Just Brakes in Tampa (N. Dale Mabry Hwy) attempted to decieve me into having expensive unnecessary work done.
I took a four year old Honda Accord in to have the pads replaced.
To start, they asked if I was hearing a noise. I said yes and described the sound. I was told that meant that metal was grinding on metal and there was extensive damage. I said that friend who is a mechanic has told me that the noise is made purposely to indicate the pad is low prior to the pad being totally gone. The Just Brakes guy told me no, the pad would be gone and there would be lots of damage.
I went out and watched the mechanic take off the pad of the wheel that was making the noise. Guess what? The pad was a little thin, but there was no damage at all. He made no comment.
A little later, the man who seemed in charge came over and told me I had some serious problems. He said there was a lot of corrosion that would need to be removed. When I looked at it, it appeared to me to be fine except for some typical brake dust.
I asked how much extra the repairs he was advocating would cost and he told me it would come to about $400. (The initial brake job was $99.)
I lost my cool and said, "No xxxx way!"
"Hey, don't talk like that around me—I'm a Christian." He said with a smile.
"Don't try to rip me off then." I replied.
I said to go ahead with the $99 job (They already had the wheels off and were part way through.) After that, I watched the guys working as best I could, with some trepidation out of fear that they would now deliberately do a slipshod job. (They were a surly looking bunch.)
My conclusion is that Just Brakes tried to fraudulently represent damage that did not exist in order to overcharge me.
I will, however, say this. Their standard $99 pad change with rotors machined, etc., APPEARS to be a very good deal. (I am a little concerned about the quality of pads they use.)
Is this immoral, probably criminal activity typical of the whol Just Brakes chain? I don't know, but I do have the sense that the company puts pressure on the local stores to obtain exta jobs. That the $99 brake job is just a ploy to suck unwary customers into their web.
For example, I called another store location and told them I didn't need a brake job right away but the pads were a little low and I just wanted to know the cost of replacing them, and the representative on the phone tried to get me in right away (same afternoon) because if I did not a lot of damage could occur to my vehicle. It sounded like a rehearsed corporate line.
I'd like to see a national news program do an expose on Just Brakes.
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