Complaint Review: Sears Auto Center

We had a battery go 'dead' overnight. The gas station mechanic who came out to jump it said the alternator was bad (didn't even look at it). My wife took the car to another shop and they said they'd put in a new alternator for $300. Then she took it to a trusted mechanic we know - he tested everything and said there was absolutely no problem with the alternator or the battery. We must have left the lights on and the battery drained overnight - once. But all these places were more than willing to sell us a new, unneeded, alternator.

I agree, as well, that it may have not been an attempt to rip off the customer. A large amount of auto repair fraud is actually contributed to poor diagnosis. Mistakes do happen and unfortunatly sometimes the customer ends up paying for those mistakes. Now if that mistake is discovered, the shop should be willing to make it right, especially if they charged the customer for an unneeded repair.

Since Sears did not end up replacing the alternator, they cannot do much about it. If they had charged for diagnostics they should refund that money since it was not correct. They are not responsible for the money the customer paid for a second opinion, but they should certainly appologize and own up to the mistake. Sometimes people forget that letting someone know you are sorry does make a difference and is important.

As for the whole media/ripoff thing...
What I think is interesting is when the media does report an automotive repair ripoff, they usually focus on the large chain stores.
Whether it is because they rip people off more, or just because they are well known and make for a good story I dont know.

But it does seem obvious by now that those places will continue to use all those contests and commission in order to sell as many services and parts as possible. They keep getting caught, keep acting surprised at the charges, they have no idea what is going on in their stores, and later confess, or settle.

It shouldn't be forgotten that these types of shops are only after the money. They are run by a large company, and at the headquarters people have nothing to do but figure out how to make more and more money. Not that this can't and doesn't happen at independent shops, but I think that they are usually too busy fixing cars to focus on only money. That is of course thier objective, but independent shops are usually full of "car guys" not business men. The shop owners usually live for cars.

Anyhow whats funny is that ripoff reports (in the media) are focused mainly on those large stores but people somehow relate the fraud to the small shops only!

Consumers all go crazy "Auto Repair Ripoff!!!" and everybody in the repair industry has to deal with people thinking they are ripping them off... but then people quickly forget that it was the big guys getting caught on tv and they think since they are big, fancy stores, lots of advertising, etc. they can be trusted..

I think those media reports affect the independent shops more than anyone, even when they are honest, knowledgable, and a very good shop.

I do not believe that an "improper" diagnosis should necessarily be considered a rip off. People make mistakes.

As Robert stated, the tech could easily have checked the charging system with the original bad battery-which in turn could show the alternator as being bad since the alternator needs battery voltage to excite the field in order for it to work properly. Hence, why it did work properly with the new battery.

Also, the crap media reports that were out there...do you realize how it affected EVERYBODY in any kind of repair service for no reason? Holy cow, I had to listen to that stuff directed at us for 6 months just because it was seen on TV and people assume ALL service industry people worked on commission and were ripping them off.

I do not believe that an "improper" diagnosis should necessarily be considered a rip off. People make mistakes.

As Robert stated, the tech could easily have checked the charging system with the original bad battery-which in turn could show the alternator as being bad since the alternator needs battery voltage to excite the field in order for it to work properly. Hence, why it did work properly with the new battery.

Also, the crap media reports that were out there...do you realize how it affected EVERYBODY in any kind of repair service for no reason? Holy cow, I had to listen to that stuff directed at us for 6 months just because it was seen on TV and people assume ALL service industry people worked on commission and were ripping them off.

I do not believe that an "improper" diagnosis should necessarily be considered a rip off. People make mistakes.

As Robert stated, the tech could easily have checked the charging system with the original bad battery-which in turn could show the alternator as being bad since the alternator needs battery voltage to excite the field in order for it to work properly. Hence, why it did work properly with the new battery.

Also, the crap media reports that were out there...do you realize how it affected EVERYBODY in any kind of repair service for no reason? Holy cow, I had to listen to that stuff directed at us for 6 months just because it was seen on TV and people assume ALL service industry people worked on commission and were ripping them off.

I do not believe that an "improper" diagnosis should necessarily be considered a rip off. People make mistakes.

As Robert stated, the tech could easily have checked the charging system with the original bad battery-which in turn could show the alternator as being bad since the alternator needs battery voltage to excite the field in order for it to work properly. Hence, why it did work properly with the new battery.

Also, the crap media reports that were out there...do you realize how it affected EVERYBODY in any kind of repair service for no reason? Holy cow, I had to listen to that stuff directed at us for 6 months just because it was seen on TV and people assume ALL service industry people worked on commission and were ripping them off.

Not the only time Sears has gotten in trouble. They were accused of selling unnecessary repairs, having sales quotas and using various systems to reward those with high sales.

But why should people quit bring it up? That was NOT the only time Sears has gotten caught, infact even though they admitted what they were doing and promised to never do it again...they continue to be caught for the same rip offs.

1992- Sued in California and New Jersey...settled and sent out 50 dollar coupons to almost 1 million customers, paid 200,000 penalty.
2002- In Canada, undercover investigation.
2002- New Jersey, 362 cases at 19 Sears

So sorry you hate to hear about it, but people should not get over it! It is obvious that Sears, along with other chain stores, are not going to change thier ways!

Unfortunately Sears did get in trouble back in 1986-1987 with some people that were trying to make extra money the dirty way. and unfortunatley there will always be dirty people in any and every business you deal with... Not just Sears but every company. But yet people always bring this up no matter what happens as soon as they are unhappy its back to that old story when sears sold chickens and puppies.

The funny thing is I was once told how Sears was ripping people off by a Lawyer. "Pot calling the Kettle black". But in any case that was then. Quit bringing that up. It No longer applies. As far as the battery situation, it Does sound like someone was either inexperienced, or dirty dealing. The manager should have handled that easily. The battery was probably Bad, I dont know about the alternator, I wasnt there. But that whole situation was an easy fix with out throwing in what happened in 1986. Catch my drift. GET OVER IT!! ALAN . you'll be ok.. life gets better at times..then it sucks again. cycle of life. GOOD LUCK IN YOURS JJG

I already stated that the alternator MAY have been bad, but since replacing the battery itself seems to have fixed the problem, it probably just needed a new battery.

I have also stated Sears does try to stick it to people.

Mark stated he doesn't think there was really anything wrong with anything. If that was so, his wife wouldn't have been stuck somewhere, with a dead battery, and he wouldn't have posted this report. He states all he really needed was to have the battery charged, which is the job of the alternator. You can charge a bad battery from now untill the sun explodes and it won't help anything. If a battery cannot hold a charge, it needs to be replaced.

If I replace a battery, I'll check the alternator agin AFTER the battery replacement to make sure it's charging the new battery. If it doesn't, it needs an alternator also.

Robert, I think that what you're saying is accurate, and it doesn't sound like the reporter was ripped off as far as the battery was concerned.

In other words, it sounds like the BATTERY did need to be replaced. But Sears also told the reporter that the alternator was bad, and a follow-up diagnostic showed that this wasn't the case.

So, unless I'm misunderstanding your rebuttals, there's still a pobable ripoff here, it just doesn't seem to go to the extent that was originally reported.

Mark stated the van needed a jump because the battery was dead. He did not say "the lights were left on a the battery went dead". If that was the case, I am sure he would have told his wife to just drive the van home as it would have recharged the battery on it's own in about 30 minutes, as he seems to be pretty bright. You can leave a car sitting with a good battery for months and have no problems with drain off. There is next to nothing in draw when the vehicle sits. I know Sears tries to stick it to people. He made it clear that he didn't believe anything was actually wrong with either the battery or the alternator. The fact is, one or both were bad, or he would not have posted this report to begin with.

First let me say that there are a number of reasons a battery could go dead. Of course the battery may be faulty, but other reasons may be simply leaving the glove box light on. Even if a car sits too long the electronics will have a small drain and can weaken a battery. The major point should be not that Mark needed a battery, but that Sears continues to try to scam customers. Several years Sears was caught doing just what they tried to do here, work that was not required. Sears Mgmt. did damage control and assured the public the practice will stop. Well based on Mark's report the practice of unnecessary auto repairs is still alive and well at Sears.

What do you think keeps the battery charged? That is the job of the alternator. The battery simply holds a charge for use as needed. If the battery is dead, one of two things has happened. One, the battery itself is bad and needs to be replaced. Two, the alternator is bad and needs to be replaced. You cannot have it both ways...battery is dead but both battery AND alternator are good. One or both are bad and need replacement. Since you opted to leave the new battery in the van, and everything checked out fine at the dealership, I think we can all assume the battery was the problem. FYI, Chrysler OEM batteries are pretty rotten as they come in new cars and trucks. I think they sit around too long. Good luck with the new battery, Die Hards seem to be fairly reasonable with price vs longevity.