To Whom It May Concern:
On November 25, I came into your store located in Lawrenceville, Georgia (Store #0386) with a problem with my truck not starting. I was visiting from out of town and was concerned that my truck would only start by being jumped off. I wanted to get the problem taken care of before I began my trip home to Valdosta Georgia. When I came into your store I mentioned that I had just had the battery tested at Advanced Auto down the street (5 minutes earlier) and they stated that the battery was good and recommended I come to Pep Boys to get the alternator checked out. I was at Pep Boys from 12:00 to 4:00, only for them to tell me that it was my battery that needs to be replaced. Pep Boys replaced the battery and my grandson and I were on our way.
After driving for about 2 hours, my battery light came on along with my ABS light, signifying I had a problem. I was still 100 miles from my destination and it was now dark outside. My headlights got very dim and my radio began to cut in and out. My truck was completely shutting down! I ended up having my truck towed 100 miles and had it checked out by a mechanic in Valdosta (see attached paperwork). He checked out my old battery and it tested at 92% after being charged. The new battery checked out at 98% after being charged (the alternator had drained them both). The alternator checked out bad and was subsequently replaced.
My complaint is with having to by a battery that I did not need ($78.85) and the problem not being properly diagnosed resulting in a towing charge of $263.47.in addition to that I spent 4 hours at Pep Boys and another 4 hours waiting to be towed. This put me and my 2 year old grandson in danger, stranded off of I-75 at night. Then I ended up replacing my alternator to the tune of $260.00 (which should have been diagnosed by Pep Boys in the first place). This was a very expensive trip ($602.00) that could have been avoided with the correct diagnosis. The service personnel were very courteous (especially Tony) so by complaint is not personal, but I feel I should somehow be compensated for this very costly error.
Respectfully,
derald
(ror redacted address and phone number for security purposes)
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