Complaint Review: Meinke Muffler Manager Jeff - Phoenix Arizona

First, let me say that I use the Meinke in Clemmons, NC. Brett and his dad are the best. Because of this great relationship I have with the owners here, I sent my 82- year-old mother to your store on 51st Ave. in Glendale.  

I could not be more upset or disappointed.

Jeff is the Gen. Mgr there. I called him yesterday and made an appointment for my mother at 10a today. He promised he would "take good care of her." He lied.

He has defrauded and taken advantage of my 82-year-old mother in a way that I never thought I would see from Meinke.

Here is the summary of today's events:

1. My mom, Janie Baker, went to her appt. at 10a today. The "Drivers Side Airbag" light had been on, so I asked Jeff to plug it into the computer and see what the problem was. I asked him to call me once he had it plugged in, as my mom is elderly and cannot deal with these things. I waited and hour and a half for his call. It never came, so I called him. He told me that they were "busy with many cars" and have been trying to get to it "off and on." He didn't know who I was and had to look at his file to remember about my mom's car. 

I asked why he hadn't called me as he promised and he said, "We are very busy today. This was at about 11:00a AZ time. He said that he would charge "133.00 per hour and it would be a two hour job and he would credit back one hour." But, he told my mom that it would be a "3 hour job, and he would credit back the first hours, so her bill would be $266.00.

I told him my mom could not wait there for another hour or longer. She was just in a serious car accident in PHX that killed my father. She has not recovered yet and cannot sit long in one place. Jeff said he would have someone take my mom home and then go pick her up in "a couple of hours" when the car was complete.  He said he would call me in "an hour or so." He never called.

So, I called him again at 3p AZ time. He answered the phone and didn't know who I was. Once he found the paperwork, he said that he "hoped to have a diagnosis by the end of the day and would call me." I reminded him that he had promised to call me in a couple of hours and had not done so. He laughed, a long laugh telling me that he was "very busy today with many appointments."  STRIKE ONE.

That was my limit. 

I asked him to send someone to pick up my mom as she needs her car for a Grief Share Class later tonight. He told me that "we don't usually pick up the person, we just drop them off." I was struggling to contain myself at this point. I asked him if I needed to have my mom call a taxi to pick her up and take her to his store. He then said that "when someone is free I will have them go pick her up, we are very busy today."  

He said that if she came and picked up her car she would need to pay $133 because she interrupted their diagnosis. I asked what he had done on the car and the said, "I just cannot wave a magic wand to figure this out, I know you don't understand this, but it takes time." STRIKE TWO.

So, I said basically you have just plugged it into the computer to obtain the error codes and haven't done anything more and yet you want $133 for that? He said, "No, we have done a lot and worked on the car, again I just cannot wave a magic wand." I asked what he had done, and he again repeated that he had obtained the error codes.

At the time of this official complaint 3:35p, no one has picked up my mother. She is stressed to the max, having just lost her husband and now wondering how she will get to her Grief Class tonight. I have called her a cab for 7p to take her to and pick her up from her class.

She was going to take her car to the dealership. I talked her out of that and set up the Meinke appt. because of my great relationship with the owners here.

I can not be more embarrassed or angry over this defrauding of my mother, an 82-year-old widow who has been disrespected in a way I thought not possible. STRIKE THREE.

So, here is what I am going to do: I have instructed my mom to pay the $133 that Jeff said is owed for doing nothing but keeping her car all day. I will then reimburse her with all my apologies.

Then, I will instruct my attorney to file a civli complaint against Meinke and Jeff personally for fraud. I don't care what it costs me, I will not allow your company to treat my mother the way you have today.

Rick