Complaint Review: Big Al

Brought my 2002 Toyota Corolla to have brakes inspected at Big Al's. The manager immediately urges us to have all brakes replaced with brand new brakes. His sly method is: "I'm not saying you have to have your brakes replaced, but I strongly urge you to get it replaced. I certainly wouldn't want my brakes to go out." So we believed him. Man, were we wrong. We ask him why we aren't receiving the advertised brake special. He informs us there are two types of brakes, metallic and ceramic. He states, "The special is only on metallic brakes." He assures us that metallic brakes should be the same. Was he wrong. After replacing all 4 sets of brake pads (Toyota brand) with cheapo metallic brakes, the first test drive gives us screeching noise!

The manager refuses to change the brake pads to ceramic without charging more money. After kindly reasoning with this guy for ten minutes, the manager yells, "I will call the cops if you don't leave." Wow, what kind of manager does that??? Before I left, I had to force the manager to give me my old Toyota brake pads.

A few weeks later, I take the Corolla to a real repair shop, the official Checkered Flag Toyota service dept, and show them my old brake pads. The certified tech said, "The brake pads aren't even half way worn. You got plenty more time before they wear out." Could you believe this? Big Al lied to us, urging us to buy new brakes so they could make more money.

Moral of the story: If you have an American made car, avoid Big Al due to terrible customer service. If you have a foreign made car (Toyota, Nissan, etc), never step foot inside Big Al's due to lack of knowledge and terrible customer service.

John
Virginia Beach, Virginia
U.S.A.