Recently I traveled to the state of Florida for business and pleasure. I was staying three hours driving time from where I had business.
During my three hour drive my "service engine light" came on in my Chevy Venture Van. I went to John Jochem Chevrolet with my 13 year old daughter and a 70 year old friend, to have my van checked out.
The service people told me that there would be a $69.00 service charge to put my van on the computer to check the problem. They did that and then came back and told me I needed a new transmission at the cost of $1800.00.
I was frantic! I tried to reach my husband in SC to see what I should do, but I couldn't reach him at the time. The Chevrolet people told me that my van would not make the three hour trip to where I was staying so the recommended that I rent a car and leave my van with them to fix the next day. They actually drove us to the car rental agency.
I then remembered that I had an old friend who lived in the area that owned a automotive repair shop, so I called him and asked if he would look at my van and see if there was anyway that he could do the repairs for less, which he agreed to check it out and see what he could do.
I then called the Chevy dealership the next morning and told them that J & D automotive would be coming to get my van, and that they would be doing the repairs for me. The Service man Cesar Zayas told me over the phone that it would be OK and that the dealershiip would only chaarge me $50.00 for the computer reading.
Well, when J & D automotive got to the deaalership to pick up my van, it was AMAZING, my service engine light was out and the estimate for the transmission seemed to disappear! The only paperwork we got was that they did the computer reading and that they changed a fuse, which was the only thing wrong with my van.
It turned out that one of the employees from J & D used to work for John Jochem and he stated that the dealership had done many transmission replacements when the only thing wrong with the vans where these fuses.
Th dealership saw a desperate woman with a child and senior citizen miles away from home, and tried to make a fast buck!
Meanwhile I spent the money on a rental car that I never needed and not to mention all the time driving back down (6 hours round trip) to return the rental car and to pick up my van, plus I had to pay my friend for his time and service to get my van and double check it.
I am wanting to be reimbursed for the rental car, my time and travel, not to mention the expenses to J&D automotive.
Sandi
York, South Carolina
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