Panel Beaters of Disappointment

I got a message from Panel Beaters of Distinction (POD) on 2024/02/29 13:32 and a phone call confirmation from my insurance on 2024/03/01 10:36 to notify me my vehicle is ready for collection after the front bumper had to be replaced.

When I arrived at the panel beaters, on 2024/03/01 around 11:30, they were not done with my vehicle and there were still parts that had to be fitted, the sprayed parts still had to be cleaned and none of the QC checks were done.

I was notified that they not only spray painted the bumper but also the two front fenders which was not damaged at all, this was not discussed with me in advance.

POD said they did this to match the colour of the fenders with the bumper by fading it, but the paint colouring does not match and now I sit with two fenders that are also not matching the rest of my vehicle which had no damage to begin with! The colour of the bumper alone does not match evenly and the spray work is of poor quality with blemishes and bubbles.

The bumpers fitment is not aligning and the edges on the bumper are “sharp” with parts covered with paint lines which clearly shows the bumper is not standard and repainted.

There are deformities on the bumper under the left light, grill, and left side where it is supposed to align with the fender. There are scratches on the newly sprayed bumper on more than one location. This looks like a really cheap replacement bumper was fitted and done unprofessionally.

POD used my vehicles loading bin as storage space for parts of other vehicles they've been working on which show the respect they have for client's vehicles trusted in their care.

During the QC tests I saw that my vehicle's drive selector was set to 4L (Four-wheel drive with low range transmission engaged). These vehicles are not built to be driven in 4L on paved surfaces as this can cause damage to the differential/transmission. POD just denied they did it and I now sit with a vehicle which I'm not sure if there might be damages to my drive train.

I would strongly advise anyone that is in need of panel beaters to look past POD as they clearly are very unprofessional and ***********.