Palella’s Auto Body

So this is the owner’s response:
«After initial diagnosis, owner authorized rotor replacement.» –True, but only because they told me that was the source of the problem.
«Owner declined proper services to repair vehicle trouble codes. Owner had several codes on dash before coming in that he was aware of, But did not want to pay to have proper repairs completed.» –Complete lie. The codes on the dash and the stuttering braking were the reasons I went in. Why would I decline work to fix the issue I came in for and instead pay to repair my rotors that had nothing to do with the problem unless they told me that’s what I needed to do. They didn’t even scan my car/​talked to me about the codes until the 3^rd appointment so how they’re making that claim is beyond me. Maybe they’re talking about that 3^rd appointment when they finally figured out what the issue was and wanted to charge me more on top of what I had paid for their misdiagnosis. If that’s the case, then yes, I refused that highway robbery because I was done with them.
«We at Palella’s Auto Body, always strive to make our customers happy and provide them with the best quality and service. If anything is not to a customers satisfaction they are entitled to point it out, and we will make every effort to remedy the situation. Our shop prices are fair and competitive to all customers.» –Yeaaaah, no.

I was stranded at a gas station after getting bad gas. Palella’s towed me, worked with my insurance company, and wouldn’t give up until everything was right.
When the car was released, there was still an issue which they stood behind and fixed same day.
I had been seriously over charged in the area by another auto repair shop, but Palella’s was refreshingly fair and honest.
I am definitely a new life long customer.

Wish I could give it zero stars. Stay away. I took my car in to have a spot fixed where the paint was bubbling. They said they could fix the problem where the car was rusting from the inside out and they would have to cut the metal out, put a new piece in and repaint it. Okay sounds good. My car was 10 years old at the time and is in awesome condition except for that one spot. Left my car there for a week and got it back. Looked awesome. 3 days after getting my car back the paint started to bubble again in the same exact spot. I took my car back and they said they had fired their painter and they would redo the paint job and fix it correctly for me at no cost. Once again left my car there for a week. Got my car back and once again it looked awesome. A week after I got it back the same thing happened. I went back and complained again. I was told that the car is rusting from the inside out and they can’t fix it. When I questioned why they said they could the first time they said, «We can fix it, but it will just reoccur.» I let them try one last time to fix this problem. I left my car there a week again and they tried to fix it again. Got my car back and it started to bubble again. It looks worse than when I first took it in. In the end they lost money when they tried to «fix» the problem two more times, but I was out a car for a total of 3 weeks and I once again have to find someone else to fix the bubbling paint. I am paying twice for this. You are better off going with someone else to fix your car.

I was involved in an accident in the middle a major intersection during rush hour, and my car incurred something in the ballpark of $ 4,000+ worth of damage. It was a sitting duck and was towed to Palellas (or, I guess, Palellas towed it) while I was being checked out by the EMTs.
Once the chaos died down and the PD informed me where my car was, I was in contact with Chuck that evening. He was nothing but pleasant and accommodating. He told me he would work with me and my insurance company to salvage my car (since I was sure it was totaled). That was a relief to start with.
I also asked to come and collect my personal belongings from my car, and he told me their hours of operation. I told him I’d be there the next day (Friday) around 4, but ended up having to cancel the since I had to go to the doctor (injuries resulting from the accident). Again, he was very pleasant, and said that they might be there a little later if I still wanted to head over. Since that didn’t work, I told him I’d be by the next day (Saturday). My mom and I arrived about 30 minutes before they closed, and I checked in with him. We cleaned out my car, and even though we went a little bit over their closing time, I didn’t even realize it because we weren’t rushed. Actually, no one was even around us when we did. It was a relief to finally have my personal effects (medication, iPass, etc) again.
It’s been over a month now, and long story short: my insurance company has really dragged in following through on what they have to do (i.e. sending out someone to do an estimate, contacting me, communicating with each other, communicating with Palellas). I’m still dealing with that as I type this… I JUST got off of a 3-​way call with one of my insurance agents and Chuck regarding my still-​damaged car and claim. My snotty insurance agent told me that *I* didn’t do X-​Y-​Z (not true… apparently adjustors and agents don’t share notes?!) and «lectured» me and told me that *I’VE* incurred a bunch of storage fees at Palellas and it’s *MY* fault… she asked Chuck to look up the exact cost/​fees incurred ($ 1825), and during the time we were on hold I began defending myself to her asinine claims… unbeknownst to me, Chuck came back into the conversation and heard that part. Hah, oops. Awkwarrdddd!
So, my insurance company has f’d me over by taking too long to get their part of the job done, and now my car needs to leave Palellas and go elsewhere to have the work done (or else wait 3 more weeks… totaling 8 weeks without my car). NOT Palella’s fault. I wonder who’s going to foot that hefty bill for the storage at Palellas??? Meanwhile, my snarky insurance agent gets on the phone with other body shops in the area to see who can get my repairs done ASAP.
I called Chuck afterward to ask him to release my car to the new body shop. Thankfully he was able to accommodate my verbal request without me having to take a 45 minute trip down there. He was also sympathetic to the situation with my insurance company, and told me himself that «they dropped the ball.» He apologized for the situation (again, not HIS fault!), and told me if I ever needed any advice on this claim or follow-​up repairs, just to call.
Hmm… now that I think about it, I should ask him what insurance company he recommends…
So, even though I’ve been stressed with the accident itself, not having a car, dealing with injuries, dealing with the defendant’s insurance company, and dealing with my own incompetent insurance company, I WASN’T jerked around by Palellas. Chuck was personable, easy-​going, and accommodating EVERY time I’ve spoken with him. Sadly, I can’t comment on their body work, but their customer service was A+. Chuck’s good peeps: definitely recommended.

STAY AWAY AT ALL COSTS!
The owner of this shop, Joe Palella, is a scam artist, and rudely blows cigar smoke in your face. I wrote-​up what needed to be done, my friend got the cost estimate for body part removal, replacement and painting, but they refused to finish the job — but still wanted the same amount of money. I had to call Rolling Meadows Police for an escort to pick up the poorly painted parts with the front-​end completely removed and take the car to another shop to finish assembly (essentially paying twice). I was required to still pay the full price for work that was not completed — the parts were removed, new ones painted, but never installed.
This same shop previously tried to scam me by repairing a finish panel on another car, instead of replacing it as the insurance paid for. I caught them and then they did a poor job of painting the new replacement part — parts of it were inconsistently painted!
They also do not accept anything but cash, BEWARE!
WOULD NEVER RETURN! THIS SHOP NEEDS TO BE SHUT DOWN!