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Ice Cold Air Discount Auto Repair

Ice Cold Air Discount Auto Repair review: Auto repair Fraud 23

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8:27 am EDT
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I was charged for a repair that included replacing the evaporator in my 2004 4Runner. 8 months later, the system failed again. A different repair shop determined that the original factory eveaporator had never been replaced. I reported thsi to the corporate offices of Ice Cold Air in Clearwater FL. I recived and inital call back in respoinse to my email sent via their website. SInce then, two more emails via their website (www.icecoldair.net) and 8 phone calls (had to leave voicemail, no way to get to a live person) over a two week period have not been answered. It appears I am being stone walled at this time. Cost of my repair was nearly $700.00 from Ice cold air. Since then, I have paid over $1000 to get the actual repair done that they claimed to have done.

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23 comments
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screwuguys
clearwater, US
Jun 28, 2023 10:50 am EDT

Warning this place lies about the scope of diagnostic ability.They will say anything to do uneeded work.I took my car (to the dealer )dealers diagnosis was nothing wrong. Ice cold air

found $2400.00 worth of important repairs .They fixed without consent and poorly .Their poor work created a life threatening situation with my car.You have been warned

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Klaudio
, US
Nov 14, 2016 5:58 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I brought my Mercdes to 330 ml ice cold air, they were wrong diagnosi3 sometimes paid $ 700 for nothing, not even to the complaint made by the Consumers' Association is a gift presented still think to have suffered a robbery.

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Don Saunders
St. Petersburg, US
Jan 14, 2011 3:49 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Two years ago Ice Cold Air was paid $450.00 to fix an oil leak on my '95 Toyota. They advised that all seals gaskets and hoses had to be replaced in order to correct the problem. The completed the work and I paid the charge. Several days later I discovered that the oil leak had not been corrected. Several visits to thier shop proved fruitless and eventually I gave up. Since then I have had other repair shops attempt to correct the problem. This week, a mechanic advised that the repair would be successful if all the seals, gaskets and hoses were replaced. He quoted a price of $350.00. I had him complete the work and, so far, there has been no sign of oil. He advised that most of the seals and gaskets on my Toyota were original equipment and had never been replaced. - Ice Cold Air, therefore, charged me for work they did not complete. As a result, this repair has cost me $1, 000.00 to correct which should have been done for the initial $450.00 paid Ice Cold Air.

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Quinncy
, US
Jun 12, 2016 2:44 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Wish I would of read all these before brother in law went there

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Crystal McB
Largo, US
Dec 23, 2014 9:59 am EST

PLEASE, GO ANYWHERE ELSE! Sharon is friendly & organized but doesn't know squat about cars. Mike doesn't stand behind his work. This is only part of our story because my boyfriend & I each have a vehicle that we brought there at almost the same exact time. I was initially happy with their work, so I told my mom to bring her Matrix there. Her a/c stopped working the day after she had her car there. I dismissed it as coincidence because her car's kind of old, a 2005. In the same time frame, I suggested to my buddy to bring both his cars there. The truck repairs were fine & there's been no more issues. His Mustang, however? The engine blew the third or fourth time he drove it. Since he can be such a drama queen, I didn't listen to him right away when he was blaming Ice Cold Air immediately. That was June.

We needed the power steering pump replaced. It took ICA two tries, but it's been fine since. They also did a tune-up on the Titan, which simply means changing spark plugs. On one side alone, out of four plugs, none had anti-seize & two weren't installed correctly, whereas they came out without applying practically any pressure. Unfortunately, we had no idea until there were some serious misfire codes a week ago. Because of what had been happening to others' vehicles since June, we were reluctant to go back to these yahoos. Honestly, I only went there because of all the coupons & discounts they throw at you. So, I went back to a guy that we've trusted for years. He's the one who took the plugs out of the passenger side & showed me what was wrong. I thanked him, said I was going to go back to the guys who installed them & he said that was a good idea.

I did return to this location yesterday (12/22/14), assuming that Mike & Sharon would be happy to take responsibility for their obvious mistake. Sharon had no clue what I was saying & relied on Mike. Mike said that he never uses anti-seize & that the shop I was talking to now didn't know what they were talking about. He interrupted me & verbally attacked me saying how much more "###" of a day he was having than me & did I want to continue to compare? Nope, I didn't. He had actually lost me when he started criticizing somebody else before taking even a moment to look at himself or his shoddy work that was sitting in his parking lot. I find it to be extremely unprofessional to insult a competitor, especially one you don't know. Plus, was he saying that he was having a bad day back in June when he personally performed the work on our truck? Or he was having a bad day at that moment he was barking at me? I certainly did not stick around to figure that mess out. Instead, I went home & started to read all the negative comments online & became even more regretful of ever going to or referring ICA. We certainly will not trust them to resolve anything or to ever touch one of our cars again.

I have sold, towed & fixed cars. I have tended bar. In one way or another, I have been around cars, sales &/or customer service for 25 years & I am good at it. Primarily because I always remember to put myself in my customer's shoes. How would I feel if I were having their issue? How would I expect/like for someone to talk to me? Even it if may be the customer's fault or someone else's, a good rep or manager figures out how to open the line of communication with an upset customer. My customers have never really cared about what kind of day I'm having. I am pretty sure they would have cared even less if I had made such a mistake that could cause permanent damage to their engine. When I am on the clock, my personal life no longer exists. But I wasn't on the clock. I was an upset customer that had already referred lots of business their way. & if Mike were suffering that much, why was he not given the proper time off work to grieve? From the very top to the bottom of this franchise, it appears that no one cares for their customers or employees.

Thanks to the holidays, we won't even know what's wrong with the truck for another six days. Choosing to go this location on Court at Missouri, in Clearwater, has cost us a lot of time, aggravation & what looks like, a new motor possibly. Think it's just us? Check out the Google reviews for this place. Better yet! Type the words, "best car repair Clearwater, " in the Google search bar. See who does & doesn't come up.

As this post comes to an end, please keep in mind that we have three other stories that demonstrate further how shady this shop can be. That is why there are three names signed to this. We all want to warn people but thought we'd share the scariest of our encounters. Thanks for reading & we hope this helps someone make wiser choices. We also hope to hope to see this store shut down. It's evil.

Crystal McB
Jason B
Carol S
Scott Z

P.S. I just noticed I can upload photos. I will. I will take photos of receipts, plugs as soon as they are out of the motor on Monday, 12/29/14 & upload them here. I will also take a video. Yay for smart phones (:

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sam brigman
Tarpon Springs, US
Sep 17, 2014 4:57 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I in the mean time have purchased a new dashboard yet to be installed. I am awaiting to have the air conditioner repaired and the clock spring on the steering repaired before I put a new dash across this area.
I also have gone to another mechanic that had installed the compressor to see if anything was under their warranty. They corrected a switch on the compressor but my air vents still aren’t hooked up correctly and there is a vacuum leak in the hose leading to the interior of the auto. That company used a sniffer to trace the problem back to Ice Cold Air’s end on where they did or did not make the hose connection.

I think I had stated all of the items disturbed by the Ice Cold Air franchise such as the Air Bag light stays lit, the horn doesn’t work nor the cruise control and of course the A/C still doesn’t work properly.
I took my auto to the Chrysler/Jeep dealership to have their professional opinion on the air bag. I wanted to make sure that it had not been deployed.
They said it was a result of the broken clock spring and it will not deploy with that light remaining on.

I now have two serious safety issues with this matter.
One - my horn doesn’t work to deter possible accidents and
Two - if there is an accident, my air bag will not deploy.

On Monday, August 18th, 2014 after leaving the Chrysler dealership, I entered the office of Jeremy Singer. He was his usual rude self and confirmed that he would not work out a resolution to our problem.

This is such a regrettable situation. I definitely can not talk to him and need a mitigator. I am asking that he just honor his warranty work that I paid $830.00 for. I came to him because I thought Ice Cold Air would have the most expertise in air conditioning.
After purchasing an evaporator from him and the problem still isn’t resolved after coming back twice.
This leaves me no choice but to talk to my lawyer about a possible movement toward litigation.

Any other advise would be appreciated. I just want my air conditioner to work properly and the clock spring replaced that was damaged during the installation of the evaporator.

Sincerely,

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Chuck devoid
Tampa, US
Dec 13, 2013 9:04 am EST

My name is Chuck devoid I had my 2004 Nissan Maxima worked on an ice cold air on South Westshore yo boy named Joe breaks off a bolt on my rear shock and then Wells it up with a welder yesterday I go get new tires put on my car I finds out he crossbreds a bolt on my wheel instead of doing it right and fixing that he just impacted on so want to guy takes off my tire now the bolt breaks off because it was cross threaded this guy is a complete sham icecold air should be ashamed of having someone like him represent their name. In that there is my experience with ice cold air.

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unsatisfied2013
tampa, US
Sep 10, 2013 9:03 am EDT

Yes even the one in west shore charged me for a synthetic oil change . Found out later they don't even buy synthetic by the drum . They put regular oil in my car . Now what ? My Car doesn't take regular oil . I had to spend over a hundred dollars to flush my cars engine by a real shop . This shop should be investigated for ripping off people . I should have known better when they tryed to talk over me to tell me my problem instead of listening to my daughter . I'm not happy an will not ever go back to that shop .

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Armando A
Tampa, US
Jul 03, 2013 4:04 pm EDT

I just have same bad experience. I went there looking for a second opinion because in another place told me the compresor wasn't working and they said the compresor was ok and the problem was the condensor so they charge me $800.for the repair and after 2 days the a/c stop working again and then they try to charge me $800 more for the compresor. Apparently this is how they fraud service is planned. By the way, The store I went was in Sligh but all otthers beloog to the same people. Be careful

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ICA_td
Saint Petersburg, US
Jun 13, 2013 10:30 am EDT

Regarding the anonymous post referencing an injured employee: We take employee injuries very seriously. Unfortunately, without more information, we do not have a way to contact this person to gather additional details to investigate. We have always offered a forum to Contact Us via our website at http://www.icecoldair.com/contact-us. This forum has been established solely to help facilitate communication, and each Ice Cold Air Franchise is independently owned and operated. Unfortunately, we have no record that this forum was used regarding this matter. We invite this person to contact us appropriately via the Contact Us on the website so that we may be given the opportunity to review the matter.

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Zephryhills
Wesley Chapel, US
May 14, 2013 3:19 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

They are no better as far as Corporate. I have been trying to reach Iced Cold Air for an injured employee and they advise they will be fired if they submit an injury report. It is against the law. This company is violating so many laws and the employees are extremly ignorant. I wouldnt take my trash to these people. They are worthless and completly unprofessional. Have you seen one good story across the board about these people.

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Virginia Johnson
Tarpon Springs, US
Aug 23, 2011 12:10 am EDT

I took my car there due to starting problems. He checked my battery nd said it was fine. Must be my alternator. He changed my alternator and I went home. I was going out of town for 3 months, so I had my dughter to check to see if the car started. Of course it did not. She could not take it in because I had my insurance for off road. I came back and took it in. the guy that was running the pllace at the time was not there and a new manager was there. He checked my battery ;, it was good and i told him itmust be the battery because i had the alternator changed. He put in a new battery. I o not go out a lot, so when i did, same problem, car would not start. took it back at a cost of 70 bucks toll and a day and a half later and around another 400.00 dollars. the manager said this is it. you should have no more problem. Same problem again, this time it has got to be the fuel pump. I took it to another mechanic. He told me it was not the fuel pump. IHe finally foound out it was the firing pin or something like that. Another 1000.00 dollars. I got a card from Ice Cold Air checking on my service I received. I tolld her all of this and she told me to take my copies over to the shop and give him the nfo, which I did. When not hearing from them I went back and of course there is a new manager and new mechanics. That told me a lot. My daughter took her car there before I had my problem to get a water pump put in. The air conditioner was working when she went in and not working later on. When she went back, they said it was not working when she brought it in, Too finish this story, my car had roughly 30 thousand miles on it and was in good shape. the problem was I am hearing impaired and had been starting the car when it was already started. This location was at new Port Richey, US 19 and Moog Rd. I will never take my car there again for nothing.

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former owner
athents, US
May 20, 2011 2:46 pm EDT

they are rip offs...
screw the customers, and employees, and owners out of thousands!

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That__Guy
Jacksonville, US
Mar 16, 2011 2:35 pm EDT

I love how this complaint was dead for years, and periodically, recently, the company has had employees leaving positive comments. sad proof that the company is actually full of scam artists.

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Cyn davis
, US
Mar 16, 2011 2:20 pm EDT

I was almost ripped off by another local shop shop in the tampa bay area who's name I will not say. I took it to Ice Cold auto air on 34th street in St pete fl and my ar conditioning problem was fixed for $139.65. The other repair place wanted over $300.00 for the same repair. I would recommended them to everyone

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Qeen B
Saint Petersburg, US
Mar 11, 2011 2:30 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

This company is a rip off and Im really not sure if dennis or his employees care 2 pennies about there custmers. 1600.00 dollars cash at one time and my car is byfar worse than it was before i stopped there. Do not trust these guys at the 34 st north location in st.pete, they will screw you but keep assuring everything is fine now...LIARS and SCAMMERS.

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Anita-stpete
st pete fl, US
Feb 28, 2011 8:11 pm EST

for almost 2 years i have struggled to find am honest auto repair place. Now that Dennis is back at the ice cold air on 34th street in Saint Petersburg, my search has ended. Dennis has always gone out of his way even when I needed advice on items that they did not do. I would recommend him to everyone

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ICA_td
Saint Petersburg, US
Feb 26, 2011 6:43 pm EST

T Parker: Thanks for taking the time to post your comments! We work extremely hard to ensure excellent Customer Service and Auto Repair at all of our locations, at affordable prices. Please visit www.icecoldair.net to find coupons, promotions, and more excellent ways to save money!

Regarding complaints: We are truly sorry that you had a problem at this Ice Cold Air location. We are committed to providing excellent Customer Service, and since 2001, we have provided a Toll- Free Customer Service Number, as a way for Customers to communicate directly with our Complaint Resolution Department. Most Customers that contact us directly end up satisfied. This Number is located on your Service Invoice, and is also Posted at every shop, in the Service Office. You can contact us from our Website: www.icecoldair.net .
Again, we apologize for any inconvenience you have had, and we hope to meet or exceed your expectations in the future. Please let us know if we have not, so we can help make it right.

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T Parker
Palm Harbor, US
Aug 31, 2010 9:34 am EDT

I have taken both of my vehicles to the Ice Cold Air on US 19 near Countryside and never had a problem with them. Ryan does a great job and was able to get a new engine for my husband's car at a very good price and had it done quickly.

After talking to Ryan and getting to know him a bit more, I have to say that this guy deserves my respect and has definitely earned my trust. There are few mechanics I would take my car to, but I have to say that this is a place that I would. Not sure about any other location, but this one is phenomenal.

My husband used to do all of the work on our cars before going here and we found that their pricing is reasonable and the work is guaranteed for a period of time. Can't say that much about other places.

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ICA_td
Saint Petersburg, US
Oct 02, 2009 11:47 am EDT

Mr. Scott, We appreciate your feedback and strive to provide the best customer service possible. In an attempt to correct the situation, all feedback received is brought to the attention of the franchise owner. Please understand that this Feedback Process has been established solely to help facilitate communication, and that each Ice Cold Air Franchise is independently owned and operated. It is the franchise owners responsibility to resolve the matter directly with the customer.

On this particular case, our understanding was that you had spoken directly with the location to reach a resolution, which is what the letter was indicating. I am sorry for the confusion on the letter's wording.

We would be happy to re-open this case and have the franchise location contact you directly to further resolve the outstanding issues.

Please accept our sincerest apology for any trouble or inconvenience you have had. Again, we thank you for providing feedback. I will have the location contact you to continue the resolution process.

Tina M. Denham

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kelly scott
Port Richey, US
Sep 25, 2009 5:38 pm EDT

my starter went out only weeks after they replaced it and when i brought it in he told me i vioded the warrenty by hooking up a soilinold was put on back wards and would voiod the warrenty but what he willl do is ru a diagnostic and put in a new baterie but still let me get credit for warrenty .if i let hem do theses thing 2 my car both ways added 2 200 dollars so i got the batery and other but the way he put it to my wa s that i had 2 get the other work dome becouse he helped me by excepting the warenty.im faallowed up and got a letter from tina m. deham telling me we spoke and every thing was ok.BULL ### i never talked to her but 4 ther papper work it says i did and its ok.

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louie lou
Clearwater, US
Aug 13, 2009 10:37 am EDT

i recently went to sears auto as my ac was not getting cold, i had asked them to do a ac tune up and charge the system.
sears did and said i have a small leak under the compressor, they did not charge for the air tune up and said it may stay cold for a few days.
i left sears and 10 minutes later went to ice cold air on Missouri in clearwater .
i told the tech at ice cold air that the dye had been put in the system and i had a leak according to sears under the compressor.
he put the car in the shop, about 15 minutes later he said not the compressor but that i needed a evaporator .
he told me 450.00 dollars for the evaporator and to leave the auto with them.
i declined and on the way home the air was already blowing warm.
when i returned home i contacted my neighbor who has a friend that does mobile auto service for the last 20 yrs, i had him come to my house and look at the ac system.
he sprayed all conections with water to find the leak and said system is fine, your compressor is fine, the evaporator is fine.
i said well why is it not cold, he said see the cap on this valve... it is loose.
he tightened the cap and charged the system, this is a week ago and my air is as cold as when the car was new.
cost 35 dollars to have him tighten a cap...STAY AWAY FROM ICE COLD AIR ON MISSOURI IN CLEARWATER.
450.00 my ###..ice cold air you guys are crooks!

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AParis
Tampa, US
May 08, 2009 6:35 pm EDT

Don't ever take any car to ice cold air. They make thier techs look for things to charge you to fix that are not nessisary and go as far as firing them for not bringing in enough money by just doing what the customer wants. The company is very crooked and they will do what "needs" to be done the cheapest way possible. If something goes wrong with your car dont always blame the tech the owner is the one buying the cheap parts and telling the tech what to do. It is a horrible place.

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