Mike
St. Charles,#2Consumer Suggestion
Wed, February 01, 2006
Worked for Jiffy Lube over a decade ago, nothing changes. However, although I understand your good samaritan work was appreciated, your methods need to change. What needs to be done with nationwide franchises versus the private sector is simple. Get an authorization form, letter, number, etc. before you do the work! As with any other situation, the responsible party that did the wrong must be given a chance to correct it. This was not done. Yes you called and spoke with a Lube tech, or asst. manager, but you did not speak to the people that write their checks! Yes it can be hard at times to get the correct person on the phone to have the problem resovled, but You should NEVER try to correct a situation and assume to be paid if you are not the company the started the problem. Jiffy lube Doesn't Know what the actual problem is! Yes you informed them but did anyone come out to look at it from Jiffy Lube before you started the work. If I were Jiffy Lube I would have said to you wait, I need to inspect the damage myself before you attempt anything. But then again the problem you stated with the O-Rings can be hard to confirm after you open the pan and the filter is not attached or is laying in the pan. A policy that you should enforce with your company is simple. You take the vehicle to another location to have some maitenance done, and something fails, You take it back to that location FIRST. Let them make the determination of what is wrong and let them authorize the repair. I hope this helps you in the future, and may you become stronger in the future knowing how to deal with problems.
Robert
Jacksonville,#3Consumer Comment
Wed, February 01, 2006
You repaired the vehicle the first time, and the customer then went and had another shop open it up. Jiffy Lube is responsible for the damage. The customer is responsible for the damage. You are not responsible for any of it. When I do a repair, it stays repaired. If the customer allows someone else to 'tinker" with it in any way, they have nullified their NAPA warranty. Reman "units" come with paint filled screws and "locked in" bolts for this very reason. More than likely, Jiffy Lube put DexronIII back in the transaxle, which would have caused damage also, even if the filter seal was installed. This all goes back to what I have been saying for years. You will find ZERO mechanics at a Jiffy Lube or any of the other oil change places. They have kids out of high school who know where the drain plug is and where the fill cap is. Beyond that, good luck. You probably did the right thing by giving the job away. Write it off on your taxes, and warn all of your customers from now on, that using anyone except you to do ANY servicing of the transmission will void the warranty. I have done that for years with no problems. I have dozens of engines and transmissions out there. The warranty stipulated that I did all of the service work to the engine or transmission during the first 2 years/24K miles. It is perfectly legal to do so. Only the original manufacturer is bound by the Moss-Magnuson Act. Independent repair facilities are not.