I have a case with a franchised Midas car repair chain store.
I had contacted the Attorney General's office of my state (Massachusetts) earlier this year and they provided a mediator but unfortunately after going through this process it remains unresolved. The mediator told me it would have to be taken to small claims court.
I used to drive a Mitsubishi Galant which i purchased in July 05.
In October 05, I brought my car in to be worked on into a franchised Midas store in the same town as my college, Bridgewater. They fixed two tie-rods and performed an alignment. I was unaware they only fixed two out of the 4.
The following month I was experiencing engine problems. I brought it in to Midas to be looked at and they called back while i was at school. They told me that the problem, a spark plug misfiring, and along with a lot of other phony work that needed to be done, would be 685 dollars to fix. They claimed there was an oil leak so the oil vavle cover gasket needed to be replaced and that my brakes needed to be fixed.
Without the extras, it would total to around 500 for the engine troubles alone. I declined on authorizing the work because it seemed like an overkill, so I called the mechanic my boyfriend used, Mr. & in Westport. Mr. - had already looked at the car and evaluated it before I bought it from the previous owner in July.
I had used him because he was local to the area where the purchase was made. He was considered very reliable and less expensive than most chain auto repair shops. He also is licensed by the state to give vehicle inspections.
I took it to his shop and he told me that the only 1 front brake pad needed to be fixed, the others were replaced within the year and the and oil leak had to be cleaned up. The valve cover gasket didnt need to be replaced.
He told me that my tie rods caught his eye because he remembered them when he looked at my car in July. He asked why I had only replaced 2 when all four needed work. I told him I didnt know I had only replaced two. He told me that Midas performing an alignment on the 2 defective tierods together with the new tierods was a major safety hazard and my car was not safe even when I left the parking lot. He also told me when he looked at the car before I bought it that both sets of tie rods, inner and outer, were in the same condition.
The car would fail an annual inspection easily and had the potential to disengage the steering when they would snap and break. He called the Midas store in my behalf and talked to the Manager, Mr. Ron Mailloux. Mr. Mailloux told him if there were any concerns with the work performed that he would reimburse me.
I went back to Midas. They put the car on the lift and looked at it. Mr. Mailloux CONFIRMED my car was dangerous. However, he stated that it was due to wear and tear within a months time and the two tie rods he did replace were intact and isnt responsible for them. He offered to either reimburse the alignment or re align the car.
Re-aligning the car seemed counter productive because of the hazards it posed. Like I am really going to make it worse. I became very stubborn and it was nearing the time i was going to class and one of his mechanics barked at me saying "JUST GO TO CLASS" which was very rude. This same mechanic had also tried to solicit me to join his Primerica financial pyramid scam on a previous visit.
He would not honor the full refund. The next day on the phone, he then told Mr. - there was nothing wrong with the car even though he admitted to my face that it was dangerous the night before.
After talking to Corporate offices, and receiving little assistance, I filed a consumer complaint with the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office. The following May, they began mediation proceedings. The response that came back from Midas after they received my complaint had a false story and didnt address the relevant information. They had claimed that they had shown me the tierods before I had authorized them to do the repairs. This was untrue. I had never even been in the mechanics workspace ever before on any occasion.
They did not even disclose Mr. Mailloux's true opinion of the car anywhere in the statement. They instead questioned Mr. - statements about the safety and focused mostly on the expensive estimate they had originally given about the engine work, they were trying to work up a defense.
They had claimed that the reason they have to do repair work on all 4 brakes instead of just the one is because the packaging from the manufacturer would not send them separately.
Yet the big sign on the wall states "we will not charge you for parts or repairs you dont need"
My car didnt need all 4 yet they insisted It did because of packaging. A classic Bait and Switch.
They offered a refund on the alignment and I refused.
I sent a reply to their statement pointing out how it was full of holes.instead of submitting a written answer back to mine (how could they? I ripped every defense they supplied!) they contacted the Mediator assigned to the case, In Quincy MA. They told him verbally that they will only refund 44.95 dollars for the alignment not the full $307.
Mr. Benedictus had given me another verbal offer on their behalf over the phone. I still declined. He then instructed me to go to small claims court and sent the case file documents in the mail. I have a written statement from the other mechanic, Mr. - with his account of what he found wrong with the work performed by Midas in Bridgewater, and the details of what Mr. Mailloux told him over the phone.
Ive noticed that there is a recent complaint about the same store that is consistent with my account with the brake pads.
This shows a pattern.
Sema
South Walpole, Massachusetts
U.S.A.
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