Just Brakes ripoff lied made me replace parts that didn't need replacing Tampa Florida
On 12/26/2003 I brought my 2001 VW Beetle in after hearing a grinding noise. I figured it was in need of a simple brake pad replacement. Before the Just Brakes mechanic even looked at it, he was already treating it like it was a serious problem.
Soon after I left my car with them, the mechanic told me I needed about $470 worth of repairs. He said I needed new rear rotors, rebuilt calipers, and pads. I told him I would get a second opinion especially since he told me I needed to replace the rotors. I took my car in the second I heard the grinding!
When I came to pick up my car, the mechanic had convinced me that I really needed the repairs by explaining about a VW Repair Bulletin that was out on my model. He explained that the bulletin warned of faulty brake calipers that caused the damage. I eventually gave in and told them to fix it. I was also scared on how they would put my car back together if I did not have them fix it.
After I agreed to have them fix my car, I looked up the VW bulletin they mentioned and it turned out the bulletin was only on the brake pads themselves. there was no mention about calipers or rotors. The instructions on the bulletin also said to simply replace the pads, that is it! I also noticed that not one customer at Just Brakes left without spending about $500 or more. I should have followed my gut instinct. I know I have been ripped off and feel quite defenseless since I have already paid. Something has to be done about this company. They are basically theives. I don't know how these mechanics can sleep at night!
Leonore
Tampa, Florida
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Tim
Valparaiso,Indiana,
U.S.A.
If these shops have so much business, why do they need to defraud the consumers? ..Advice for the future
#2Consumer Suggestion
Fri, January 09, 2004
If you could prove that they did unnecessary repairs then you would probably have a good legal claim against them for fraud. When someone who purports to be an expert on a subject uses the difference in knowledge between himself and the client to convince the client to shell out money that he otherwise would not have he has rendered the contract voidable.
If your assertions are corect, then the consent you gave to have the work performed was fraudently obtained and effectively non-existent.
Unfortunately, you'd probably have a pretty hard time proving this in a courtroom. In the future, any time you have parts replaced on your vehicle, especially if you aren't confident in the honesty of the shop, you should do the following three things: 1) have the mechanic show you the original part while it is still on the vehicle and have him explain to you why it needs to be replaced. 2) have the mechanic write out a list of parts he says need replacing and the reason why each part needs to be replaced. 3) the most important thing to do is request that the old parts be returned to you.
If you still have the old parts that were allegedly faulty you will have a much easier time proving that they performed work that didn't need to be done. If you are especially wary about the work being performed in a shop, you may want to actually observe the removal of your old parts to ensure that they are not intentionally damaged.
It seems to me that any time I call a repair shop there is at least a two day wait for service. If these shops have so much business, why do they need to defraud the consumers? That's something I'll never understand.