A DRIVER’S bumper was ripped off at a gas station car wash and then she got the runaround when she tried to get help.
Celeste Contreras had just driven her Lexus convertible into the car wash when she heard a loud bang.
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“I thought it was a machine. Something was wrong with the machine,” the 74-year-old driver said.
A driver behind her started filming after he saw what was going on.
He described how a brush dropped down and knocked off the bumper.
“I saw the left bumper hanging. I said ‘Oh my god,’” Celeste recalled.
She went into the attached Circle K convenience store and asked for the manager but was told, “He’s not here.”
Celeste returned to the Shell gas station in San Antonio, Texas, multiple times over the coming days.
She also called the customer service line but said she never received a direct answer from any representative.
“I kept calling and calling. They didn’t know anything,” she told local CBS affiliate KENS.
“I called the home office and they give you the runaround.”
In the meantime, she got a friend to help temporarily secure the bumper.
Celeste finally got a response from Circle K customer service but they still hadn’t given her a claim number for the incident.
Frustrated, she frantically contacted all other points of contact.
A representative from CrossAmerica Partners LP eventually contacted her and gave her a claim number.
However, she was told she most likely wouldn’t get a response until April 3 for the incident that happened on March 1.
She still didn’t hear back by the deadline so she reached out again.
KENS reached out to Circle K customer service to help the driver too.
A reporter spoke to managers at the gas station where the incident occurred and at Circle K.
And Celeste finally got a call that left her feeling more optimistic.
“I received a call from ‘Dave,'” she said.
“He was very pleasant. He said he was going to take over the case and that he wanted me to send everything we had already sent to the company to him.”
Shell finally told KENS the claim is under review, adding the process “takes time.”
“I’ve shared your note with the team and can confirm the claim is being processed and investigated with the retailer,” the company replied.
Shell did not immediately respond to The U.S. Sun’s request for more information.
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Five steps for restoring a car
Restoring a car can be a massive undertaking. Here’s a simpler way to think about the process as a whole:
- Plan
- This includes setting a budget, preparing a work area, researching parts, and establishing a timeline to get the work done.
- Strip the vehicle
- This involves disassembling the vehicle and assessing the condition of the parts being removed.
- Bodywork
- This means stripping the paint and repairing any rust and dents, followed by repainting.
- Engine restoration
- This involves restoring a car’s power – including engine repairs.
- Rebuild
- After reassembling and detailing the car, all that’s left is to take it for a test drive.
Source: WeatherTech