Paul's Amoco & Tire

Dear [redacted]:Thank you for notifying us of our customer's complaintWe strive to provide our customers with the best possible service, and when the customer feels that it failed to meet their expectations, it’s important for us to knowHowever, since inspections are governed by the
Pennsylvania State Police, the complaint should have been filed with them.We’re sorry that our customer received service that prompted them to contact you with a complaint, and we regret any inconvenience or frustration that our customer's experience caused themHowever, we have been in business in this same location for years and we stand behind our workWe would have explained to the customer that we could perform the repairs or they could have them done elsewhere, but when they returned to have the inspection done we would not recharge for itRe-inspections are freeWe adhere strictly to the state inspection guidelines given by the Pennsylvania State PoliceWe are aware that some garages perform "lick it and stick it” inspections where anything goes, but we are not one of those garagesThe “loud” muffler most likely was due to a leak in the exhaust, but it was never fully checked outWe follow a specific sequence of items we examine while performing an inspectionIf we find a problem while performing an inspection, we stop the inspection right thereThe problem with the tie rods, fuel lines and rear end were all found before we got to the muffler and exhaust pipesThe customer said they did not have any money to put into the car so there was no point in confirmingWe would very much like to see the video the customer said they made inspecting the tie rods and I am sure the Pennsylvania State Police would be interested in knowing what garage inspected the vehicle, on 9-17-and “nothing had to be fixed”As mentioned before “lick it and stick it” inspections do occur, but usually thecustomer requests that the mechanic “let it slide”So it is unlikely the garage that performs these kinds of inspections would be turned in to the State Police when the customer views it as though the mechanic is doing them a favorAs far as cost goes with the repairs needed and the customer claiming that he couldn’t afford them, we often extend credit to our loyal repeating customers in good standing with usWe allow them to have a bill on file and make payments, we don’t charge interest and we allow the customer to pay what they can affordAs long as payments are being made, we allow them to take as long as they need to pay it off.Our customer’s repeated patronage is important to us, and we hope that this customer will continue to give us opportunities to serve themHowever, we will continue to adhere to the inspection guidelines we are bound byInspections are safety and emissions based; we do not compromise when either is at stake.Thank you again for bringing these matters to our attention.Paul O[redacted]Paul’s Amoco & Tire, LLC Proprietor

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
First of all, why would I fabricate this incident? Paul's Amaco knows what he attempted to do. He said that the tie-rods on my car were bad and needed replaced. I can prove this was not true. I have a video tape and the car itself to very my claim. I asked for the $25 he charged for the bogus inspection and $1000 for my inconvenience. Of course he will deny the incident. He certainly wouldn't admit to scamming his customers.
Regards,
[redacted]

Review: I took my car to Paul's Amoco in Tyrone on 7-7-2015. When I arrived the mechanic said the muffler sounded loud. After his inspection he never mentioned it. When they called me they said it needed new tie rods, new fuel lines, and something was wrong with the rear end. I said I couldn't afford all of that and came and got my car. I was charged $25 for their inspection. Later I researched the bad tie rods and checked them myself. They were not worn out as the mechanic had stated. There was no play in either front wheel. And the tie rods had no play in them. I video taped this to show they were fine. Later I got my car inspected at another garage on 9-17-2015. And nothing had to be fixed. I also want to complain that my car sat for over 2 months before I figured out that they gave me false information about my car. So I was inconvenienced by not having a vehicle for over 2 months.Desired Settlement: I would like Paul's Amoco to refund me the $25 and pay me $1000 for my trouble.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted]:Thank you for notifying us of our customer's complaint. We strive to provide our customers with the best possible service, and when the customer feels that it failed to meet their expectations, it’s important for us to know. However, since inspections are governed by the Pennsylvania State Police, the complaint should have been filed with them.We’re sorry that our customer received service that prompted them to contact you with a complaint, and we regret any inconvenience or frustration that our customer's experience caused them. However, we have been in business in this same location for 51 years and we stand behind our work. We would have explained to the customer that we could perform the repairs or they could have them done elsewhere, but when they returned to have the inspection done we would not recharge for it. Re-inspections are free. We adhere strictly to the state inspection guidelines given by the Pennsylvania State Police. We are aware that some garages perform "lick it and stick it” inspections where anything goes, but we are not one of those garages. The “loud” muffler most likely was due to a leak in the exhaust, but it was never fully checked out. We follow a specific sequence of items we examine while performing an inspection. If we find a problem while performing an inspection, we stop the inspection right there. The problem with the tie rods, fuel lines and rear end were all found before we got to the muffler and exhaust pipes. The customer said they did not have any money to put into the car so there was no point in confirming. We would very much like to see the video the customer said they made inspecting the tie rods and I am sure the Pennsylvania State Police would be interested in knowing what garage inspected the vehicle, on 9-17-15 and “nothing had to be fixed”. As mentioned before “lick it and stick it” inspections do occur, but usually thecustomer requests that the mechanic “let it slide”. So it is unlikely the garage that performs these kinds of inspections would be turned in to the State Police when the customer views it as though the mechanic is doing them a favor. As far as cost goes with the repairs needed and the customer claiming that he couldn’t afford them, we often extend credit to our loyal repeating customers in good standing with us. We allow them to have a bill on file and make payments, we don’t charge interest and we allow the customer to pay what they can afford. As long as payments are being made, we allow them to take as long as they need to pay it off.Our customer’s repeated patronage is important to us, and we hope that this customer will continue to give us opportunities to serve them. However, we will continue to adhere to the inspection guidelines we are bound by. Inspections are safety and emissions based; we do not compromise when either is at stake.Thank you again for bringing these matters to our attention.Paul O[redacted]Paul’s Amoco & Tire, LLC Proprietor