Claire L.
Baton Rouge,#2Consumer Comment
Mon, May 05, 2014
I am a little confused by some of your comments especially your descriptions of 'some customers'. I work in customer service and not everyone I interact with is jolly and polite. But realistically, your comments about customers who are miserable and nothing you can do will make them happy, they just want everyone to be miserable too - says a lot about your outlook on dealing with the public. You really have no idea what consumers, customers, people go through or what is going on in their life and your assumption of them being miserable sure shows me what your perception of your customers and your ultimate attempts at resolution of issues really is. You talk a good line but can you walk the walk too. Based on my experience with pepboys - wherein they wanted 5,600.00 in needless repairs and my vehicle was fixed elsewhere for 421.00, I just want say to you - aykm? and also - really?
I don't think so scooter.
Can't Tell Ya I Will Get Fired For Company Policies
Coprus Christi,#3UPDATE Employee
Fri, May 07, 2004
S-3 on service manager Wow that was a inspirational Pep Rally. I was excited to see how the empolyees of Pep Boys enjoy the job they do and to see how well it is going for all the stores out there. I am an employee of the Corpus Christi, TX store and would like to share a little about our side of the world. I came to Pep Boys Awhile back and was excited to find out I had a job that was full of team work and energy. Funny thing was that shortly after my hire and excitment i came to find out that our store really isn't a part of the Pep Boys world. The other stores I hear about have so much more than we do, I am sure I am not the first person to write in about how bad off we are but I don't think that CFO George Babich/VP of Servic Operations Bruce Chidsey/Senior VP of Store Operations Mark Page/ and Ceo Larry Stevenson really will ever find out about little old Corpus Christi TX we put in long days including clocking out off the clock and working off the clock to achieve better scores as mechanics as well as making service managers look better (IE Gabe Pinion) I wish I sit here and bad mouth the people i don't like and the ones I do, but i would just like to see someone care about the service and mechanical skills that we put out here at our store due to the rules and regulations of Pep Boys I also understand working off the clock would only cause a major law suite if one of the mech's was to get hurt and I am sure that mechs are not supposed to clock off the time clock when they are not working on a vehicle, but at the same time continue to work on a vehicle. From my experience in floor service and mechanics in the past I always found it to be important to have a professional attitude towards your employees and not to bring an outside problem to the work floor. I am not looking to get anyone fired I would just like The higher ups to see and know why we are not # 1 on the list. I know everyone at our store has the drive and will to suceed at all and every chance to be the best but when an auditor comes around to see the shop and look around and give people scores of 100 just so laters for things to go back to normal the second he leaves the store is ignorant. I have wondered lately why I can't achive managment at this store and I have found out that our chain of comand is set into a buddy system. If I want to take up important matter with someone in the higher up i would go step by step but instead i ahve to complete a roller coaster due to the fact that each team player has its own team and clicks with one other to forget about the problems at hand. If I were an employee ready to go to my manager with aproblem and this manager has had a bad day at home with his/her family i would expect an professional resolve to the problem. As things are now we get a hole hell of alot of poop goin on. our sponsors would not want to hear about these things so why should they continue to happen. Heres a serious ? Customer---how long will it take to have my car ready? pep boys answer from were I am from 2 ticket up well about 2 hours 5 hours later customer is upset and has already made mention that they will not do buisness with Pep Boys again while standiing around new customers. Know I know what your saying well in a buisness that is buisness well as a professional company trying to grow that is what we call slackers/liers/incorrect buisness/unprofessional. Should this happen every day Sunday thru Sunday. I ahve so much more info on what really goes on that if i type it out here on this page we would run out of wordpad pages before i could get my piont across. I just wnat to know how we suceed and were can we grow as a company when all the company here has its own piont of view on how things are to be done and operate. I see my future at Pep Boys as a short term due to the fact that there is no comunication between employees and managment. When does the PEP in Pep boys kick in is it before or after boys. I recently saw the history on were Pep Boys came from on a poster displayed in a break room I was struck with an idea to check out the history we have been completly swamping other companies recently but that is only the few stores that we see get awards and apraise for the jobs they do from the managment staff, I would like to take trips to Las Vegas and so forth to be a part of the Pep Boys managment teams notice I put teams in there, but if I stay here all I will ever see is incorrect buisness and ingnorance. I would like you to know i have sent this to you in regards that you can forward this on the the people in the right positions to see it, and would love to get a response from you my email is and I wil not include my name since i know what will happen if i am found out ( I will be terminated just like the last ones who tried to get the word out. Last but not leaste not for firing reasons but for shits and giggles I mentioned a certain Service manager earlier ( Gabe Pinion) lets me just say a couple of things when we are offered a free lunch and that is all we expect to see a continuation in our manager to have some type of continuation of this manner not just when the big guys are in town and also wondering do we give discounts or free tires away to our friends and family cause I now this sounds funny but the service manager here seems to know the system so well that he says he can hide this from the company and he must cause he hasn't been caught for it yet. I am not a lazy person nor a person of revenge hince I am not trying to get him fired but since we all have to take a truth ot lier test when hired and I do remeber answering the would you take money from the register or merchandise from the shelf I do belive I was telling the truth on my side. Lets see if Pep boys has the ability ti investigate these problems and deal with it in a buisness like manner, I know you are refered to as the advertising department but when you are as low on the totem pole as I am and you are trying to suceed in a buisness you belive in no one seems to want to hear what you have. but let me quote a phrase that i read in our rally pages that really prompted me to right this.. SERVICE IS THE KEY TO PEP BOYS FUTURE.......LARRY STEVESON ADDING HE WANTS PEP BOYS TO BE NUMBER ONE IN TRUST!!!! Well here is my 1/4 of trust that i can dish out to larry and all pep boys upper managment if you want better managers and better employees then lets make sure we have trustworthy managers and employees working in each store around the world I see pep boys branching off outside of the united sates maybe you or they don't but i belive in this company and want to suceed, but as long as I am tested and tempted and trined to steal merchandise and rape customers for money I see nothing good coming out of this for the company or its employees. TRUST THE ABILITY TO SEE THE TRUTH AND UNDERSTAND A COMPANIES POLICIES. I have said enough and once aging I will say I hope this matter will be forwarded on to the proper people to evalute and seek out these problems with not only this store i am sure of but each and every one of the stores that may have this problem. I see a horizion and its full of colors colors of change/growth/expansion I hope that for this company they would not want to lose an employee as myself and would like to see more employees be like me and speak out about the problems that are at our stores. Please refer back to me any info you have @ my email I would be glad to call and have a discusion with someone whom i can trust and be up front with. lets not let the bad outway the good. thanx for the time..........dreamer........
Bill
Athena,#4Consumer Comment
Wed, February 25, 2004
I have just finished reading all the posts concerning PepBoys and while I totally agree that customers should know more about their own cars, it is a simple fact that they instead put their trust in those in the automotive trade. Yes I too am an ASE certified master machanic, but I also have a masters degree in Mech. Tech. and I am registered with Oregon state as a journeyman. Hence I do know of what I speak. First off with your lady customer, I am glad she did not have to pay for any additional repairs because she should not be charged for a machnics incompentence. The first diagnosis for her heating problem was the radiator and thermostat. I have to ask what was done with the radiator the first time since when she brought it back you did a "complete flush". If that is the case then the radiator should have been flushed the first time! Did anyone even start the car or presurize the system the first time? That should have been the first step in diagnosis. Was it a flow issue? If so that could have very well been the result of a stuck thermostat and not the radiator at all. Would a pressure check have found a bad water pump? Possibly but not always, but if it was leaking simply running the engine should have produced the leak. In the end you ended up flushing the system, replaced the thermostat, replaced the water pump and several hoses. In essence you did not diagnois any problem. You simply replaced parts until it stopped doing what it was doing. The only thing left was perhaps a plugged engine block,water jacket or a freezeplug leaking. Was that diagnosis to be next if everything else did not stop the overheating? Now in all fairness to mechanics, we all know that sometimes you simply cannot find what is causing the problem the first time. Espacially if you are being paid flatrate as most mechanics are. You simply do not have the time to do a complete diagnosis if you want to make a living. However, that does not excuse simply replacing parts until you finally find the right answer and then expect to be paid for it. So in closing just let me state that no I do not work for PepBoys, nor do I work in any automotive shop any longer. My living is made by teaching auto machanics at the local community college. There are two things I stress in all my classrooms. 1: Just because you have a degree does not make you a machanic. Getting your hands dirty is the only way to do that. #2: Anyone can replace parts given the time and tools, but a true machanic knows what the part does, how it does it and how it interacts with any other part. They can also tell you why the part needs to be replaced/repaired. And for the consumer, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS insist on having the used parts returned to you if possible!! Yes it means that you have to dispose of them, but it also means that you have some recource if the problem was not fixed.
Bill
Athena,#5Consumer Comment
Wed, February 25, 2004
I have just finished reading all the posts concerning PepBoys and while I totally agree that customers should know more about their own cars, it is a simple fact that they instead put their trust in those in the automotive trade. Yes I too am an ASE certified master machanic, but I also have a masters degree in Mech. Tech. and I am registered with Oregon state as a journeyman. Hence I do know of what I speak. First off with your lady customer, I am glad she did not have to pay for any additional repairs because she should not be charged for a machnics incompentence. The first diagnosis for her heating problem was the radiator and thermostat. I have to ask what was done with the radiator the first time since when she brought it back you did a "complete flush". If that is the case then the radiator should have been flushed the first time! Did anyone even start the car or presurize the system the first time? That should have been the first step in diagnosis. Was it a flow issue? If so that could have very well been the result of a stuck thermostat and not the radiator at all. Would a pressure check have found a bad water pump? Possibly but not always, but if it was leaking simply running the engine should have produced the leak. In the end you ended up flushing the system, replaced the thermostat, replaced the water pump and several hoses. In essence you did not diagnois any problem. You simply replaced parts until it stopped doing what it was doing. The only thing left was perhaps a plugged engine block,water jacket or a freezeplug leaking. Was that diagnosis to be next if everything else did not stop the overheating? Now in all fairness to mechanics, we all know that sometimes you simply cannot find what is causing the problem the first time. Espacially if you are being paid flatrate as most mechanics are. You simply do not have the time to do a complete diagnosis if you want to make a living. However, that does not excuse simply replacing parts until you finally find the right answer and then expect to be paid for it. So in closing just let me state that no I do not work for PepBoys, nor do I work in any automotive shop any longer. My living is made by teaching auto machanics at the local community college. There are two things I stress in all my classrooms. 1: Just because you have a degree does not make you a machanic. Getting your hands dirty is the only way to do that. #2: Anyone can replace parts given the time and tools, but a true machanic knows what the part does, how it does it and how it interacts with any other part. They can also tell you why the part needs to be replaced/repaired. And for the consumer, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS insist on having the used parts returned to you if possible!! Yes it means that you have to dispose of them, but it also means that you have some recource if the problem was not fixed.
Bill
Athena,#6Consumer Comment
Wed, February 25, 2004
I have just finished reading all the posts concerning PepBoys and while I totally agree that customers should know more about their own cars, it is a simple fact that they instead put their trust in those in the automotive trade. Yes I too am an ASE certified master machanic, but I also have a masters degree in Mech. Tech. and I am registered with Oregon state as a journeyman. Hence I do know of what I speak. First off with your lady customer, I am glad she did not have to pay for any additional repairs because she should not be charged for a machnics incompentence. The first diagnosis for her heating problem was the radiator and thermostat. I have to ask what was done with the radiator the first time since when she brought it back you did a "complete flush". If that is the case then the radiator should have been flushed the first time! Did anyone even start the car or presurize the system the first time? That should have been the first step in diagnosis. Was it a flow issue? If so that could have very well been the result of a stuck thermostat and not the radiator at all. Would a pressure check have found a bad water pump? Possibly but not always, but if it was leaking simply running the engine should have produced the leak. In the end you ended up flushing the system, replaced the thermostat, replaced the water pump and several hoses. In essence you did not diagnois any problem. You simply replaced parts until it stopped doing what it was doing. The only thing left was perhaps a plugged engine block,water jacket or a freezeplug leaking. Was that diagnosis to be next if everything else did not stop the overheating? Now in all fairness to mechanics, we all know that sometimes you simply cannot find what is causing the problem the first time. Espacially if you are being paid flatrate as most mechanics are. You simply do not have the time to do a complete diagnosis if you want to make a living. However, that does not excuse simply replacing parts until you finally find the right answer and then expect to be paid for it. So in closing just let me state that no I do not work for PepBoys, nor do I work in any automotive shop any longer. My living is made by teaching auto machanics at the local community college. There are two things I stress in all my classrooms. 1: Just because you have a degree does not make you a machanic. Getting your hands dirty is the only way to do that. #2: Anyone can replace parts given the time and tools, but a true machanic knows what the part does, how it does it and how it interacts with any other part. They can also tell you why the part needs to be replaced/repaired. And for the consumer, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS insist on having the used parts returned to you if possible!! Yes it means that you have to dispose of them, but it also means that you have some recource if the problem was not fixed.
Greg
Middletown,#7UPDATE EX-employee responds
Wed, February 25, 2004
Now I have heard everything what was said is the customer should learn more about their car. Now I said that when I was 12 but that was back in 1964. I don't know how many of you master certified mechanics started back then but I did. First the person has their own job to learn and perfect on. This is how he earned the money to buy the car and of coarse pay you to maintain it. Now granted no one is perfect and yes the god of mechanics hates us some times for no reason and strange things happen but the man that was telling me what to do when I made that statement told me this "Thats what he pays you for" If he wanted to learn more he would fix his own car and you!, Would be out of a Job. Now here's what the problem is more likely to be how many times do you sell a job? Three times sell first to get them to come in, You then find out all you can about what the different problems with the car. You then price the job and explain that there might be other things wrong but without fixing the problems you have found there is no way to find anything else, You then call the customer and tell him its ready and when he gets there you run down the list and show him that you fixed everything listed that is called selling him again it handles buyers remorse but it also reminds him that there could be underlying problems that might spring up in the next lets say 100 miles and that you can't find them until it acts up right, No the problem is you want the customer to tell you whats wrong what to fix and be aware of things that might break in the next 100 miles. Man thats what they just paid you to do.
Bradley
Derry,#8Consumer Suggestion
Tue, February 24, 2004
You say the number of pep boys complaints filed on this website is small compared to the number of actual pep boys customers....But how many customers do you think are aware of this website??? Its not like pep boys has a sign there saying "If your not happy with our service-please file a report with BADbusinessbureau.com"
Bradley
Derry,#9Consumer Suggestion
Tue, February 24, 2004
You say the number of pep boys complaints filed on this website is small compared to the number of actual pep boys customers....But how many customers do you think are aware of this website??? Its not like pep boys has a sign there saying "If your not happy with our service-please file a report with BADbusinessbureau.com"
Bradley
Derry,#10Consumer Suggestion
Tue, February 24, 2004
You say the number of pep boys complaints filed on this website is small compared to the number of actual pep boys customers....But how many customers do you think are aware of this website??? Its not like pep boys has a sign there saying "If your not happy with our service-please file a report with BADbusinessbureau.com"
Bradley
Derry,#11Consumer Suggestion
Tue, February 24, 2004
You say the number of pep boys complaints filed on this website is small compared to the number of actual pep boys customers....But how many customers do you think are aware of this website??? Its not like pep boys has a sign there saying "If your not happy with our service-please file a report with BADbusinessbureau.com"
JT
Carlisle,#12Consumer Comment
Sat, February 21, 2004
You are all correct, I read al of the Consumer, Employee, Ex-employee comments. Being in a service industry myself(not retail) you hear the same type of complaints. You have the good to go with the bad, not to say some of experiences are not true, It happens to me too. There is one thing we need to put in prespective. Compared to the number of cars, customers, consumers, etc that walk thru any business's doors and the number of people that live on the earth, the complaints are really not that many. The other thing to consider is that the majority of customers must be satisfied with any business's preformance in order to survive. If everybody was unhappy, do you really think the business would last any kind of time. The best advise--Consumer beware. I've had bad service from big companys and i just don't go back. I've had great servies from little companys. Bigger is not always better, but small can be bad too. Check around, ask friends, call the BBB. One last comment, I have always noticed one thing about Pep Boys. Most of the cars I have seen benig worked on are older, Maybe abused, high mileage, people looking for a bargin because they can't afford a big repail bill. Take a look out there. I have newer cars, a 1980 Truck, 1999 car and a 2003 suv. Think I'm going to Pep boys or Sears or some of those other repair shops? no!! My 1999 is out of warranty, I select wisely. I may use them for an oil change or something simple, but when it comes to major stuff, i check around. I don't use just one shop. for some things, but i take them to my deler or a mechanic i trust. It took a while to find him, but i did.
Dana
Glendale,#13UPDATE EX-employee responds
Wed, April 09, 2003
I am a former Pep Boys service manager. I worked for them for about five months. I also spent five plus years with the Cal. Dept. of Consumer Affairs Bureau of Automotive Repair as well as teaching automotive technology at the commumity college level. I have managed shops for other large retailers in addition to independent shops. Pep boys is by far the biggest rip off in the automotive industry I have ever seen. I worked for B.A.R during the Sears investigation in the early 90's. They were saints compared to Pep Boys. During my employment with Pep Boys from Oct. 2002 to March 2003 I was the service manager at two of their Southern California locations. Pep Boys has three classifications of service dept. employees. Technicians, mechanics and installers. Only technicians require any type of certification. Want to be a mechanic for Pep Boys ? No automotive experience or tools are required. They will hire just about anyone that can pass their drug test and backround check. Technicians and mechanics are paid flat rate. Their paychecks depend on the amount of labor hours they flag, not the quality of work performed, only the quantity counts. The techs and mechs only incentive is to recommend items that pay easy flate rate hours. Service dept. employees are rated by their ability to flag hours, not fix cars. Every vehicle brought into the service bay is to recieve a preventative maint. inspection. In itself a good idea and an industry accepted practice. At Pep Boys these are a joke for the most part. Only items that pay easy flat rate will be recommended, items that don't will be ignored. It got to the point I could have filled out the inspection sheet before giving it to a mechanic, they all came back the with the same recommendations. Pep Boys recently ended a longevity bonus they had been paying to service dept. employees who stayed with the company. They had a problem retaining good employees. After a couple of years and over a million dollars in bonus money paid out. Guess what? No increase in employee retention at all. So the program was discontinued. The people that had integrity and really wanted to diagnose and repair vehicles wouldn't stay for any amount of money. Upper level management was constantly lecturing us on the number of complaits and Notices of Violation from the B.A.R. Both are a direct result of one major failing on Pep Boys part. They don't care about properly diagnosing and repairing customers vehicles. If you properly diagnose and repair the vehicle the complaints go away. When the complaints go away so do the majority of the NOVs. The customer needs to know what they are paying for and why. If you fix the vehicle right the first time everything else falls into place. The focus needs to be on customer satisfaction not how many hours you can flag. When I voiced my concerns to both the District Manager and Regional Service Manager I was belittled, chastised for speaking up. Then transfered to another store. I could take no more. I could no longer in good faith stand behind that service counter and encourage customers to leave their vehicles. Knowing full well that they would be misdiagnosed and improperly repaired by poorly trained, inexperienced people with no integrity. I have no doubt that my old friends at the B.A.R. will soon expose this company for what it is, a ripoff!
RACHELLE
DOWNEY,#14Consumer Comment
Wed, February 26, 2003
I RECENTLY HAD A PROBLEM WITH A PEP BOYS STORE IN DOWNEY. I HAVE A 2001 HONDA ACCORD. ON MY WAY TO WORK I HAD A FLAT I WENT TO PEP BOYS AND HAD IT REPLACED. THE NEXT DAY MY CAR DROVE DIFFERENT SO I DECIDED TO BUY ANOTHER TIRE FOR THE OTHER SIDE SO THEY WOULD BE THE SAME. THIS MADE MY VEHICLE VERY UNCONTROLLABLE WITH THE SLIGHTEST WIND. SO I CALLED AND SPOKE TO A MANAGER WHO ASKED ME TO COME IN. ONE TECH. LOOKED AT THE TIRES AND COMMENTED THAT THEY WERE NOT THE RIGHT SIZE FOR MY CAR. ME BEING A WOMEN FEEL THAT I SHOULD NOT HAVE SIZES OF TIRES I PUT MY TRUST IN THE PROFESSIONAL. OK. THEN THE MANAGER AND ANOTHER TECH CAME OVER AND HE SAID THE TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE. SO SINCE I HAD BRIDGESTONE TIRES ON MY CAR ORIGINALLY I DECIDED TO JUST PAY EXTRA AND BUY TWO BRIDGESTONES. BUT PEP BOYS DOES NOT HAVE THEM IN THE STORES SO THEY SPECIAL ORDERED THEM BUT IN THE MEAN TIME REPLACED THE TWO "DEFECTIVE TIRES" WITH TWO TEMPORARY TIRES. I PAID FOR THE TWO ON ORDER PLUS A 53.00 S&H CHARGE BUT STILL I AM OK WITH ALL OF THIS. THE NEXT DAY MY BRIDGESTONE TIRES ARRIVE SO I TAKE MY CAR DOWN AFTER WORK WHICH I HAD ALREADY SET UP THE TIME WITH THE MANAGER AT 8:15 P.M. WHICH WAS 45 MINUTES BEFORE CLOSING. THEY CHANGED THE TIRES, AND I WENT HOME. THE NEXT MORNING ON MY WAY TO WORK WHILE ON THE FREEWAY 13 MILES DRIVEN ON THE NEW TIRES I FELT UNEASY ABOUT MY TIRES. LITTLE HISTORY 6 YEARS PRIOR I HAD NEW TIRES PUT ON, NOT BY PEP BOYS AND WAS DRIVING TO SAN DIEGO AND WHEN I GOT THERE A FRIEND NOTICED I HAD ONLY 1 LUG NUT HOLDING A TIRE, SO I PROCEEDED TO GET OVER SO I COULD EXIT THE FREEWAY AND CHECK MY LUG NUTS AND AS I WAS ON THE OFF RAMP SUDDENLY MY CAR DROPPED ON THE RIGHT FRONT SIDE I COULDN'T GRIP THE WHEEL NOR APPLY MY BRAKES AND SMOKE, SPARKS AND RUBBER WERE FLYING UP, FORTUNATELY FOR ME NOBODY WAS BESIDE ME IN THE OTHER 2 LANES MY CAR FINALLY CAME TO A STOP. I CALLED AAA THEY CAME AND PUT A TEMP. ON MY CAR AND DIRECTED ME TO THE WESTMINISTER STORE. LONG STORY SHORT THEY GAVE ME A TEMP. I CALLED THE MANAGER AT THE DOWNEY STORE, I MIGHT ADD THAT PLAYED BACK AND FORTH WITH AN ASSISTANT MANAGER AT FIRST AS TO WHO HANDLES THESE MATTERS, WHERE I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS TAKING MY VEHICLE TO HONDA NOTHING PERSONAL, BECAUSE AT THIS POINT THEY HAD ME THINKING IT WAS A TIRE DEFECT, AND THAT I WOULD NEED A RENTAL CAR BECAUSE I WORK 66 MILES FROM MY WORK BOTH WAYS AND THAT I WAS WILLING TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS AND RENTAL UP FRONT AND HE INFORMED ME THAT I WOULD BE FULLY REFUNDED WITH IN 7 TO 10 WORKING DAYS. WELL WORKING FOR A LAW FIRM I HAD ATTORNEYS INFORMING ME TO HAVE THE TIRE LOOKED AT TO BE SURE WHAT THE CAUSE WAS. SO I TOOK THE TIRE TO 2 DIFFERENT PEP BOYS AND HONDA AND AN EXPERT THAT WE WORK WITH ALL CAME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION INSTALLATION NEGLIGENCE. THE GUYS AT PEP BOYS NOT KNOWING THAT A PEP BOYS HAD BEEN THE ONES TO INSTALL THE TIRES SAID CLEARLY WITHOUT A DOUBT, AND I WOULD NEVER GO BACK TO THIS PLACE ANY MORE FOR EVEN WINDOW CLEANER. SO CLAMMILY I PRESENTED THIS TO THE MANAGER AT PEP BOYS AND AT THAT POINT AFTER ALL THE WORK WAS COMPLETED NOTHING EXTRA 2 TIRES AND A RIM AND ALIGNMENT, HE TELLS ME HE NEEDS THE TIRE IN ORDER TO PROCESS MY CLAIM. I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT I WILL GIVE HIM THE TIRE WITHOUT ANY QUESTIONS AFTER I AM PAID. AFTER HE WENT BACK ON HIS WORD TRYING TO SAY HE NEVER AGREED TO THAT I STOPPED ALL CONVERSATION WITH HIM AND WROTE A LETTER TO THE DISTRICT MANAGER, CORPORATE, AND TO THAT MANAGER, OH THIS WAS AFTER HE INFORMED ME OUT OF THE BLUE THAT IT WAS UP TO HIM IF I GOT PAID OR NOT, I SIMPLY DECIDED HE WAS NOT TO BEST SOURCE TO ADDRESS MY ATTENTION TO. IT HAS NOW BEEN 2 WEEKS AND I RECEIVED A PACKAGE FROM BRIDGESTONE TIRES RE: MY CLAIM AGAINST THEM. I HAVE ONLY ONE CLAIM AND THAT IS WITH PEP BOYS. SO THE MANAGER WHO COMMENTED ON HOW PEP BOYS ARE WILLING TO LISTEN AND MAKE THINGS RIGHT JUST BE CALM YOU ARE SO WRONG. I COULD NOT have BEEN ANY CALMER OR UNDERSTANDING AND THEY CLEARLY MESSED UP. I NEVER ONCE THREATENED THEM SAID ANYTHING BAD ABOUT THE WORKERS EVEN THOUGH THE NEGLIGENCE COULD have VERY WELL CAUSED ME MY LIFE AT 29 JUST BECAUSE A GROUP OF GUYS WANTED TO GET OFF WORK ON TIME. I NEVER ASKED FOR ANYTHING OTHER THEN WHAT IT COST TO FIX MY CAR. TRUST ME IT WILL COST THEM a lot MORE IN THE LONG RUN IF THEY DON'T START HANDLING THESE PROBLEMS BETTER. I DO AGREE THAT MOST ARE POSSIBLY JUST PEOPLE WHO ARE PIST BECAUSE THEY PAID MORE THEN THE FELT THEY SHOULD OR MORE THEN THEY WERE TOLD. BUT THERE ARE SOME LIKE MINE THAT SIMPLY WANTS ONLY THE MONEY I HAD TO PUT OUT AND WAS PROMISED TO HAVE WITH IN 7 TO 10 BUSINESS DAYS. PLUS THE 4 TIRES THAT I PAID FOR THAT WERE DEFECTIVE I STILL HAVE IN MY TRUNK AND HAVE NEVER BEEN REFUNDED FOR THOSE I WAS TOLD TO BRING THEM IN WHEN THEYCHECK CAME IN AND HE WOULD THEN REFUND ME MY MONEY AND DEDUCT IT FROM THE TOTAL CHARGES OF THE REPAIRS. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT? SO IN OTHER WORDS AND I REPEATED THIS TO THE MANAGER AGAIN AND AGAIN, YOU PLAN ON TAKING OUT THE AMOUNT YOU OWE ME FOR THE PAIRS THE AMOUNT THAT YOU OWE ME FOR THE 4 DEFECTIVE TIRES? HE SAID WELL OF COURSE. SO MY QUESTION IS WHAT ARE THEY PAYING FOR IT ACTUALLY COMES OUT TO ME PAYING THEM MORE. IF THAT IS NOT SCANDALIST THEN I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS. BE FAIR BE HONEST AND IF YOU ARE WRONG THEN MAKE IT RIGHT. THANK YOU
RACHELLE
DOWNEY,#15Consumer Comment
Wed, February 26, 2003
I RECENTLY HAD A PROBLEM WITH A PEP BOYS STORE IN DOWNEY. I HAVE A 2001 HONDA ACCORD. ON MY WAY TO WORK I HAD A FLAT I WENT TO PEP BOYS AND HAD IT REPLACED. THE NEXT DAY MY CAR DROVE DIFFERENT SO I DECIDED TO BUY ANOTHER TIRE FOR THE OTHER SIDE SO THEY WOULD BE THE SAME. THIS MADE MY VEHICLE VERY UNCONTROLLABLE WITH THE SLIGHTEST WIND. SO I CALLED AND SPOKE TO A MANAGER WHO ASKED ME TO COME IN. ONE TECH. LOOKED AT THE TIRES AND COMMENTED THAT THEY WERE NOT THE RIGHT SIZE FOR MY CAR. ME BEING A WOMEN FEEL THAT I SHOULD NOT HAVE SIZES OF TIRES I PUT MY TRUST IN THE PROFESSIONAL. OK. THEN THE MANAGER AND ANOTHER TECH CAME OVER AND HE SAID THE TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE. SO SINCE I HAD BRIDGESTONE TIRES ON MY CAR ORIGINALLY I DECIDED TO JUST PAY EXTRA AND BUY TWO BRIDGESTONES. BUT PEP BOYS DOES NOT HAVE THEM IN THE STORES SO THEY SPECIAL ORDERED THEM BUT IN THE MEAN TIME REPLACED THE TWO "DEFECTIVE TIRES" WITH TWO TEMPORARY TIRES. I PAID FOR THE TWO ON ORDER PLUS A 53.00 S&H CHARGE BUT STILL I AM OK WITH ALL OF THIS. THE NEXT DAY MY BRIDGESTONE TIRES ARRIVE SO I TAKE MY CAR DOWN AFTER WORK WHICH I HAD ALREADY SET UP THE TIME WITH THE MANAGER AT 8:15 P.M. WHICH WAS 45 MINUTES BEFORE CLOSING. THEY CHANGED THE TIRES, AND I WENT HOME. THE NEXT MORNING ON MY WAY TO WORK WHILE ON THE FREEWAY 13 MILES DRIVEN ON THE NEW TIRES I FELT UNEASY ABOUT MY TIRES. LITTLE HISTORY 6 YEARS PRIOR I HAD NEW TIRES PUT ON, NOT BY PEP BOYS AND WAS DRIVING TO SAN DIEGO AND WHEN I GOT THERE A FRIEND NOTICED I HAD ONLY 1 LUG NUT HOLDING A TIRE, SO I PROCEEDED TO GET OVER SO I COULD EXIT THE FREEWAY AND CHECK MY LUG NUTS AND AS I WAS ON THE OFF RAMP SUDDENLY MY CAR DROPPED ON THE RIGHT FRONT SIDE I COULDN'T GRIP THE WHEEL NOR APPLY MY BRAKES AND SMOKE, SPARKS AND RUBBER WERE FLYING UP, FORTUNATELY FOR ME NOBODY WAS BESIDE ME IN THE OTHER 2 LANES MY CAR FINALLY CAME TO A STOP. I CALLED AAA THEY CAME AND PUT A TEMP. ON MY CAR AND DIRECTED ME TO THE WESTMINISTER STORE. LONG STORY SHORT THEY GAVE ME A TEMP. I CALLED THE MANAGER AT THE DOWNEY STORE, I MIGHT ADD THAT PLAYED BACK AND FORTH WITH AN ASSISTANT MANAGER AT FIRST AS TO WHO HANDLES THESE MATTERS, WHERE I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS TAKING MY VEHICLE TO HONDA NOTHING PERSONAL, BECAUSE AT THIS POINT THEY HAD ME THINKING IT WAS A TIRE DEFECT, AND THAT I WOULD NEED A RENTAL CAR BECAUSE I WORK 66 MILES FROM MY WORK BOTH WAYS AND THAT I WAS WILLING TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS AND RENTAL UP FRONT AND HE INFORMED ME THAT I WOULD BE FULLY REFUNDED WITH IN 7 TO 10 WORKING DAYS. WELL WORKING FOR A LAW FIRM I HAD ATTORNEYS INFORMING ME TO HAVE THE TIRE LOOKED AT TO BE SURE WHAT THE CAUSE WAS. SO I TOOK THE TIRE TO 2 DIFFERENT PEP BOYS AND HONDA AND AN EXPERT THAT WE WORK WITH ALL CAME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION INSTALLATION NEGLIGENCE. THE GUYS AT PEP BOYS NOT KNOWING THAT A PEP BOYS HAD BEEN THE ONES TO INSTALL THE TIRES SAID CLEARLY WITHOUT A DOUBT, AND I WOULD NEVER GO BACK TO THIS PLACE ANY MORE FOR EVEN WINDOW CLEANER. SO CLAMMILY I PRESENTED THIS TO THE MANAGER AT PEP BOYS AND AT THAT POINT AFTER ALL THE WORK WAS COMPLETED NOTHING EXTRA 2 TIRES AND A RIM AND ALIGNMENT, HE TELLS ME HE NEEDS THE TIRE IN ORDER TO PROCESS MY CLAIM. I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT I WILL GIVE HIM THE TIRE WITHOUT ANY QUESTIONS AFTER I AM PAID. AFTER HE WENT BACK ON HIS WORD TRYING TO SAY HE NEVER AGREED TO THAT I STOPPED ALL CONVERSATION WITH HIM AND WROTE A LETTER TO THE DISTRICT MANAGER, CORPORATE, AND TO THAT MANAGER, OH THIS WAS AFTER HE INFORMED ME OUT OF THE BLUE THAT IT WAS UP TO HIM IF I GOT PAID OR NOT, I SIMPLY DECIDED HE WAS NOT TO BEST SOURCE TO ADDRESS MY ATTENTION TO. IT HAS NOW BEEN 2 WEEKS AND I RECEIVED A PACKAGE FROM BRIDGESTONE TIRES RE: MY CLAIM AGAINST THEM. I HAVE ONLY ONE CLAIM AND THAT IS WITH PEP BOYS. SO THE MANAGER WHO COMMENTED ON HOW PEP BOYS ARE WILLING TO LISTEN AND MAKE THINGS RIGHT JUST BE CALM YOU ARE SO WRONG. I COULD NOT have BEEN ANY CALMER OR UNDERSTANDING AND THEY CLEARLY MESSED UP. I NEVER ONCE THREATENED THEM SAID ANYTHING BAD ABOUT THE WORKERS EVEN THOUGH THE NEGLIGENCE COULD have VERY WELL CAUSED ME MY LIFE AT 29 JUST BECAUSE A GROUP OF GUYS WANTED TO GET OFF WORK ON TIME. I NEVER ASKED FOR ANYTHING OTHER THEN WHAT IT COST TO FIX MY CAR. TRUST ME IT WILL COST THEM a lot MORE IN THE LONG RUN IF THEY DON'T START HANDLING THESE PROBLEMS BETTER. I DO AGREE THAT MOST ARE POSSIBLY JUST PEOPLE WHO ARE PIST BECAUSE THEY PAID MORE THEN THE FELT THEY SHOULD OR MORE THEN THEY WERE TOLD. BUT THERE ARE SOME LIKE MINE THAT SIMPLY WANTS ONLY THE MONEY I HAD TO PUT OUT AND WAS PROMISED TO HAVE WITH IN 7 TO 10 BUSINESS DAYS. PLUS THE 4 TIRES THAT I PAID FOR THAT WERE DEFECTIVE I STILL HAVE IN MY TRUNK AND HAVE NEVER BEEN REFUNDED FOR THOSE I WAS TOLD TO BRING THEM IN WHEN THEYCHECK CAME IN AND HE WOULD THEN REFUND ME MY MONEY AND DEDUCT IT FROM THE TOTAL CHARGES OF THE REPAIRS. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT? SO IN OTHER WORDS AND I REPEATED THIS TO THE MANAGER AGAIN AND AGAIN, YOU PLAN ON TAKING OUT THE AMOUNT YOU OWE ME FOR THE PAIRS THE AMOUNT THAT YOU OWE ME FOR THE 4 DEFECTIVE TIRES? HE SAID WELL OF COURSE. SO MY QUESTION IS WHAT ARE THEY PAYING FOR IT ACTUALLY COMES OUT TO ME PAYING THEM MORE. IF THAT IS NOT SCANDALIST THEN I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS. BE FAIR BE HONEST AND IF YOU ARE WRONG THEN MAKE IT RIGHT. THANK YOU
RACHELLE
DOWNEY,#16Consumer Comment
Wed, February 26, 2003
I RECENTLY HAD A PROBLEM WITH A PEP BOYS STORE IN DOWNEY. I HAVE A 2001 HONDA ACCORD. ON MY WAY TO WORK I HAD A FLAT I WENT TO PEP BOYS AND HAD IT REPLACED. THE NEXT DAY MY CAR DROVE DIFFERENT SO I DECIDED TO BUY ANOTHER TIRE FOR THE OTHER SIDE SO THEY WOULD BE THE SAME. THIS MADE MY VEHICLE VERY UNCONTROLLABLE WITH THE SLIGHTEST WIND. SO I CALLED AND SPOKE TO A MANAGER WHO ASKED ME TO COME IN. ONE TECH. LOOKED AT THE TIRES AND COMMENTED THAT THEY WERE NOT THE RIGHT SIZE FOR MY CAR. ME BEING A WOMEN FEEL THAT I SHOULD NOT HAVE SIZES OF TIRES I PUT MY TRUST IN THE PROFESSIONAL. OK. THEN THE MANAGER AND ANOTHER TECH CAME OVER AND HE SAID THE TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE. SO SINCE I HAD BRIDGESTONE TIRES ON MY CAR ORIGINALLY I DECIDED TO JUST PAY EXTRA AND BUY TWO BRIDGESTONES. BUT PEP BOYS DOES NOT HAVE THEM IN THE STORES SO THEY SPECIAL ORDERED THEM BUT IN THE MEAN TIME REPLACED THE TWO "DEFECTIVE TIRES" WITH TWO TEMPORARY TIRES. I PAID FOR THE TWO ON ORDER PLUS A 53.00 S&H CHARGE BUT STILL I AM OK WITH ALL OF THIS. THE NEXT DAY MY BRIDGESTONE TIRES ARRIVE SO I TAKE MY CAR DOWN AFTER WORK WHICH I HAD ALREADY SET UP THE TIME WITH THE MANAGER AT 8:15 P.M. WHICH WAS 45 MINUTES BEFORE CLOSING. THEY CHANGED THE TIRES, AND I WENT HOME. THE NEXT MORNING ON MY WAY TO WORK WHILE ON THE FREEWAY 13 MILES DRIVEN ON THE NEW TIRES I FELT UNEASY ABOUT MY TIRES. LITTLE HISTORY 6 YEARS PRIOR I HAD NEW TIRES PUT ON, NOT BY PEP BOYS AND WAS DRIVING TO SAN DIEGO AND WHEN I GOT THERE A FRIEND NOTICED I HAD ONLY 1 LUG NUT HOLDING A TIRE, SO I PROCEEDED TO GET OVER SO I COULD EXIT THE FREEWAY AND CHECK MY LUG NUTS AND AS I WAS ON THE OFF RAMP SUDDENLY MY CAR DROPPED ON THE RIGHT FRONT SIDE I COULDN'T GRIP THE WHEEL NOR APPLY MY BRAKES AND SMOKE, SPARKS AND RUBBER WERE FLYING UP, FORTUNATELY FOR ME NOBODY WAS BESIDE ME IN THE OTHER 2 LANES MY CAR FINALLY CAME TO A STOP. I CALLED AAA THEY CAME AND PUT A TEMP. ON MY CAR AND DIRECTED ME TO THE WESTMINISTER STORE. LONG STORY SHORT THEY GAVE ME A TEMP. I CALLED THE MANAGER AT THE DOWNEY STORE, I MIGHT ADD THAT PLAYED BACK AND FORTH WITH AN ASSISTANT MANAGER AT FIRST AS TO WHO HANDLES THESE MATTERS, WHERE I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS TAKING MY VEHICLE TO HONDA NOTHING PERSONAL, BECAUSE AT THIS POINT THEY HAD ME THINKING IT WAS A TIRE DEFECT, AND THAT I WOULD NEED A RENTAL CAR BECAUSE I WORK 66 MILES FROM MY WORK BOTH WAYS AND THAT I WAS WILLING TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS AND RENTAL UP FRONT AND HE INFORMED ME THAT I WOULD BE FULLY REFUNDED WITH IN 7 TO 10 WORKING DAYS. WELL WORKING FOR A LAW FIRM I HAD ATTORNEYS INFORMING ME TO HAVE THE TIRE LOOKED AT TO BE SURE WHAT THE CAUSE WAS. SO I TOOK THE TIRE TO 2 DIFFERENT PEP BOYS AND HONDA AND AN EXPERT THAT WE WORK WITH ALL CAME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION INSTALLATION NEGLIGENCE. THE GUYS AT PEP BOYS NOT KNOWING THAT A PEP BOYS HAD BEEN THE ONES TO INSTALL THE TIRES SAID CLEARLY WITHOUT A DOUBT, AND I WOULD NEVER GO BACK TO THIS PLACE ANY MORE FOR EVEN WINDOW CLEANER. SO CLAMMILY I PRESENTED THIS TO THE MANAGER AT PEP BOYS AND AT THAT POINT AFTER ALL THE WORK WAS COMPLETED NOTHING EXTRA 2 TIRES AND A RIM AND ALIGNMENT, HE TELLS ME HE NEEDS THE TIRE IN ORDER TO PROCESS MY CLAIM. I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT I WILL GIVE HIM THE TIRE WITHOUT ANY QUESTIONS AFTER I AM PAID. AFTER HE WENT BACK ON HIS WORD TRYING TO SAY HE NEVER AGREED TO THAT I STOPPED ALL CONVERSATION WITH HIM AND WROTE A LETTER TO THE DISTRICT MANAGER, CORPORATE, AND TO THAT MANAGER, OH THIS WAS AFTER HE INFORMED ME OUT OF THE BLUE THAT IT WAS UP TO HIM IF I GOT PAID OR NOT, I SIMPLY DECIDED HE WAS NOT TO BEST SOURCE TO ADDRESS MY ATTENTION TO. IT HAS NOW BEEN 2 WEEKS AND I RECEIVED A PACKAGE FROM BRIDGESTONE TIRES RE: MY CLAIM AGAINST THEM. I HAVE ONLY ONE CLAIM AND THAT IS WITH PEP BOYS. SO THE MANAGER WHO COMMENTED ON HOW PEP BOYS ARE WILLING TO LISTEN AND MAKE THINGS RIGHT JUST BE CALM YOU ARE SO WRONG. I COULD NOT have BEEN ANY CALMER OR UNDERSTANDING AND THEY CLEARLY MESSED UP. I NEVER ONCE THREATENED THEM SAID ANYTHING BAD ABOUT THE WORKERS EVEN THOUGH THE NEGLIGENCE COULD have VERY WELL CAUSED ME MY LIFE AT 29 JUST BECAUSE A GROUP OF GUYS WANTED TO GET OFF WORK ON TIME. I NEVER ASKED FOR ANYTHING OTHER THEN WHAT IT COST TO FIX MY CAR. TRUST ME IT WILL COST THEM a lot MORE IN THE LONG RUN IF THEY DON'T START HANDLING THESE PROBLEMS BETTER. I DO AGREE THAT MOST ARE POSSIBLY JUST PEOPLE WHO ARE PIST BECAUSE THEY PAID MORE THEN THE FELT THEY SHOULD OR MORE THEN THEY WERE TOLD. BUT THERE ARE SOME LIKE MINE THAT SIMPLY WANTS ONLY THE MONEY I HAD TO PUT OUT AND WAS PROMISED TO HAVE WITH IN 7 TO 10 BUSINESS DAYS. PLUS THE 4 TIRES THAT I PAID FOR THAT WERE DEFECTIVE I STILL HAVE IN MY TRUNK AND HAVE NEVER BEEN REFUNDED FOR THOSE I WAS TOLD TO BRING THEM IN WHEN THEYCHECK CAME IN AND HE WOULD THEN REFUND ME MY MONEY AND DEDUCT IT FROM THE TOTAL CHARGES OF THE REPAIRS. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT? SO IN OTHER WORDS AND I REPEATED THIS TO THE MANAGER AGAIN AND AGAIN, YOU PLAN ON TAKING OUT THE AMOUNT YOU OWE ME FOR THE PAIRS THE AMOUNT THAT YOU OWE ME FOR THE 4 DEFECTIVE TIRES? HE SAID WELL OF COURSE. SO MY QUESTION IS WHAT ARE THEY PAYING FOR IT ACTUALLY COMES OUT TO ME PAYING THEM MORE. IF THAT IS NOT SCANDALIST THEN I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS. BE FAIR BE HONEST AND IF YOU ARE WRONG THEN MAKE IT RIGHT. THANK YOU
RACHELLE
DOWNEY,#17Consumer Comment
Wed, February 26, 2003
I RECENTLY HAD A PROBLEM WITH A PEP BOYS STORE IN DOWNEY. I HAVE A 2001 HONDA ACCORD. ON MY WAY TO WORK I HAD A FLAT I WENT TO PEP BOYS AND HAD IT REPLACED. THE NEXT DAY MY CAR DROVE DIFFERENT SO I DECIDED TO BUY ANOTHER TIRE FOR THE OTHER SIDE SO THEY WOULD BE THE SAME. THIS MADE MY VEHICLE VERY UNCONTROLLABLE WITH THE SLIGHTEST WIND. SO I CALLED AND SPOKE TO A MANAGER WHO ASKED ME TO COME IN. ONE TECH. LOOKED AT THE TIRES AND COMMENTED THAT THEY WERE NOT THE RIGHT SIZE FOR MY CAR. ME BEING A WOMEN FEEL THAT I SHOULD NOT HAVE SIZES OF TIRES I PUT MY TRUST IN THE PROFESSIONAL. OK. THEN THE MANAGER AND ANOTHER TECH CAME OVER AND HE SAID THE TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE. SO SINCE I HAD BRIDGESTONE TIRES ON MY CAR ORIGINALLY I DECIDED TO JUST PAY EXTRA AND BUY TWO BRIDGESTONES. BUT PEP BOYS DOES NOT HAVE THEM IN THE STORES SO THEY SPECIAL ORDERED THEM BUT IN THE MEAN TIME REPLACED THE TWO "DEFECTIVE TIRES" WITH TWO TEMPORARY TIRES. I PAID FOR THE TWO ON ORDER PLUS A 53.00 S&H CHARGE BUT STILL I AM OK WITH ALL OF THIS. THE NEXT DAY MY BRIDGESTONE TIRES ARRIVE SO I TAKE MY CAR DOWN AFTER WORK WHICH I HAD ALREADY SET UP THE TIME WITH THE MANAGER AT 8:15 P.M. WHICH WAS 45 MINUTES BEFORE CLOSING. THEY CHANGED THE TIRES, AND I WENT HOME. THE NEXT MORNING ON MY WAY TO WORK WHILE ON THE FREEWAY 13 MILES DRIVEN ON THE NEW TIRES I FELT UNEASY ABOUT MY TIRES. LITTLE HISTORY 6 YEARS PRIOR I HAD NEW TIRES PUT ON, NOT BY PEP BOYS AND WAS DRIVING TO SAN DIEGO AND WHEN I GOT THERE A FRIEND NOTICED I HAD ONLY 1 LUG NUT HOLDING A TIRE, SO I PROCEEDED TO GET OVER SO I COULD EXIT THE FREEWAY AND CHECK MY LUG NUTS AND AS I WAS ON THE OFF RAMP SUDDENLY MY CAR DROPPED ON THE RIGHT FRONT SIDE I COULDN'T GRIP THE WHEEL NOR APPLY MY BRAKES AND SMOKE, SPARKS AND RUBBER WERE FLYING UP, FORTUNATELY FOR ME NOBODY WAS BESIDE ME IN THE OTHER 2 LANES MY CAR FINALLY CAME TO A STOP. I CALLED AAA THEY CAME AND PUT A TEMP. ON MY CAR AND DIRECTED ME TO THE WESTMINISTER STORE. LONG STORY SHORT THEY GAVE ME A TEMP. I CALLED THE MANAGER AT THE DOWNEY STORE, I MIGHT ADD THAT PLAYED BACK AND FORTH WITH AN ASSISTANT MANAGER AT FIRST AS TO WHO HANDLES THESE MATTERS, WHERE I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS TAKING MY VEHICLE TO HONDA NOTHING PERSONAL, BECAUSE AT THIS POINT THEY HAD ME THINKING IT WAS A TIRE DEFECT, AND THAT I WOULD NEED A RENTAL CAR BECAUSE I WORK 66 MILES FROM MY WORK BOTH WAYS AND THAT I WAS WILLING TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS AND RENTAL UP FRONT AND HE INFORMED ME THAT I WOULD BE FULLY REFUNDED WITH IN 7 TO 10 WORKING DAYS. WELL WORKING FOR A LAW FIRM I HAD ATTORNEYS INFORMING ME TO HAVE THE TIRE LOOKED AT TO BE SURE WHAT THE CAUSE WAS. SO I TOOK THE TIRE TO 2 DIFFERENT PEP BOYS AND HONDA AND AN EXPERT THAT WE WORK WITH ALL CAME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION INSTALLATION NEGLIGENCE. THE GUYS AT PEP BOYS NOT KNOWING THAT A PEP BOYS HAD BEEN THE ONES TO INSTALL THE TIRES SAID CLEARLY WITHOUT A DOUBT, AND I WOULD NEVER GO BACK TO THIS PLACE ANY MORE FOR EVEN WINDOW CLEANER. SO CLAMMILY I PRESENTED THIS TO THE MANAGER AT PEP BOYS AND AT THAT POINT AFTER ALL THE WORK WAS COMPLETED NOTHING EXTRA 2 TIRES AND A RIM AND ALIGNMENT, HE TELLS ME HE NEEDS THE TIRE IN ORDER TO PROCESS MY CLAIM. I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT I WILL GIVE HIM THE TIRE WITHOUT ANY QUESTIONS AFTER I AM PAID. AFTER HE WENT BACK ON HIS WORD TRYING TO SAY HE NEVER AGREED TO THAT I STOPPED ALL CONVERSATION WITH HIM AND WROTE A LETTER TO THE DISTRICT MANAGER, CORPORATE, AND TO THAT MANAGER, OH THIS WAS AFTER HE INFORMED ME OUT OF THE BLUE THAT IT WAS UP TO HIM IF I GOT PAID OR NOT, I SIMPLY DECIDED HE WAS NOT TO BEST SOURCE TO ADDRESS MY ATTENTION TO. IT HAS NOW BEEN 2 WEEKS AND I RECEIVED A PACKAGE FROM BRIDGESTONE TIRES RE: MY CLAIM AGAINST THEM. I HAVE ONLY ONE CLAIM AND THAT IS WITH PEP BOYS. SO THE MANAGER WHO COMMENTED ON HOW PEP BOYS ARE WILLING TO LISTEN AND MAKE THINGS RIGHT JUST BE CALM YOU ARE SO WRONG. I COULD NOT have BEEN ANY CALMER OR UNDERSTANDING AND THEY CLEARLY MESSED UP. I NEVER ONCE THREATENED THEM SAID ANYTHING BAD ABOUT THE WORKERS EVEN THOUGH THE NEGLIGENCE COULD have VERY WELL CAUSED ME MY LIFE AT 29 JUST BECAUSE A GROUP OF GUYS WANTED TO GET OFF WORK ON TIME. I NEVER ASKED FOR ANYTHING OTHER THEN WHAT IT COST TO FIX MY CAR. TRUST ME IT WILL COST THEM a lot MORE IN THE LONG RUN IF THEY DON'T START HANDLING THESE PROBLEMS BETTER. I DO AGREE THAT MOST ARE POSSIBLY JUST PEOPLE WHO ARE PIST BECAUSE THEY PAID MORE THEN THE FELT THEY SHOULD OR MORE THEN THEY WERE TOLD. BUT THERE ARE SOME LIKE MINE THAT SIMPLY WANTS ONLY THE MONEY I HAD TO PUT OUT AND WAS PROMISED TO HAVE WITH IN 7 TO 10 BUSINESS DAYS. PLUS THE 4 TIRES THAT I PAID FOR THAT WERE DEFECTIVE I STILL HAVE IN MY TRUNK AND HAVE NEVER BEEN REFUNDED FOR THOSE I WAS TOLD TO BRING THEM IN WHEN THEYCHECK CAME IN AND HE WOULD THEN REFUND ME MY MONEY AND DEDUCT IT FROM THE TOTAL CHARGES OF THE REPAIRS. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT? SO IN OTHER WORDS AND I REPEATED THIS TO THE MANAGER AGAIN AND AGAIN, YOU PLAN ON TAKING OUT THE AMOUNT YOU OWE ME FOR THE PAIRS THE AMOUNT THAT YOU OWE ME FOR THE 4 DEFECTIVE TIRES? HE SAID WELL OF COURSE. SO MY QUESTION IS WHAT ARE THEY PAYING FOR IT ACTUALLY COMES OUT TO ME PAYING THEM MORE. IF THAT IS NOT SCANDALIST THEN I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS. BE FAIR BE HONEST AND IF YOU ARE WRONG THEN MAKE IT RIGHT. THANK YOU
william
fernandina beach,#18Consumer Comment
Sat, January 25, 2003
Get over your certification test. Been there done that anyone with a number 2 pencil and the mildest knowledge of cars can get certifided. Yes sometimes a vehicle can break down once you replace a part do to excess strees on other parts. But as an HONEST mechanic you should always inform your customer of why and how before you continue service. We all agree that people who bring there cars to us to be serviced 99 times out of a 100 don't know there vehicle. They may even think they take good care of it even thought most times this is not true. You can avoid most complaints by teaching the customer instead of selling them. And if i have to say this you should close your doors right now. Do the job right the FIRST time not the second or third if you manage to get it right. By reading some of these complaints I will agree some probably are not do to the service provided. But if they were addressed properly and respectfully they wouldn't be posted on the site. Look at it through your customers eyes they didn't make what is consided to be the second biggest purchase a person makes in life for someone else to mistreat. On a last note for the customer it's buyer beware. Always tell your mechanic you want the old parts by law they have to supply them to you. No old part then do it over until you have some to give me. Never leave your vehicle if it can be avoided companies put those windows there so you can watch becuase unfortunately not everyone does honest work. As for the ASE certification plaques places like to hang up. Just so you know you only need 1 ase mechanic that works at that location to hang it. Not to mention that person not only doesn't have to work on the cars but doesn't have to be there for it to continue to hang.
No Way
Buffalo,#19UPDATE Employee
Mon, August 26, 2002
To every customer tht has ever complained about this company...
Most of us are well aware that thsi is not a perfect world. To the rest of you...well WAKE UP!
s**t Happens! We are Not trying to "rip you off".
Simply just tell YOU what is wrong with YOUR vehicle. We do not drive your vehicle everyday,so therefore it is not our fault that it is worn out or mis treated. GET A FRIGGIN CLUE PEOPLE! You came to us, SO STOP YOUR WHINNIN!
Randy
Cincinnati,#20Consumer Comment
Sun, June 09, 2002
I just wanted to say my 2 cents worth.
A car is a very complex machine and machines will break. I am not a certified mechanic but I have owned and fixed my own vehicles in the past sometimes you will fix things and something else goes wrong thats just how things can be. I think there was a man who once said "what can go wrong pobably will".
People need to realize a car is one of the most complex machines there is, so many things can go wrong with them and it can be the most frustrating thing in the world to diagnose problems and have something else happen next.
Just think about your computer that has hardly any moving parts (unlike a car does) and how many problems do you have from it sometimes.
also mechanics cant see the future and are not miracle workers I dont care how many cars they have fixed or how many years they have worked on cars or how many hours they have spent in a school learning the systems of cars they cannot and will never see it all and know it all. how many things has god messed up on? I can find plenty of things wrong with his work.
#210
Thu, June 06, 2002
Perhaps you should rethink your position. Three quarters of the work of diagnosis and repair is assessment. Your suggestion of having the customer do YOUR job does not bode well for YOUR job security. Are YOU willing to take a pay cut by 50%?
ED Magedson
[email protected]
Aaron
West Elizabeth,#22UPDATE Employee
Thu, June 06, 2002
I am also an ASE certified master tech (never worked for Pep Boys) and I totally agree with everything the ex-manager posted on 5/24. I think that the consumer should be at least a little educated about how their vehicle works so that they can give a better description of what is wrong as well as knowing what should (or shouldn't) be repaired.
I can't even count how many customers I have had that come in with complaints like, (I hear a noise, but, don't know where it is coming from and can't describe it). I go on a test drive with the customer to verify the problem (chances are, the noise will NEVER be reproduced with the customer in the car!) and there is no noise.
Since it just about impossible to diagnose a problem that isn't there (with the tech there at the same time), I couldn't say that there is no problem because there probably is, since the customer spent the time to bring it in.
It wouldn't make sense to waste the customers time and money on driving around for ? hours to hope the noise occurs to find a problem that might be a fast $40 fix. If the customer knew a little about how their vehicle works they could come up with a better description so that the problem could be diagnosed alot faster.
Also, if the customer knew a little more, they would know what they are looking at when the tech shows them the source of the problem (like a good shop should) and don't just take their word for it.
Not that I'm standing up for Pep Boys, but, with the amount of vehicles that go through their doors every day you have to look at the overall percentage of comebacks. In a large chain of 300 shops and each one repairs 50 vehicles per day, that is about 4 million vehicles in one year.
If there were 10,000 comebacks for that business that year, that means only 1/4 of 1% of people had a problem. Considering that we are only human, that is a pretty good ratio! Look at how often weather forcasters or doctors are right! If you happen to ever have a problem with ANY kind of business, ALWAYS act calmly, If you don't, that is how you get a pepperoni-spit pizza or I have even seen techs tightening lug nuts so tight that you need a jack hammer to change a flat tire!
On the flip side, there are plenty of "bad" garages out there, whether they are money hungry or have bad techs or just bad management. What business doesn't have this??? It just seems that the less you know about the particular industry, the higher up on the ladder you sit?
I find it amazing that the kid right out of college with a degree and no experience gets the job faster than the person with 20 years experience!
Overall, it's just best to find a garage that will show and explain the cause of the problem, explain everything that needs to be done to solve the problem (and why, along with other possible problems that may occur), give a detailed price breakdown of what it will cost, and if possible, go for a ride with the tech after the repair is done to confirm that the problem is repaired. Doing things in that manner will possibly take care of any complaints immediately because there was a tech there for the "before and after" so the business won't be as "weary" about "false complaints".
Paul
Sunnyvale,#23UPDATE Employee
Fri, May 24, 2002
Well, I have read all the responses. I have worked for PepBoys for three years as a manager and know quite well how things are behind the battle lines. I always take care of my customers and try to put myself in their shoes. It all comes down to communication. 99.9% of the few complaints that I receive, I resolve instantly. Yes, technicians, mechanics and installers do make errors, but sometimes things just happen a week or a month down the road that has nothing to do with the work that was done. But the customer had the vehicle worked at PepBoys last time so it is usually "Our" fault.
Good technicians who really care about the customer's vehicle and maintence are also very hard to come by. But the managers of these locations can weed out the bad ones and keep the good ones.
I was also a technician for 15 years before I became a manager. I have worked for 4 other major automotive repair retailers. Each corporation has their fair share of complaints, but I have never worked at a place that works on the volume of vehicles that PepBoys does. This easily explains the increase number of complaints over other companys. More people know of Manny, Moe and Jack than any other retail repair facility out there.
Now, for the quality of management that is out there. That too is hard to find. A good quality manager that really cares about the customer and the employees who works for him/her. There are days where I comment to myself "Man, no amount of money could pay me enough to do this job!" The PepBoys service manager has one of the highest stress related jobs out there. Working with retail customers, service technicians and being responsible for the 35-60 vehicles per day that run through your location is the daily grind. Where it gets stressful, is when the moon is full and one get's a "big box" nightmare day happening.
The average customer is great and can become a lifelong customer if you communicate with that customer in great detail about what is happening to their vehicle. Be able to swallow your pride and admit when a mistake happens and be able to take care of your customer exactly the way you would want your own mother or father taken care of. But there are the chosen few customers that want to make everyone's life miserable. No amount of pampering or respect is going make this customer happy. They are unhappy with life and that customer is out to make yours even worse. I have now have the ability to weed these chosen few out. Again, they are VERY few and far between, but some days they all show up at once and you wonder where life took a wrong turn. One would hope that the average retail customer would understand and see these type's of customer's that come in our stores (again, these are the chosen few) and maybe understand what we have to tolerate.
But that hardly ever happens. We have to smile at the next customer and great them with great kindness, no matter how stressed or ticked off we are. It is kind of like acting. Heck, I am getting a few ulcers from it! Is my health worth this kind of stress?
Well, I love helping people. I really love the automotive repair business. I really enjoy helping people get the most out of their cars. But I sell to customer's in the mannar that it is really up to them what they want to have done. I give very low pressure sales, but I inform the customer as much as I can. If a customer asks "What if this does not fix my car?" I reply "Then I will not charge you for it."
I have great respect for my customer's. I also have great respect for my employees. The only thing that I expect in return is that both are extremely happy. This is good business.
In the end, if you are unhappy with the repair that you received, call the service manager first. If not resolved, talk to the store manager next. If still not happy, call the district manager. Why do all of this? If you call the complaint hotline, your complaint gets sent directly to the service manager, store manager and district manager. You save a lot of time by doing all of this up front. If still no resolution, then call the customer assistance hotline.
Another hint for the unhappy customer. If you have a problem, CALMLY try to resolve it. Leave the anger and emotion out of it. Have all of your facts and times document. Be calm with who ever you talk to. The person who remains calm usually comes out ahead.
I know that this was very long winded, but I hope that it might shed some light into what usually happens in these situations.
No other company works on the volume of vehicles that Pepboys works on. This is the reason for the amount of complaints that is on this site.
Roy
tacoma,#24UPDATE EX-employee responds
Fri, March 29, 2002
As an ex-employee of Pep Boys I saw the dishonesty in the shop I used to work at in Washington. I, too, am an ASE Master Certified Technician. I quit working for these jokers when I saw dishonesty day after day. I can't work for companies that rip off consumers. I think the technicians that wrote the reports that Pep Boys is great need to get a clue. Not all Pep Boys stores are honest and have integrity. If they are such a great chain of stores, why are there so many reports on the website?
Shannon
bloomfield,#25Consumer Comment
Thu, March 28, 2002
I am aggravated by the responses of the 3(so far) "EX" PepBoys Employees who are criticizing and INSULTING the customers of the automotive repair chain that rips people off. Perhaps this is the reason that this company is lacking in honesty and integrity to begin with because they hire people like them.
Given the way they have so quickly leapt to judgement of these people, who were ripped off and basically had their money STOLEN from them, and their obvious lack of sympathy or compassion for what they had been put through, I can just imagine what their attitudes must have been like to actual customers who confronted them with complaints at the facilities where they had been employed.
I too was ALMOST ripped off by the PEPBOYS repair scams and I am just appalled that these ex-employees feel an immediate need to defend a place where they no longer work instead of seeing the TRUTH in the statements of the MANY PEOPLE who have been screwed by this company. Boy! NO WONDER they were HIRED by that company!!
Well here is a complaint that they cannot beg off to ignorance or idiocism (at least not on my part).... I had decided one day that my car needed an oil change. There was NOTHING wrong with my car at all. I had been driving my car EVERYDAY for the past 6 years at that point(the car was bought brand new) and had NO PROBLEMS with it at all...until I took it to Pep-Boys.
I brought the car in and told the guy behind the counter that all I needed was an oil change. He began to ask me some questions about my car and any problems I have had or was having with it (before he even looked at my car) and I told him there had been none but that I felt that my car was a "little sluggish" and needed an oil change since it had just had a tune up a month earlier ( I do ALL the scheduled maintainance on my car, on time).
He then began to ask me if my car "stalled" at all (now REMIND you that he has NOT seen my car yet!), and I told him no, that it had NEVER given me any problems like that and that it is running just fine however I feel that it was lacking a little bit of "power" that it used to have about 2 weeks before and I just wanted an oil change. For some reason I had a gut feeling that something wasnt quite right, but I ignored it and went to sit and wait for my car.
AN HOUR LATER!....The guy comes out and tells me my car is all set and that it has been driven back to the parking lot.
I paid my bill and went to my car. After engaging the ignition I noticed IMMEDIATELY that something was NOT RIGHT with my car so I proceeded to put it in drive...IT STALLED!! I wanted to give this man the benefit of the doubt so I restarted the car and got it to stay running long enough to pull out of the parking lot into traffic, where it stalled again. The car stalled 10 times during the 25 feet it took me to turn around and drive back to PepBoys.
I was FURIOUS! Now I knew why he was asking those questions!
I also now knew why I had had that funny feeling about him! Whe the man saw me coming, I saw the look on his face,it was as if he were saying...OH s**t! She's back and she's pissed...I shouldn't have tried it on her"!!
I began to tell him what was happening with my car now, and he then tried to CONVINCE ME that I told him that my car had been stalling when I brought it in for an oil change!!!!
I vehemently DENIED that I had said anything to that effect and stated that he knew d**n WELL that I had told him that my car had been running fine before I gave it to him! Well to make a longer story short...I told him that he had better take my car back into the service area and undo, redo or replace whatever it was that he did to my car and that if it DID NOT run as it did when I brought it in I was calling the police and my attorney from his store and I was not leaving until my car was restored to its original condition WITH THE OIL CHANGE that I had paid for already! I had also called my father and he came down to keep me calm and witness all of this and i found out later that the mechanic also tried to tell my dad that I had said the car was stalling and he said this to him when I was out of earshot!!) Needless to say when I took my car from them that evening it was running perfectly again so whatever he did to it he undid and I hope he learned a lesson. I suspect that he was already in jeopardy because of previous behavior such as this and my threatening him with police and attorneys was more hassle than he wanted at that time. I will NEVER go to pepboys again...not even to buy wiper fluid!
This is why I am so irritated at the employees who were so eager to discredit consumers who paid hard earned money for a service and got a lot of unwanted/unneeded repairs in return. Those ex-employees have only victimized those people again and I hope that in their present jobs they will learn to listen to the customer first before labeling them as ignorant or incompetent.
Shannon
bloomfield,#26Consumer Comment
Thu, March 28, 2002
I am aggravated by the responses of the 3(so far) "EX" PepBoys Employees who are criticizing and INSULTING the customers of the automotive repair chain that rips people off. Perhaps this is the reason that this company is lacking in honesty and integrity to begin with because they hire people like them.
Given the way they have so quickly leapt to judgement of these people, who were ripped off and basically had their money STOLEN from them, and their obvious lack of sympathy or compassion for what they had been put through, I can just imagine what their attitudes must have been like to actual customers who confronted them with complaints at the facilities where they had been employed.
I too was ALMOST ripped off by the PEPBOYS repair scams and I am just appalled that these ex-employees feel an immediate need to defend a place where they no longer work instead of seeing the TRUTH in the statements of the MANY PEOPLE who have been screwed by this company. Boy! NO WONDER they were HIRED by that company!!
Well here is a complaint that they cannot beg off to ignorance or idiocism (at least not on my part).... I had decided one day that my car needed an oil change. There was NOTHING wrong with my car at all. I had been driving my car EVERYDAY for the past 6 years at that point(the car was bought brand new) and had NO PROBLEMS with it at all...until I took it to Pep-Boys.
I brought the car in and told the guy behind the counter that all I needed was an oil change. He began to ask me some questions about my car and any problems I have had or was having with it (before he even looked at my car) and I told him there had been none but that I felt that my car was a "little sluggish" and needed an oil change since it had just had a tune up a month earlier ( I do ALL the scheduled maintainance on my car, on time).
He then began to ask me if my car "stalled" at all (now REMIND you that he has NOT seen my car yet!), and I told him no, that it had NEVER given me any problems like that and that it is running just fine however I feel that it was lacking a little bit of "power" that it used to have about 2 weeks before and I just wanted an oil change. For some reason I had a gut feeling that something wasnt quite right, but I ignored it and went to sit and wait for my car.
AN HOUR LATER!....The guy comes out and tells me my car is all set and that it has been driven back to the parking lot.
I paid my bill and went to my car. After engaging the ignition I noticed IMMEDIATELY that something was NOT RIGHT with my car so I proceeded to put it in drive...IT STALLED!! I wanted to give this man the benefit of the doubt so I restarted the car and got it to stay running long enough to pull out of the parking lot into traffic, where it stalled again. The car stalled 10 times during the 25 feet it took me to turn around and drive back to PepBoys.
I was FURIOUS! Now I knew why he was asking those questions!
I also now knew why I had had that funny feeling about him! Whe the man saw me coming, I saw the look on his face,it was as if he were saying...OH s**t! She's back and she's pissed...I shouldn't have tried it on her"!!
I began to tell him what was happening with my car now, and he then tried to CONVINCE ME that I told him that my car had been stalling when I brought it in for an oil change!!!!
I vehemently DENIED that I had said anything to that effect and stated that he knew d**n WELL that I had told him that my car had been running fine before I gave it to him! Well to make a longer story short...I told him that he had better take my car back into the service area and undo, redo or replace whatever it was that he did to my car and that if it DID NOT run as it did when I brought it in I was calling the police and my attorney from his store and I was not leaving until my car was restored to its original condition WITH THE OIL CHANGE that I had paid for already! I had also called my father and he came down to keep me calm and witness all of this and i found out later that the mechanic also tried to tell my dad that I had said the car was stalling and he said this to him when I was out of earshot!!) Needless to say when I took my car from them that evening it was running perfectly again so whatever he did to it he undid and I hope he learned a lesson. I suspect that he was already in jeopardy because of previous behavior such as this and my threatening him with police and attorneys was more hassle than he wanted at that time. I will NEVER go to pepboys again...not even to buy wiper fluid!
This is why I am so irritated at the employees who were so eager to discredit consumers who paid hard earned money for a service and got a lot of unwanted/unneeded repairs in return. Those ex-employees have only victimized those people again and I hope that in their present jobs they will learn to listen to the customer first before labeling them as ignorant or incompetent.
Shannon
bloomfield,#27Consumer Comment
Thu, March 28, 2002
I am aggravated by the responses of the 3(so far) "EX" PepBoys Employees who are criticizing and INSULTING the customers of the automotive repair chain that rips people off. Perhaps this is the reason that this company is lacking in honesty and integrity to begin with because they hire people like them.
Given the way they have so quickly leapt to judgement of these people, who were ripped off and basically had their money STOLEN from them, and their obvious lack of sympathy or compassion for what they had been put through, I can just imagine what their attitudes must have been like to actual customers who confronted them with complaints at the facilities where they had been employed.
I too was ALMOST ripped off by the PEPBOYS repair scams and I am just appalled that these ex-employees feel an immediate need to defend a place where they no longer work instead of seeing the TRUTH in the statements of the MANY PEOPLE who have been screwed by this company. Boy! NO WONDER they were HIRED by that company!!
Well here is a complaint that they cannot beg off to ignorance or idiocism (at least not on my part).... I had decided one day that my car needed an oil change. There was NOTHING wrong with my car at all. I had been driving my car EVERYDAY for the past 6 years at that point(the car was bought brand new) and had NO PROBLEMS with it at all...until I took it to Pep-Boys.
I brought the car in and told the guy behind the counter that all I needed was an oil change. He began to ask me some questions about my car and any problems I have had or was having with it (before he even looked at my car) and I told him there had been none but that I felt that my car was a "little sluggish" and needed an oil change since it had just had a tune up a month earlier ( I do ALL the scheduled maintainance on my car, on time).
He then began to ask me if my car "stalled" at all (now REMIND you that he has NOT seen my car yet!), and I told him no, that it had NEVER given me any problems like that and that it is running just fine however I feel that it was lacking a little bit of "power" that it used to have about 2 weeks before and I just wanted an oil change. For some reason I had a gut feeling that something wasnt quite right, but I ignored it and went to sit and wait for my car.
AN HOUR LATER!....The guy comes out and tells me my car is all set and that it has been driven back to the parking lot.
I paid my bill and went to my car. After engaging the ignition I noticed IMMEDIATELY that something was NOT RIGHT with my car so I proceeded to put it in drive...IT STALLED!! I wanted to give this man the benefit of the doubt so I restarted the car and got it to stay running long enough to pull out of the parking lot into traffic, where it stalled again. The car stalled 10 times during the 25 feet it took me to turn around and drive back to PepBoys.
I was FURIOUS! Now I knew why he was asking those questions!
I also now knew why I had had that funny feeling about him! Whe the man saw me coming, I saw the look on his face,it was as if he were saying...OH s**t! She's back and she's pissed...I shouldn't have tried it on her"!!
I began to tell him what was happening with my car now, and he then tried to CONVINCE ME that I told him that my car had been stalling when I brought it in for an oil change!!!!
I vehemently DENIED that I had said anything to that effect and stated that he knew d**n WELL that I had told him that my car had been running fine before I gave it to him! Well to make a longer story short...I told him that he had better take my car back into the service area and undo, redo or replace whatever it was that he did to my car and that if it DID NOT run as it did when I brought it in I was calling the police and my attorney from his store and I was not leaving until my car was restored to its original condition WITH THE OIL CHANGE that I had paid for already! I had also called my father and he came down to keep me calm and witness all of this and i found out later that the mechanic also tried to tell my dad that I had said the car was stalling and he said this to him when I was out of earshot!!) Needless to say when I took my car from them that evening it was running perfectly again so whatever he did to it he undid and I hope he learned a lesson. I suspect that he was already in jeopardy because of previous behavior such as this and my threatening him with police and attorneys was more hassle than he wanted at that time. I will NEVER go to pepboys again...not even to buy wiper fluid!
This is why I am so irritated at the employees who were so eager to discredit consumers who paid hard earned money for a service and got a lot of unwanted/unneeded repairs in return. Those ex-employees have only victimized those people again and I hope that in their present jobs they will learn to listen to the customer first before labeling them as ignorant or incompetent.
Cliff
Irving,#28UPDATE EX-employee responds
Tue, March 26, 2002
As a former employee of Pep Boys I guess it is none of my business what happens but it angers me to see the endless letters and complaints filed against Pep Boys ...... just because things are not explained properly to the consumer or they are not given enough imformation on the basic workings of an automobile I am a ASE certified master tech. and if people understood the basics there would be a lot less for you guys to do ie : on a cooling system you can have a leak in the radiator and no other problems then fix the leaky radiator because the system is sealed and pressurized it could then develop another leak same thing with oil leaks pressureized engine fluids will always take the path of least resistance and if your radiator was leaking then chances are that the cooling system was not properly taken care of in the first place ie:Flushed regularly but at the same time if things like this were explained properly to the customer they might be prepared for additional costs and repairs and not feel as if they are being ripped off
Tom
East Brunswick,#29Consumer Comment
Wed, March 06, 2002
These so-called mechanics who claim that Pepboys is a good company are full of crap. I have had 2 really bad experiences with Pepboys. One I listed in another complaint, here's the other. I took my 1990 Mustang GT to Pepboys for tires. I am the original owner and take extremely good care of my car. While it was there I was called and told that in addition to the tires, I needed brakes and front struts too. I told them to go ahead and do it.
When I picked up the car, the fornt end shook like crazy. I immediately brought it back and explained the problem. They told me to leave the car and i would be called whenit was done. After 3 days I called them. They could not find any paperwork on my car and after waiting for a long time on the phone, they came back and said it was done. I went back to pick up my car, but it was parked in the same exact spot I had left it in 3 days before and the wheel was cocked and the position was identical to what it was when I left it. I knew something was up. When I drove awaythe problem still existed.
I went back in again and blasted the idiot who had told me it was done. The next day I received a call from the idiot, stating that my power steering pump and rack and pinion were bad and needed to be replaced. Again, I said OK. When I picked up the car, not only did it still shake, but now it didn't steer anything like it used to. I had a feeling that they had put a rack and pinion from just a regular mustang, so I asked the mechanic who worked on my car. He told me that there was no differnce between the two and that I was probably just used to it driving badly because it needed the parts. This did not sound right, so I called a dealer and they confirmed that the parts were completely different.
I then started to aggressively seek some sort of satisfaction. I only wanted tires and they came up with numerous other items that they said would solve problems, instead of fixing the original problems, they just created more. I had to make several calls to their corporat office, and I disputed the charges on my Visa. After weeks of calls and emails, I finnaly got them to admit they screwed up. They agreed to fix the problems and refund the money that they had cahrged me for unnecessary repairs. Before I brought my car back to them I also noticed that the front tires were beginning to wear already. Again I had to have an all out war with the manager to get this taken care of. They agreed to replace the fron tires. The next day when I went back to get the car, I noticed the rear tires had been replaced and the tires with the wear were still on the fron of the car. How stupid are these guys?
And again, I had to argue with the manager in order to get them to replace the front tires. When it was all over, they had replaced the parts that were wrong, replaced the tires and gave me back all of my money for the items that really did not need to be replaced. Yes they will eventually help you if you b***h loud and long enough, but they will attempt to drag it out long enough in hopes that you just give up and go away. As for the arrogant mechanics, they have a lot of nerve talikng down to people because they don't know how to fix their own cars. Who the hell wants to fix their own car anyway?
That's why we have grease-monkeys like you guys. And who the hell are you idiots to be so arrogant and to laugh at the customers who don't know how to fix their own cars? You guys don't know how to either and it's your d**n job! If you are going to do business with Pepboys, never pay cash, always use a credit card so you can dispute the charges. If you don't have one, go somewhere else.
richard
san antonio,#30Consumer Comment
Mon, February 18, 2002
I took my vehicle in for a leak, in dec 2001, they diagnosed it as the radiator, quoted me 497.00 to repair. I requested to see the hole which i never did see any. Four days later i noticed the leak was still present, and returned to have it checked. 3 hours passed while waiting. The mechanic checked everything and stated that everything was fine all the hoses and seals were in great shape and under pressurization no leaks were detected. Now one week later somewhere about the 15th jan I noticed the keak again but very small I watched it closely. now 1 month from the repairs I noticed the leak had increased I checked the system it was dry. I filled the radiator and checked indeed the leak was significant. I returned to pep boys, only to here i now need a water pump 82.00, hoses, 40. plus labor for a total of 425.00. this is bull. why was'nt this checked when they had the engine apart ad why was it not detected under pressurization. Who do I talk to and I will post this in the local paper as well as my company and neighbor hood markets and business's. I want something down about this continued ripping people off.
#310
Tue, January 22, 2002
They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:
Their email: [email protected]
Their name: Carolyn James
Their relationship to the company: Owner
Rebuttal:
I'm a owner of a white Saturn I took to Pepboys for a oil change. I wrote a detailed letter to customers service how my vehicle's engine blew because the oil change was not complete. Engine drained out however no oil was replaced. Car drove for to days then the engine blew. This happened:11/09/01 the car sat in front of my house with a blown-out engine from 11/11/01. on 11/20/01 my cousin flew here from N.Y.C. he look at the
vehicle and told me what happened to my car. I call the store manager she told me they'll check the car out for my complaint. I had the car tow as request my the manager to the Pepboys on Rancho Dr. in Las Vegas. Since them no has gotten back to me in reference to my complaint on there website. The only response I got was a smashed in rear window at Pepboys lot where they abandit my car. I believe my car window was smashed in due
to retailation for complaining on the website this pass weekend.
#320
Sat, January 12, 2002
They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:
Their email: gmbase@ aol.com
Their name: The CAROLOGIST
Their relationship to the company: Devotee
Rebuttal:
I haved worked for peppeys for 6 years, and have worked along side alot of pieces of crap, "non-mechanics,non-techs"; however if you didn't work for NASA you probably had the same problem also. I do not do much, but what I do do is repair automobile engines, transmissions, rear ends, clutches, lights, electrical shorts & flat tires. So if you have a receipt from Pep Boys and a complaint and live on the east coast, email me, we will set up
a time for me to PERFORM GREATNESS on your vehicle under warranty, I will tell you the necessary repairs, provided the repair or diag is still under warranty, or complain and Pep Boys will have me do it for free anyways because they are a GREAT COMPANY. Good Luck P.S. Buy American!!!!!!!
#330
Mon, December 31, 2001
They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:
Their email: [email protected]
Their name: MIchael L. Baker
Their relationship to the company: Supporter
Rebuttal:
I too am a mechanic with the company. And I agree with the other mechanic on this subject. I have worked for the company for 3 Plus years. I have seen some mis-diagnosed vehicles and I have witness also some bad repairs. The company always favors the customer. Some times more than its techs and mech. Its impossible to make everyone happy. Generally people are upset
when they walk in the door for service becuase their vehicle is giving them trouble. Most of the repairs I do are at the neglect of the customer. Be that as it may I always ensure a proper repair as promptly as possible and with (pm)services recommended. Lets face it, repairing a vehicle these
days can instantly run into a few hundred dollars to repair it. Walking into a shop to have a car repaired isn't like going to get a gallon of milk at the local mini-mart. People need to know that up front and it starts with how they are greeted to the time they go to the register. "Cradle to grave" As said by "The Beast of the East"... Chuck M. I'm not sure if techs and mechs can relate to the same things or situations. I just had a statement to make in "Our" defense.
Thanks
#340
Mon, December 24, 2001
They filed the following rebuttal to the above Rip-Off Report:
Their email: [email protected]
Their name: Steven H.
Their relationship to the company: Devotee
Rebuttal:
I am what is classified as an A.S.E. certified Master technician, i have worked for pepboys for several years not only as a mechanic, but also as a service writer, first assitant to the service manager and service manager as well. the problem which has just been described not only annoys me, but makes me wonder as to what problems this guys car has. all i read was what
he was charged, not what services were performed. for there to be such a costly bill, and yet the vehicle still running badly tells me that there is more to the story then whats being told. I have to question if this guy has even attempted to talk to someone in managment about the fact of the high costs of repairs and the problem still existing, If what he has stated is in fact true, in which i am not denieng could have happened, i know pepboys to make right what the have done wrong. for example, we had a lady come into our store woth an overheating problem, it was diagnosed as the radiator and thermostat, we did the repairs and the bill came too $544. we released the car to her and about 2 hours later she returned stating that the car was still doing the same thing, we again looked at the car and found that in addition to the radiator the waterpump was bad as well. we did the water pump, replaced some hoses, did a complete flush
on the system, and rechecked the vehicle. this bill came to $863. she did not pay us anything for the second return. all she paid was the initial $544. Pepboys IS the largest after market automotive repair facilty in the nation, we are bound to make a mistake from time to time, it happens. but I have NEVER known for this corporation to turn its back on any customer
if we mis diagnosed the problem, I have always seen quite the opposite. Maybe this guy should instead of spending wasted time on the computer, righting a bogus claim, get ahold of somebody that will fix his problem. unfortunatly im sure theres some bad managment out there, who will not help this guy, im sure theres even people in managment that can be flat out right rude about it, what i suggest of him is call corporate offices at 1-800-pep-boys. I personally guarentee they will satisfy this guys needs