Bridgestone Retail Operations

Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. We appreciate feedback from our customers as we are then made aware of problems that we need to address going forward to better our business. We apologize for any inconvenience that...

we may have caused, and we would like to make things right as we truly value your business. An internal case was set up for the Area Manager to review and resolve the complaint. The Area Manager has left a message for you to call him back to address the issues. Please return his call so we can rectify this matter. Thank you.

Thank you for alerting us so that this matter can be investigated further. Our records indicate management has been in contact and a mutual resolution has been reached prior to this response. Please reach back out to management should there be any additional questions or concerns with your...

service.

Received info from the Area Manager:
The store manager contacted the customer
and addressed concerns on pricing. Explained oil change pricing was the same as before. This time,the customer did not present a coupon. The customer also felt pricing on the wiper blades was to high also. For customer
satisfaction, store manager issued credit Of $15.00 on the oil change
(coupon offering on Firestone web site) and $10.00 dollars on the wiper blades,
for a total of $25.00 dollars.Store manager also addressed the
recommendations and the difference on the dealers.Customer felt stores should
discount pricing and not require coupons to receive the discounts, manager
explained that this marketing handled by corporate andOffers can vary. He explained that
there is a free oil change offer in the current school coupon book as an
example.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/05/09) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted] ADM
Contact Phone: XXXXXXXXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@bfrc.com
Spoke with customer about issue. Customer believed that first service fixed everyhing that could go wrong on vehilce. Customer...

understands that the multiple services that were performed were all on different items on the vehicle and could not be caught at inital service. Customer is ok with outcome of FCAC refunding the amount of the coolant flush back to her due to inconvienence
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/05/15) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I feel that Firestone should reimburse me for the work done at the Firestone in Des [redacted] I feel they should have checked the coolant system when I paid for the major tune up in [redacted], which cost me approx. $1500.00. They did not say a major tune up did not include this procedure. I faxed [redacted] on May 10, 2014 and told him I thought they should pay me $103.49 for that service. I did not hear back from him. A major tune up to me means they check everything under the hood of the vehicle. It was not explained to me what a major tune up was when it was done. [redacted] said this could mean many thing. I do not except this explanation. I want the $103.49. I have attached the receipt from the Firestone [redacted] office for you to review.
[redacted]
Final Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2014/05/16) */
It appears that Ms. [redacted] was not informed that Mr. [redacted] approved the reimbursement of the $103.49 that she spent to flush the coolant. See his entry on 5/9/14 before her rebuttal on 5/15/14.

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/05/08) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted]
Customer was contacted and advised that store replaced two tires and tachometer is no way related to any of the work performed by Firestone Complete Auto Care. The Store Manager had already...

explained this to the customer during his initial visit, but customer does not agree. Store Manager also informed customer there is a Technical Service Bulletin regarding issues with the tachometers on this vehicle, which verfies it is a common issue with this particular vehicle.

An internal case was set up to review/resolve. The area manager indicated that the store manager called the customer and left messages:
CALLED AND LEFT TWO MESSAGES, APOLOGIZING, OFFERING TO DO THE CORRECT LOF SERVICE AT NO CHARGE FOR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND GOODWILL. LEFT NAME AND...

CONTACT INFORMATION

On March 16 2016 my daughter took her 2008 [redacted] Fusion to Firestone Auto located at [redacted] Victoria Tx 77901 [redacted]. She was going to get an inspection certificate ($7) and an oil change ($23.00). She was told she needed to replace her sparkplugs even though her car only has 62,641 ,miles on it. The cost for that was $236.00. Also fuel induction decarbonization was done at a cost of $110.00. This was billed to a charge card that I pay in her name. Her name is Alexandria [redacted] and she lives at 1[redacted] Tx., 77901. I called and asked to speak to a service manager and was told Harold was not in, and that he would be back in 15 minutes. I called back in 30 minutes (3-16-16) and again asked for Harold. They stated he was still not there and David asked if he could help me instead. I informed him that I knew the sparkplugs did not need changing and that whatever "decarbonization" was done was also not needed. I further informed him that I looked it up on Fords Maintenance schedule site online just to be positive, and that it was supposed to be done at 100,000 miles. My email address is, [redacted], I was told that Harold had just pulled in and that he (David) would get him. I waited for 5 minutes on hold and hung up. I want to say that my daughter is a 21 year old who like a lot of females her age knows very little about vehicles. She just moved to Victoria Tx to start a job. She lived in Corpus Christi Tx most of her life, which is where I am at. The complaint is that the car simply needed the state inspection and she thought an oil change, which would have been fine, but instead ended up with over $200.00 extra for make believe preventive auto need that were no where close to being needed.

Let me start by saying that I am an [redacted] Certified Master Mechanic and have my own repair facility. I don't have a front end alignment rack, so I farm front end alignments out, and used this shop once before in the past. They had a front end guy that I liked and who did a good job on a previous vehicle. So I thought I would use them again. I called and made an appointment to bring the vehicle in to have the toe-in set, and have the steering wheel centered. When I arrived, I was told the front end guy that had done the work on my previous visit had left, but they had another guy ("Oscar") that had "23 years of experience". So I gave them the tire pressures that I needed the tires set to, and asked that they also check the tire pressure in the spare while they had the vehicle. I explained that the vehicle tracked straight, and the tires were wearing perfectly. I just wanted an alignment check, and to set the toe-in and center the steering wheel. 2.5 hours later, they gave me back the vehicle and a bill for a complete front end alignment. I drove it back to my shop and noticed the steering wheel was still not straight, and now the vehicle was PULLING to the right. I checked the tire pressures, and all 4 tires were over inflated (by 20-35 PSI, well above the rated maximum inflation pressure), and the spare tire only had 3 PSI in it - which means they never even bothered to check it. Upon further investigation, I found the shim pack was missing (yes, MISSING) on the R/F upper control arm, and the bolts were backed off 1/2" and the control arm was loose, with fresh wrench marks on the nuts. This was NOT the condition of the vehicle when I dropped it off. I called "Jim", the store manager to see about rectifying the situation and was told the steering box has "play" in it and a leak, and therefore the toe-in could not be set, and they would not adjust the steering box because of the leak. There is no leak in the steering box, there is very little play in it, the entire front end is tight (ball joints, tie rod ends, control arm bushings, etc.) as the vehicle only has 48K miles on it, and "play" in a steering box has nothing to do with setting the toe-in. Jim said he didn't want to be "bothered" with it anymore and that his mechanic had already spent 1.5 hours on it (which he did not). Jim insisted I accept a refund of my money and be done with the situation. I subsequently opened a case with Firestone and it is pending. Meanwhile, I am taking the vehicle to a reputable front end shop to have the damage repaired that this Firestone dealer caused. The more serious aspect of this situation is that the R/F upper control arm was left loose, and this could have caused an accident. I would suggest that until "Oscar" is replaced by an [redacted] Certified Mechanic, and Firestone gets a Manager that doesn't have an "attitude" in this store, you find another facility in which to have your vehicle serviced/repaired.
Richard H[redacted]

We apologize if the services did not fully correct the original starting issue. In an attempt to resolve this matter, Field Management has made attempts to reach out to you to discuss options. One of those options being to replace the battery at n/c as we continue to diagnose the root cause of...

the starting issues. Please reach out to Area Management directly at your earliest convenience at, d[redacted]@bfrc.com.

This company is geared toward offering low prices for services. This is a ploy to get your vehicle in their shop where they can create new problems with your vehicle so they can charge you outlandish prices for the parts and service. The techs here literally broke a TPMS sensor and they tried to charge me for it. They also put false charges on your bill.

Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. We appreciate feedback from our customers as we are then made aware of problems that we need to address going forward to better our business. We apologize for any inconvenience that we may have caused, and we would like to make things right...

as we truly value your business. An internal case was set up for the Area Manager to review and resolve. After further review, the Area Manager indicates that the technician was not able to duplicate the issue and was not able to recommend a fix for the hard starting concern. The store was to follow up with you to refund you for the diagnostic. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience and we hope this will resolve the complaint.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
accept your apology for miscommunication but your tire manager ([redacted]) was extremely rude and told me to leave. We were talking and I disagree with him and he told me to leave. I called the district office to complain about his attitude toward me and the district manager never call me back. I want a call from the district manager. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 11, 2014/07/24) */
Our district has contacted Ms. [redacted] and resolved the matter. Please close the case.

Never trust Dale and don't trust Firestone. I should have read through reviews before going to Firestone in [redacted]. My experience was a a horrible one and I should have known from the time of walking in that it would be.
When I first went into the store an older lady who said she made an appointment and was in a hurry was told by Dale from Tooele, the salesman at the counter, that they didn't schedule her appointment correctly and that they would not be able to do anything for her, so probably the best option without waiting for 2hrs would be to schedule an another appointment. That should have been my first sign.
My second sign should have been is when Dale immediately started telling me that I may need new rotors before inspecting my vehicle and that even if I don't hear noises or feel anything funny on my brake pedals that it can still mean that I need new ones.
The thing about this all is that I knew I didn't need rotors as I had dropped off the vehicle first to [redacted] in Sandy who told me that there was nothing wrong with my brakes other than my rear brakes were a little low but I had 6 months until I needed to replace them, and that they stopped the noises my brakes were making. Soon after I left the shop the brakes started sounding worse, so I brought the car to [redacted] has never treated me wrong, but they are more expensive. They told me that my rotors were fine, but I needed to change my rear brakes immediately and gave me a quote of $180 with tax for the repairs. Bought I thought I could find a deal.
I then searched online and found a coupon for $60 for brakes at Firestone. I called the store in [redacted] and spoke to Dale and he told me that brakes were $120. I thought this would be a fair deal as with the coupon the brakes would be $60. After I dropped off the vehicle and recieved a call back and Dale told me that my rear brakes do need changing, but my rotors were "unsafe and they could repair them by grinding them down, so they need to replace them as they met the dealers specs of needing replacing at 315". I was furious and told him not to replace them and that I would pick up my vehicle. But, I called him back and got them done as I thought I could save some money.
After I got to the store, Dale (I well mention his name over and over since he is a liar and a deceiver which I believe was trying to make a quota since it is the end of the month - and I would like for people going into Firestone to know that they need to be skeptical of everything Dale says) told me that he didn't tell me over the phone that the quote he gave me included the brake coupon (liar). But, since he wanted my business that he would still apply it. After all was said and done my bill for 2 brakes that should have been $60 ended up being $260 with "$100 off".
I have a friend who works at [redacted] and asked if I got screwed? He did tell me that I should have waited as my rotors were totally fine and didn't need replacing. I asked about what Dale told me about needing to replace the rotors at 315 and he said that anything below that they should, but not at that. Therefore, Dale did deceive me. My friend told me that I should have never trusted a salesman who starts off a subject of what I need done before an inspection takes place. And, he was right.
My goal in writing this review is to hopefully to stop 200 people from going to Firestone as that was the amount of money I lost. I also work at a very large corporation in [redacted] with over 1000 employees and will share this experience immediately beginning today (Oct 24 2016). Every time I hear anyone talk about brakes, I am going to share not to trust Dale and Firestone and that they need to go some where else. Hopefully, I can share this experience with a few thousand people, so that Firestone loses thousands of dollars in time due to a salesman trying to make a possible quota.
Thanks Dale for showing me never to trust you and for causing me to lose $200 even with a coupon provided. I will be submitting this same review to the Revdex.com.

I brought my car in on 12/28 it was making a noise from the tires, which I purchased recently from tire plus. The mechanic told me I needed driver side wheel bearings and new brakes, I was confused, thinking I just replaced the front brakes not that long ago. he instead... it was not on file that I had them done, he stated they were really bad, like a 3 or less and the rotors had to be replaced, I asked if they could just be cut,he said oh no they are really bad have to replace them. I told him to do the wheel bearings and we will go from there. when he called he told me he will not charge for wheel bearings, the noise is from the CVT and I should get it to a transmission person, I shouldnt drive it. now I tow it to a transmission person and rent a car to get back and forth to work over the New year weekend. I work in the casino industry and can not take off! it turns out I spend another 200 changing the trans fluid and the noise is still there,now I end up at the dealership, its the holiday so I have to wait till the 3rd thats another 3 days of car rental, turns out it is the bearings on passengers side!!!
and the brakes are fine, the rotors need to be turned from the bearings warping them the pads are almost new! there was no need to rent a car, I could have driven the car to work for the weekend. I didn't and should not have replaced the trans fluid, there was no need for a tow. There was no need for me to stress for a week! You not only lost me as a customer but you lost my husbands car, my sons and my daughter=in-laws! along with anyone else I tell my story to! dont worry I only come across a few hundred people a day at my job!
after speaking with the manager of the store this morning I feel no better. I believe their actions are to get what they can from every customer that comes in to their business.
You don't need new brakes, your air filter is probably not a dirty as they stated, your hoses are probably not as bad as they make them out to be! I only wish I had look on the Revdex.com to see the 92% negative remarks before I had ever went there.

Thank you for reaching out to us so that we have the opportunity to help make things right. A formal case was created to document your concerns and management has been alerted to investigate. At this time, our case indicates that Field Management has been in contact with you and the matter is...

resolved. Please reach back out to Field Management directly should you have any additional concerns or questions.

My complaint is about Firestone Complete Auto Care on 388 Clifton Park CTR RD. Clifton Park, NY 12065.
I brought my car in for a tire rotation and alignment (I purchased a lifetime alignment a few years ago). I was told, after the mechanic inspected the Tie Rods, left and right, inner and outer, that they were loose and the alignment wouldn't be affective. I was told in order to do the alignment the Tie Rods would have to be replaced. To show me how loose my wheels were they wiggled it manually by hand. I am certain they loosened the lug nuts so that my tires would wiggle to the touch.(This was reenacted when getting 2nd and 3rd opinions) If my tires were that loose, I wouldn't have been able to drive my car. The shimmy would have forced me off the road, even driving at slow speeds.
The estimate to have the replace: $880.46.
I left without any services being done.
To confirm Firestone's recommendations, I took my car for a 2nd and 3rd opinion. The repair shops I went to are: [redacted]s, on Cental ave. in Colonie and Tri-County Collision, also on Cental Ave. The mechanics from each auto repair shop told my there was no problem with my Tie Rods. My tires were then rotated and aligned without any problems. My car drives and handles beautifully.
I also want to concluded with: very time I brought my car in for rotations, alignments, inspections and oil changes, I've always told that my car needs some recommended services and new parts. I have always thanked them for this info. and have gone to my trusted mechanics for their opinion. Each and every time my trusted mechanics have told me there is NO problem with any of the parts in question and that my car doesn't need any of those recommended services.
It seems that instead of repairing cars honestly, Firestone likes to recommend and make unnecessary repairs to bulk their customers for their money.

Thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention. We appreciate feedback from our customers as we are then made aware of problems that we need to address going forward to better our business. We apologize for any...

inconvenience that we may have caused, and we would like to make things right as we truly value your business. An internal case was set up for further investigation.
The store manager indicates that he has refunded you the entire repair and inspection in reference to work order [redacted]. We apologize for not getting things right the first time. We hope we were able to fully resolve this matter.
Thank you!

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/06/10) */
I had spoken to the customer and to the store location named here. We discussed and agreed to make right the concerns expressed. We made an offer to have the customer return to a Firestone Complete Auto Care or Tires Plus location and...

install the desired tires on the vehicle as he stated he was sure he would like the Bridgestone tire once they were installed. The customer agreed to return to a Tires Plus location in Powder Springs Ga. and have the desired tires installed. He stated he would find a date/time and let us know when the vehicle would be available to complete the work, based on his wife's schedule. The tires were ordered as requested and discussed, and have arrived. We were awaiting his return call to inform us where to have the tires sent and what date/time to set the appointment. The customer expressed that he was informed that he needed to go to the original location to get a refund and then go to the Tires Plus location to have them installed and pay for them. I informed him that was not necessary and he simply could go to Tires Plus and have the desired tires installed, and he agreed to that offer. We discussed that if a refund was desired, that we simply needed the tires returned at the time of the refund. If the customer wishes us to pick up the tires from a non-Firestone/Tires Plus location, we will do so and issue a refund for the tires through our standard channels. We have created an internal case and documented as described herein. I will reach out to the customer and make an offer to pick up the tires as requested, and submit for a refund.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/06/12) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
We were promised by the District Manager, [redacted], that we would have a check today, so we made another trip to Firestone to return the tires we didn't order and were over charged for, and the district manager forgot to order our check! We would appreciate a phone call from someone at the corporate office who really cares about customer service today! #XXXXXXXXXX. I had tires put one car yesterday by Dallas Tire, and I am afraid that we will never see our money! We could not allow them to pick up the tires at Dallas Tire because they did not have our money! So everything written above is not true!!!
Sent from my [redacted]
On Jun 11, 2015, at 4:57 PM, [redacted].custhelp.com wrote:
Image

Subject
FCAC Contact Feedback - [redacted] - Mobile
Recently you requested personal assistance from our on-line support center. Below is a summary of your request and our response. If this issue is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may reopen it within the next 7 days. Thank you for allowing us to be of service to you.

Response By Email ([redacted] (06/11/XXXX XX:XX PM)
Dear [redacted],
I sincerely apologize for the confusion. If you see the word "resolved", this means your email has been successfully received and responded to. However, I have send this important information to our upper management team as your request for resolution.
If there is anything else I can do to assist you, please let me know. Thank you for choosing Firestone; we value your business. Have a great day.
Customer By CSS Email ([redacted]) (06/10/2015 09:59 PM)
Please understand that until I get my money back, this is NOT resolved! I am highly disappointed in the way you guys have handled this, and had it been handled differently you would not have lost my business.
[redacted]
On Wednesday, June 10, 2015 2:28 PM, "[redacted].custhelp.com" wrote:
Response By Email ([redacted] (06/10/2015 02:28 PM)
Dear [redacted],
Thank you for your quick response. I am truly sorry that this happened. We do value your business dearly and do not want to see you go elsewhere. I have updated this information in your file successfully.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us via chat, email, or by phone (X-XXX-XXX-XXXX). Thank you for choosing Firestone. Have a great day.
Customer By CSS Email ([redacted]) (06/09/2015 09:46 PM)
We will be going elsewhere with our business, and perhaps you will want to investigate the practices of your store. I am enclosing the two quotes we received, and a copy of the email of what we ordered and you will see why we are very upset as well as why we are notifying the Revdex.com and the [redacted] Consumer Protection Agency. Hopefully this will not happen to anyone else.
[redacted]
Firestone COMPLETE AUTO CARE
SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT
(XXX) XXX-XXXX
[redacted] store hours
TIRES AUTO SERVICES OFFERS
FIND A STORE
Dear [redacted],
Thank you for scheduling your appointment with Firestone Complete Auto Care. We are checking on product and store teammate availability and will email you to confirm your appointment.
If for any reason we cannot complete your requested appointment time, we will call you directly to discuss other convenient appointment options.
APPOINTMENT DETAILS
Confirmation Number: XXXXXXX
Appointment Date: 06/07/2015 08:00 AM
REQUESTED SERVICES
Services Selected: Tire Replacement
Add Ons:
Tire Replacement
Additional Notes: tire quote id: XXXXXXXX, tire article number: 456, tire description: Bridgestone Dueler H/L [redacted] tire size: [redacted] tire quantity: 4, tire unit price: $177.99, tire quote End;..
If you'd like to change your requested appointment time, please call us to reschedule at (XXX) XXX-XXXX.
Thank you,
Firestone Complete Auto Care
[redacted]
Hiram, GA 30141-7806
(XXX) XXX-XXXX
On Monday, June 8, 2015 5:43 PM, "[redacted].custhelp.com" wrote:
Response By Email ([redacted] (06/08/2015 05:43 PM)
Dear [redacted],
Thank you for your recent feedback on our web site. I am truly sorry to hear you had an unsatisfactory experience at one of our locations. We appreciate your business and thank you for giving us the opportunity to resolve this issue.
Would you like to provide us with a little bit more information as to the incident which occurred. Also, to make sure we have the correct information in your file, could you please reply with your most current address and phone number?
In the meantime, we have escalated this information to our home office on your behalf for resolution. Your reference number is: XXXXXXX. You will receive a response from a member of upper management within the next 24-48 hours with an update.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us via chat, email, or by phone (X-XXX-XXX-XXXX). Thank you for choosing Firestone. Have a great day.
Customer By CSS Email ([redacted]) (06/08/2015 04:45 PM)
The individual below has entered feedback on www.firestonecompleteautocare.com website.
Reference # = XXXXXX
Nature of Inquiry = Comments - Customer Service
First Name = [redacted]
Last Name = [redacted]
Email Address = [redacted].net
Message = Victims of a bait and switch at store #XXXXXX
User Agent: [redacted] 8_3 like [redacted] like [redacted]
[redacted] detected: Yes
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Question Reference # XXXXXX-XXXXXX
Date Created: 06/08/2015 04:45 PM
Date Last Updated: 06/11/2015 04:57 PM
Status: Solved
XXX:XXXXXX:XXXXX
Final Business Response /* (1000, 15, 2015/07/07) */
Check is showing it was delivered via [redacted] to Firestone on 06/16/15. Issue has been resolved.

This review involves the Firestone Complete Auto Care Location at [redacted]
Fort Worth, TX 76135.
My wife went in this morning because she had a flat tire and was in a hurry to get to work. The tire could not be fixed so the technician sold her a new tire, never mentioning that there was a good spare in the spare storage area! I am highly pissed that they took advantage of her in this way. I was planning to buy a new set of tires for this vehicle anyway and would have been happy to buy from them but normally you get deals on buying a set of 4 tires, not one single tire. I called the Firestone consumer affairs group and expect to get a callback from the manager of the store tomorrow. We'll see what he does to resolve this situation.