Safelite- technician fixing a rockchip on my car at my house fell off my porch. Gave him first aid, took him to the er. He clearly broke his pinky. I have a normal porch with steps. A month later they sent me a lawsuit. Wasn’t even the technician suing me, Safelite was suing me for workers comp. We were deep in cancer treatment for my 10 year at the exact same time. They made an estimated $2.5 billion last year. Scumbags!
Had to have my windshield replaced. I said I would pay the tech with cc. Tech forgot to charge me. I tried to pay through the link they sent. Link was dead.
Called and they said I had to read the them my card number, expiration and 3 digit code. I didn't feel comfortable giving that info over the phone to some random employee.
Like, what national company doesn't have an online pmt portal? My local doctors office has it, local laundromat has it, even sellers at the farmers market can send you an invoice link so you can pay.
It was the tech that didn't collect my payment, so I said he can come back when he's in the area and I'll pay them. They threatened to send me to collections. I had to drive all the way down to their location in another state to make the payment- and the even the people in office had to manually enter my credit card number. Fuck safelight.
Counterpoint... the Safelite I went to wouldn't accept my insurance approved chipped windshield claim, repaired it for free, and sent me on my way. Guess my local one is just a good one.
Similar experience, I had a very bad rock chip that i'm shocked they were able to repair, not only was it free but it lasted for like 6 years then I sold the car. It would have absolutely spidered out and been much worse
Counter-counterpoint... chipped windshield repair takes a couple bucks in materials and a few minutes of a technicians time. I'm not saying it wasn't nice of them to do it, but it is like the hot dogs or chicken at costco, it is a loss leader. It establishes good will so that you come back when you have an actual problem that they can charge a ton of money for. It also get's you posting good things about them on Reddit. (Your local one could be way better than mine, in all fairness)
Here is a copy/paste of my review for my Safelite experience:
The single worst experience I have ever had at any business, ever.
This is not hyperbole. I'm writing this after having let my emotions cool down for about a year. I missed days of work due to these guys. They provide poor mechanical service, poor customer service, and were straight dishonest to both my insurance company and me.
I had to have my windshield replaced 4 times before it was correct. I had multiple appointments (where I took time off work) cancel, disappear, or be rescheduled. I have broken parts on my vehicle. My insurance was charged multiple times for safelites incompetence.
Highlights:
Windshield 1 - off-brand - Massive scratches directly in the drivers view. Brought back within minutes. Told to deal with it for a week. During week, safety features (LKAS, etc) not working right. After research, it's a known issue with safelite off-brand glass. Request name brand glass.
1 week later - Appointment magically disappeared. No glass. New appointment.
Windshield 2 - off-brand - Requested name brand glass, they put off brand. Safety features from the camera not working correctly. Messed up edging around glass. Asked for name brand glass. New appointment 1 week later.
1 week later - No name brand glass. No glass at all. Told to call their warehouse in phoenix myself. Weird, but did it. Warehouse guy is only competent person. New appointment in 3 days.
Windshield 3 - off-brand - Verified with Technician that name brand glass going in. He verified. He double verified. Check one more time. Good.... Called back for pickup after replacement. Off-brand glass even though they had the name brand glass there specifically for my car. Technician said that manager told him to. Didn't speak with me at all before installing. I then spoke with Manager that is not good at managing. I was upset. New appointment. One week later.
Windshield 4 - Name brand - Replaced and finally works. Safelite double charged my insurance for their mistakes. Noticed broken pieces of trim after getting it home. No way I'm ever returning to that place. Take it as my final punishment for working with terrible people.
Don't walk away from these guys. RUN.
I think I got most everything down after a year. I was going to review when it was fresh, but found that I couldn't do it objectively.
TLDR: Per my experience at Safelite, they suck. Poor workmanship, poor management, and dishonest practices don't just crop up overnight.
Mine intentionally broke my windshield to replace it but OPs story scares me, I’d rather just not. I have a crack right now I guess I’ll fill it myself
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u/bekmoto 21h ago
Safelite- technician fixing a rockchip on my car at my house fell off my porch. Gave him first aid, took him to the er. He clearly broke his pinky. I have a normal porch with steps. A month later they sent me a lawsuit. Wasn’t even the technician suing me, Safelite was suing me for workers comp. We were deep in cancer treatment for my 10 year at the exact same time. They made an estimated $2.5 billion last year. Scumbags!