Policies, Requirements, & Disclaimers

WORK LOCATIONS

• Extreme Environmental Conditions - Due to the fact that we perform our work out-of-doors and are often unsheltered and exposed to the elements, we may request rescheduling on days with difficult or extreme conditions, such as heat indices over 100°F, wind chills below 20°F, strong/ gusty wind, rain, etc. We won't charge additional service call fees or fuel surcharges if we're forced by weather to reschedule.
• Biohazardous Vehicles - We reserve the right to refuse to touch the interior of any vehicle that contains excessive amounts of trash, bad odors, insect infestations, etc. Please make sure the vehicle is reasonably clean before we arrive.

CHARGES AND FEES

• Minimum Diagnostics Charges - We charge a minimum of $139-$199 for diagnostics and check-outs, and the creation of any required estimates is included. If further levels of diagnostics are required, client will be contacted for authorization.
• Shop Supplies & Environmental Compliance Fees - 10% of total Invoice amount, max. $34.60
• State-Mandated Fees & Charges - Delaware Law requires fees and charges for certain parts, e.g. waste disposal surcharges for new tires and new batteries. We cannot waive these.

ESTIMATES

• Estimate Lifespans - Due to the fact that parts prices change over time, estimates are valid for thirty (30) days. If you would like to have us perform work on an old estimate we're happy to oblige, but expect the total to change.
• Aftermarket Surprises - Estimates are based on stock vehicle configurations; aftermarket modifications and additions (e.g., alarm/remote-start systems, custom autosound, engine modifications) may incur additional labor charges as appropriate. If such surprises are discovered, work will stop and we will contact you with an updated estimate before continuing. We reserve the right to cancel/abort any repair job that involves additional labor for aftermarket modifications if you refuse to pay for that additional labor. Make it easier on everybody - tell us in advance what modifications your vehicle has!

COMPLETION TIMEFRAMES

• Best Efforts At Expediency - We always strive to complete jobs as quickly as practical, which is determined by many factors, such as the amount of time the job takes according to labor guides, the amount of rust or corrosion that is present, unexpected parts issues (e.g., receiving the wrong part and having to reorder the correct one), and the presence of any aftermarket or unexpected add-ons that have to be dealt with during the process.
• Delays Beyond Our Control - We cannot, and will not, assume any responsibility for delays that are beyond our control, such as (but not limited to) shipping delays or receiving incorrect parts.
• Realistic Expectations - Things can and do "go wrong," and as a result, we must require a degree of flexibility and realistic expectations on the part of customers with regard to completion timeframes. Expecting a job to not take any longer than initially thought when a bolt breaks, for example, is not realistic on the part of the customer.
• No Exclusivity - We cannot, and will not, give any one work order any form of exclusivity, nor will we ignore other customers/jobs/calls while attending to any one vehicle. Other work orders may be scheduled, and the work performed, while a larger job is in progress, and this will push completion back accordingly on the larger job.
• Timeframe Guarantees For Large Jobs - Due to the fluid nature of auto repair performed in the field, we cannot, and will not, guarantee any work order with more than six (6) hours of total labor will be completed within any specific time frame. Long jobs can, and likely will, be interrupted by shorter jobs as they become available, so please plan accordingly. We may recommend breaking up large jobs to avoid excessive time demands, especially on a customer's primary vehicle.

DIAGNOSTICS

• Accurate Diagnostics - We do not guarantee the accuracy of anyone else's diagnostics but our own. Due to the complexity of a vehicle, we cannot guarantee that one diagnosis will cure every problem a vehicle has in a single repair operation.
• Multiple Problems/Issues - It is not only possible, but common, for a vehicle to have more than one issue with similar or overlapping symptoms. Finding and fixing one issue may reveal another. Repairing one issue does not magically repair all issues. As such, as was noted, we cannot guarantee that one diagnosis will cure every problem a vehicle has in a single repair operation.
• Diagnostic Timeframes - Some problems may be time-consuming to diagnose. In such cases we may request preapproval for diagnostic time.

PARTS

• Parts Quality - We only use OEM-quality parts from manufacturers with strong records of quality when available. If you're looking to save money on auto repairs, going with the cheapest parts available is often false economy. 
• Specialty Fluids - When a vehicle calls for specialty fluids, we will ONLY use fluids that are guaranteed compatible with or an exact match to the requirements. If your vehicle requires $20-a-quart transmission fluid, for example, that's what we will recommend.
• Old Parts -You have the right to request your old parts be made available to you for your inspection, provided that such a request is made when work is approved. If a core charge applies to any given part, you must pay it if you wish to keep the part.
• Plastic Parts - We assume no responsibility for plastic part breakage, as many plastic parts used in vehicles are brittle and can break without warning no matter how carefully they are handled. This is especially true of plastic parts that are exposed to sunlight, e.g., dash pads.
• Customer-Supplied Parts & Safety - We do not install customer-supplied parts.
• Broken Bolts - Our policy on broken bolts is that we are not responsible for bolt breakage under any circumstances, even if the bolt in question broke by our hand. The reasons for this are multiple: we have no way of knowing if a previous repair effort damaged the bolt or the threads into which it screws, we have no way of knowing if a bolt was damaged due to environmental factors, as some bolts are prone to breakage due to the environment within which they exist (e.g., bolts affixing exhaust system components), and sometimes a bolt will just fail no matter how carefully and gently you work with it. If a bolt breaks, we must charge additional labor, and parts if needed, to extract the remaining bolt fragment and repair the hole.

PAYMENTS

• Payment Arrangements - Payment in full is required upon completion of services. We do not accept efforts to make payment arrangements after-the-fact. 
• Special-Order/High-Cost Part Prepayment - We require special-order or large-ticket parts be prepaid BEFORE we will order them. If it has to be shipped in via third party or transferred to a local dealership from elsewhere, it's "special-order." Parts with pre-tax sale prices of $100 or more are "high-cost." Ordering of parts may be subject to delay until prepayment clears our bank if prepayments are made via credit card.
• Returned Parts - Returned parts may be subject to restocking fees - if the supplier charges us, we must charge you.
• Refunds - We require that any refunds be made to the same payment method as the original payment. Debit cards are still cards regardless of where the funding comes from - we do not give cash/check refunds for charges paid with a debit card, as we generally don't carry much cash on hand for security reasons.

UNACCEPTABLE ACTS OR BEHAVIORS

• Threats To Our Associates - We have a zero-tolerance policy regarding threats against our associates. Any threat of any type or nature directed at an Buckley's associate will not be tolerated. This also extends to any friends, family, and/or roommates of customers. We will not complete any job that we abandon in-progress due to threats, and reserve the right to demand payment for the portion of the job that was completed.
• Threats Against Buckley's - We also have a zero-tolerance policy regarding threats against the company as a whole. Again, any threat of any type or nature, whether physical or otherwise, such as threatening to take unwarranted legal action or threatening to file unwarranted complaints with the State of Delaware and/or the BBB, will not be tolerated. Our response to threats against the company is the same as for threats made against our associates - all work immediately ceases and we will no longer perform services of any kind for that customer. (We define "unwarranted" in this context as "the customer is upset with us but not for anything we did or didn't do, and/or is upset with us regarding any issue that is being handled under a supplier's warranty, and/or is upset with us for any reason that is beyond our control.")
• Drug/Alcohol Abuse - We reserve the right to refuse to perform services for customers that are obviously drunk, on drugs, etc. when we arrive to perform such services. Work that is rescheduled for this reason will incur an additional service call fee, both of which will for a certainty be due immediately upon our arrival the second time.

LEGAL

• Permission To Operate Vehicle - By allowing us to perform repair work on your vehicle, you are also granting us permission to use the vehicle on public roadways for diagnostic, testing, and verification purposes.
• Releasing Vehicles - We cannot release a vehicle to any other person or party but its owner unless specifically told to do so. If you want us to give the keys to a friend or relative, you must tell us this in advance. We cannot release a vehicle until full payment has been provided.
• Things We Cannot Control - We are not responsible for things beyond our control, which includes, but is by no means limited to, the following:
  - Acts of God, acts of nature, etc. (e.g., temporary closure brought on by a hurricane);
  - Incorrect/inaccurate information from a parts supplier (e.g., misquotes on pricing);
  - Mistakes on the part of a supplier (e.g., receiving the wrong part);
  - Shipping delays, especially during transit (e.g., storms in Tennessee causing delays in shipping anything through Memphis via FedEx);
  - Incorrect/inaccurate diagnostic and repair information provided to us from reference sources (e.g., wrong labor times in labor guides)
• Right Of Refusal - In accordance with Federal and State Law, we reserve the right to refuse to perform any repairs we would consider inappropriate or unsuited to the problem at hand or that would in our opinion render the completed vehicle unsafe to drive.
• Mechanic's Liens - Delaware law provides mechanisms for auto repair facilities to protect themselves against non-payment by customers. The principal mechanism is the "mechanic's lien," which, thanks to state reciprocity laws, will block the sale, transfer, and registration of a vehicle throughout most of the United States. All repairs are assumed to be protected by an implied mechanic's lien as well as all other mechanisms provided for under Federal and State Law.
• Before You Call Your Attorney - If there's a problem, contact us immediately. Most situations can be worked out to mutual satisfaction without any difficulty and with minimal to no expense. Please note that as standing policy we automatically terminate all business relations with customers that threaten legal action when it's unnecessary and unwarranted, and we automatically counter-sue on all small claims cases, so please consider the filing of a civil suit to be a last-resort option, not a first-strike weapon.