This has been several years ago so I don't know if I could even find the paperwork anymore but I'd like to tell my story anyway. I can't believe there is nothing on this site for this store at this location.
I HAD a Plymouth Sundance. It needed a new head gasket. I had taken it to a mechanic but he got sick and almost died so I took it to Pep Boys since they were close. I had never dealt with them before or heard any horror stories at that point. I drove the car in to their store.
I was treated nice enough at first. It took a couple of days for my car to be repaired but I was willing to wait. I don't mind waiting as long as the work is done properly. I was specific about what needed done although I did not mind their doing a computer scan. If there were any other problems I preferred to know about them.
I was phoned and told my car was done. My mom went with me when I paid and drove my car home. They did try to charge me for having the car towed to them but I quickly disabused them of that notion. I knew I had driven it in and I refused to pay that. I live about 20 miles or so from the shop.
When I was about 5 miles from home, I looked in my rearview mirror and couldn't even see my mom behind me for all the smoke. I immediately pulled off the road and raised my hood. I don't know a lot about cars but I do know some. My brother has always worked on cars and I used to help. Anyway, I couldn't see anything glaringly wrong, and having just paid quite a bit to have it fixed, I didn't have much money and decided to chance driving the car home. What would 5 more miles do?
I called Pep Boys as soon as I got home and told them about the problem with it smoking. I was told that it was normal and was probably just some oil on the engine burning off. I told them that it was NOT normal and that it was not just a LITTLE bit of smoke. They finally told me to DRIVE it back to the shop and they would look at it. I told them I wouldn't drive it but I would have it towed there.
It was towed back to the shop. They told me that they would check it out right away. I called several times over the next few days to see what they had discovered. Either no one knew, they had to check, or it wasn't done and they would call me when it was. Finally I was told that it was done. I had a friend take me from work to their shop. When I got there I was told that they hadn't even started work on it! I told them that it had been there for several days and I expected someone to do something about it. I told them that my friend had brought me to their shop but it was very far out of her way to take me home. Had I known the car wasn't ready, I would have had a way home. I ended up leaving the car there again.
A few days later, I was again told that my car was fixed. When I arrived this time, I was again told that they had not even started on it! I demanded that they get it fixed right then. They told me they were waiting on their "best" mechanic to work on it. When the guy finally walked in, HE WAS THE SAME ONE WHO WORKED ON IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. I explained to them, again, that they had worked on it, they were supposed to have fixed the oil leak, they had done diagnostic testing on it, and I had been assured when I picked it up the first time that I would have no more leaks. They told me they had checked everything out and they had billed me the first time for SUPPOSEDLY checking out my engine for leaks.
When the car was finally done, I was presented with a bill. I was charged for taking the engine apart again along with fixing a part THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN CHECKED OUT THE FIRST TIME. I told them that I would not pay to have my car taken apart again when they should have fixed this the first time. I told them that they should have been paying me for the tow bill and all my lost time because of their incompetence. The first "manager" I talked to offered me a 10% discount and said that was the best she could do. I told her I wouldn't deal with her if that was all she could do and that I wanted to speak to someone who could actually do something. The next "manager" I spoke to said he could offer me a 20% discount but that was the best that he could do.
I finally ended up with the 20% discount, some time discounted, and the tow bill charge removed. Everyone in the store that day knew about my problem, though. I am very aggressive when someone tries to make me look like an idiot or tries to tell me that I don't have a clue about anything just because I am female. I stated that I would never come back to the store again and that I would tell everyone I knew never to go there.
Buzzy
Wadesville, Indiana
U.S.A.
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