe it off with paper towels. I just treated my windshield with Aquapel and im sure this cleaner removed some of it. he tried to wipe off my whole windshield while liberaly spraying his cleaner, careless of the overspray falling on my roof. this was not going well with me on top of the forearms on the rail. so i asked him to stop cleaning my windshield, thanked him for his time and went back to work. (by the way, when i got home i noticed what appears to be black residue of some sort on my windshield rail, i have photos of this. The residue appears to be some king of grease or goo)
the residue:
later i called Safelite's 800 number and spoke with Ilene, a very nice lady who tried to help out as much as possible. I asked about what could be done in this situation and specifically about the tint strip running across the top of my windshield. I was curious about this since had the star been fixed i would not have to replace the windshield and i would also not have to replace the tint strip. she states she can give me a discount on a blue tint windshield that comes with that tint already, i told her i did not want that and i would have to have it retinted. the blue tint on glass looks horrible and would not match my car. she calls me back and states that she can give me a discount on her safelite glass, installation and all for 253.52 and this would include a 30 dollar discount for the tint strip.
I asked Ilene about OEM glass as have planned to do this all out of pocket and not a comp claim through insurance(besides, up to this point i thought it was going to be a 99.99 dollar repair) and Ilene states she will have to see about cost from honda. when she got that information she let me know that the OEM glass was 541.20 and they would have to get the reveal moldings for 27.23, and labor of 60 dollars and something else, im sure, because the total was 675.89 and she stated she can do no other discounts. I asked her to let me think about this and i would let her know.
about 30 minutes later i get a phone call from the guy who came out to do the repair and he says 'i just got a call that you are trying to get a whole new windshield?' i said, no, what i did was call your company and asked what options the had for me and what they would cover as far as liability or discounts, and i said, i also told them about what you explained and what you did not and you did not tell me that this would be bigger from the repairs itself. he then tries to tell me that the windshield was already damaged, to which i agreed, however, if the star had been fixed, the time i had left on the windshield could be several months to a year, specially since we are going into summer and having no really temperature drops in the near future. but now the process has been expedited and the windshield cracked and what was once a possibility was turned into a very real reality that the windshield will need replacement in the very near future. he then said "i think this is all a misunderstand and im going to call them back and see if they can take care of you." I thanked him for his call and hung up.
I get another call from Ilene about 30 min after that and she leaves me a voicemail stating that since I work for Farmers they can discount their Safelite glass with installation and all to 214.87, but that they still cannot discount the oem glass from honda.
so let me get this straight...Safelite, after me dealing with what i considered really horrible workmanship and haphazard procedures on my car, is only willing to discount their glass, which im sure they are only taking off their markup. but they are not willing to take take care of me as a customer when it actually takes money from their pocket. and what i mean by this is that i dont care about your glass being discounted if you are only taking off the markup. the OEM glass is not discounted, not even labor? Safelite is not willing to even say, 'hey, we screwed up, let us at least give you the OEM option with the cost of parts" No, that would be too much to ask, correct? God forbid you install the OEM for free after forcing me to have to repair my windshield and retint it, and retreat it with sealant and water repellent.
Your discount offer on this is only for a/m glass that, again, you're probably only taking markup off of. I find it to be really bad faith that you would still charge labor for installing the OEM glass if that was my option...and again, God forbid you admit to expediting the issue, forcing me to retint and say give me the OEM glass at cost, free labor and discount the amount it will cost me to tint that windshield.
to me, if i do the math correct, a fair option for OEM would be the glass for 541.20, plus reveal molding for 27.23, no labor(as a matter of good faith) and the 30 dollar discount for my tint stripe. that would come to 538.43 for the OEM option. but then again, i guess Safelite is only willing to compromise and take care of a customer on certain terms.
I realize my car is not a high end vehicle that your workers may consider worthy of good treatment or of all the fuss. but i take better care of my car than most people and i have included photos of the vehicle in its cleaned, polished and waxed condition. This vehicle is shown in meets and very careful records taken of the procedures done to it. these procedures include sports springs, performance suspension and sway bars, sound-deadening and aesthetic modifications; even every time its washed. Im sure your tech did not think twice about putting his forearms on my paint, but i really wish you to know what the vehicle is taken care off and take it very personally when a company does not take care of me.
as of now, i am considering other companies to repair my windshield or simply going to the dealership to install the OEM glass.
Last edited by osarias; 04-20-2009 at 08:52 PM.
#2
10-09-2011, 03:59 PM
I just made and account to dispute this absurd claim your have made against Safelite, not for argument sake of this forum but as truth for this company's reputation.
I was a former employee of the company Safelite for 2 years but left for scheduling issues. personally i never like to company but i just felt the need to dispute your biased complaints.
A couple of things your forgot to mention. One was you insurance. repairs are free for most insurance company's. You also forgot to mention the liability waiver you signed before the tech was legally allowed to touch your car stating that Safelite accepts no liability for damaged occurred while trying to fix your windshield.
The Tech. This guy was most likely a seasonal employee who had no idea what he was talking about. Using the ras unit is a very difficult process that does require one to lean on the car to examine how it is working and change on the fly.
The car mat. yes we are issued a car mat. but after using it for 10 jobs a day it could have been worse for your car is we had used it than if we had not.
You also had problems with the tech using the cleaner and removing your "aquapel". In all honestly using any kind of windshield treatment will affect the outcome of the repair. and you using products like rain-x or "aquapel" after you have a chip "WILL CAUSE THE CRACK TO SPREAD DURING REPAIR". which is also in caps in the liability waiver on the third line. also. the cleaner we use is arguably the best on the market and is better for paint than car wax.
the black residue. yes that was his fault. i will guess that the man had some left over sealant from a windshield replacement left on his arms as it is a very messy job. odds are he would have cleaned it off had you not stopped him.
The glass replacement. if you had actually gone threw your insurance, and gotten a free repair. And it was also explaned to you that if you were unhappy or the repair failed that you would get $99 off the price of a windshield, with no labor charge and an accounted discount for the mistake.
OEM glass? in reality the safelite glass is made in USA and not in china as most oem parts are. and our glass lasts longer.
so please remember, the customer is not always right.
I was a former employee of the company Safelite for 2 years but left for scheduling issues. personally i never like to company but i just felt the need to dispute your biased complaints.
A couple of things your forgot to mention. One was you insurance. repairs are free for most insurance company's. You also forgot to mention the liability waiver you signed before the tech was legally allowed to touch your car stating that Safelite accepts no liability for damaged occurred while trying to fix your windshield.
The Tech. This guy was most likely a seasonal employee who had no idea what he was talking about. Using the ras unit is a very difficult process that does require one to lean on the car to examine how it is working and change on the fly.
The car mat. yes we are issued a car mat. but after using it for 10 jobs a day it could have been worse for your car is we had used it than if we had not.
You also had problems with the tech using the cleaner and removing your "aquapel". In all honestly using any kind of windshield treatment will affect the outcome of the repair. and you using products like rain-x or "aquapel" after you have a chip "WILL CAUSE THE CRACK TO SPREAD DURING REPAIR". which is also in caps in the liability waiver on the third line. also. the cleaner we use is arguably the best on the market and is better for paint than car wax.
the black residue. yes that was his fault. i will guess that the man had some left over sealant from a windshield replacement left on his arms as it is a very messy job. odds are he would have cleaned it off had you not stopped him.
The glass replacement. if you had actually gone threw your insurance, and gotten a free repair. And it was also explaned to you that if you were unhappy or the repair failed that you would get $99 off the price of a windshield, with no labor charge and an accounted discount for the mistake.
OEM glass? in reality the safelite glass is made in USA and not in china as most oem parts are. and our glass lasts longer.
so please remember, the customer is not always right.
#3
10-09-2011, 10:19 PM
The tendency of the Fit's windshield to crack is an issue others have noted, see these threads:
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.f0e5334
problems with 09-11 Fit windshield - Honda-Tech
Not saying this lets Safelite off the hook.
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.f0e5334
problems with 09-11 Fit windshield - Honda-Tech
Not saying this lets Safelite off the hook.
Last edited by afreespirit; 10-09-2011 at 10:26 PM.
#5
10-10-2011, 02:34 AM
Yes...
The tendency of the Fit's windshield to crack is an issue others have noted, see these threads:
Honda Fit Exterior & Bodywork Questions - Car Forums - Edmunds
problems with 09-11 Fit windshield - Honda-Tech
Not saying this lets Safelite off the hook.
Honda Fit Exterior & Bodywork Questions - Car Forums - Edmunds
problems with 09-11 Fit windshield - Honda-Tech
Not saying this lets Safelite off the hook.
#7
10-10-2011, 04:03 PM
op- do yourself a favor next time and use something like this. it's basically no better than the crap these 'pro's' use while scaming you into buying their glass at a 'discount.'
if this doesn't work, then proceed to talking to insurance to get the glass replaced. tell them you did your best to contain the situation by trying to salvage the impacted glass first.
Griot's Garage Windshield Repair Kit - Restoration - Car Maintenance - Griot's Garage
if this doesn't work, then proceed to talking to insurance to get the glass replaced. tell them you did your best to contain the situation by trying to salvage the impacted glass first.
Griot's Garage Windshield Repair Kit - Restoration - Car Maintenance - Griot's Garage
#8
10-10-2011, 08:00 PM
I had a poor experience with Safelite as well. After owning my Fit for less than a week, somebody busted out my passenger side window. I called my insurance company who directed me to Safelite and they were at my house the very next day and replaced the glass. The glass looked different than all the rest though. I forget now but the new glass was either darker or clearer and it had this rippled look to it.
I didn't really bother me as I was just happy to have glass in my door again but soon realized how literal that statement was about to be. My wife and I went out to a casino and when she shut the door, I could hear it clearly. He didn't clean out the broken glass and the door was full of shards even though I left him a shop vac and a note saying he could work in my garage and use whatever tools I had if he so chose so he wouldn't have to take his things out of his truck. Being patient yet again, I just figured I would have to learn how to take the door panel off and clean out the glass myself.
After the casino, the valet is bringing me my Fit and that's when I see it. Apparently while putting the glass in, he was prying something with some sort of tool and left dings (protruding outwards) all along my door.
The bottom line is it ended up costing me a week of having the use of my brand new car while it went to the body shop for repairs and paint and have OEM glass put in it as the State of Massachusetts requires being that it was brand new and had less than 1,000 miles..
Here's the door:
The white van is just the reflection of my work truck in my Fit. I shouldn't have parked there for picture taking purposes but...
I didn't really bother me as I was just happy to have glass in my door again but soon realized how literal that statement was about to be. My wife and I went out to a casino and when she shut the door, I could hear it clearly. He didn't clean out the broken glass and the door was full of shards even though I left him a shop vac and a note saying he could work in my garage and use whatever tools I had if he so chose so he wouldn't have to take his things out of his truck. Being patient yet again, I just figured I would have to learn how to take the door panel off and clean out the glass myself.
After the casino, the valet is bringing me my Fit and that's when I see it. Apparently while putting the glass in, he was prying something with some sort of tool and left dings (protruding outwards) all along my door.
The bottom line is it ended up costing me a week of having the use of my brand new car while it went to the body shop for repairs and paint and have OEM glass put in it as the State of Massachusetts requires being that it was brand new and had less than 1,000 miles..
Here's the door:
The white van is just the reflection of my work truck in my Fit. I shouldn't have parked there for picture taking purposes but...
#9
10-11-2011, 12:02 PM
yikes, that is terrible work hog! 
talk to your PDR tech. they use knockdown tools to push those down. from my experience with PDR the metal appears stretched so it will not return fully to its original state, but it will look much better with some massaging.
talk to your PDR tech. they use knockdown tools to push those down. from my experience with PDR the metal appears stretched so it will not return fully to its original state, but it will look much better with some massaging.
#10
10-11-2011, 01:00 PM
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Los Angeles/Orange County
Posts: 4,261
kenchan's right, when you get a star crack in your windshield, get one of those DIY repair kits from pep boys or any auto store. It's like $12-$15 out-the-door and is exactly what a lot of repair techs use, except you save a grip of money and can make sure it's done without any collateral damage to your car.
the instructions are easy to understand, and you can even find instructional videos online. works perfect and permanently for repairable cracks, really, do it yourselves.
the instructions are easy to understand, and you can even find instructional videos online. works perfect and permanently for repairable cracks, really, do it yourselves.
#11
10-11-2011, 07:14 PM
The thing about all of this is, I also work for the public in their homes and have I ever broken something or done a job not perfectly? Of course! I'm not perfect and if I happen to break something, I bring it to their attention and notify my company and we take care of everything regardless of cost because what I may consider to be junk could very well be an heirloom to them.
Of course, since we (Comcast) are a nationwide company, people tend to make a big deal out of nothing in attempts to make "big money" but we don't care. The customer is always right regardless of what we may think and that is how a company stays in business...with customer LOYALTY....and that loyalty has been paying my mortgage for the past 24 years.
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