Pep Boys #285 Incompetent work or consumer rip-off Palm Beach Gardens Florida
I took my 97 Blazer to the Pep Boys mentioned above on 5/12/02 to fix an A/C leak. I told them there was a leak at that time. MacDonald the mechanic said did a quick check and said he did not find a leak, so he did a recovery & recharge, and flush cooling system.
The total charge was $185.02. By 5/22/02 all over the freon had leaked out again, so I took the Blazer back around 11:00 am, they said it would be an hour before they could look at it. I went back at 1:30pm, the truck was sitting in the same place I left it. I asked what they were going to do about my truck, they said the recharge was quaranteed but if they found the leak this time I would have to pay for it. I took my truck and left.
Alonzo
West Palm Beach, Florida
2 Updates & Rebuttals
April
Waldorf,Maryland,
Pep Boys do incomplete work nation wide and it's deliberate
#3Consumer Suggestion
Tue, May 28, 2002
I am sure you know what kind of a company Pep Boys is. My family use to use Pep Boys for all their automative needs. Until about 5 years ago. It started with myself.
I had a Pep Boys credit card and needed the A/C fixed, Tires changed all around, the muffler and manifold replaced and a few belts changed. I paid over $700 for all the repairs. The Pep Boys in Waldorf, MD didn't do inspections at that time and I took it to another repair shop to have the inspection done and it failed.
When recieving the paper on what was wrong I found that they had actually turned the white walls of my tires around instead of replacing them, there wasn'r really anything wrong with my tires, but I tend to have them replaced now and then for safety reasons. I found out that my A/C was temperarly fix, meaning it had a leak that they put crappy stuff on that would soon leak again.
The mufler and manifold were patched and not replaced and no belts were ever replaced. Luckly I had complained and had proof these things were paid for and never done so, when I wouldn't pay my credit card bill and they took me to court I won and didn't owe them anything, yet I am battling them to take it off my credit report.
Unfortunately, 2 years ago, my sister wasn't as lucky. She purchased a car from our parents (but still in my parents name) and it was still under the dealerships warranty. But it needed it's maintence done and she took it to Pep Boys to have it done. 2 days later, she was on her way to work and the engine locked up completely, upon having it towed to the dealership (of course now needing a new engine) they had found out that the oil was never changed, in fact nothing and I mean nothing was ever done that she paid for.
They went round and round with Pep Boys who told them, "You should have made sure the oil was changed. It isn't our fault you didn't check." So, my father threatened to involve an attorney if need be. So, Pep Boys called the dealership and they worked out that their warranty would pay for half and Pep Boys would pay the other half. Still unfair don't you think.
Trust me Pep Boys always does this. And people still trust them for their car needs. Maybe someday they'll learn. But til then we'll all have to be carefull about every little thing we pay for.
Bruce
Centerville,Utah,
Education ..Perhaps I can help
#3UPDATE Employee
Sat, May 25, 2002
It sounds like either the service writer did not properly educate you, or we did not get the entire story.
Perhaps I can help:
In MOST circumstances, you can not SEE an A/C leak. Refridgerant (R-134a in your case) is oderless and colorless. When it leaks, it is gone. It is not like engine oil, that, when leaking, sticks to everything.
The solution is to add dye to the refridgerant when it is charged up. That way, when it leaks, like it will continue to do, they can SEE the leak site and fix it.
Evacuating and recharging an A/C will not fix a leak, and you cant run out of refridgerant.