Send Ben: Local mother gets cold shoulder over car AC repair problems

Action News Jax is getting answers for a local mother who was facing thousands of dollars in auto repair bills after her car kept having air conditioning problems.

“Is it your baby?,” Action News Jax Ben Becker asked Katherine Paradise about her car. “It is my little baby,” Paradise said. “I’m sad I don’t have a car with an air conditioner.”

Paradise showed Becker receipts for about $2,000 that she paid in parts and labor at a local Pep Boys to fix the AC in her Chevy Sonic. The condenser and hose were replaced in April 2019. The first of eight trips over two-plus years to fix various issues with the AC. Paradise says it was torture because it would break time and time again. Paradise even wrote a letter to Pep Boys in November pleading for help but says she never received a response.

“I used to work in retail,” says Paradise. “I would always call a customer back.” Becker walked into the Pep Boys on Atlantic Boulevard to speak to the manager, but he was told to contact their corporate offices. Becker emailed Pep Boys, sending the company invoices, and requested they look into what happened with Paradise’s car.

A few weeks later, Paradise sent Becker an email saying “Wow I’m shocked.”

Pep Boys had agreed to pay for the repairs at a local Chevy dealership, plus the company sent Paradise a refund check for the $2,000 she originally spent. The company sent Becker a statement:

“We’re pleased we could resolve to the customer’s satisfaction and apologize for any inconvenience.”

“What made you call me?” Becker asked Paradise. “I see you on the news and seems like you get action and people listen to you and I was desperate. I thought well I’m going to ask Ben. You are the first person to listen and its really refreshing.”

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Cox Media Group