I took my 1994 Buick Roadmaster station wagon to the Precision Tune Auto Care on South Federal Highway, in Pompano Beach, FL to have fixed whatever it was that was causing me to lose power. I was told by "Terry" the owner that the transmission needed to be over-hauled.
I paid $1,000 for the work, and was given a receipt on Precision Tune stationery, stating that I had a 12,000 mile or 12 month warranty, whichever came first.
A few months later I began having the same problem, and when I returned to the shop, I discovered that Terry had gone out of business. The Precision Tune Corporate website directed me, in this case, to take the car to another store, which I did.
The Corporate website states,
"We realize that sometimes you might not be able to return to the same center. The majority of services that you receive at PTAC center are covered by a 12 month, 12,000-mile nationwide warranty that will be honored at any of our centers. If you are unable to return to the original center that performed the work, please feel free to take your vehicle to another center and explain to the manager that you would like them to perform warranty work, " and "Finally, if you believe that the solution recommended by the manager or owner at the center is not acceptable, please feel free to contact our Customer Service Department at Precision Tune Auto Care's corporate headquarters. Our hours are from 9:00am to 5:00pm Eastern Standard Time. Our Customer Service Department phone number is (800) 438-8863, x204. You can also e-mail us 24 hours a day at [email protected]. NOTE: Please have all documents relating to the work in question available when you call.
The store on East Commercial Blvd, in Ft. Lauderdale, managed by "Frank, " was the closest, so I went there. Frank told me he would have to check with his whatever to see what to do, as he "could never do that work for the price I was charged." He said his price would be over $1,800.00. I left him with a copy of my receipt from Terry.
When I went back, Frank had lost my receipt (I'm glad it was a copy) and repeated what he previously said about the price. I was under extreme duress, as my mother had just had a massive stroke, and I had to leave town immediately, and needed to drive. I told Frank, "just fix it, and I'll deal with the Corporate Office about getting reimbursed." Due to the nature of the family emergency, and the delay with the warranty repair, I ended up having to use a rental car to drive myself and my son to PA for two weeks. That was another $1,000.00.
I called the Customer Service number given above, and spoke to "Laurie, " who told me immediately that the warranty would be honored. A few phone calls later, she told me that transmission work isn't covered. A few phone calls after that, she wouldn't even take my calls. She simply told me, basically, "Tough."
Now I've spent more than $3,800.00, and I wouldn't go back to ANY Precision Tune, even if they offered to pay me. And people wonder why auto mechanics are thought of as a bunch of thieves!
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