Warning - PEPBOYS

[mtngal]

Hi all, my first and last experience at PEPBOYS in Austin was total chaos! I needed a State Inspection and choose this location with easy access and large parking area. Also decided to have them do an oil change in addition to state inspection. Two hours later they are finally finished; I go to Service counter where the 'clerk' tell me they couldn't do oil change as they couldn't life my van. That's odd I say because I SAW my van on the lift! Steve goes to check and sure enough they DID do an oil change. After the mix up he says no charge for the Inspection. Great! My bill is $30 as expected for oil change. I go across the street to Hobby Lobby and check under hood. All looks ok! So far so good! Late that afternoon I get a call from Steve, they have charged me for someone else's work. Would I please come back by to get it straightened out? Well no, but I did look at the receipt and see it's was 'Bill's rotor work'! This morning I dropped back by; took them 20 minutes to get it squared away and I ended up buying for the State Inspection after all. Besides that there was no indication on receipt that fluids, etc on been checked as part of oil change; NO documentation. Everything was fine they say, but I have no written record of that. Needless to say I won't be back to a PEPBOYS anytime soon! Disappointed because it would have been a good option for future maintenance.

[sharon]

I've been to places like that..what a pain in the patootie! Sorry you had such a bad experience.

[Bethers]

Ouch.

[cpatinjones]

Very frustrating!

[chalet05]

Not fun! Did they try to sell you stuff you don't need? We went to Midas in Palmer, AK. I was tole I needed new wiper blades at a big price - we had just changed the one we felt needed it for next to nothing; looking at the bill while paying, I asked about one item - I don't have 4 wheel drive but they serviced it - not.

[avalen]

wiper blades is a big one they try to get you on. It happened to me too one time, and I laughed at the guy told him to his face he was
trying to rip me off as I had just put new wiper blades on the day before.

[retiredhappy]

Diane, email to corporate office and COMPLAIN LOUDLY. I'm a firm believer in bitching and not just walking away and not going back. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

[BirdbyBird]

Most important is that managers and corporate can't fix what they don't know about. So informing higher ups of poor service has the best chance of improving performance for the next guy....and maybe getting some satisfaction for yourself.

I was an administrator. There were things that I could not fix but when informed of some issues there were also many opportunities to improve a performance. My staff worked round our county in multiple school sites. I could not be everywhere or know everything..... but it helped that some of the staff thought I could.....

[mtngal]

Telling about it all to my DD this afternoon we talked about sending out email too. Don't know if I will, doesn't seem worth the effort. While I was there every bay was full; maybe my standards are out of whack. And yes they did try to sell wiper blades

[chalet05]

Diana, I started to suggest a letter as well, but I know it takes time. However, they might send you a coupon for free oil change or something at any of the stores - they are not likely to all be bad??

I had an issue with a Discount Tire location in Michigan - a couple guys with no logic. (Yes, I realize I brought the flat tire to you in the back seat, but now the spare goes back under the truck where it belongs! I even gave two of them tool advice on the easiest way to secure the tire because of the extended camper. Finally a third showed up and got the job done! This summer I found they didn't use the tire I asked them to use as the spare!). However, recently at a store in Washington, I couldn't have been happier.

[JudyJB]

I went in to a 10 minute oil change place that I regularly frequented a few years ago with my car.

The young guy who asked me what I wanted started joking around when I told him I wanted an oil change. He said they didn't do them anymore, ha, ha. I was not in the mood for a put-on so I said I would go elsewhere. He started to panic when I insisted they open the doors so I could leave which I did.

I later called and spoke to the owner about this inappropriate way to treat a customer. He said kid was 17 and had already been warned about behavior to customers. Kid got fired but at least owner knew he was maki g customers angry. Maybe he also learned a lesson. Owner would have not been able to stop it if I a d others had not let him know.

[Bethers]

Moving this to kudos/kudnos - where it's obviously a kudNO.

[Gentleladybear]

You really should voice a complaint. To complain on here accomplishes nothing unless you are willing to take it further. If service locations are making a "rip off" then it needs to go global.

You might be amazed what a nice, complaint email accomplishes.