Car Wash Refuses To Pay For Damage During Service, Woman Says
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Calumet City woman drove into a car wash and drove out with a shattered window. She tells CBS 2 an employee owned up to damaging her car, but the business owner is giving her the runaround.
Renee Gougis wanted to wash away the nasty remains of a tough weather week.
"My vehicle was really dirty," she said
But she's probably the only one who paid in glass.
"As I'm paying, they come up and tell me that my window is shatter," she said. "'What do you mean my window is shattered?'"
It was her right side passenger window. She says the Calumet City Car Wash employee who accidentally shattered the window while cleaning her SUV owned up to it.
"The guy said accident. He said accident," she said. "He kept repeating that it was an accident."
And he apologized to her.
"He agreed he did shatter the glass but says the owner is giving a hard time, and the owner doesn't want to reimburse me for the window," Gougis said.
Days later she's heard nothing. So CBS 2 tried to get her an answer, but phone calls were not answered. And there was no way to leave a message.
CBS 2's Tara Molina showed up during business hours but found the place dark, empty and locked up.
"They're usually open every day of the week," Gougis said.
A quick search online shows a handful of similar complaints about damage to cars going back to 2015. Customers claim management treated them the same way. Gougis went to Calumet City Police to try to find out how to move forward. She said they suggested she file a civil lawsuit.
But she doesn't want to take it that far. She just wants the owner to pay her the 90 dollars it cost to fix the window.
"We all make mistakes," Gougis said. "Fess up. Pay the money. And move on."
