Today, 5/23/02 I had such a nightmare with getting my car repaired at Pepboys. I brought my car in, during my working hours, to have the alternator replaced and the turn signal repaired. I dropped it off at around 11:00 and by the time I got off at 5:00, it still wasn't finished.
He said they have to talk to me about replacing the flasher before they can actually replace it and I specifically gave them my work number to call me! He said they "were too busy." Well, that's not the end of it.
After about 45 minutes later, I pay and I go get into my car to start it, and it makes an awful sound. Come to found out, the alternator belt had been torn. Luckily my boyfriend was with me and also around were two nice teenage boys who seemed very concerned as to what was going on. The guy came out to look at my car and insisted it was the tensioner and basically stated that there was nothing they could do about it.
He said that the type of tensioner I have on my car is crappy and that it wouldn't do any good to replace the belt because it will come right back off. Not only did they want to charge me to change the tensioner, but they expected me to be a satisfied customer, after paying $235, going out to my car to leave and it does this.
I absolutely hate confrontation and being mean, but boy, I had to stand my ground. It's just not right, y'all! The mechanic had to have heard that noise when he drove my car to the lot, and didn't fix it.instead, I had to argue with the service guy and the so-called "assistant manager" that they were going to fix it.
I was not leaving my car there over night-not after I paid my hard earned money to repair my hard earned car and not have it fixed. They did not want to admit that they simply tore my belt.
Finally, after two hours of my boyfriend insisting that they just change the belt, they finally did, and at no charge, but only because they know they screwed up and looked stupid. I cannot believe they actually expected me to be okay with all of this. My car was not doing that when I dropped it off, and it sure as heck isn't going to be that way when I leave, all because "stuff happens, " the assistant manager said.
All they had to do was admit it was torn, replace it, and be done with it. All this went on for two whole hours. My car is just fine now and the belt hasn't come off. The assistant manager stated, "well, we'll replace the belt, but don't come back up here when it comes off." Needless to say, I replied, "don't worry, I won't be back."
J Stinson
Shreveport, Louisiana
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