Meineke Car Care Center & Econo Lube

I am rejecting this response because:I do not accept Meineke's explanation due to the fact the clearly didn't thoroughly look at my car before throwing out random "problems" that needed to be fixedTo be clear I dropped my car off for a simple oil change [redacted] then called me andtold me there was issue with my belt (which when I got to the shop and asked tosee the old belt there was a small scratch on it) so I agreed to let themreplace the beltI was under the impression that the belt and oil change wasthe only thing that the touched and that my car would run smoothly with no moreimmediate problemsOnce I go back to the shop to pick up my car, I started itup and there was a very high pitched screech that came from the engineI was toldthat it was the new belt breaking inAt this point Meineke was closing andlocking their doors, so I left hoping the noise would rectify itself Over the course of days, not only didn’tthe screech get better but it became worseIt was amazingly loud, and no tomention embarrassingMy car had never made any engine noises before I took itin for the oil changeI returned to Meineketo question them on what was done and why my car was squeaking and they lookedat the car and advised me that there was a problem with the belt suspension andthat for more money they could fix itOnce again I paid to have the problemtaken care of and once again I drove away thinking the car was finally fixedbut as soon as I drive out the shop and drive up to the first signal light, myengine starts shaking like it’s going to pop out my car So I took it back and again questioned themabout what they did and why my car engine was shaking so hardThey pointed outanother problem they said they overlooked, so once again I paid money with thehopes that my care would be fixed Later I was told that they couldn’t fix the problem and that I could not get arefundInstead [redacted] the Meineke manager told me to let them give me a tune upfor more moneyAt this point I had paid them hundreds of dollars, missed daysat work and was extremely frustratedSo I took my car to another mechanic agot a tune upWithin hours later they were done with my vehicle and not onlywere they cheaper than what Meineke quoted me for a tubut I’ve yet tohave any more problems with my vehicle since I had the work doneI feel thatMeineke completely ripped me off and intentionally scammed me out of money

We received your letter regarding the above referenced complaintI've reviewed the situation with our ManagerWe are very sorry that the customer feels that our expert technicians made a mistake in the service of the customer's vehicleThe facts as we recall are as follows:On March 7, 2015, the customer brought a [redacted] for an oil change serviceThe vehicle odometer indicated that the vehicle had been driven for milesAs part of the service, we perform a vehicle inspection to determine if there are items needing repair, particularly items that affect the safety of the vehicle occupants and other people using the streets and highwaysThe technician noticed a damaged & cracked serpentine belt (it had a hole in it)If the belt were to brake during operation of the vehicle the situation could result in irreparable harm to the engine and, depending on the time and place of the failure, could cause a vehicle accident resulting in harm (potentially fatal) to the vehicle occupants and other peopleThe defective belt was called to the attention of the owner who approved the belt replacement.Four days later on March 11, 2015, the customer returned because a squeal was coming from the belt areaThe situation was reviewed by our technicians and it was determined that the belt tensioner was defectiveThe customer was advised of the condition and approved replacement of the belt tensioner.The customer then returned because the vehicle was running poorly and the check engine light he discovered a defective 15amp fuse was preventing the electronic diagnosis of the issuethe technician replaced the fuse at no charge to the customer and completed the diagnosisThe computerized diagnosis revealed there was a random misfire( code PO300) and a defective throttle position sensor (code PO122), the situation was explained to the customer and the customer elected to have the throttle position sensor replaced with the hope it's replacement would solve the problemAfter replacement the misfire code continuedThe service advisor inquired about the tune up history for the vehicle which the customer did not have or knowIt appeared the car had not previously had a tune upTo correct the misfire, the advisor recommended a tune up which included new spark plugs, new spark plug wires, new distributor cap and rotor and a new fuel filterthe need for a tune up is common for a vehicle with the mileage of the subject vehicle and is part of the 100,and 200,mile manufacturer recommended serviceThe customer declined the tune up service.The advisor and technicians believe they did all of the correct services in a professional and workmanlike manner: and that issues such as those experienced by this customer arise not from their service, but rather from the age and high mileage of the vehicle.Again, we are very sorry that the customer is not satisfied with our service, but we don't believe the facts justify a full refund and payment of manufacturer recommended work performed by othersIf there are additional facts that show we did make errors or if there is a remedy other than that requested, I would definitely reconsider this conclusion

The Ford Mechanic, not the customer, called and complained about the repair- We responded - why did he not repair the car if there was an issue- The customer was satisfied with our service- it was the former mechanic who was not- Our manager and head tech dealt with the customer directly and she is...

happy with our service and results of our attention to this matter.

We received your letter regarding the above referenced complaint. I've reviewed the situation with our Manager. We are very sorry that the customer feels that our expert technicians made a mistake in the service of the customer's vehicle. The facts as we recall are as follows:On March 7, 2015, the...

customer brought a 1999 [redacted] for an oil change service. The vehicle odometer indicated that the vehicle had been driven for 199.417 miles. As part of the service, we perform a vehicle inspection to determine if there are items needing repair, particularly items that affect the safety of the vehicle occupants and other people using the streets and highways. The technician noticed a damaged & cracked serpentine belt (it had a hole in it). If the belt were to brake during operation of the vehicle the situation could result in irreparable harm to the engine and, depending on the time and place of the failure, could cause a vehicle accident resulting in harm (potentially fatal) to the vehicle occupants and other people. The defective belt was called to the attention of the owner who approved the belt replacement.Four days later on March 11, 2015, the customer returned because a squeal was coming from the belt area. The situation was reviewed by our technicians and it was determined that the belt tensioner was defective. The customer was advised of the condition and approved replacement of the belt tensioner.The customer then returned because the vehicle was running poorly and the check engine light he discovered a defective 15amp fuse was preventing the electronic diagnosis of the issue. the technician replaced the fuse at no charge to the customer and completed the diagnosis. The computerized diagnosis revealed there was a random misfire( code PO300) and a defective throttle position sensor (code PO122), the situation was explained to the customer and the customer elected to have the throttle position sensor replaced with the hope it's replacement would solve the problem. After replacement the misfire code continued. The service advisor inquired about the tune up history for the vehicle which the customer did not have or know. It appeared the car had not previously had a tune up. To correct the misfire, the advisor recommended a tune up which included new spark plugs, new spark plug wires, new distributor cap and rotor and a new fuel filter. the need for a tune up is common for a vehicle with the mileage of the subject vehicle and is part of the 100,000 and 200,000 mile manufacturer recommended service. The customer declined the tune up service.The advisor and technicians believe they did all of the correct services in a professional and workmanlike manner: and that issues such as those experienced by this customer arise not from their service, but rather from the age and high mileage of the vehicle.Again, we are very sorry that the customer is not satisfied with our service, but we don't believe the facts justify a full refund and payment of manufacturer recommended work performed by others. If there are additional facts that show we did make errors or if there is a remedy other than that requested, I would definitely reconsider this conclusion.

I am rejecting this response because:I do not accept Meineke's explanation due to the fact the clearly didn't thoroughly look at my car before throwing out random "problems" that needed to be fixed. To be clear I dropped my car off for a simple oil change. [redacted] then called me andtold me there was issue with my belt (which when I got to the shop and asked tosee the old belt there was a small scratch on it) so I agreed to let themreplace the belt. I was under the impression that the belt and oil change wasthe only thing that the touched and that my car would run smoothly with no moreimmediate problems. Once I go back to the shop to pick up my car, I started itup and there was a very high pitched screech that came from the engine. I was toldthat it was the new belt breaking in. At this point Meineke was closing andlocking their doors, so I left hoping the noise would rectify itself.  Over the course of 2 days, not only didn’tthe screech get better but it became worse. It was amazingly loud, and no tomention embarrassing. My car had never made any engine noises before I took itin for the oil change. I returned to Meineketo question them on what was done and why my car was squeaking and they lookedat the car and advised me that there was a problem with the belt suspension andthat for more money they could fix it. Once again I paid to have the problemtaken care of and once again I drove away thinking the car was finally fixedbut as soon as I drive out the shop and drive up to the first signal light, myengine starts shaking like it’s going to pop out my car.  So I took it back and again questioned themabout what they did and why my car engine was shaking so hard. They pointed outanother problem they said they overlooked, so once again I paid money with thehopes that my care would be fixed.  Later I was told that they couldn’t fix the problem and that I could not get arefund. Instead [redacted] the Meineke manager told me to let them give me a tune upfor more money. At this point I had paid them hundreds of dollars, missed daysat work and was extremely frustrated. So I took my car to another mechanic agot a tune up. Within 3 hours later they were done with my vehicle and not onlywere they cheaper than what Meineke quoted me for a tune-up but I’ve yet tohave any more problems with my vehicle since I had the work done. I feel thatMeineke completely ripped me off and intentionally scammed me out of money

Review: I took my car to Meineke on 03/07/2015 for an oil change. While my car was getting serviced the manager [redacted] called me and said that I needed a new serpentine belt. I agreed to get the belt replaced. Later that day I picked up my car and paid $158.72 for the services. As soon as I started to drive away I heard a small squeak. I assumed it was just the belt breaking in. Over the weekend the noise continued to get louder. On Monday I called [redacted] and told him about the squeak. He told me to bring the car back in. On 03/10/2015 I dropped the car off. On 03/11/2015 [redacted] called me and told me that I needed a suspension for the belt for my engine. I agreed to let them replace that as well. On 03/11/2015 I paid $144.82 and picked up my car. This time it was running funny and started shaking as I continued to drive the car it started stalling. Once again I called him and informed him about the new issue with the car. At this point I could barely drive the car. He told me to bring it in again so I did on 03/13/2015. Once he looked at it again he said that the sensor for the air flow was busted. I allowed him to fix the throttle position sensor because he said it was a 95% chance that it fix the problem he charged me $77.74 for the service. Once he was done fixing that he said I should get a major tune up as a start to fixing the problem. He said it would be around $430. At this point I decided to take my car to a different shop where I had to pay $362.19 for a major tune up to correct the problems that my car had after the services I had gotten done at Meineke. Before I took my car in for the oil change it had no issues and was running perfectly fine. What would have been a $34.21 oil change turned into a $743.47 inconvenience.Desired Settlement: I would like to be refunded the money that I spent at Meineke as well as paid back for the services that I had to have at another shop to correct the problems that Meineke created.

Business

Response:

We received your letter regarding the above referenced complaint. I've reviewed the situation with our Manager. We are very sorry that the customer feels that our expert technicians made a mistake in the service of the customer's vehicle. The facts as we recall are as follows: