Ballard Collision CARSTAR

No one answers the phone, no one calls you back...

Disclaimer: This shop MAY do great repairs. This review is only for the intake/front office aspect. I appreciate that "everyone" is busy and short-staffed (I guess).

We were referred to CARSTAR by State Farm. Multiple phone calls went unanswered and we received zero returned phone calls over a period of 3 days. Finally, I went to the shop in person, where a polite person was manning the reception desk, clearly "at work" and maybe even "working." I was told that I could not even make an appointment for an ESTIMATE until the paperwork was received from State Farm. After the estimate was completed, the repairs would take 6-8 weeks!

State Farm subsequently informed us that this so-called paperwork was sent out 3 days earlier.

Bottom line: It's tough to run a business if you don't answer the phone, return phone calls or process paperwork in a timely manner. This location must have plenty of work to do, so as to not need to gain new customers. We decided to choose a shop that is much further from our house but is staffed by people who answer the phone and is able to do the work within the month (fingers crossed!).

Very transparent and communicative! Car looks brand new after they repaired it. Worked with my insurance company and made the whole process very smooth and easy for me

I sent my car to Carstar Ballard after stellar reviews on Google. I had a pretty bad experience due to these specific reasons:
1: Someone took my car on a joyride. My mileage in and mileage out had a difference of 300 miles. I have not heard back what they did with my car as I observed this after leaving the shop.
2: I took my car in the first time to get the necessary parts ordered. Then I booked a second appointment to drop off my car and we expected the parts to be already delivered. When I went for the second appointment, I was told that the parts are not ordered. This basically made my car be in the shop for 1 month and had an unnecessary delay.
3: I had to be on top of things to get the car worked on asap. There was no communication for more than a week after dropping off the car.

It goes without saying that I am not recommending this place.

Possibly the worst customer service I've ever experienced. My car has some bumper damage, so I called to make an appointment for an estimate. The first person I talked to was actually nice - we set it up so I could get my estimate on August 30 then bring my car in the next day for repairs.

However, yesterday they called me, saying "We're overbooked and need to move your appointment, the earliest we can see you is September 9." I asked whether it would be possible to do the estimate and drop off my car the next day as originally planned. I also specified I'd need my car back by September 15, thinking this wouldn't be an issue, given the first person I originally spoke to said the fix would take 3-5 days. The person I was talking to said "There's absolutely no way we can do that."

No apologies for the inconvenience, and no attempt to help work with my schedule. It felt like they didn't even want my business! I certainly won't be calling them again.

They've been keeping my car in the shop for over 2 months now, and gave me no less than 5 different completion dates, 4 of which have already been missed. They have not communicated the delays in any way, I had to call them before the completion date to find out. When I did get to talk to the estimator on the phone, he gave me runarounds, was non-committal, and never explained the reason for the delay (there was no new work added according to the insurance estimate from the shop). Don't take your car to this shop, or you won't see it again for a long time.

Had a absolutely wonderful experience here after someone side swiped my poor car whilst I was at work.

They worked with my insurance company and rental company seamlessly - I could even drop the rental off with them when my car was ready to avoid the extra trip. My car was ready three days earlier then promised and under budget. And the repair looks great! Ryan stayed in contact with updates and was super professional and helpful. Hopefully I never need them again, but any future dings or smashes will definitely end up in their capable hands

So in all honesty, I'm a horrible driver. Very distracted, always trying to do too much while driving or even just getting sleepy. But this isn't about me. Anyways, I've crashed a couple cars. Two of which have ended up at Ballard Collision. I mentioned the sleepy part because I do get tired and pull over. I always have a blanket and a small pillow in my car.

That being said. The first time I had a really nice Mexican blanket I got on vacation in the back and it magically went missing after being towed to Ballard Collision. I was very upset, asked everyone there and they all said they never saw it. Ok sure, that happens but someone Deff stole it, who knows?

Second time I crashed a car. I had ANOTHER Mexican blanket I got on vacation and KNEW it was in the car and recalling my last encounter I made sure to rush to my car. Well, it also was GONE. At this point I'm like f*** that.

I get I have my own car demons to work through but that does not entitle anyone to stealing my shit. And when I asked about my car on BOTH accounts. Everyone just said they didn't know anything. I'm sorry I'm pissed. Cus those blankets meant a lot to me and I even went to that country again to get one and they acted like I was insane for questioning the contents in my car. I really don't even know what they do besides steal your shit if I'm honest.

This business needs to be held accountable. And when ppl ask about their belongings they should NOT be dismissed. In fact they asked if I LOCKED IT. Like, maybe I did? Maybe I Didn't? YOU HAVE THE KEYS. Anyways. I never write reviews like this but this is important.

After contacting this shop, they told me that they couldn't start the repair of my car for three weeks....a front bumper repair. They indicated that the repair would take a week or so. They have now had the car for almost a month from that date and the repair is still not completed. And all I get is some BS that the car is "with their paint team" and may be ready this week or maybe next week. No communication from them until I made an irate phone call. I have already notified my insurance company to avoid this shop and suggest that you do so also.

My car looks like it was never in an accident. There was an issue with the side sensors. Jay worked tirelessly to fix the issue. It turned out that the issue had nothing to do with the accident or the repairs, but Jay fixed it anyway. I highly recommend this repair shop.

I have used this shop multiple times for repairs on my car. Each time it has gone smoothly. They are a partnered shop with my insurance. Chris was extremely helpful with my situation and every situation, and does a great job keeping me up to date. Great communication, great work, and a decent turn around.

This is not a walk in shop where you take your car and expect it back by end of day. They work with insurance and have to follow those guidelines. If you are someone looking for a quick repair and turn around I would look elsewhere.

Thank you so much for taking such great care of your customers and their vehicles! And me each and every time!