Midas Auto Service Expert

Review: *READ* - DO NOT GET AN ALIGNMENT HERE!

I brought my 2002 Saab 9-5 here for an alignment. I have all new parts on my front end. Control arms, tie rod ends, linkage, etc. The tech did an front-end inspection and told me that they would be able to align my vehicle.

Now, on some models of vehicles you have rear camber, which can affect the front alignment and prevent it from driving straight. You would expect this issue to be addressed before they start working on it. They are supposed to have a standard procedure in place for rear end alignment issues, like checking the rear camber before playing with it for a hour an a half, but they don't.

After my 90 minute wait, after which I was told by the manager that my alignment "was as good as it was going to get" and the tech also mentioned that I needed a bell housing. Why didn't they check this out before the work started? I paid the man, as I thought my alignment was not going to be that far off, but it was terrible. It was just as bad as it was before I came to the shop.

I called back down there to see if they would make it right. [redacted] said they would fix it once I get my new read end parts. WTF? New rear end parts - specifically a bell housing and 4 new bushings (these are also bad, they failed to notice or tell me). They checked my car (supposedly), had me sit there an hour and a half, charge me full price, just to tell me I need some more stuff on my rear end? I decided at that point that I wanted my money back.

I did escalate this to corporate and they referred me back to [redacted]. Needless to say, [redacted] did not want to refund my money so I contacted corporate again. The lady I spoke with said to mail her my invoice and receipt and they would get back to me. She just called me back and said they would be unable to refund my money because the shop aligned it to the best of their ability...No they did not, if they even looked at my rear end before adjusting the front, they would have noticed the issues!

Also, since every Midas is independently owned, you have no corporate safety net for your transaction, like you do at McDonald's (for example). Meaning that if [redacted] decides to not refund your money, you're not getting it back, whereas at McDonald's the home office will issue you some type of refund if you have escalate a complaint beyond the store manager.

Why would you take your car back to a place that doesn't do things right? A Saab is not a Ferrari, it has been owned by GM since 1999, and rear camber isn't rocket science. What this boils down to is an incompetent tech and an incompetent manager. I would just like my money refunded.Desired Settlement: I would like Midas to update their systems and training to account for vehicles with rear end camber.

Hopefully no one else will have to expend as much time and energy as I have with this fiasco!

Business

Response:

In reply to Mr. [redacted].

[redacted] brought the vehicle in stating that he did his own work on some suspension components on the front of the vehicle and was wanting an alignment.

Review: I have been a midas customer for a very long time. I had an encounter with [redacted] at this buisness on 11/26/13 that involved my brakes which are midas equipment. I was in the store at 0830 that morning and let [redacted] know that my brakes were acting up again. [redacted] then proceeded to tell me that he had done all he can for this problem in the past and there is nothing more they can do, as he was rolling his eyes and shaking his head. I told him that this was unacceptable and then I scheduled an appointment for service at a later date for this issue. I then mentioned that I needed two oil changes for my two vehicles. I asked him if they are still running the oil change special and he said until the end of the week he also said we are booked out to next week. I then asked if I could get a rain check for the service at a later date, he informed me that I will not be able to get the sale price because they were booked and could not fit in an oil change. I then proceeded to sears and got the oil changed. I went to another car care center the following day to have the brakes serviced. I then proceeded to take the defective rotors to [redacted] at midas so that they could warranty the product. [redacted] states "I will do nothing for you " I said this is not going to work I am entitled to a new set of rotors and he said like hell you are! [redacted] does not treat his customers well and should not be a manager of any facility. all I want is what I am entitled to either new rotors or the cost of them preferably the money back because I took it somewhere else for this service.Desired Settlement: I would like the cost of the rotors plus labor to perform the job. I also feel I should receive a written apology from [redacted] and that [redacted] learns how to treat the customer.

Business

Response:

Thank you for your time in helping to resolve this issue.

Our computer records go back to 2009, and in April of 2009 Mr. [redacted] came to Midas and had the brake rotors on his vehicle replaced at no charge to him. In June of 2009 we warrantied the brake pads, again at no cost.

Then in April 2013 we again replaced the rotors and brake pads and only charged Mr. [redacted] the labor rate for one hour. Again in July of 2013 we replaced one rotor at no charge.

Reason Mr. [redacted] has received replacement in the past was because he would be confrontational if he did not receive what he was desiring. When I discussed with [redacted] about this issue I reminded him the last time we did the rotors the second time in 2013, that it would be the last time we would warranty out rotors. I did mention that the brake pads do have the lifetime warranty as long as he owned the vehicle and only if they were out of specification. Then Mr. [redacted] raised his tone of voice and became confrontational. I asked him to please lower his tone and then he got more heated. After that he threatened to take me down and fight and telling me that the former manager,who worked here, wanted to “take me down” also. I said that he was no longer welcome in this shop and he could leave. At this time he was not responding to my request and verbally was rude and disrespectful.