I bought a S2000 and got ripped off
#431
Just read this review on Yelp from back in 2012.
Great service, and receptionist--who goes above and beyond her desk-job. Other than that, I felt great leaving the place, feeling as though I was in good hands.. but what bothered me the most--enough to revise my review--was the fact that:
my initial sole issue with my car was eventually summarized as a $10 hose that needed to be replaced (ultimately by a third party), but was told by Paragon's owner that it would cost $400 to fix, along with diagnosing me with many other potential issues which I paid to have "fixed."
Background story: I came to this place because I had an intermittent sound issue that was annoying me when starting up the car..just an obnoxious hissing sound that would go away after a few minutes of driving. After reading about Paragon on yelp, I arrived and was charged about $300 to fix other non-related issues, and was told my hissing noise was a temporary fix and as a "FIRST STEP RESOLUTION" because I was told that the hissing noise would most likely return, but to wait a week until it did, and to then make an appointment for the solution and pay their $$$ cost to have it solved.
The following day AFTER getting my car back from Paragon, my hissing sound was back!! My friend who owns and works on specific cars like mine (e46 m3's) took a look at my car and diagnosed/healed my sound issue in less than 2 minutes. He yanked out a random hose from my engine, walked back to his car, yanked out his same hose and replaced mine with his--less time than it takes to take a really quick dump my entire sound issue was solved! With a $10 dollar hose, from a "non-specialist" who doesn't work at Paragon Automotive!
I drove straight to Paragon after the quick/amazing/WTF fix, summarized my issue to the owner, who turned bright cherry red. When I showed up, parked my car, told someone my story, was checked out by a mechanic to varify my story, I was given/told..........awkward silence/laughter/greetings and salutations and see you later/OMG/I hope you don't write about this on Yelp. I drove home knowing I paid them to fix non-related issues along with having almost been raped to fix a $10 dollar hose that was my original problem.
Update: Thinking back, I realize that visiting this place was exactly like visiting the BMW dealership, except I was treated with more respect and wasn't just a number in line, while being given the whole nine yards of deception with plenty of smiles and trust me's.This place may be a cheaper replica of your BMW dealership, as they have all worked at the dealership but started their own business together, but it all ends there.. abruptly.. when you realize that you're just about to be had into thinking this is the same service at a cheaper price.
DECEPTION IS DECEPTION, but with experience dressed in different clothing after you come here with hindsight and luck/experience on your side.
my initial sole issue with my car was eventually summarized as a $10 hose that needed to be replaced (ultimately by a third party), but was told by Paragon's owner that it would cost $400 to fix, along with diagnosing me with many other potential issues which I paid to have "fixed."
Background story: I came to this place because I had an intermittent sound issue that was annoying me when starting up the car..just an obnoxious hissing sound that would go away after a few minutes of driving. After reading about Paragon on yelp, I arrived and was charged about $300 to fix other non-related issues, and was told my hissing noise was a temporary fix and as a "FIRST STEP RESOLUTION" because I was told that the hissing noise would most likely return, but to wait a week until it did, and to then make an appointment for the solution and pay their $$$ cost to have it solved.
The following day AFTER getting my car back from Paragon, my hissing sound was back!! My friend who owns and works on specific cars like mine (e46 m3's) took a look at my car and diagnosed/healed my sound issue in less than 2 minutes. He yanked out a random hose from my engine, walked back to his car, yanked out his same hose and replaced mine with his--less time than it takes to take a really quick dump my entire sound issue was solved! With a $10 dollar hose, from a "non-specialist" who doesn't work at Paragon Automotive!
I drove straight to Paragon after the quick/amazing/WTF fix, summarized my issue to the owner, who turned bright cherry red. When I showed up, parked my car, told someone my story, was checked out by a mechanic to varify my story, I was given/told..........awkward silence/laughter/greetings and salutations and see you later/OMG/I hope you don't write about this on Yelp. I drove home knowing I paid them to fix non-related issues along with having almost been raped to fix a $10 dollar hose that was my original problem.
Update: Thinking back, I realize that visiting this place was exactly like visiting the BMW dealership, except I was treated with more respect and wasn't just a number in line, while being given the whole nine yards of deception with plenty of smiles and trust me's.This place may be a cheaper replica of your BMW dealership, as they have all worked at the dealership but started their own business together, but it all ends there.. abruptly.. when you realize that you're just about to be had into thinking this is the same service at a cheaper price.
DECEPTION IS DECEPTION, but with experience dressed in different clothing after you come here with hindsight and luck/experience on your side.
#433
Got this message when I went to Paragon Automotive's yelp page
Active Cleanup Alert
This business recently made waves in the news, which often means that people come to this page to post their views on the news.
While we don’t take a stand one way or the other when it comes to these news events, we do work to remove both positive and negative posts that appear to be motivated more by the news coverage itself than the reviewer’s personal consumer experience with the business.
As a result, your posts to this page may be removed as part of our cleanup process beginning Wednesday, March 16, 2016, but you should feel free to post your thoughts about the recent media coverage for this business on Yelp Talk at any time.
another one of those times that I LOL'd at my desk ..
Active Cleanup Alert
This business recently made waves in the news, which often means that people come to this page to post their views on the news.
While we don’t take a stand one way or the other when it comes to these news events, we do work to remove both positive and negative posts that appear to be motivated more by the news coverage itself than the reviewer’s personal consumer experience with the business.
As a result, your posts to this page may be removed as part of our cleanup process beginning Wednesday, March 16, 2016, but you should feel free to post your thoughts about the recent media coverage for this business on Yelp Talk at any time.
another one of those times that I LOL'd at my desk ..
#436
Hey Lon, this is Garrett from AutoAnything.com
Sorry to hear about what happened. Crazy stuff. I Read about your story on Jalopnik and I wanted to reach out to you and see if we could help you out here. Please send me a PM!
Sorry to hear about what happened. Crazy stuff. I Read about your story on Jalopnik and I wanted to reach out to you and see if we could help you out here. Please send me a PM!
#437
Registered User
Sorry to hear this is happening to you, OP. Haven't been on here in years, but wanted to come back and wish you the best with this. I hope you come out of this getting what is owed to you.
#438
Kind of curious why the owners of Paragon Automotive haven't come onto this website, or any other interested automotive website, to explain their side of the story, and more importantly to explain how they are working to make the OP whole. Seems that if they are "innocent" as claimed, they have the most leverage with the scammer.
Not even any sort of explanation on the Yelp site.
Does anybody know who are the actual owners of the shop. I couldn't find anything in the California Secretary of State records, although there is a repairer's license with the Consumer Affairs Department. No owners listed as far as I could tell, however.
Yelp is having fun cleaning up the Yelp page, but if you look at the photo links, it is quite humorous. I wonder if they clean up all those links as well.
So how does Google work. If we all Google "Paragon Automotive", does that mean that it links to this thread? If that's the case, maybe the community can counteract the Yelp pages cleanup to keep this on the front page of the Google search.
OP apparently has a lawyer -- which is good. I have to admit I'm morbidly fascinated by breadth of the reaction to this story. I'm suspecting the lawyer - and perhaps ultimately the judge - will enjoy this case. Sure beats the run of the mill collection action. If it ever goes to trial, the Judge is going to hammer the guy!
Not even any sort of explanation on the Yelp site.
Does anybody know who are the actual owners of the shop. I couldn't find anything in the California Secretary of State records, although there is a repairer's license with the Consumer Affairs Department. No owners listed as far as I could tell, however.
Yelp is having fun cleaning up the Yelp page, but if you look at the photo links, it is quite humorous. I wonder if they clean up all those links as well.
So how does Google work. If we all Google "Paragon Automotive", does that mean that it links to this thread? If that's the case, maybe the community can counteract the Yelp pages cleanup to keep this on the front page of the Google search.
OP apparently has a lawyer -- which is good. I have to admit I'm morbidly fascinated by breadth of the reaction to this story. I'm suspecting the lawyer - and perhaps ultimately the judge - will enjoy this case. Sure beats the run of the mill collection action. If it ever goes to trial, the Judge is going to hammer the guy!
#440
Kind of curious why the owners of Paragon Automotive haven't come onto this website, or any other interested automotive website, to explain their side of the story, and more importantly to explain how they are working to make the OP whole. Seems that if they are "innocent" as claimed, they have the most leverage with the scammer.
Not even any sort of explanation on the Yelp site.
Does anybody know who are the actual owners of the shop. I couldn't find anything in the California Secretary of State records, although there is a repairer's license with the Consumer Affairs Department. No owners listed as far as I could tell, however.
Yelp is having fun cleaning up the Yelp page, but if you look at the photo links, it is quite humorous. I wonder if they clean up all those links as well.
So how does Google work. If we all Google "Paragon Automotive", does that mean that it links to this thread? If that's the case, maybe the community can counteract the Yelp pages cleanup to keep this on the front page of the Google search.
OP apparently has a lawyer -- which is good. I have to admit I'm morbidly fascinated by breadth of the reaction to this story. I'm suspecting the lawyer - and perhaps ultimately the judge - will enjoy this case. Sure beats the run of the mill collection action. If it ever goes to trial, the Judge is going to hammer the guy!
Not even any sort of explanation on the Yelp site.
Does anybody know who are the actual owners of the shop. I couldn't find anything in the California Secretary of State records, although there is a repairer's license with the Consumer Affairs Department. No owners listed as far as I could tell, however.
Yelp is having fun cleaning up the Yelp page, but if you look at the photo links, it is quite humorous. I wonder if they clean up all those links as well.
So how does Google work. If we all Google "Paragon Automotive", does that mean that it links to this thread? If that's the case, maybe the community can counteract the Yelp pages cleanup to keep this on the front page of the Google search.
OP apparently has a lawyer -- which is good. I have to admit I'm morbidly fascinated by breadth of the reaction to this story. I'm suspecting the lawyer - and perhaps ultimately the judge - will enjoy this case. Sure beats the run of the mill collection action. If it ever goes to trial, the Judge is going to hammer the guy!
http://www2.dca.ca.gov/pls/wllpub/WLLQRYNA$LCEV2.QueryView?P_LICENSE_NUMBER=269718&P _LTE_ID=1101