What a day I've had! I bought a new (to me) car two weeks ago and went to have 2 new winter tires put on it today. When I parked my car, EVERYTHING on it was working fine. What was supposed to take 30 -45 minutes to change two tires took 1 1/2 hours by the time the guys finished goofing around making a mess of anything they could (manager did the wrong paper work for the wrong car, wrong tires taken out, "playing games" in the service bay...). I think my car has a unique horn on it because when they took it into the service bay, they were playing with it (common practice is to beep it once to let anyone know they're coming in, or when they're leaving). I was in another area of the store and could hear them playing with the horn :roll: When I was finished picking up what I needed, I went back to the service department to wait for them to finish the car (1 hour later at this point... so much for the appointment I had - they took other cars in ahead of me). There was another man waiting for his vehicle as well. One employee moves slower than cold molasses (praise God he wasn't working on my car). After the disorganized manager found pens he lost, paper work he lost amongst other things, he went out to the service bay to "help get these cars out of here". The manager and an employee started a shouting match with each other, laughing and carrying on while doing so (the guys waiting beside me and I are rolling our eyes when the manager says "Safety first! Safety first!"). Monkey see monkey do Mr Manager... lead by example and his was anything but safe. 1 1/2 hours later, my car is finished and I head out the door after I paid for it. When I got in the car, the clutch feels different (normally there is resistance as soon as you put your foot on it... it went half way to the floor before any resistance at all). I put the car in reverse and started to leave. I didn't drive very far before I opted to turn back - the clutch was not the same after the tires were changed as it was when I went in so I turned back to address it. Of course, they've done nothing wrong - I appearently told one of them I had problems shifting before I even got there :shock: I went to the customer service desk to voice my complaint to them. They called the department manager and of course, based on what he said, they deny any wrong doing on their part :twisted: (The manager defending the one who worked on my car says "He goes to church, he's religious, he would never do something like horse around with a car" Good grief, so going to church makes you perfect? Lord have mercy! Going to church doesn't mean we don't do things we aren't supposed to do So now I have a car, that I had a hard time getting into first gear at all that I can't do anything with! I called a tow truck to take it across the street to the brake dealer but before the tow truck arrived, I decided to try it myself. I did get it over there (driving in the only gear I had... first gear). So the two tires that cost me $177 will cost me close to $500 by the time the clutch is replaced and what ever else was messed in the process. I am NOT happy to say the very least. I did contact Wal-Mart's head office to voice my complaint (since at the store level it was brushed off). What do I expect as an outcome? While it would be nice for them to pay for the repair that they caused, the manager should be reprimanded at the very least for horsing around in the service bay. That's a health and safety issue to say the least! The employee who called me a liar should be reprimanded too. As for now, I just want my car back in working order - just like it was before I went in there.
Well I HATE walmart with every fiber of my being. My husband is a mechanic and what they did is just wrong. I would complain and complain until they got sick of me. I am so sorry for the mess you now have to deal with.
Wait I thought ALL car places are like that. (well not all but tons). Send your DH in, that is what I had to do last week. I always get treated horribly at car places. Like 5 hours for something that was supposed to take 1 and a half, with 3 kids waiting with me too. Then not even fixing what I brought it in for. I have also had car places break stuff on my car too, then not admit it.
Squeaky wheel gets the grease and I'm not going down without a fight. Being called a liar was the final straw for me. Having to pay $300 more for something that wasn't my fault when you're living on a student budget isn't any better
I hope they give you your money back. I guess each company is different. My husband managed a Firestone for a couple of years in CA and had the opposite problem. People could actually come in with a messed up Goodyear tire (obviously not purchased at a Firestone store) and if they screamed that it was Firestone's fault loudly enough the district manager would make them give away tires to the customer. Going above the store managers head will hopefully make a difference and get you the refund that you deserve.
OK, I'm eating a hefty dose of humble pie right now. I just picked up my car and asked about the cause of it all. What ever happened to the clutch (I'm not a mechanic so it's all foreign to me), would have happened whether it was after the tires were put on or whether I was driving along the road somewhere. The problem was known to the person who sold the car to me and not Walmart's fault. It was an unfortunate co-incidence that it happened right after the Walmart experience. I had been speaking to the store manager earlier today after she called me about contacting the district office and I called her back and apologized with all sincerity (I did however address the safety issue int he service bay). I apologize to anyone who has read this original post and me off on my tangent
I am so glad you found out the truth and were able to straighten it out with the store. I hope you were able to get the clutch fixed.
Glad the car is fixed. I find the best way to be treated well in a garage is to talk like you know things. lol My family owns a trucking company, my brother is the head mechanic (lg diesel engines), I grew up around garages and vehicles. I do a quick research on whatever may be the problem and then I bring it in and tell them what I suspect is the issue. I have been fortunate not to ever be taken advantage of in that way. My hubby is the first to tell the guys in whatever garage we go to "talk to her, she knows waay more than I do about these things". LOL |Sometimes I know nothing but come off as knowing what I am talking about, other times I do know a thing or 2.
thats why I never take my car in. They do it to me. I think they have a sign in there that says women alone get them. they don't understand. Once in a while the laugh is on them because a few women do.. but I don't.
I'm glad you a)got your car fixed, b)weren't going to just let it go, and b)apologized when it was called for. Never ever feel bad about 'pitching a fit' when you've been wronged. Last June I took my van in to the dealer to have a part replaced (that Pep Boys told me was faulty, but it was a 'dealer only' thing). The dealer insisted that it was fine and not the problem. They also insisted I needed a brand new transmission, though they admitted they didn't even so much as drop the pan. So I paid to fix the part they claimed was the problem. $1300 later, the problem wasn't fixed. I raised holy h*ll, but without being angry, rude, or resorting to inappropriate language. Long story short, they worked on it 5 additional times and replaced another $3,000k worth of parts, including the one Pep Boys said was broken, before it was fixed and I didn't pay another dime (not even for the rental cars each time). And that 'new' transmission? Turns out it was a $200 part that relays info to the transmission, so replacing the transmission wouldn't have done a lick of good. (Thank God for a referral to a great, honest transmission guy). Point is: if a business wrongs you, you should demand justice, but without being nasty. The key is, though, that justice and revenge aren't the same thing . I even, near the end, kept offering to pay for things, but they maintained that they would cover it. [The big bonus is that the last time they worked on it was while we were going to PA. We already knew we were going to have to rent a van, as ours wasn't going to be reliable enough to take. So the dealership split the bill with us!]
