National Alignment & Tire, Inc.

Review: In April I took my car to be aligned, within a couple of months my tires were extremely worn on the inside to the point that I had wires showing. I returned the car under warranty and they proceeded to tell me my struts were bad. They said if I replaced the struts they would realign the car for free. The struts were replaced and I bought 4 new tires, which is a requirement with Subaru. After that I went to get a realignment, they told me that they did the alignment but that the negative camber was still excessive. Less than 2000 miles later I noticed my brand new tires were horribly worn. I decided to go to another alignment shop. They told me all the alignment bolts were incredibly loose and that the car also needed a $20 camber kit. The handling of the car is now greatly improved. National Alignment obviously didn't do the work correctly.Desired Settlement: Improve services

Business

Response:

To whom it may concern,In regards to ID [redacted], the customer had a strut issue. As struts begin to age, they are less able to support the weight of the vehicle, causing a camber issue. The alignment was completed before and after the struts as was requested and guaranteed. However, the struts did not completely remove the camber. That is, unfortunately, an issue related to the vehicle, not quality of the work completed at National. We warrantied the alignment as offered. I am unsure what the other company meant by “alignment bolts”, but we did not leave any bolts loose. We also could have completed the camber work with an additional camber kit (at additional cost) as is required when the new strut does not get rid of all of the camber issue. We apologize for the inconvenience, but camber is a vehicle issue, not due to the work we did. Thank you,National Alignment and Tire

Review: Took a 1999 Suburban 4x4 to National Alignment and Tire Friday morning 5/1/2015. I asked them to do a front end alignment on the vehicle because I had had a lot of the suspension out replacing parts the previous week and this vehicle was leaving for [redacted]. on Sunday the 5/3/2015. I new the alignment would be pretty far off from the work I had performed.

The vehicle pulled hard to the right and to hold it straight in the road the steering wheel was at the 10 oclock position.

Picked the vehicle up Friday 5/1/2015 at 3:50 pm paid my 69.95 bill. Talked with the fellow that worked on it, He stated that the toe was a little off everything else was okay. Since I've been in the business 30 plus years I knew that was impossible from the work I had done. So on Saturday 5/2/2015 I went to where I work at [redacted] and Aligned it myself. As I thought the front end was not even closed to specifications, so I printed out the alignment measurements before any adjustments and after all adjustments were complete. National Alignment and Tire is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. (keep in mind this vehicle was going out of state on Sunday and had to be fixed). I took these print outs to them on Monday 5/4/2015, told them my story and asked for a refund. I was told since I didn't bring it back to them there would be no refund and there was no one there to issue a refund. I asked to speak with the manager, was told no, asked to speak with the owner, again told no, I asked the to pull there print out and prove me wrong, they didn't have one. I was then told " we are done conducting business and ask to leave the property". Never got the name of the owners, managers, refund, nothing.Desired Settlement: I was asking for was a refund of my 69.95

Business

Response:

We received a complaint (ID# [redacted]) on May 7th. The customer came in on Friday, May 1st for a front end alignment. We proceeded to align the vehicle to specification according to the alignment machine we use to align our vehicles. Mr. [redacted] arrived just before 4 pm to pick up the vehicle and spoke with our mechanic who explained that the tow was not out significantly, but enough that it had to be aligned. I remained in the office after 4 o’clock. We did not receive any calls or indications, not even by message, until the customer arrived on Monday, stating that it was incorrect. He noted to me that he decided, instead of letting us know about his problem, he wanted to align it and prove we were wrong. While the customer noted that he did the alignment, when I called to speak with him at work, I was told that he did not do the alignments, but did body work. While we would like to be able to refund the customer, we are unable to do so without being given the opportunity to re-check it. Unfortunately, because we were unable to check the work, though we absolutely did the alignment properly, it is not our policy to refund the money. In response to the customer’s assertion that he was told to leave, he was asked to do so because he was not being respectful of the secretary who repeatedly told him she was unable to help him further.Finally, our alignments are guaranteed, money back is not. We are more than happy to assist with correcting any issues, though we actively work at our hardest to avoid this. Without being able to discuss the issue with the customer, there was little we could do.Thank you,The National Alignment & Tire Team

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

This company is not taking the circumstances I was in into consideration at all!!I picked up the vehicle just before 4pm on May 1st, National has a sign on the door that states " Please pick up vehicles by 4pm" this would leave one to think they closed around that time period. I do not get off work until 5 pm. Why would I have reason to think someone would still be there?I took the vehicle to National for them to align it so I didn't have to align it. I was under pressure to get the vehicle ready to leave out of state on Sunday the 3rd. I did not want to come into work on Saturday the 2nd to do the alignment, I had other things to attend to. However the vehicle pulled hard to the right and the steering wheel had to be held in the 10 o'clock position to keep the vehicle tracking straight in the road.

I took the vehicle into [redacted] and performed the alignment myself. I have all supporting documents and witness's that can attest to this. I did not go to [redacted] to do the alignment to " prove they were wrong" that's child's play.I went to [redacted] to do the alignment for the safety of the family that owned the vehicle.They stated they did the alignment but when I asked for the print outs showing the specifications of the alignment from the alignment machine they could not produce these. Where I work we provide every customer the alignment print out and keep a copy in the customers folder. This holds true a many shops around town where my friends work. How could you prove you did the work correctly with these printouts.No body has called to speak with me at work or any other place, I left my Work cell phone number with the secretary plus they knew I worked at [redacted]. So getting in touch with me should not be an issue.The secretary stated I could not speak with a manager, I could not speak with the owner, I could not see their print outs, no body there could do a refund if they wanted to etc etc the more she talked the more shady that place was sounding.I myself have been employed by [redacted] over 20 years I have achieved Master Tech status in 3 different car lines, ASE master tech in 16 categories , held my Virginia State inspectors license, certified on Hunter alignment racks and certified in PPG automotive paint systems. I am not an amateur when it comes to cars.My service director thought he could settle it but was educated of what kind of business they are after talking with them.This whole thing is ridiculous over such a petty amount of money, it would seem any reputable company would handled this in a professional manor to keep a good name in such a same city.Side note: This is the first company I have come across that does not issue a refund no matter what,

Regards,

Business

Response:

Sir,We regret these unfortunate circumstances. You did not receive a call from us because webelieved, inaccurately, that you wanted to correspond via the Revdex.com route as the complaint wasdated the same day we spoke. We want to emphasize that you were not denied access to themanager; he was simply out of office at the time. We did speak to your manager and heemphasized that he did not believe our business with him to be compromised. When wediscussed, in our reply, that no message was left, we were implying that we were not told, at anypoint before your return, that any issues had been found. In regards to the print out, we use amachine called a scuff gauge to measure toe.For the last nearly 30 years, this method has beenused at National to read toe, with adjustments being made by skilled alignment technicians withmore than 25 years of experience. This is a tried and tested method for gauging toe; however, itdoes not give print outs. We work with several businesses who request them, so we use theinformation from the machine to generate printouts, only at request. We understand that you didthe alignment yourself, but we cannot verify these numbers. Most importantly, we don't issuerefunds without seeing the vehicle because of the type of product being paid for as, when yourequest an alignment, labor is the product being utilized. Therefore, we cannot return moneywithout proper cause and a chance to resolve the issue first. We have reviewed the informationyou have sent us, and the numbers for which the toe would have had to been out seemegregiously high. Without deliberate manipulation, we could not have left the numbers in thisplacement. Doing an alignment, or having it done elsewhere, without allowing us to see it beforehand, voids the warranty because there are too many variables.We sincerely apologize for your inconvenience. We strive to be a family friend to thecommunity.-The National Alignment Team

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

I have accepted that this will not be resolved. I have since learned of several business and managers that have done business with National and they all had pretty much the same story. They would send cars to them, get the cars back

unfixed, so they stopped dealing with them. Now that I have learned how bad a reputation National has in the Roanoke area I'm pretty embarrassed for even going there. They can keep the money, it's already hurt them more than any refund would have.

Regards,

Review: I visited National Alignment on 1/4/16 to have alignment done on my 97 BMW. The car has coil-overs (adjustable suspension) and they said it would be no problem to align the vehicle. The owner came into the waiting room and stated that he wouldnt be able to align the rear fully because the lower control arms "dont have enough adjustment" and also stated the front tie rods needed to be replaced which is causing the car to pull left and right alternatively. I was charged a flat fee of $25 for a "Diagnostic Fee" that even says on the receipt "bring back receipt to get money back on labor on next service". I was told that when I replace the parts and come back, ill just have to pay $34.95 ($59.95 - the $25) fee) to have it fully aligned. I then ordered both inner and outer tie rods for the front and also adjustable lower control arms for the rear and installed them so he could align it. I replaced both parts, and put two brand new tires on the rear with a 4 wheel balance, then returned on 1/15/16 and a younger male said he was going to align the vehicle. He came into the waiting room and said he did not feel comfortable aligning it because of the "issues I have described" , which was just the car pulling to the left and right. He then informed me that he is new and has only been there since August, which worried me. He then said he would try and align it and he did. I was told I needed to return to have the rear end adjusted since he couldn't adjust it. I was charged $34.95, which comes to a total of $59.95, which is what they have advertised in their shop as a 6 month alignment for $59.95. I left and the vehicle immediately started to pull to the left and had no traction at all in the rear. I called back and made a appointment for 1/19/16. They said they were able to get it fully aligned and there should be no further issues (the younger male aligned it once again). He did tell me that the rear was toed in and that its no real issue, id just need to have my tires rotated every so often. I guess he didnt realize that I have staggered tires and they are not able to be rotated. I was charged another $20 for a "partially paid alignment" from what it says on the receipt. I did not want to argue, I just wanted to see if the car drove straight. I then left and the car drove straight for a few miles, then progressively got worse over the next few miles. I then called back and set up a appointment for 1/21/16 and the owner stated he would look at my car and would look at the receipts to give me a refund for where I overpaid. I then arrived and the same young tech that has "aligned it the past 3 times, pulled my car it and attempted it again" he said he kept turning the toe adjustment bolt and it would just spin and spin. I have worked at a tire shop previously and had to go into the shop to show him how to adjust the toe on this vehicle. After showing him how to adjust it, I then returned to the waiting room. I then watched as he finished up and drove the car out. I left and the car pulled to the left more than usual. I was fed up so I took it to another alignment shop nearby who has a laser alignment machine. National alignment uses a mechanical type that seemed outdated and must be faulty. The new alignment shop that I visited showed me on a digital screen how bad off the alignment was that uses lasers to ensure the accuracy. National had "aligned" the vehicle not even 30 minutes prior so there is no reason for the alignment to be off. The new shop was able to save a digital copy of the before and after and I have the copy saved for reference. The top of the line laser machine showed that the front was off by almost 4 degrees on both sides and the rear was off over a degree, which is what has been causing the car to ride awful. They also pointed out that my two brand new tires are "cupping" due to the bad alignment which will decrease their life. So I went ahead and had the professional shop align it and they charged me $70. Before I had the new shop align it, I attempted to call national to make sure they would be willing to refund me. I called them several times over the course of an hour (11:45-12:14, normal business hours) with no answer. I continued to call throughout the day and was finally able to get a hold of the owner. He immediately became defensive when I informed him I had taken it to another shop to check the alignment. He repeatedly stated that he didnt care what another shop said, that he knew what he had done and it was right. He never actually aligned my car, it was just the young tech that stated he didnt feel comfortable doing the alignment. I told him that I was having the new shop align it and that I would like a full refund if not a partial refund since I was overcharged and he never refunded me the overcharge. He said that they do not warranty the alignment because it has aftermarket parts on the vehicle. The aftermarket parts were ordered and installed because he told me they were required to align it. He stated he would not be refunding any money even though I was overcharged and hung up on me 3 times. I continued to call back to simply have the issue resolved. Which it was not. This is the worst experience I have ever had with a shop and will advise anyone I know to avoid them at all cost.Desired Settlement: To have not only my $20 over charge refunded, but the additional $59.95 due to the new shop finding it was extremely out of alignment only 30 minutes after a "alignment".

Business

Response:

In reply,The customer was informed upon his initial visit that lowered vehicles carried no alignment warranty as it no longer has manufacturer specifications. The vehicle has no factory parts. The alignment at National was adjusted to help compensate for some issues the customer was having, but, again, the vehicle was fundamentally changed from manufactures spec. While the manufacturer’s spec can be applied to the vehicle, it will no longer match what the vehicle actually requires with its new parts and lowered condition.A four wheel alignment on any vehicle is $79.95 and, before the customer paid any extra, he was fully informed of this (a visit before the rear was completed). The tech who serviced his vehicle became a full time worker in August, but served part time for several years before this. When the customer called from the second shop, his call was not immediately returned because the manager was not present. When the manager returned, he attempted to clarify to the customer that there was no warranty, but that he would be happy to look it over again. The customer became abusive and began yelling on the phone. His calls, after this, were no longer answered. We apologize for his confusion but, from the outset, he was warned that the vehicle had been fundamentally changed from the manufacturer’s position and an alignment wasn’t guaranteed. Even despite this, when the customer had an issue, he was allowed to come back and free adjustments were made. I sincerely understand the customer’s frustration, unfortunately, little can be assured with a lowered vehicle. The techs went above the call by performing additional work in order to assist the customer. -National Alignment and Tire