ReMax Real Estate

These types of issues can be challenging for a customer and a businessI was the person that actually dealt with Mr*** on his first visit to my shop for this issue and he had been shopping pricesI actually provided him a better price than the previous shop he had gone to and we did the work per his approvalMr*** also cites his hearing problem as a communication gap and my manager may have been speaking loudly because he was trying to help Mr*** understand the current situation.? MrHall's original receipt clearly states that he had a year warranty and was told if he had any issues to return and we would gladly assist himThis is clearly explained to every customer to ensure that they understand their rightsFurthermore, Mr*** stated that we did not obtain his VIN, which is also inaccurateThis number is also on his receipt and is also captured with our diagnostic tool when we hook the vehicle upWe use this number to determine all the appropriate parts for his vehicle as they are very specific to each vehicle individuallyFurthermore, my manager and all parts stores know that complete vehicle specifications are required to order parts? We also replaced his original part due to a faulty sensor on a subsequent visit to the shop.? Mr*** produced a receipt from S&T that had the same air fuel sensor ratio installed and his $from them was for additional work on his vehicle as wellWe stand very much by our warranty, but to provide him credit back for failing to adhere to his warranty, is not something we would be willing nor should have to doHe certainly is entitled to a 2nd opinion, but we would have gladly resolved his issue had he simply returned to the shop for inspectionThis is why you give a customer a warranty in the first placeThe vehicle must return to the place of repair to have his warranty handled appropriately and to be diagnosed by our techniciansIf we found the sensor to be faulty, we would have gladly replaced it just as we had done once before.? ? Finally, I find it odd that Mr*** said he had never been to our shop in his original email to you, yet now admits to having someone with him the previous timesHis first visit to the shop was not for this sensorIn fact, Mr*** should ask the previous shop to refund his money because he has a valid warranty elsewhere? I will then have my technicians diagnose the vehicle and if that problem is still there, I would gladly honor his warrantyThis is how all businesses handle warranty workAgain, I will gladly offer Mr*** a free oil change or 10% of his next service with us if he elects to return.? Respectfully,? Ralph S***? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.? For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.? This is in reply to your email of 11/13/concerning complaint ID ***? ? Mr*** reply is full of in accuraciesSince Mr ***
was not present at any of my three visits to Meinekes I assume he is
relying on his manager's account.? ? ? First of all as to Mr ***'s accusation that I was irate I can
only say that I am an year old gentleman and do not hope to offend
anyone but since I suffer a hearing deficit perhaps one might get that
impression.? ? ? First of all at no time during my visits was the subject of a
warranty brought upAn at no time did I tell anyone that I was price
comparing prices or that the problem was diagnosed anywhere elseThat
is false.I went to Meineke due to a Check Engine light had come on and they
advertise that they will diagnose the problem for freeUpon arrival the
manager checked my car with a hand held tool and informed me that I
needed an oxygen sensor and the price was $I authorized? the repair
and waited until the work was doneWhen I arrived home the light was
still on so I returned to MeinekeMike checked it again with the tool
and told me that he would install a different sensorAt no time did he
seek the VIN number on my carI have since learned that it is
impossible to replace this part without referring to the VIN? and
determining whether the emission system is California or FederalWhen I
suggested this to Mike he said it was not necessary to refer to the
VinThis is patently wrongWhen after installing the second part the
light remained on he told me that I had an electrical problem and don't
come back there.? ? Hooping to delay further expense I decided to drive my car until the
NYS inspection was due and since the car would not pass inspection I
took the car to a very reputable auto repair shop*** *** ***
on Brighton AveThey have been in business for seventy years.? ? After several days the owner called me and told me that Meineke had
installed the wrong partS&T installed the proper part and the and
the light went outCost to me was $for extensive labor and parts.? ? When I went to pick up my car the owner gave me the part that Meineke
had mistakenly installed and suggested I return it for a refundThe
part is warranted for one year.? I took the part to Meineke and Mike immediately became hostile and
abusiveHe told me he would talk to the owner but he knew what the
owner would say.? I am seeking to return the part and obtain a refund of my $350.? ? On all three visits I was accompanied by my friend of years*** ***? a retired school teacher and often repeats conversation for me due
to my hearing deficitShe can verify all these occurrences.? Respectfully *** * ***

I will attempt to clear this up one last time. Attached are 3 invoices from Mrs. [redacted]'s previous visits to our shop. We have conducted 2 NYSI's and multiple oil changes despite her indicating that she has only had "only" 1 oil change here previously. She also stated in her original email that she had never been to our facility before and then in her last message, she said she had only been here once for an oil change. The invoices are time stamped with services rendered, thus I'm unsure as to why Mrs. [redacted] continues to say that she hasn't been her on prior occasions. As far as the $10,000 fine comment, this would never have been communicated to her as there is simply no truth whatsoever to such a claim and is inflammatory to even suggest such a thing. The fines levied by NYS for providing a passing NYSI despite knowing it fails are severe and can result in loss of privileges. This has NEVER happened to our facility.  Mrs. [redacted]'s agitation is clearly evident in her message and this was the same way she responded at the shop when she was informed that her vehicle failed the inspection. Again, all of this occurred with our facility simply letting her know that she should return to whomever just completed her brake work to have her brakes warrantied. We also informed her that we would gladly reinspect her vehicle if the repairs were made. Furthermore, she was also told that she can get the vehicle reinspected elsewhere if she chose to do so. We serve countless families in this community and the language we "prey on women" is egregious in nature and highly inaccurate. As I said, the facts can be seen in the invoices and we remain fully committed to serving the thousands of customers that continue to come to our repair facility annually with safe and honest care. Best of luck to Mrs. [redacted] in the future as she continues to maintain her vehicle elsewhere. Please contact me directly with any additional questions and/or concerns and I'll gladly respond in a timely fashion.  Respectfully, Ralph [redacted]

These types of issues can be challenging for a customer and a business. I was the person that actually dealt with Mr. [redacted] on his first visit to my shop for this issue and he had been shopping prices. I actually provided him a better price than the previous shop he had gone to and we did the work per his approval. Mr. [redacted] also cites his hearing problem as a communication gap and my manager may have been speaking loudly because he was trying to help Mr. [redacted] understand the current situation.  Mr. Hall's original receipt clearly states that he had a 1 year warranty and was told if he had any issues to return and we would gladly assist him. This is clearly explained to every customer to ensure that they understand their rights. Furthermore, Mr. [redacted] stated that we did not obtain his VIN, which is also inaccurate. This number is also on his receipt and is also captured with our diagnostic tool when we hook the vehicle up. We use this number to determine all the appropriate parts for his vehicle as they are very specific to each vehicle individually. Furthermore, my manager and all parts stores know that complete vehicle specifications are required to order parts.  We also replaced his original part due to a faulty sensor on a subsequent visit to the shop.  Mr. [redacted] produced a receipt from S&T that had the same air fuel sensor ratio installed and his $850 from them was for additional work on his vehicle as well. We stand very much by our warranty, but to provide him credit back for failing to adhere to his warranty, is not something we would be willing nor should have to do. He certainly is entitled to a 2nd opinion, but we would have gladly resolved his issue had he simply returned to the shop for inspection. This is why you give a customer a warranty in the first place. The vehicle must return to the place of repair to have his warranty handled appropriately and to be diagnosed by our technicians. If we found the sensor to be faulty, we would have gladly replaced it just as we had done once before.   Finally, I find it odd that Mr. [redacted] said he had never been to our shop in his original email to you, yet now admits to having someone with him the previous 3 times. His first visit to the shop was not for this sensor. In fact, Mr. [redacted] should ask the previous shop to refund his money because he has a valid warranty elsewhere.  I will then have my technicians diagnose the vehicle and if that problem is still there, I would gladly honor his warranty. This is how all businesses handle warranty work. Again, I will gladly offer Mr. [redacted] a free oil change or 10% of his next service with us if he elects to return.  Respectfully, Ralph S[redacted]

Mrs. [redacted] arrived at our shop with her rear calipers seized and the braking system compromised.  The scraping she heard was a result of the rear pads not disengaging from the rotors due to the faulty rear calipers.  Upon further inspection, the brakes were also generating a tremendous...

amount of heat due to the caliper failures and the front brakes were also low on brake pads and the rotors were warped. We always recommend a brake fluid flush when replacing calipers to ensure that the system operates as efficiently as possible.  Mrs. [redacted] was informed of her brake issue and approved of all repairs. Work was completed successfully without issue and Mrs. [redacted] left our shop with fully functioning brakes.  This cost was for front and rear pads/rotors and rear calipers, along with an air filter that includes the labor to install.  Our pricing is consistent for a vehicle of this size and for the equipment we replaced.  All equipment was replaced with new parts as per her invoice.  We are a highly rated shop and have had many customers come to our facility that were just passing through Syracuse and have always left happy. We attempt to serve all customers with honesty and integrity and if the [redacted] family has an issue with the repair of their vehicle, they have a warranty for the brakes that is accepted at all Meineke Care Care Centers. Otherwise, the repairs are fair and consistent with the work that was done on this vehicle.  I would be happy to offer them a free oil change should they ever return to our shop as a good will gesture.  Thank you for your time and should you have any additional questions, please contact me directly at the number below.  Ralph [redacted]  315-440-0040

The response provided by Meineke is exactly what I expected, first they are liars, I have only had an oil change there once.  My car has always been inspected in the past by [redacted] in North Syracuse and they have never found a problem as they are very aware of my determination to keep my car in tip top condition.  It was only after the Meineke technician discovered that he could not remove my wheels and after stripping my lugs, that he asked for the key.  After leaving the shop, I drove directly to my long time mechanic shop in East Syracuse, who was the last person prior to Meineke who removed my wheels, he was outragged that he had such a terrible time removing them because they were stripped. My mechanci also has a reputation and its is "Honesty" (fix what needs to be fixed and advise the customer if it doesn't).  The person making the comment to my complaint was not even present when the technician completed his inspection, however he did advise me that it was going to fail before leaving.  As for this shop being in good standings, I was told by the manager while waiting for my car, that they had recently been fined $10,000, maybe this was a lie as well. In my opinion as I stated, these guys prey on women, and I will never return to their shop and will not encourage any of my female friends to take their vehicle there.  If they are refusing to pay for my lugs, I will eat the cost I just hope my complaint shines a spotlight on the practice of this business and provide doubt for other when considering taking their car in for repairs.   In reference to complaint ID [redacted], my compliant has not been resolved., [redacted]

To whom it may concern,  We are not making any assumptions on how Mrs. [redacted] drives her vehicle and we certainly didn't take advantage of an elderly woman.  We simply informed her that her vehicle's braking system was failing (as I previously stated) due to faulty calipers and excessive heat that caused her rotors to warp.  This vehicles braking system was significantly compromised as a result. As far as brake flushes are concerned, this is not about dirt getting into the lines.  Brake fluid brakes down for a variety of reasons and moisture can cause rusting in the lines over time.  Mrs. Lake's vehicle had black dark black brake fluid that had a burnt smell, which indicates that the fluid was bad and in need of replacement.  I should also note that when bleeding brakes, you simply remove enough fluid to get the air out of the lines, whereas a flush removes all the fluid and ensures that the new fluid can adequately do its job when braking.  This old brake fluid would have ultimately damaged the brake lines, master cylinder, etc and the type of vehicle Mr. [redacted] worked on in his 20's is very different from today's vehicles. I am sure Mr. [redacted] was a fine mechanic at one time, but it is our ASE Certified Technicians responsibility to ensure that we fix the vehicle correctly the first time once appropriately diagnosed.   I am also not questioning what his local mechanic found 3 months prior, only stating what the condition of the brakes were when it arrived at my shop.  We do hundreds of brake jobs at our facility and customers leave happy and thankful that we resolved their issue.  We used premium brake pads and premium rotors specific to this vehicle and gave the [redacted] family a lifetime warranty on the brake pads.  As far as prices are concerned, we have always been fair to our customers, and this price was certainly not egregious for the type of parts we used and the vehicle we were working on.  There does not seem to be a complaint on the quality of the work, thus we'd gladly offer the customer $50 off there next visit to our shop as a good gesture, but we remain steadfast that this was the correct way to ensure their vehicle was repaired safely and accurately.  Respectfully,  Ralph [redacted]