These people are told how to “sell, sell, sell”, not how to give good customer service!

In the long run, that’s why GT has been a horrible investment for shareholders – no competitive advantage due to poor customer service!

Its not just oil change places you have to watch. I bought 4 new tires at an NTB and they stripped 14 of my 16 tire stems, which I would not have discovered except that one of the new tires shredded when the wheel came loose a week after I had the tires put on. And what did I get from them? Blown off again. We are not responsible, we didn’t do it. My guy remembers the stems were in bad shape when he put the tires on. So I asked if it was store policy to make no mention of the fact that my car was dangerous to drive in the condition they released my car in. At that point they agreed to replace the stems labor free, and since it was either tow the car to another place or let them do it, I paid for the parts but have never been back.

Interesting kosmo mentions Goodyear, I’ve had similar no-charge experiences with the one near me. Maybe they apply a good standard to franchise owners or something.

I’ll never trust the dealer I bought my current car from again. On the test drive, white smoke started coming out from under the hood. Turns out they replaced a hose and didn’t put the clamp back on right. Then they just put another clamp OVER the incorrect clamp. I had my mechanic check the car and found tons of little “attention-to-detail” errors. I’ve worked on equipment that can kill people if not properly maintained, and I have little patience for mechanics who can’t remember to put an oil cap back on.

BTW – the only reason I used them for oil changes rather than just take it to the dealership is that Jiffy Lube is like two blocks from my front door. It was totally a convenience factor, but now I think I’ll just stick with the dealership.

2) A couple of years later, I was in a new town once again. I started going to the local dealer for oil changes, because it was without walking distance. I could drop the car off and walk home in a couple of minutes. It was a few bucks more than other places, but was very convenient. After a while, they got bought another dealer, and the price for oil change/tire rotation went from about $35 to about $55 (quite pricey for this area). Additionally, they stated taking longer to get the job done (bear in mind that these are actual appointments, not walk-ins. Finally, I decided that enough was enough, and went, once again, to the local Goodyear (different ownership than the previous one)

One of the first times I was there, this younger woman (20s) was there. They had repaired her car. I believe the problem was bolts that were coming loose in the suspension. The charge was something like $15.

This woman tells the guy that she is about to go on a long trip and cannot afford to have any car problems along the way. She goes through a litany of possible problems – “are you sure that X is OK? What about Y?”. I’m biting my tongue, but want to tell her to shut up before the guy targets her as an easy mark and agrees that the car does indeed need some additional work. I’m quite certain that the shop could have made $500 off her with no problem.

But the guy just smiles, and patiently explains how each of the parts/systems is in good working order.

And to top it off, the staff is friendly, the cost is about $35, and the turnaround time is very good.

I don’t mind paying a bit more to get reliable service. It took me a bit, but I think I got a pretty good mechanic. Prices are reasonable and they take the time to explain the repairs.

I once went their just to get a measly oil change, guess what they forgot to put the oil cap back on, I rode around for days and starting seeing smoke come from the hood of my car. get what no cap, the cap was laying on my battery the whole while. Crazy nuts

They mess up simple tasks. Never know more.

Jiffy Lube has lousy service