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Circuit City Causes $12,119 Of Damage To New Honda

consumerist.com — Circuit City caused $12,119 worth of damage to a Honda Civic with 800 miles on the odometer while trying to install a Pioneer AVIC Z2 navigation system. Honda later declared the car a fire hazard and told the owner it was unsafe to drive.

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  • handstrongpimp, on 03/31/2008, -32/+9thats insane
    and u should sue... they'll pay u then....
    • Roger, on 03/31/2008, -9/+9O RLY?
      • gyrfalcon, on 03/31/2008, -18/+2The MSRP on a brand new Civic is $21,860-$30,510 USD...

        If anyone thinks messing up the heating ducts/wiring caused $12000 in damage they're insane. Marked as inaccurate.
      • JT114881, on 03/31/2008, -3/+3YA RLY
      • raynar, on 03/31/2008, -1/+5hahah...he drives a honda....WHERES MY BIG MUFFLER?!!
        • Skarz3d, on 03/31/2008, -1/+5The technical term is a "Fart Can"
        • boombye, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1intake & exhaust
          • boombye, on 04/03/2008, -0/+1That's what produces that farting sound in hondas people... people into tuning cars will get their intake and exhaust system first usually to make it sound like they got something under the hood.

            Or my friend took off his air filter one time to make it sound like he had an intake, it was funny.
        • gameforge, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1@Skarz3d
          "Fart" can? Where'd you get that from? Look more closely next time; the can says "Folgers" right on the label.
          • Monk22, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1becuase those mufflers make your car sound like it had a white castle bender for a week straight.
    • Razster, on 03/31/2008, -8/+15No, because you sign a piece of paper which states that CC is not liable for damages and that there installers are not certified to install GPS units. They are monkeys who can for a small cost, toss it(GPS unit) in there if you're not willing to spend the time going to a certified installer or your local Honda dealer to have it installed.

      As for why it cost $12k that is BS! From what he said, all they would really have to do it cut off the work CC did and solder on new ends (Splice), heat wrap and buy the correct adapters. WAY over inflated if you ask me and I use to be a grease monkey for 4 years. He loses because he thinks minimum wage people can do something they're not certified to do. I think they call that "Common Sense".
      • Spuy767, on 03/31/2008, -1/+17In order to bring the car bac to its original condition. I don't know about a Civic, but in the Last buick i worked on, there was over 900 feet of wire in the main wiring harness. That bastard cost several grand to replace, because almost the entire car had to be taken apart to install it.
      • bigdoof, on 03/31/2008, -0/+15Liability waivers mean absolutely nothing in the face of gross negligence. Though proving such a case is another matter entirely...
      • humperdeath, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1I had the exact same thing happenned to me, except it wasn't a GPS, it was a ceiling fan, and it was in my house, not the car. And also it was Home Depot, not Circuit city, but still, the wiring was all wrong, and it almost started a fire in the attic, the inspector said it was a fire hazard. Yup, same thing!
    • falstaff, on 03/31/2008, -0/+13The nav unit should be around $1000. It ends up costing this guy $13k or more (system + install + repair).
      All in all, that sounds like about the right markup for CC.
    • richbleak, on 03/31/2008, -2/+9People, please stop going to Circuit ***** for car electronics installs. Put on a red shirt and gather up some screwdrivers; there, you are now as qualified as their "professional" installers. This guy got what he deserved for being stupid enough to trust his car to these morons.
      • Junel, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2Not he didn't deserve this, some people don't have access to a quality installer, and some "quality" installers charge excessively inflated fees for their expertise. Also remember the quality of installation varies from store to store at these types of places, CC or professional.

        I went to a "professional" place recently and they tried to sell me on high priced components, telling me to spend money on the product rather than the installation, even though the product was about 300% higher than it should have been, the product would also have covered my air vents...
        • Monk22, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1"and some "quality" installers charge excessively inflated fees for their expertise"

          they charge that because you dont end up with this problem after they are done.
    • altidude, on 03/31/2008, -0/+6Your "y" and "o" keys appear to be working intermittently. I suggest you immediately call the Geek Squad.
  • ISmokesDaPot420, on 03/31/2008, -12/+381I call on the power of the internet to refund this man's money.
    Go, internets! Go!
    • phybere, on 03/31/2008, -12/+13If he gets $12,000 back, he's going to be making a few grand.
      Anybody else notice things like
      "found all interior plastic panels have been cracked or scratched"
      "found windshield was scratched along with sunroof glass"
      The car has 16k miles on it, and you're trying to tell me every single scratch in the car was caused by Circuit City?
      • cawpin, on 03/31/2008, -0/+12After that wiring job they shouldn't push their luck. If it was me I'd be doing the same thing, only probably louder.
      • SinisterDexter, on 03/31/2008, -0/+10When you bring a car in to get an estimate for repairs they note everything. I had someone drop an open umbrella on my hood causing a 9 inch scratch, when I brought it in to get an estimate they noted EVERY scratch on my car even in areas that they weren't planning on doing work.
      • Nth3nSum, on 03/31/2008, -0/+22They note every scratch because they don't want to be blamed later for something you didn't notice.
      • ninja0, on 03/31/2008, -2/+5Clearly you don't know jack about cars. First off, the damage on the car for 16k miles, is extensive.
    • haremchief, on 03/31/2008, -8/+3Not that this site would have been of particular assistance atm, but, over time if enough people make formal complaints about shoddy/shady businesses and/or their practices, maybe... Everyone knows it's all about 'supply/demand' -- DEMAND they fix their *****. Become a smart consumer. Oh yeah... ***** cc... and bb... and rs-----well, what rs has become anyway.

      http://search.bbb.org/
      http://welcome.bbb.org/
    • trshtehdsh, on 03/31/2008, -1/+15It's not that they aren't refunding his money- he probably paid a couple hundred for the "navigation system" and probably another couple hundred for the installation- i'm sure all in all it was less than $1000 for both. It's the damage they CAUSED that is making up that $12 grand, they cut wires and panels and fused things together, ultimating destroying the integrity of the electrical and heating systems... giving him back his money would be like refunding the $4 someone pays for ground beef, and not covering the thousands of dollars of medical bills from e. coli poisoning (yea, that was a stretch, but you get my point)
      • Nerfdude, on 03/31/2008, -5/+1why not take two seconds to look up the info? the AVIC Z2 is on sale at circuit city right now for $2000. also, installation is normally "free" (plus installation materials, usually about 30 bucks at a big box store).
        as a car audio fanboy (sorry, but i'd rather be a fanboy than a "-phile" or "buff"), it annoys me that you put "navigation system" in quotations, as though it wouldn't be a full featured navigation system. this leads me to believe you're a pompous clown with a subpar factory navigation system, which rarely measure up to aftermarket units.
        or maybe i'm looking too far into your misinformed post. either way the equipment alone cost this guy two grand easily.
      • mddawso, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3Nav usually isn't free install. You gotta run an antenna and hook up a bunch of other wires. It's like a $100 more. But they do occasionally run free ins.
    • monospaced, on 03/31/2008, -1/+7The reason they want to speak to the 3rd party insurance company instead of the owner of the vehicle is to cut out the middle man. A very similar situation happened to me, and when it gets to the point where you're getting expensive repairs, this often happens. Yeah, Circuit City jacked up, but there's no reason to complain and sick the internets on their ass.
      • Altotus, on 03/31/2008, -0/+4I agree. This is a situation where I'd have my people (my auto insurance company) talk to their people (their insurance company). There's a reason both parties are insured, and this is one of those reasons.
        • CapitalPro, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3Except the thing is here, the damage caused by circuit city is not covered under a personal auto insurance policy. Take a look at it sometime, you'd be surprised what it does and does not cover, and it certainly does not cover the damage done to your vehicle by a 3rd party doing repairs or installations on your vehicle. However, Circuit City likely does have coverage for their employee's negligence and therefore they would cover the expenses of returning his vehicle back to the condition it was in prior to the installation.
      • yaddayaddayoda, on 03/31/2008, -2/+1sick (sic)
    • R34C7, on 03/31/2008, -0/+7I think I would call on the power of the courts personally. A certified installer should be reasonably expected to make an installation without making the car undriveable and negligence usually pierces contractual disclaimers.
      • stretch611, on 03/31/2008, -0/+4Yes, you can make reasonable assumptions about a certified installer. However, Circuit City does not want to pay for a professional and hires a kid fresh out of high school.
      • Kryptenx, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1A certified installer wouldn't have done that unless he cheated on the test to pass. Problem is, the big chains like to advertise their installers as all MECP Certified when only a small percentage are. When I worked at Best Buy our install bay was one of the few in the state that had all of its installers certified. We had one of the top 100 stores and managers that didn't mess around, but most stores don't. They released a document I wish I would have saved that showed only about 7% of their total installers are MECP Certified(although advertise that 100% are).
      • mddawso, on 03/31/2008, -2/+1haha, the car was unable to be driven due to spliced wires, and a broken heating duct? Hardly.
    • sporg, on 03/31/2008, -1/+8I see some damaged plastic dash panels and a few wiring harnesses that need to be replaced or repaired. I dont see anything that justifies $12,000 dollars in repairs.
      • dacrazydude, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2unless it caused a power shortage which fried the E.C.U. and other electrical components.
        • sporg, on 04/02/2008, -0/+1Except that it did not since he says he had been driving it around like that for weeks. Did you read the article?
      • stretch611, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Except that the cost of new parts direct from the manufacturer are very expensive. (Manufacturers make a lot more money from parts then from selling complete cars.)
        I one had a plastic clip break in a window assembly motor. The clip was probably worth 25cents. However, GM did not sell the clip alone. The whole $600 window motor assembly had to be replaced. Fortunately, I was under an extended warranty and the warranty company paid.
        • ninja0, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1There were these plastic screw things for my door panel on my old integra that had plastic that spread apart when screwed in.... those are 3.50 a piece from honda. easily 2 cents of plastic.
      • Kryptenx, on 03/31/2008, -2/+0Wiring is ridiculously expensive and hard to diagnose. It's never as simple as replacing a few wiring harnesses(not easy in itself without gutting the car) when new cars now have multiple computer systems on board.
    • FlyingSpaghetti, on 03/31/2008, -0/+4The power of Internet compels you! The power of Internet compels you!
    • Cowboy1015, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Let's stop going to CircuitCity website!!! Go!
    • tyywebb, on 04/03/2008, -0/+1/notyourpersonalarmy
  • LMControl, on 03/31/2008, -15/+209CC is a bunch of douche-bags.... almost as bad as Best Buy. If you haven't followed the story, be sure to read it. CC is now saying the car that they destroyed isn't their problem and referred him to some insurance company, which I'm sure will refuse to pay for some BS reason.

    Come on Diggers.... time we flex some muscle again.
    • chanop, on 03/31/2008, -3/+34Diggers have muscles?
    • ileftfark, on 03/31/2008, -0/+98"flex some muscle"? We have to be the laziest activists on the planet. Our idea of protest is to click on the "digg it" button, with the self-satisfaction of knowing we made a difference.
      • CJMac, on 03/31/2008, -0/+23I've done my part, I digged you up. Now my conscience is clean
      • warsql, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2In cases like this, it does mean something. CC is going to have a PR problem if this story gets around.
        • nickj6282, on 03/31/2008, -0/+10I think Circuit City's PR problems started long before this article went up.
      • CompIsMyRx, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1I'm not surprised this happened. I live near that particular CC and I can tell you that everyone that works there, from managers to stock clerks, is incompetent.
      • Spottswood, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1...and WHAT a difference we make! (Im being serious, every little helps!) Plus you can argue that offering knowledge is the only noble and selfless form of activism.
    • boshaus, on 03/31/2008, -9/+33flex muscles like ya'll did to get ron paul elected.. oh wait.
    • astrotrain, on 03/31/2008, -2/+35I am Hans and I am Franz... and we're here to Digg **CLAPP** YOU UP!.
    • melonhedd, on 03/31/2008, -2/+1again?
    • thedogfatherx, on 03/31/2008, -0/+17It is circuit city's problem but theres a ***** reason they have insurance and thats exactly what they said. It's in their insurance companies hands. Thats what insurance is for. Bottom line, he will get it fixed or the problem resolved. They ***** up his car now they need to fix it somehow.
      • Double0Doug, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3EXACTLY!

        Now if the insurance doesn’t come through… then make a stink. Otherwise it seems like this is going to the proper channels.
      • CapitalPro, on 03/31/2008, -1/+0Yup,
        If you got into a car accident and didn't pay someone out of your own pocket would people scream at you....? No, they would expect your insurance company to pay. Now maybe if you did a small amount of damage you would pay out of your own pocket, but in this case, I think it makes more sense for them to file a claim.
    • PhoebusApollo, on 03/31/2008, -0/+15This is why there is insurance, I don't see how refering him to the insurance company is bad, the whole reason CC has insurance is for situations like this.
    • ThugThrasher, on 03/31/2008, -1/+8I don't get what the problem is. Yes, they ***** up his car. So what they did was refund his money and then refer him to the insurance company they use to handle problems when they mess up someone's car.
      If we have an accident, it's my fault, and it causes a lot of damage to your car, you wouldn't expect me to pay it out of pocket, would you? No, most likely you would let it go through the insurance company first because that is what they are THERE for.
      Now, if the insurance company had DENIED the claim and it was their fault and they STILL refused to pay....THEN it would be a story. As it is now, it's just "They messed up my car, they gave me a little bit of the money they owe me, they referred me to their insurance company and ITS PROCESSING!" NOT a terrible thing.
      • PacketScan, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2The problem is they the installers CUT into the air box. That is never EVER considered acceptable.
        Any persn Properly Trained, or with Common sensed would know this.
        • ThugThrasher, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1That doesn't seem to be what most people are complaining about. I mean, if people were complaining because whoever did the job didn't get fired, that'd be one thing. But they're saying CC is screwing the guy over by not paying for the damages when all they are doing is going through the normal channels you'd have to go through with most companies that properly insure themselves against damage their employees cause.
    • monospaced, on 03/31/2008, -0/+7You, sir, are retarded. Sending him to their approved 3rd party insurer is the only way for that kid to get his car fixed, and the right move by CC. Why the hell gives you the idea that they aren't going to fix his car?
    • way2muchsense, on 03/31/2008, -1/+9They're WORSE than Best Buy, actually. A while back, they decided their more experienced customer service and sales reps (and presumably their technicians as well) were too expensive to keep on the payroll, so they fired them and replaced them with inexperienced n00bs. This doesn't shock me one bit.
      • ThugThrasher, on 03/31/2008, -0/+6Yes, they also fired their technicians. I worked there when that went down. I don't now.
        They fired ANYONE who wasn't management and made over a certain "cap," regardless of experience/training/anything.
      • stretch611, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1I remember that (about a year ago) and I am proud to say that because of it I have not been to circuit city since.
    • JointVenture, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1But what about the person or corporations right to privacy?
    • rblancarte, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2"referred him to some insurance company, which I'm sure will refuse to pay for some BS reason."
      BURIED.
      Give me a break, you don't know that they are not going to pay.
      Look, CC may be douche bags, but at the same time, they seem to have been reasonable (although slow) in handling this case. They don't seem to be fully abandoning him (again, they referred him to their insurance company), until he gets a "we aren't paying notice" this is way premature to even be up for the corporate carpet bombs.
    • utahnkid, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3And this is the inherent problem with a mob mentality. It's got plenty of muscle but very little brains. Why don't you do a little more reading into the situation before you call in the intertubes.
  • Tonorific, on 03/31/2008, -37/+10I feel for this guy, I don't get why he'd let them install the radio though. That said, I thought only the fire marshal could declare fire hazards. Another group of people that I'm suspicious of is car dealerships. I don't let them touch my cars, let alone declare them anything.
    Which brings me to my other point. Had Civic Boy been 'internet savy' he would have done some research and found out that Circuit City is the last place to buy an AVIC Z2, not to mention letting someone of the Circuit City caliber work on your new ride (I'm thinking work-release here). So why should the internet rush to the rescue of Civic Boy? Had he payed more attention to the Internet he would have avoided Circuit City along with all of their BS.
    • NoCt1, on 03/31/2008, -10/+5And you are a Douche. Thats it. Im not going to say anything else but the simple fact You are a DOUCHE! Not even a clean one. But a used up old dirty one that should be thrown away but yet you still are walking around.. Serious we need to have harsher penalty's for littering.. Dbag.
    • JT114881, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2It was a navigation system...
  • fireboyjinx, on 03/31/2008, -6/+80How am I not surprised....I've never had good service from them...they Should start calling them "Short-Circuit City"
    • SkippyDoorknob, on 03/31/2008, -0/+47Too bad they don't have an "S" in their name, then we could replace it with "$". That would really show them!
      • BoneheadFarker, on 03/31/2008, -0/+50You could always call them ¢ircuit ¢ity...
    • cloak419, on 03/31/2008, -0/+8I get it.
    • santaliqueur, on 03/31/2008, -0/+21I always liked "Circuit *****".
    • astrotrain, on 03/31/2008, -0/+4Circuit City has always been a store that amazes me..... It amazes me how they stay in business with high prices, low stock and a skeleton crew (always leaving the checkout lanes w/o any staff).

      "You got just what I needed..........like a hole in my head...."
    • Creeture, on 03/31/2008, -0/+8No disassemble?
    • sindex, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3Plus they could be staffed entirely by Johnny 5s then. And maybe that Indian guy. And hell, he's got the time, so Steve Gutenberg too.
    • jwoodsutk, on 03/31/2008, -2/+4i see what you did there
    • BetterOffEd, on 03/31/2008, -1/+4I'm trying not to see what you did there.
  • radarbeam, on 03/31/2008, -6/+86I don't know what's the standard for labour charges by a dealership in the US but $4845.00 / 51 Hrs = $95/hr!!!. My Toyota dealership charges $60 CAN/hr. I get a feeling you're getting hosed on the # of hrs of labour as well. I also find hard to believe that there's $6000 worth of damaged parts in there. I think you're getting hosed by both CC and the dealership.

    I'd suggest you get a second opinion from another honda dealership. Since you're not too far from both NJ and CT why not see which one has the lower sale taxes and have your car fixed there.

    Good luck
    • Pete0430, on 03/31/2008, -5/+8Can I get the address of this magical Toyota dealership? No one in Canada works for less than 75/hour
      • radarbeam, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3Yep, Dery Toyota.
      • dezman2003, on 03/31/2008, -4/+7You must be from Toronto or some other large city that thinks it's Canada, you statement is not only incorrect but ridiculous also. There are MANY mechanic shops, even dealer shops that work for less than $75 an hour. Just because you're getting ***** don't assume the rest of us are.
        • lintmonkey, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3Of course we're not. We're digg users.
    • Cerialthriller, on 03/31/2008, -0/+16well it says in the estimate somethign was shorted, which in a car takes a very long time to remove the old wiring systems and put new ones. I had an alarm that short circuited in a 96 grand cherokee and it went off randomly all the time and the estimate came to $8500 and my insurance company totalled it
    • Flytrap7, on 03/31/2008, -0/+21Check the address of the dealership on the bill's letterhead.

      $95 an hour is pretty good for Long Island. Most of the dealerships out here are above $100 an hour
      • iruber1337, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Seriously - a mechanic wanted $100 to install a piece of plastic, went to my neighbor (since he is that odd job guy that happens to have car repairs on his resume). He did it in thirty minutes and all for some Taco Bell.
    • ileftfark, on 03/31/2008, -0/+10In the US, especially in NY, $95/hr is not unusual. I live in a low-cost-of-living area in PA (we get a lot of people who work in NY/NJ for the cash, and live here cause its cheap), and I still pay like $75/hr at my local Meineke shop. ***** is ridiculous.
      • RealmDown, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2Yet another reason why New Yorkers are so grouchy.
    • Spuy767, on 03/31/2008, -2/+4Keep in mind people. this is not what the techs make but what the dealership charges for a labor hour. Techs make between 20 and 30$ for heach hour worked, the dealership keeps the rest.
      • CTRaider, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2I get the impression from your comment that the techs are not making enough and the company is really raking in the dough.

        Keep in mind the dealership pays for workman's comp, state taxes, federal taxes, liability ins, health ins, materials, secretaries, janitors, water, electricity, rent/lease, property taxes, managers,.... (doesn't really get to keep the "rest" as you stated)

        Not to mention. The dealership owner is the one that has taken the risk, has the most to loose and therefore should get the most in return.
    • spyd3rweb, on 03/31/2008, -6/+2$12k for 6" of wire and some glue for the tweeters...
    • roosterjm2k2, on 03/31/2008, -4/+7Even on that front...if the techs are trained, they shouldntt be taking more than an hour or so to find the problem. Shorts are easy to find. I used to be a phone tech, I've been in houses with 30+ phone jacks in them piled into a giant rat's nest of wire...and I can find a short or even a partial sort in a few minutes with a volt-meter... give me an Ohm-meter and I'll tell you how many feet away it is...

      Dealerships chose to take the long way around a problem (which includes checking unrelated systems) when they are making their estimates... I recorded conversations, left a video cam in my truck (one small lipstick cam on the hood looking into the engine) and one in the interior looking towards the problem... a broken intake fan on the A/C for the recirculate option)

      Their "estimate" included a lot of random stuff ... and the overall estimate was around $600 for me. After they serviced it, I paid. I checked the cameras, they had done nothing more on my truck than pull of the cover and replace the fan motor...they were literally working for less than 10 minutes. (billed 3 hours) I went in with my video and a list of names/numbers for corporate contacts in chevy, the dealer's own insurance provider, local tv stations, and my insurance (that paid for it) ... needless to say it was refunded...and on top of that my truck got turned into a nearly "factory fresh" truck to keep me from "sharing" my video/report... they replaced a dash panel that was warped, my stock stereo (i scratched the lcd cover) and a few random thing...all for free...

      Dealers/Mechanics are crooks, every last one of them...
      • SinisterDexter, on 03/31/2008, -0/+4Mechanics some times get paid from a work guide. Meaning that they get paid what ever the work guide tells them they should for a particular job. If the guide says 3 hours, that's what they get paid that's what you get billed. If they only took 10 minutes, which I doubt if the work guide said 3 hours, then they still get paid for 3 hours. The checking of 'unrelated systems' is usually to cover their ass. That fan motor might have blown due to a greater electrical problem. Also, you don't have to have them do all the work. You don't have to have them do any of the work. Go get a second opinion. Or go out and get your self a service manual(Chilton or Haynes might work. Might not be in depth enough for your problem) and fix it your self. Just hope that you don't need any specialty tools to take that panel off.
        You say that Dealers/Mechanics are crooks, I say that car owners trying to screw hard working people out of their wages are the real crooks.
      • csw1342, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2I am not a crook.
      • lucutus, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2Granted there are alot of crooks in the business but not every mechanic is a crook and not every short is easy to find. Wiring harnesses in cars are much more complicated and inaccessible than the average residential phone system. Most of the miles of wiring in a car is put in before the car is assembled. Just getting to a lot of the wiring in a car can be 10+ hrs by the book rate. (The time the manufacturer says it takes to perform a task)
      • csw1342, on 04/02/2008, -0/+1^^
    • SinisterDexter, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Considering they need to replace entire wiring harnesses and possibly the main interior wiring harness I'd say it's about right. Normally on Civics you can get to the radio area pretty easily(such is the case on the 7th Generation's and I'd only assume that Honda didn't change the design too severely to screw over people for the 8th Gen's. But once you are inside there it's a tight fit. Should they have to replace the entire harness they will have to dismantle the dashboard and other systems that are already in place.
      • Qumahlin, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1While I do agree with you, you say "they will have to dismantle the dashboard and other systems that are already in place." Honestly in a Civic that takes all of 45 minutes..i've done it plenty of times while replacing/installing my own gear. I can have the majority of the dash all the way from the drivers side to the passengers side removed in a hearbeat. If not for some of the harder to reach screws in the actual radio mounting and my big hands I'd be able to get it done even faster.
    • monospaced, on 03/31/2008, -4/+2You think he's getting hosed? The freakin' Insurance Company for Circuit City is going to fix the whole damn thing. The very fact that there is $12K of damage means that he's probably getting MORE fixed than the installers destroyed. Read before you make stupid comments like that.
      • radarbeam, on 03/31/2008, -0/+4I guess I missed the part in the article that said CC underwriters would pony up the dough for this guy's repair. Oh wait ...it doesn't mention anything about that. You know, insurance would find the pettiest reasons not to pay. Get off your high horses, that guy's nightmare is far from over yet. Do you work for a dealership or what?
    • dngbauer, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1I own a honda and i have had some problems but overall i love my car, however, dealing with a honda dealer is something I could live without. They overcharge you for every single little and big thing. Its ridiculous, and Customer service is non-existant. just wait till you have to have your pressed wheel bearings replaced. Honda will hose you to the extreme.
      • Qumahlin, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2"Honda will hose you to the extreme"....anytime you take your car to a dealer...your getting hosed. I don't care what dealer it is, Honda, Ford, Nissan, etc, etc...you find me a dealer that ISN'T screwing you on service and i'll move just to start taking my car there.
    • pathfinder, on 03/31/2008, -1/+5Doesn't $60 Canadian roughly equal $95 US these days?
    • stretch611, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2Cadillac Dealer in Atlanta $110/hr. However I get my work done at a reputable independent shop. He charges $60/hour. He is also good to me and his other clients and knows almost every repeat customer by name. (and he has a lot of repeat business)
    • zachattack5491, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1Dude, 51 hours of labor is a lot for any repair. It would have cost me $900 dollars at my local shop to replace a fuel pump. It took me 2 hours to do myself. To start off, the electrical system in a 2007 Honda would cost a lot by its self... and then 51 hours of labor.... I'd say even with a second opinion the lowest price would be $10k.
  • radarbeam, on 03/31/2008, -3/+18Yep find another dealer......
    http://www.dealerrater.com/dealer/North-Shore-Hond ...
    • fearlessfx, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3wow, the sales manager sounds like a complete douchebagel
    • daizaru, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3Wow digg this guy up, I think this is the more pressing problem. This dealership pretty much just scams everyone who comes through their doors.
    • FuriousGopher, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Unless it's a misleading dealership name, why the Hell is Honda paired with Saab?
  • Pete0430, on 03/31/2008, -1/+25As sad as it is to see, many times, the people who work in the bays don't have any kind of certification. That wasn't even a clean splicing job either... piss poor effort Circuit City
    • Detritus, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2Yea anyone with any certification is getting paid what they're worth elsewhere.

      I love Tweeter and go to them for everything after having CC screw up a Sirius install. All of the guys at my local Tweeter know what they're doing and take a lot of pride in their work. Whenever I go back there, if the bay is open, one of the guys will recognize me and greet me.
  • unicronband, on 03/31/2008, -0/+149These guys couldn't install an air freshener without ***** something up.
  • stevenstclair, on 03/31/2008, -4/+11A friend of mine took his brand new 1999 Mustang to Circuit City (back in 1999), just to have an alarm system installed, and they completely screwed up his whole electrical system in the car. Luckily the matter got worked out, and Circuit City paid to have his Mustang fixed.
    • chanop, on 03/31/2008, -6/+1This story should be about you, dude!
      /sarcasm
    • Zimarooski, on 03/31/2008, -6/+1JUST an alarm system? You make it sound like it's so easy to do.
      • Lanlost, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2I don't see how that's relevant. To him getting an alarm system done is 'just' one thing. He obviously DIDN'T think it was that easy to do which is why he took it somewhere where THEY were supposed to be able to do all the hard work. They should charge accordingly and do the job right. It shouldn't have to be a question of the difficulty.

        IF it was something that was being done by a friend of his or himself I can see your comment sticking more.
  • ScienceDoc, on 03/31/2008, -5/+77People still go to Circuit City? Weird.
    • dmark77, on 03/31/2008, -1/+31Its the best place to go if you'd like an entire store to yourself :)
      • Spuy767, on 03/31/2008, -1/+5I remember riding to athens with a friend of mine. Suddenly she wanted to pick up something from the closest electronics store, so she pulls in CC. I remember thinking how eerie it was to be inside this nearly vacant building. Also I got in an argument with an associate who was trying to sell a first gen iPod nano to an older woman claiming that it would play video and eventually getting kicked out of the store after telling the woman that the sales associate was lying and would apparently say anything to move a product. Ahh CC, those were the days.
    • PhoebusApollo, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2Let's all just go to Walmart and Costco instead.
    • Tyrghast, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1Yeah i didn't know they were still in business...
      • Xaser, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Yea let BB run the show and see how much everyone loves it.. We need two sucky major retailers in this world
    • ensta2, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1Not anymore. Its Best Buy and Wally World for me
    • andrew522, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2to be honest I prefer Circuit City over Best Buy... (and they are right across the street from each other). At least the people at my Circuit City have never screwed me over.
    • Matty007, on 03/31/2008, -1/+0Well I guess this explains why the CC down the street just closed.
  • uncommonwords, on 03/31/2008, -7/+5I think I might burn circuit city down in this case. Not that i am condoning arson or anything like that....
  • legoalert33, on 03/31/2008, -21/+13Your a ***** retard for taking your car to Circuit City, and that is NOT $12,119 of damage. If you paid that much you got raped by a repair shop.
    • vibrokatana, on 03/31/2008, -2/+10When your forking out 70+ dollars an hour for labor it adds up really quick.
      • legoalert33, on 03/31/2008, -6/+1Even at $70 I cannot see that job lasting longer than a day, its all electrical work. a spool at 14 gauge wire, heat shrink, tape, OEM plugs, and side cuts is all it takes for parts too. Its merely 2 wires to each speaker, about 20-30 wire to the receiver, power and signal to GPS, and if he even has one just a couple wires to the amp.
        • jftitan, on 03/31/2008, -0/+5Hmmm people seem to not realize what a wiring harness is. I've done factory to aftermarket sound system on all my cars personally, and I can at least say, it is a BITCH of a job to ensure a clean install with some level of backwards compat. to have a factory sound put back in.

          Most wiring harness are wrapped with other wiring systems. Thus the climate control and other electrical systems are effected because when a dealership says it has to replace a wiring harness then it is going to entail removing dash, center console, and just about everything tied together on that same wiring loom. Its not a simple job. Anyone with experience dropping a whole new engine into a car not made for it, will know when it comes to wiring up a electrical system, it gets tedious and labor some really quick. Just to drop a 99 SVT Contour V6 motor into a old 87 Escort GT required so much work that the project got scrapped in the middle of it. Electrical was the issue.

          But yeah, labor adds up faster than the parts. And Dealerships suck ass.
        • legoalert33, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Your obvious mistake is that it was not a ls1, But otherwise your right.
    • Razster, on 03/31/2008, -4/+4You sir are my new friend for having common sense, which seems to be lacking in this buried inaccurate digg.
    • ChrisF79, on 03/31/2008, -1/+7"Your a ***** retard" shows that the person pointing the finger needs to take a long look at himself in the mirror. Here's a hint--the retard is looking right back at you. The irony in the "your a retard" statement never gets old.
    • xlar54, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1I would agree based on no knowledge whatsoever. I guess it depends on who is doing the repairs...
    • disraeligears54, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1possessive case FTW....no YOU'RE the ***** retard
  • baalzebub, on 03/31/2008, -3/+12if i owned a car that new the only people i would allow to work on it would be a Honda certified dealer (mechanic)...
    • shaka999, on 03/31/2008, -2/+6Problem is that factory installed electronics are usually over priced crap.
      • rajputwarrior, on 03/31/2008, -4/+2yup, i have a 07 civic and parts from honda are just stupid expensive, their is no reason for it..
      • baalzebub, on 03/31/2008, -2/+1so...you are saying it is much better to have some uneducated nerd from Circuit City cause 12 thousand dollars worth of damage to the car just to save a few dollars up front?
        (an old mechanic myself) i know that it is better to pay a few dollars more up front for a certified mechanic to do the job right in the first place than to waste time with kid barely out of highschool working for some second rate electronics store (12 thousand dollars worth damage is enough to prove that!)...
        • Qumahlin, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1No, the answer is to go to a REPUTABLE 3rd party installer. Most times when it comes to aftermarket stuff the Honda certified techs aren't any better. I use to own a Civic and my local radio/tint shop could do faster and cleaner work then Honda could.

          That way not only do you have someone with knowledge about 3rd party accessories, but also someone with knowledge about most cars and isn't going to totally rape you on price.

          The issue is circuit city usually has one actual "tech" and the rest of the people are essentially glorified shop hands who think they know how to do it when in reality they don't. One time I bought a headunit at Circuit City because they had a great open box deal and installation was included. I let them install it, walked back into the shop, immediately pointed out multiple flaws in the work as the kid was doing it and the REAL tech came over and immediately took over and did a proper install.
    • EureekaDee, on 03/31/2008, -0/+0Or a well known car electronics shop, we have shops here that have people who are TRAINED. I would never bring my new car to Circuit City, it's almost worth paying *****. Besides I have an 05 Honda I bought new and the sound system is factory and kicks ass.
  • minorthreat, on 03/31/2008, -10/+595 dollars an hour for labor?? WTF?
    • minorthreat, on 03/31/2008, -3/+1not only that, but what parts???

      I say it would take a day TOPS, to remove the dash and see what a ***** job they did on the wiring. You would think the guy who brought his car in would question the 6000 in parts, hell, I would expect new interior and wires for that. Oh well.. when will people learn to do some things theirselves. Installing stereo's, speakers.. navigation systems is not rocket science. Even assholes at circuit city figured out how to do it. People are just so damn lazy, they would rather spend hundreds of dollars paying some unqualified ***** to do the same job you can do, but take twice as long and do it twice as *****.

      There is something to be said about "If you want something done right, then do it yourself"... Your grandpa wasn't lying to you.
      • alittleroy101, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2RTFA: All the panels were scratched, the glass was scratched to *****, and holes were cut into parts that should not have holes in them. Those are the parts.
        Point two: The reason we have specialists in each field is because some people value their free time and are happy to pay a professional to do jobs. Everyone in the world can paint houses with minimal training, but there are still plenty of painting companies. Why? Because no one wants to kill several weekends painting their ***** house.
    • Yodzilla, on 03/31/2008, -1/+7What are you, 12? $100 an hour for labor is nothing. Hell I charge that sometimes for web work. Get a life.
      • qxcvr, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Yeah I did a lot of mechanic work myself. the guy turning the wrench usually gets about $25-35 an hour and the shop gets the remainder. $100 is a fairly accurate estimate. Its pretty obvious what kind of auto maintenance you get for LESS than $100 an hour... isn't that why this guy has problems in the first place... Its not like you are maintaining a lawnmower...
    • wilf_brim, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1The labor rate is consistent with those of others in the area (Long Island, NY). The entire dash needs to be replaced, along with the ductwork and wiring harness. $6000 seems in the ballpark for that.
    • minorthreat, on 03/31/2008, -1/+4For all of you who say 100 an hour is reasonable... this is for you...

      If I have to pay someone more than what I make an hour.. $25-30.. It is more cost efficient for me to do it myself.. I go to college for 5 years and Im sure as hell not going to pay some ***** twice what I make an hour to do some manual labor that I can learn on the spot.

      With cars, I have replaced suspension, timing chains, brakes, water pumps, stereo's, speakers. In my house I have put wood floors down, tile in the kitchen, new counter tops, painted my whole god damn house. All by myself, its not that hard.. If I pay someone less than what I make an hour it is more cost efficient for me to pay them. If I miss work or use my spare time to work on things that someone else charges $50 an hour, Im better off doing it myself. Telling me to get a life because I do my own work and know when Im getting ripped off does not seem very logical to me, what would you suggest I do? American Idol? Counter Strike? Beat off?

      People aren't wise with their money anymore. Do your own work, put the difference of money it would cost to hire someone into your stock account. When your 60 years old, you will be so rich you can hire someone to clip your ***** toenails while your out doing whatever you do in your valuable time.
  • brbubba, on 03/31/2008, -8/+3It's called the legal system, buy yourself a clue and learn how to use it!
    • ThugThrasher, on 03/31/2008, -0/+0At the moment, CC hasn't done anything to get sued about. Not saying it definitely won't end that way, but as of now they've done everything they SHOULD have, really. They refunded the guy's money for the install & radio and whatever. PLUS, they've referred him to their insurance company, which investigates claims like this and then, if they are found to be at fault, pays for the repairs. And, really, that's the reason insurance companies exist. If the claim is denied, I honestly think it should be the insurance company that should get sued, not circuit city. I mean, you don't sue your doctor if your insurance refuses to pay for your life-saving treatment, you sue the insurance company.
    • ninja0, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1He signed those rights away.
  • MCGrunge1, on 03/31/2008, -2/+160$12k damage, to a Civic. That's damn close to totaled.
    • GThrift, on 03/31/2008, -0/+23If it were me I would have CC's insurance company replace the car. The $12k in repairs are now associated with the car and absolutely destroys the resale value of the car.
    • onlyclave, on 03/31/2008, -0/+6This is not the first time Circuit City has done something like this. A few years ago one of their car audio installers drilled a hole through the firewall of a Lexus. If you know anything about how those are built, the firewall is a double wall with sand in the middle for sound deadening. Once that sand comes out there is no way to put it back in. CC bought that customer a new car.

      They also managed to cut through a fuel line in another Civic where the line was enclosed in part of the metal body frame. Once that was cut there was no replacing that lien either. New car for him too.

      I don't know why everybody thinks it's such a bad thing that CC referred him to their insurance company. This is the exact reason why they carry insurance.
    • tdogg241, on 03/31/2008, -1/+6The new Civic Si retails at ~$21k.
    • ninja0, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2Agreed. I still dont get it though... just looks like they messed up a wiring harness... plus ya the windshield and stuff but the parts alone from the work I've done in the past, seems like about 600-1.5k worth....
      yes, there is labour on top of that, but 12k?
    • iliketuna, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3vtec can't kick in yo
  • misterparry, on 03/31/2008, -11/+2I expected that from best buy, not circut *****
  • halobender, on 03/31/2008, -8/+2Lisp anyone?
  • dupswapdrop, on 03/31/2008, -8/+2Lets see it's always the blue wire to defuse right? Oh well here we go snip BOOM!
  • slsashrk, on 03/31/2008, -2/+11Sux for this guy, but I can't really feel too bad for him... How many years have people been reporting horrible dealings with CC? Yet, people are still willing to let these jokers cut into their cars! I wouldn't let those fools check the air pressure in my tires, let alone install (or attempt to) anything inside the vehicle.
  • digitalunit, on 03/31/2008, -5/+11Not to be an ***** or anything but the title is misleading, the car has 16,116 miles on it.. Which is still very low miles.. Why would you fudge it even lower? Wtf?
    • djSyndrome, on 03/31/2008, -0/+7From the original post on 8thCivic.com:
      "I called this store but never had a response from Circuit City. Months went by and I drove my car adding over 15,000 miles while I contacted Circui City about this issues I was having. I finally wrote an email decribling the problems..."
      • lintmonkey, on 03/31/2008, -0/+315K miles in "months"? That's like *twelve* months on average. I'd say his statute of limitations has pretty much expired if he hasn't gotten in touch with the right people yet.
        • SilentBobSC, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2No Kidding! That's damn near a full year's worth of miles on the car. For any chance, he'd have to started the ***** after he got it home. Now, they can just say "it's beyond our service warranty and we can't be certain that this was done by our workers." Not that its fair, but I've seen this exact thing happen with smaller, local shops in my area.
    • cliffhanger407, on 03/31/2008, -2/+6The car had only 800 miles on it when the work was done. RTFA.
  • Deputy_Doodah, on 03/31/2008, -16/+6Why in the hell would anyone let kids at ANY store screw with their car? If you can't install it yourself, you don't deserve to have it.
    BTW, anyone who installs a 15" subwoofer and drives by my house will have their paint marred by shotgun pellets.
    • digitalunit, on 03/31/2008, -2/+11Texas, It's like a whole 'nother country.
      • ScottyMcBaggs, on 03/31/2008, -1/+6Colons: Sometimes more appropriate than commas.
    • Shivatron, on 03/31/2008, -3/+11I take it you don't have electricity, telephone, gas or cable. You've never taken your car to anyone for any kind of service. And if you ever need surgery, you'll just perform the operation yourself. After all, "if you can't install it yourself, you don't deserve to have it."

      Obviously, this is an exaggeration, but the point remains: it's arrogant and foolish to assume that someone is undeserving simply because they don't have the skills to do it on their own.
      • Deputy_Doodah, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1Yeah. Comparing something simple like sticking a stereo in your dash to surgery IS obviously quite an exaggeration. The former task can be accomplished by a high school kid with crimps and a screwdriver, while the latter requires eight years of schooling plus years of experience and some very expensive specialized equipment.

        Great comparison there, buddy. Here's your sign.
    • Psythik, on 03/31/2008, -3/+3Why is he getting buried? This is the best comment I've heard all day.
      • geodescent, on 03/31/2008, -2/+4Because clearly a ***** of Diggers are modded Civic-driving idiots with subwoofers and those fart mufflers
    • alittleroy101, on 03/31/2008, -2/+2You're a ***** idiot. I assume that you will always do all repairs on your house and land then. You will never need the services of a plumber, painter, electrician or landscaping service. Also, I will be impressed to watch you perform all your own dental work. You apparently have more free time than anyone else on here.
      • Deputy_Doodah, on 03/31/2008, -2/+1Someone who can't do that type of work is the f***ing idiot, son.
        Grown men DO do all the repairs on their houses, cars, etc. That includes, but is not limited to plumbing, painting, electrical and landscaping.
        Dental work?.....well to be quite honest....sometimes.

        You must have grown up without a dad around. That's really too bad.
        • alittleroy101, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2That is not the case at all. I value my free time outside of the office enough that I will pay someone to perform their specialty.
        • Deputy_Doodah, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1I value my money enough that I will do it myself. Free time won't pay my daughter's tuition and it doesn't accrue interest in an IRA.
          Besides, doing home repairs & (especially) landscaping is satisfying work after being stuck in an office all day. Hell, on weekdays I'd rather cut grass than fish.

          Glad to know you have a dad though. Too many kids out there without one, and that is a constant burden on my mind.
        • arcooke, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1Step off your pedestal.
    • DrummerAndrew, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2I'll be over with my 12" w7's soon, since they aren't 15s.
      • dizturbd2, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1They sure sound like 15s, though.
  • joeanon, on 03/31/2008, -30/+90The car isn't even worth that much more than 12,000 since you drove it off the lot.

    How could CC possibly do that much damage. Clearly this guy is trumping up the charge with a WAY OVER THE TOP bill and now trying to use digg to get media attention.

    Get a real quote from a real mechanic... and notice their wage it shouldn't be over 80 dollars an hour.

    I can't see how anyone would fall for 12k in damages from a radio install. That car is only worth 14-26k. It's just not logically possible to do that much damage.

    I watched the video.. and this guy is a whiner. He is talking about his family was at risk and his clients.. total BS. Look man.. there was no smoke, nor fire.. your fire claim is *****.

    Cars have been installed like that with spliced wires for decades without problems. What to you think electric tape is made for ? Taping electrons together ?

    It's a ***** job, but it's nothing amazingly bad to the point that it would cost even close to 12k to fix.

    Maybe this guy is 'friends' with someone at the repair shop or such, but why not just re-splice the proper adapters and speaker cable extensions and then install the speakers correctly.

    Re-doing everything is just retarded. Well done splices are not fire hazards. How do you think your home appliances are hooked up. Are they soldier together or using special crimped connectors... NOOO. They use simple screw connectors and that's much higher wattage than anything in your car.

    Any fool could fix the wiring for next to nothing. I can't see much of the other claims being truly legit. It's a 2007 so it's not really a new car. While some of the damage is irreversible it;s hidden as he said he had no idea. It's not wrong to mod a car sometimes when trying to install equipment. Certainly these guys did a horrible job, and CC gave him back his money.

    He may sue, but claiming 12k is ridiculous and will just raise the prices for everyone else so this guy can MAKE MONEY off his misfortune. Well you should be reimibursed for the damages, but you shouldn't profit from this and clearly that's what he is trying to do.

    Shop around and you can probably BUY that car with under 5k miles for 12k. Maybe you can claim CC spilled coffee on your crotch while installing the radio as well and you slipped in the wet spot and now your disabled.

    Why not go all the way man.

    • digitalunit, on 03/31/2008, -9/+29^^^ Circuit City Manager
    • shadowman99, on 03/31/2008, -7/+12Hey everybody, let's play "Spot the Circuit City Plant!"
    • BryanG412, on 03/31/2008, -2/+11"I watched the video.. and this guy is a whiner. He is talking about his family was at risk and his clients.. total BS. Look man.. there was no smoke, nor fire.. your fire claim is *****." --> quote from above... Sounds like someone forgot to apply their daily dose of vagisil
    • Andytom, on 03/31/2008, -0/+26Did you read the article they melted the air con pipes to fit the unit rather than assemble it properly.
      • lintmonkey, on 03/31/2008, -2/+11Oh, quit your whining. The windows still work if you're a little too hot, right?

        /sarcasm
    • fluxion, on 03/31/2008, -0/+11i dont see why this guy should be forced to drive around looking for a bargain on parts/labor. it's a new car so he took it to his dealership, nothing wrong with that since the car is still probably well under warranty.

      if circuit city is willing to talk but prefers another estimate that's understandable, but it's in their court now.
    • mike17032, on 03/31/2008, -3/+8Do you digg kiddies still have your parents paying to fix your cars or something?

      The labor cost is high, but not odd for a dealship to charge. When you grow up and start paying for things yourself, you will quickly learn that.

      As for how "easy" it is, good luck with that one too kid. Electrical work is about as hard as it gets in car repair.
      • Gustomucho, on 03/31/2008, -2/+1It's dirt easy, you buy a Wire Harness from any electrical car place compatible for your car. You connect your radio to the aftermarket harness, unplug your factory radio. Install new harness, job done. If you are afraid, you do your aftermarket harness to radio connection and ask a dealership to install it for you. All the wires are the same colors, so unless you are color blind or stupid you should have 0 problems. As for the speaker it is a bit more complicated, but it's still only 2 wires to connect...

        Harness makes the job a real walk in the park : http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/subcategory_land ... . You can do connection away from your car and only go in to connect the new plug.
        • arcooke, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2Just to throw this out there.. not all car audio systems are alike. My car had a Bose stock system and each speaker was individually amplified. In order to install an additional amplifier, different things had to be done. I'm not 100% sure what it was, I took it to an installer. It had something to do with wiring the amp to the rear speakers.

          This also means if I ever replace my cd player (which needs to be done now), I also need to buy all new speakers to go with it.
      • Gustomucho, on 03/31/2008, -3/+1http://www.canadiantire.ca/browse/subcategory_land ...

        Wire harness search
      • ninja0, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2especially troubleshooting, and feeding new wires... freakin pain.
      • cvxdes1, on 03/31/2008, -2/+0You sir, are a fool.
        You've obviously never touched anything electronic, it's just about as easy as it gets. I'd rather install a stereo than rebuild an engine or swap out a transmission.
        Electronics harder than mechanics? Maybe.
        Car electronics harder than car mechanics? Not at all.
    • qxcvr, on 03/31/2008, -2/+2Yeah some of the new civics cost about $23000 these days... only the stripped down one with NO A/C costs around 14000 I just paid 22 for an '08
    • alittleroy101, on 03/31/2008, -5/+3Why don't you READ THE ***** ARTICLE before you fire off a long winded and inaccurate rant like that.
    • monospaced, on 03/31/2008, -0/+4Make money!? You're correct in just about everything you said, but there's NO WAY ANY insurance company would just cut you a check that you can repair your car with. The reason why CC is referring him to their insurers is so that they can pay for the repairs directly and assess the true damage. This kid will NEVER get a penny, he's not TRYING to. The only people looking to profit are the mechanics quoting the job.
    • ralphthemagi, on 03/31/2008, -2/+1$80 an hour? Fat chance at a dealer. $200 is more like it.
    • drprince89, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3Jesus why dont you become more biased than you already are. The kid drives an 07 civic SI, the car had 800 miles when this happened thats pretty much new. An 07 Si canl run you nearly 20000 with almost 40000 miles, one like his with under 20000 can be negotiated for about 18000 in a real world setting outside of a dealer. You clearly must be dreaming and just hating on him for driving a honda/

      PROOF (unlike you) http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=24073 ...

      Besides as stated by the cars owner the wiring wasnt the only issue, there was tons of cosmetic damage to the vehicle. I do think it was wrong of him to wait all this time to report this but still he is not completely wrong.
      • hilarryous, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1THANK YOU! finally found the comment that pointed out that this was a civic si and not a base model civic.
    • stoanhart, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3Circuit City plant my ass. He is right. A busted pipe and some shoddy wiring is NOT worth $12000. The guy has a right to be pissed off, but he is exaggerating the claim big-time!
    • ccie7599, on 03/31/2008, -2/+0If you think splices are so safe as long as they are covered by electrical tape, please do the following-

      1. Cut a hole in your drywall at home.
      2. Cut the romex cable.
      3. Re-splice with electrical tape, patch drywall hole.

      There, you feel safe now? There's a reason why building code requires splices to be in junction boxes, and cars keep connections contained within connectors (not spliced together as you suggest). BECAUSE TAPE MELTS, WEARS OUT AND IS NOT MEANT TO BE INSTALLED ANYWHERE THAT IT CAN'T BE SEEN OR CAN'T BE CONTAINED WITHIN A SPARK AND FIRE PROOF LOCATION.

      Oh, I forgot- somewhere between steps 1 and 2, turn the circuit breaker off.
      • SatansSpatula, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2Uh. Apparently you don't understand the different requirements of 12V systems with an average life-span of 7 years, versus 120V (or higher) systems with an expected lifespan of 100+ years.
        Your point is invalid. Period.
  • NYankee2003, on 03/31/2008, -1/+21anyone else notice that 44.0 plus 5.0 hours is a total of 49.0 hours, not 51???
    • NYankee2003, on 03/31/2008, -5/+2also, the work order says 16k miles, not 800
      • shadowman99, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3He had the work done at 800 miles. He's driven the car ~15000 miles since. It's in the video.
        • NYankee2003, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1ah... was in class, couldn't watch the video
    • fluxion, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2they also spelled "varify" wrong. it's a dealership man, what do you expect?
    • timungaro, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2That's probably because it took them 2 hours to write the bill up.
  • Guitarist970, on 03/31/2008, -0/+11Wow....thats just disgraceful. I worked for Circuit City for about 4 years and I really hope this kind of piss poor workmanship was never preformed in our road shop. Good luck dealing with corporate, my best advice to you is whenever the conversation with the representative stalls immediately ask to talk to their supervisor. Don't get angry, don't yell, just politely thank them for their help and ask to speak with their supervisor. Thats the best way to get a response, just keep moving up the corporate chain till you get someone who can actually do something for you.
    • ThugThrasher, on 03/31/2008, -2/+0If you worked for Circuit City for 4 years (that's almost how long I worked there, myself), then you probably know that this is how you should EXPECT them to handle it. Now, I agree that most road shops won't employ people who do work this terrible (ours hired ONE that I was aware of, and he was fired within 2 weeks after causing $300 worth of damage to a car). But, you SHOULD have heard the term SIL (Self-Insured Losses) tossed around if you were around the roadshop or management or customer service at ALL during that 4 year time. They refer it to their insurance company and let them handle it, and everyone's happy in the end, more often than not.
  • removesstains, on 03/31/2008, -5/+4Thats AWESOME!
  • cmuwriter, on 03/31/2008, -2/+20Get a map.
  • sasso, on 03/31/2008, -2/+13imagine that, a dealership excessively overcharging for repairs! this guy is getting screwed from both ends.
  • bmorlok, on 03/31/2008, -1/+9This is why I try to do as much of this type of work myself. These guys don't know anything more about these cars than the average person does.
  • SwitchXFactor, on 03/31/2008, -3/+2Had Best Buy install the same unit on my 06 Eclipse in January... probably wouldn't have done so had I read this first, I know it's BB and not CC, but I consider them the same level of tard. Oh well the unit works great and the guys were nice...
    • logicalnoise, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3BB can be even worse.
      • AdamFromMyspace, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2You never know what you're going to get when you take your car to a large-chain retail store like Best Buy or Circuit City.. I was an installer at Best Buy #330 a few years ago; I'm MECP certified, and mostly did remote starts (the harder stuff). I did good work, but I had to fix a lot of ***** my $8.xx/hr part time coworkers ***** up. One big problem is they will try to cram more cars in your shift than you can physically get to, so either you stay late or you take shortcuts to finish the job sooner. I stayed late a lot.
    • TheUberDork, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2it really Varies by store. And whether or not the installer REALLY knows what they are doing or not.
  • dan222555, on 03/31/2008, -1/+8That's what you get for installing a $1000 navigation system in your civic (and for trusting anyone who works at circuit city to lay hands on anything you own).
  • chrissku, on 03/31/2008, -2/+31That's what you get when you let a high school kid making $6.00 an hr. install expensive electronics into a $20,000 car.
    • Zimarooski, on 03/31/2008, -5/+2DUDE

      You don't even know.
      You don't even know.
    • nvisn, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2Get a clue, as an MECP certified installer I used to make $15 an hour at Best Buy. Not Tuts treasure by any means but respectable for a late teen early 20 somthing. When you are certified and make your bay an assload of profit you make money. But thanks for the stereotype.
  • MadOgre, on 03/31/2008, -1/+7Somebody owes someone a new Honda.
  • erohen, on 03/31/2008, -1/+14Circuit City did the same ***** to me a couple of years back. I went in to get new speakers put into my trailblazer, and they ended up frying my factory head unit. then I had to go back and forth with them for a month before I could get any kind of resolution. They said that they would give me one of their low end head units. and when I asked for a mid grade head unit with the XM tuner (which I had in my factory unit) they said that could not be done (about $500 retail cost). So instead they pawned me off on their insurance and they ended up cutting me a check for $1100, the cost to replace my factory head unit.

    HAVEN'T BEEN BACK TO CIRCUIT CITY SINCE
    • RickyBennett, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2how do you fry a head unit installing new speakers ??
      • tedjar, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1Easiest thing I can think of is somehow shorting the speaker wiring, factory stereos usually are not well protected and doing that will blow the amp.
      • mddawso, on 03/31/2008, -2/+1you can't. it can't be done. maybe if your factory radio had a tube amp and needed a load to operate. But no. It can't be done. It would take retardedness to a new level to be able to do this.
    • PhoebusApollo, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1They got their insurance to pay for a full replacement for you, and your complaint is what? That it took a month? You ever deal with insurance companies before or get into a car wreck?
      • drprince89, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3his complaint is that they did a ***** job to begin with
  • johnisfat, on 03/31/2008, -12/+1http://digg.com/comedy/License_Number_Posted_on_Co ... -- Check out the pic
    • fluxion, on 03/31/2008, -0/+4oh noes! that's why i drive around in public with my license plate number's covered by a lead plate. god forbid someone should see it!
  • Voltairecim, on 03/31/2008, -3/+1Good lord. Poor Guy. If CC's smart at all they'll rectify this asap. Before they look like a bunch of morons...oh...wait...
  • FredFredrickson, on 03/31/2008, -2/+13Is it really that hard to just look at a god damned map?
  • shadowman99, on 03/31/2008, -0/+6This guy needs to quit screwing around and get a lawyer. Circuit City appears to be drawing this out in hopes he'll just go away.

    • vector86, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Exactly.

      1. get lawyer
      2. Get your money back (possibly profit)
      3. there is no step three, the problem has already been solved.
  • anarchyx34, on 03/31/2008, -0/+651 hrs LOL... :) The insurance company isn't going to pay that.
  • mrferg, on 03/31/2008, -0/+11Let's boycott Circuit City and break all merchandise we ever got from them in half! That'll show em!
  • smoger, on 03/31/2008, -6/+7Civics barely cost 12k. If you racked up that much damage in an accident the car would be totaled by the insurance company.
    • tendonut, on 03/31/2008, -1/+1A stock 2-door civic with practically nothing in it is about $14,500. Assuming he was a total cheap-ass and bought the bare minimum Civic, you're probably right...considering it has about 16k miles on it, it would be totaled.
    • drprince89, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3a 07 civic si can fetch over 19000 with under 20000 miles, thats used, theyre in the 20's new and resale value on honda is amazing.
    • ninja0, on 03/31/2008, -1/+2You clearly have no idea what you're talking about.
    • MrMongoose, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1The service bill clearly states it's a civic si, which as others have mentioned, cost just over $20k brand new.
    • nvisn, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1I saw a $35k Civic Mugen at the NY Auto Show this week. A Civic SI sedan easily goes over 20k
  • fogster, on 03/31/2008, -0/+12Shoddy workmanship aside, how did they scratch his windshield and sunroof while installing a radio? That takes skill.
    • drprince89, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1The kid says resting tools on them but i dunno if that's enough.
  • mrand01, on 03/31/2008, -0/+12I have an AVIC-Z1, installed it myself in a Scion tC...took all weekend, it's a very tough install. I would NEVER trust CC to do something like this...
    • Ampidire, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2OT... but what year tC do you have? Did you retain your steering wheel controls if '06+? AFAIK the Avic-D3 is the only one to retain this compatibility, correct me if I am wrong.
    • cvrefugee, on 03/31/2008, -2/+1Oh you silly tC owners. My friend and I installed the AVIC-D3 in my xB (including the Bluetooth module) in about three hours. That included taking apart the entire dash to run the microphone wire.
      • TheUberDork, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1your friend and you. congrats. most installers at Circuit City are working on their own unless they're BRAND NEW. also the xB is a lot easier to work with than a tC. Our experienced guys could do remote start install in them in less than an hour and a half. xB's are a lot easier to work in (not really any tight spaces) and are built to be customized from the factory.
    • TheUberDork, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1I did an Avic-D1 (might have been a D2 I forget) install on a scion tC that was a bastard. there wasn't a kit for the dash yet... and it kind of looked a little wonky. the wiring was pretty easy compared to some other things I did on the job. But I agree, it's not an easy install. At the time I was working for Circuit City, and they seemed to care more about getting the work done in a timely manner. According to them a nav instal is only a 4 hour project, based on their point system.

      If I ever got a nav system installed by someone else, I would make damn sure that they could take as much time as required. get it done right, the first time.
  • phybere, on 03/31/2008, -0/+4Eh, Circuit City did a pretty ***** job, but that's what you should expect when you go to circuit city.
    The wiring that was done is sort of standard for after-market stereo systems, although it could have definitely been done better.
    On another note, there's no way that's $12,000 of damage, unless you're overpaying for labor by some huge amount.
  • Psythik, on 03/31/2008, -3/+7Moral of the story? Install it yourself, damnit. It's not like it's hard.
    • LordReichel, on 03/31/2008, -1/+5you clearly have never installed an AVIC-Z2, because it IS like it's hard.
    • nvisn, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1I had an AVIC N1 in my 95 Impala SS and as a certified installer found this to be a fairly advanced install. It took like 2.5 hours. I would not have recommended it to a newb.
    • SatansSpatula, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1He wouldn't install it himself b/c he'd have gotten the dash apart, shoved it in, and found that the heater duct was in the way. Then he'd give up and whine to CC that they have to take back the unboxed stereo he bought solely because he's a fool.
  • Spanq, on 03/31/2008, -1/+12Okay, so you take it to one ***** place that does a ***** job, then take it to another ***** place that gives you a ***** repair quote. I think you should just buy a bike.
  • princeofhosts, on 03/31/2008, -11/+6***** THE RIAA AND CIRCUIT CITY!
  • slippiefist, on 03/31/2008, -5/+11Car makers shouldn't make it so damn difficult to change the radio. They know every car owner is going to replace the stock radio at least once, they should make a simple mechanism to do that at home in five minutes.
    • uberfu, on 03/31/2008, -0/+10They do - it's called Crutchfield http://www.crutchfield.com/
    • uberfu, on 03/31/2008, -2/+5It's not the responsibility of the car-maker to make their product compatible with 3rd party customizing options_ If a 3rd party company want to specialize in after-market custom options for a particular manufacturer and product - then that 3rd party company should adapt to the OEMs product not the other way around_

      That's partly why they call it custom_
      • slippiefist, on 03/31/2008, -1/+3Normally, aftermarket radios are relatively easy to get in and out, but the car makers make it so you have to tear the whole dash apart to get the stock radio out.
        • brstilson, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1With some cars, definitely. Remember the Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable of the late 90's? It had that weird-ass oval shaped instrument panel which pretty much guaranteed you couldn't get an aftermarket radio in there.

          With the cars I drove (Chrysler) all you had to do was pop off a panel and then unscrew two bolts to get the stock radio out.
      • dood, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1The car makers could partner with the stereo manufacturers to make some nice aftermarket replacements that fit in the car and look like they belong. I'm in the market for a replacement CD player that has an iPod interface, but it seems like they're all designed to be flashy and colorful and attractive for thieves. Seems like this would be a no-brainer way for car manufacturers to get some more money out of their customers.
        • slippiefist, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1I have an idea. They could sell all new cars with no radio pre-installed, knock $1000 off the price, and the buyer can use that $1000 to get a decent radio installed.
      • Stonehenge360, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1this is true for some cars, but for a car like the civic, its almost expected that the owner is going to modify it in some way. Cars geared towards younger people should be easily customized.
    • tendonut, on 03/31/2008, -0/+3Not ALL cars are crazy-hard to take out the stock radio. My 2006 Mazda3 has just a easy pop-off trim piece that covers two screws. Unscrew those and the radio slides out what appears to be a track-like rail. Even the center console literally pops apart, no screws involved.
    • DrummerAndrew, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Those are the pieces he says they should have ordered. When you do an install, you get the right clips together and this stuff is a cakewalk.
    • schmitey, on 03/31/2008, -0/+1Although I agree with you its not always possible. Smaller cars such as Saturn are compartmentalized and have a small dash. The heater controls, defroster, radio is all one unit. I agree its stupid, but that's how it is. Research all that stuff BEFORE you buy the car.
    • ninja0, on 03/31/2008, -0/+2They do this for theft reasons... the harder it is, the more likely a thief will leave it behind.
  • anyone4apint, on 03/31/2008, -0/+0I am going to use worst case (aka rip off) figures to get an estimate as something does not add up. Based on this video the car needs a new back pannel to the dash, ... worst case $1000. It also needs a new wiring loom, lets assume it needs a complete new loom for everything which again is worst case $1000. It also needs the correct brackets for the tweeters so lets say worse case $300. It then needs the time for a qualified Honda mechanic to fit it all which will take no more than one day but just to be on the safe side lets say $1500.

    Could someone please enlighten me as to how $1000 + $1000 + $300 + $1500 = $12,119?

    Do not get me wrong, Circuit City are to blame here and I feel sorry for the poor guy who has handed over a lot of money and had his new car ruined and he deserves to have it put right, he may also deserve some compensation. However, there is no way in hell that the raw components and labour to fix this gets anywhere near to $12,119.
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