Complaint Review: Just Brakes Northglenn CO

I was ripped ff at the same shop in Northglenn CO tried to resolve the problem and have run into road blocks the Attorney generals office wont help in CO because the company is HQ in Texas the Attorney General there wont do anything unless they get a complaint from more than 5 people and the BBB is not going to help there at all. Took my F-150 there to get my braes checked wasn't thinking about a 99 dollar repair but an inspection and recommendation on what was needed got an estimate for almost 800 dollars that was for new rotors and pads trusted them and said do the work. picked up truck after  6 hours hen the next day drove out to california and started having problems with the brakes drove back to colorado had tem check it out they said it as the caliper pistions and that they noticed they were worn but legally coudnt do anything about it till they wore out the had my truck up and the brakes all apart and said that they would have to repair it that cost me another 500 I was pssed but felt had no choice so I paid drove back to california and a month later had another problem took my truck to brake shop here pads wee worn out also was tld and shown that the rear rotors were never replaced had to get new ones and pad I paid a little over 400 to finally get it done right. I called just brakes HQ and got the run around. They know what they are doing is wrong there are many complaints but until we file a complaint in mass to the Attorney generals office in Texas there is nothing that can be done  I am also a disabled veteran with limited resources

"And just so you'll know brake pads come in sets of 4. so they charged you $115 for 4 pads . "

They actually come in axle sets front and rear.

"The speech"  Their is nothing wrong with it. The time they spend on showing the vehicle to you is a more powerful way of selling things because they can show you it is actually bad or why it is recommended. This Most people never see the underside of their car in their life. The fact is You will never get the special price because you vehicle is out side of it in almost ever offer.

..owners of vehicles, owners of vehicles who pay others for repair/services, and business owners.

I am in the automotive industry so reports against the industry can have an effect.

I will concede, I came off harsh at first to insult the vehicle itself and I will apologize for that as it did no good. It's just that I have to deal with people all the time that want me to diagnose their expensive vehicles and complain about the price. I have to explain to them like they are 2 year olds that the Mercedes, Land Rover, Range Rover, Audi, BMW etc is not Honda or a Ford, it is a nightmarish science project and parts are more expensive and harder to come by. I have to wonder to myself why they would purchase a vehicle like this and then act surprised when the estimates are higher then if it were a modest vehicle.

I also have to wonder why they are auguring with me over price, when the dealership would charge 3,4,5 times the amount..and they KNOW this d**n well. That is why they are not at the dealer to begin with.

I agree wholeheartedly that most of these shops, everything from the chains, to the dealerships, to the small mom and pops try to up-sell with a "speech"..also known as a "sales pitch". Or perhaps this shop was simply trying to explain what was required before you agree to it..is that so wrong? We read some complaints here where shops charged for work they didn't do..or the customer paid even though they did not like the estimate..or claim they had the work done without an estimate.

What I can not agree with no matter how many names I am called, is that someone could lodge a complaint here because ANY shop would not honor a 99 dollar brake job coupon for a Land Rover..especially when the coupon states "MOST" vehicles. I just got a brake coupon today for "starting at" 75.00 per axle after $25.00 mail in rebate..."most GM cars and trucks". So it is pretty clear they are going to try to up-sell with a speech..I don't need any warnings. I can agree to the price, or not.

Why not do what Nancey Reagan would have suggested and "just say no". Then see if any other shop would give you a better deal. I guess I am more fortunate that I can do brakes myself if I choose, but still I would not want a Land Rover because I know how expensive parts can be, and it is not like you can get them at a pick-a-part or Pep Boys off the shelf in most cases.

Thanks Phillip but I suppose I should have adjusted the subject line to say "watch out for THE SPEECH" since it appears many of you have trouble reading! :)  Hillbilly Ronnie, it was nice to hear from you again; thought we lost you there for a minute!  For everyone's information, "THE SPEECH" is a sales tactic I was hoping to alert everyone here to so that you don't unknowingly get stuck paying more than you should but somehow this has turned into a crybaby session from a bunch of dummies who are upset about the car I drive.  Well, Ronnie and Steve, I've learned my lesson and it's that I should avoid forums and the idea that I could help out a couple of little boys like yourself who are a little too big for their britches when they're online.  Consider this my open invititation however to come by and say hi if you're ever in the Greeley area as it'd be a pleasure to put a face with a name!  One more thing before I go, if you two fairies are living on opposites ends of the states, WTF do you care what happens at a Just Brakes in Northglenn, Colorado?!  Seriously, find a more healthy way to spend your time gentleman or at least find a more location-appropriate issue to involve yourself in because as far as I can tell, this doesn't concern you at all.  Cheers!  - SSgt Chris Tabors

The $99.88 ads reads: Offer good on most cars and light trucks. Additional charges for additional repairs. 

You drive a high-end automobile so you should expect high-end maintenance. You accepted the estimate. This is not a rip-off.

These places are able to thrive because of cheapskates like yourself. Your driving around a highend suv and want 99.00 brakes? They throw their hook baited with a 99.00 price and cheap people like yourself go right after it. Your probably the person who goes after the 12.99 oil change and 199.99 paint job and complains afterwards that it was an inferior job. No s%@t sherlock. Get a real mechanic, pay the price or go after your bargains and shut up.

Looks like they charged you $99 labor to do a 4 wheel brake job on a Land Rover.

that's $99 to replace the brake pads and shoes, and turn the drums and rotors.

Sound like you got a deal to me . most shops around my part of the world would have charged you 3.0 hours labor for a four wheel brake job. Most shops around hear charge $50 to $60 an hour . That is low, the dealers charge around $80. I live in Georgia, in the Atlanta area the labor rate is  over $120 an hour.                             so lets see  3x50= $150 .

Then you are pissed when they try to up sell you . That's there job ,
to tell you whats wrong with you car so you can get it fixed. But if they had not then you Probably would have written a report about what they did not find and how sorry this company is for not trying to sell you something.

And now that you posted your dumbass rant trying to say this company tried rip you off when it did not . You want to call everyone that does not agree with you a bunch of  Hillbillies . Hillbillies that are obviously more knowledgeable than you are about automobile repair.  

And just so you'll know  brake pads come in sets of 4. so they charged you $115 for 4 pads .

And at any Time you did not like the service you were getting all you had to do was ask for your car back and leave , no one was making you get your Land Rover worked on there.

Yee haw. I was born and raised in Brooklyn NY. I lived in South Florida for 15 years, and have lived in Hollywood for last 2 years.

I am sorry you do not enjoy hearing the truth. You think I do like Land Rovers? I would love a Land Rover. But I buy Jeep Wranglers. Why? Because it is COMMON knowledge that Land Rovers need a lot of maintenance, and are too expensive to maintain and repair, at least for my Hillbilly budget.

Bring that vehicle anywhere with a coupon and see if it includes a Land Rover as "most" vehicles.

So I am not so much criticizing the vehicle itself, but the owner for expecting a complete brake job for 99 bucks. The 300 plus tax was a bargain..try the dealer next time it will be closer to a grand.

Perhaps this is why you "agreed" to the price here and did not have the dealer do it? Yes they will ALL have the same "speech"...a Land Rover does not qualify as "most" vehicles..which is why they print that on the coupons. Surely you know this?

Hey Griz

Thanks for the comment about Just Brakes. I agree with you totally if $99 is the

advertised prize that's what it should be. I will go else where for brakes in the future.

Appreciate the info. Do not be swayed by other peoples opinions when they do not

benefit the consumers as yours did regarding JB. I respect the fact you are trying to

help us all out. If other people don't have the common sense to see that, that's too

bad for them!

Hillbilly Steve, no need to get your sweet little panties in a wad.  Isn't it great getting to know someone before you start labeling them?!  What I find most interesting is that even with your 10 years experience with the Army (same as myself) you can still be outright disrespectful to a person you don't even know; that doesn't sound like a soldier to me.  Hillbilly Steve, you ought to find a better way to spend you time than scanning the forums for an opportunity to sound bigger and badder than you really are.  I wouldn't normally get into a pissing match with a small man such as the likes of yourself but I would suggest you be a little more tactful in the future (remember situational awareness?) before you start showing your true iq or lack thereof.  Hillbilly Steve you have made my day and I take great pleasure in knowing that these observations will do even more to ruin the rest of your week!  Cheers!!   

Hey Griz,

FAR from a "hillbillie" here. FYI...10 years prior military here and a disabled veteran. I have probably seen much more than you. You should never make assumptions about people. At least I am smart enough to know there is no such thing as a $99 brake job. And, I'm certainly smart enough to know that I would never want a Land Rover! And you call me a hillbillie? Get a grip!

Hey guys, I'm all about constructive criticism but you too ought to find a healthier medium for airing your frustrations. You hillbillies always give me a good laugh with comments like the ones above. Getting ripped off is getting ripped off and the reason I started this thread was to warn other consumers about "the speech", nothing else. Nevertheless I'm amazed that you two have nothing better to do than read my entire post just to criticize the vehicle I drive. I'm a Staff Sergeant in the US Army and I've been alot of places and met some really unique individuals but I'll tell you what, you two definitely will make my list of top ten D bags! Goodonya for making the list! Cheers guys!

..for the most part.

However, you CAN get some of these places to honor the coupons.

But..don't expect it to happen if you pull up with a Land Rover..and don't expect it if you are not willing to stand your ground.

A $99.00 brake job for all 4 is highly suspect for ANY make vehicle...but if I pulled up to that shop with a Kia or Hyundai..or Chevy or Ford...you can bet I would have got the deal.

How I did this once with Pep Boys..is told them it was a long term rental and I just wanted to return the vehicle. They honored the brake job (reluctantly). They did try to scam me with the "resurfacing" and adjustment and flushing scam nonsense BS, but when I told them I was just returning the car and had no extra money..they did the job for the coupon price.

And the $14.99 oil changes...sure they are using this as a "lost leader" in hoping they can find a million and one extra things to charge you for. But if you INSIST you only want the oil change (and make sure you read the fine print), they will take the hit and honor it in most cases. Not if you pull up in a Land Rover or Benz etc..but an every day normal commuter family Ford/Chevy/Honda/Hyundai/Toyota/Nissan etc.

I have noticed the past year or so..these really cheap brake job and oil change specials are getting hard to find. Heck it cost me around 15 bucks to do the oil change myself..which 9 out of 10 times I do. It only take me 10 minutes, but I don't have a place to dispose of the old oil and it is not always convenient to contain it to bring to the auto parts store for recycling. And often they won't except it claiming the tank is full.

Last time I had pep boys do it..it was $19.99 as advertised on the wall..this was not even a special. I recently got mailed a special from the dealership..and they were charging 49.99 on "special" for just an oil/filter change.

The old saying "if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is" applies here.

COMMON SENSE would tell you that there is NO WAY you can actually get a $99 brake job on all 4 wheels. Simple common sense.

The shop overhead alone is more than that. Each repair bay has to average a certain amount of money/profit per hour for the shop to just break even. How do you think they would pay the overhead on a shop doing $99 brake jobs? Do you think you can find a qualified mechanic for less than $18 an hour? $20 an hour? $24 an hour? How would that mechanic get paid out of that $99 brake job?

FYI...The actual cost to the business to have a $20 and hour mechanic is about $26-$28 an hour with the employee costs factored in. A 4 wheel brake job can barely be done in an hour of total shop time.

So, $99 less the $26 for the mechanic = $73, then you subtract the cost of 2 sets of pads and shop supplies, rags, solvents, hand cleaner, etc., after all this stuff all costs money and is overhead, lets say $45 being conservative. This leaves $28.00 [being very generous] out of that $99. Now you have to pay the rent on the shop, the utilities, phones, maintenence, management salaries, insurance, and advertising, not to mention computers, tools, expendable items, etc.

Do you get the picture now?

$99 brake jobs simply cannot happen.

Just like $14.99 oil changes.

Use some common sense.

And, Honda, Ford, and Toyota do not make brake pads. No carmaker does. They are all made in China or Mexico or some other third world country. Even the ones you get from the dealership that say FORD on the box. Made in MEXICO. Not made by FORD.

And, even the mention of the BBB tells me that you have no grasp on reality at all. The BBB is a useless and corrupt organization that serves absolutely no use in today's computer age. It's a joke.  So is owning a Land rover! Why would anyone do that?

But I agree with Ronny - "$99 brake service"??? Please. I spent alot more at my reliable mechanic for a complete brake service and they guarantee it. I own a GMC 3500.

You got what you asked for - you own a "luxury" vehicle you are not going to get a $99 brake job.

did you not know a Land Rover is more expensive to service then a Ford or Honda? Get real You are driving the worst most depreciating POS on wheels and it is a WELL known fact...

"J.D. Powers 2007 manufacturer dependability ratings rank Land Rover at the bottom of the list, with owners reporting a total of 398 problems per 100 vehicles during the first three years of ownership. The industry average is 216, while Buick and Lexus got the top spot in 2007 with 145. Suzuki (324), Isuzu (322), Saab (319) and Volkswagen (298) sit directly above Land Rover in the rankings."

That aside..I check the companies web ad for the (( special..and here is what is says when you click the ad....

*See store for limited guarantee terms. Offer good on most
cars and light trucks. Additional charges for additional repairs.
$6.00 Shop Supply Fee not included.

Notice the word MOST??? Apparently an expensive to maintain mechanical NIGHTMARE like a POS Land Rover is not considered "most". So just tell them you don't agree to the quote and go elsewhere. Why lodge a complaint? Does the ad state ANYWHERE that all cars and trucks get the deal? No..it plainly says "most". Go buy a Honda or Kia if you can only afford 99 dollar brakes.