When Danny Williams bought his used truck he said he knew it needed some work but that he was up for the challenge to get it ready for Texas roads.
"I had a blown up engine and so I reached out to A-1 Engines," Williams said.
Based on the name of the business, he thought it would be a one-stop shop.
Williams said he paid $1,800 for an engine and was told it would be delivered to his mechanic the next morning. But the following day, he said the engine never came.
"No engine," Williams said. "I called back and they said, 'We had a problem with the engine, so it’s going to take another couple days for us to get another one.'"
That's when Williams said he got in touch with the owner, Chris Nasrallah.
"He started saying, the next day, the next day and the next day," Williams explained.
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After two weeks, Williams said he finally got an engine -- but there was another problem.
"That’s not the right engine," said Williams. "It was for a car, not for a truck. So, I delivered it right back to A-1 Engines that afternoon.
He said the employees at the shop agreed that it wasn't the right engine.
Nearly two months after making his purchase, Williams told NBC 5 Responds the owner is still giving him the runaround about his engine.
"I’ve been in the store. One day there were 10 people waiting there that had the same problem as me," he said.
One of those people was Alejandro Hernandez, of Arlington, who said he worked with Nasrallah directly and paid him a $400 deposit for a transmission and another $500 when it was delivered.
But on delivery day, Hernandez said he got the wrong part. He sent the part back and eventually got another one that he said was the same transmission, cleaned and painted.
Hernandez said he went to the shop and confronted the owner about it, but he said Nasrallah told him to get out and told him, "No refunds."
"He don’t have a heart," Hernandez said. "Not on us. Not on you. Not on no customers that go in there. He thinking of himself."
NBC 5 Responds has received a total of five complaints from consumers who are demanding refunds from this business.
A-1 Engines, which we're told also goes by A-1 Parts Shop and A-1 Parts Stop, has an "F" with the Better Business Bureau and one star on Yelp.
One person online said, “Please save your time and money and go elsewhere !!!!!...The owner Chris is extremely rude and a blatant liar.”
Another consumer on Google reviews writes, “Be careful the owner Chris is a thief, do not buy anything here."
We called A-1 Engines and a woman confirmed the owner’s name is Chris.
Chris, the owner, returned NBC 5 Responds' call and said, "We sell used parts and when people buy parts there's an understanding that there's a no cash refund policy. It's posted on the receipt."
When asked about the negative reviews online, the owner said people can write whatever they want online and added, "We've been in business for 15 years."
He told us he was not the owner of A-1 Parts Stop. When we asked him if he was the owner of A-1 Engines and Transmissions, he said, "Don't worry about my title."
He said customers with valid complaints can come by and get their money back. "I'm a business man. I know what I'm doing," he said.
That same day, Williams and Hernandez went to the shop and got refund checks. But when they went to the bank later that week they said the checks wouldn’t clear.
"Everything he says is just a blatant lie," said Williams, who added that he tried calling the police. "They said, 'if you get in there and get in a fight you can call us. But it’s a civil matter.' This guy is just out to rip you off."
We called the shop and asked them about those checks that wouldn't clear. An employee told us to have the consumers call them and they’d handle it. A few hours later all of the people we heard from got their money back in cash.
That’s $4,841 recovered for those consumers.
