Problem with local garage.

[Mark42]

Brought my wife's Mountianeer in for a front end alignment. Was quoted $60 and we made the appointment 4 days in advance, dropped the truck off the night before.<br /><br />Next day at 3:30pm, the garage calls me and says they can't do the alignment without putting 2 new tires on the front. The tires on the front were new last year and an apparent caster/camber problem is wearing the inside tread off one tire. Hence the alignment. So I tell them to put the good tires from the back on the front and do the alignment. They counter with those tires are getting low and really should be replaced too, especially if I want the alignment to be 100%. I told them no, switch the tires, the back are only half worn and are worn even, perfectly good. They ask how many tires do I want to buy, 2 or 4. I told him none, just do as I told him.<br /><br />Later in the evening we go to pick it up. They say they couldn't do a complete alignment because there is no caster/camber adjustment and they would have to put in bushings. So they just did toe adjustment. $50 please. So I pay and leave. <br /><br />Today I call the local Ford dealer for alignment. He directs me to the shop they farm the work to. That shop says there is adjustments for caster/camber on the 97 Mountianeer, and barring any broken pieces, it is $60. <br /><br />So I am going to bring it there. I plan to take the receipt from the new shop to the original shop and request my money back (mastercard). I anticipate they will not credit me.<br /><br />Any comments or suggestions?

 

[KaGee]

Re: Problem with local garage.

Anytime i had an alignment done the device hung on the wheel. I don't understand what a worn tire has to do with setting the alignment.<br /><br />You can dispute the charge, but it may be more trouble than it's worth.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Problem with local garage.

I feel yer pain, Mark. At the first shop, is it a locally owned place where you can talk to the owner? Or a garage where the owner is the mechanic? Done much business there?<br /><br />If you can talk to the mechanic at the second shop, maybe there's something he can tell you that might explain why the first shop treated you like that. I can't offhand imagine what that would be, but maybe there's a way they could have "made an honest mistake" instead of just "lying and cheating."<br /><br />If you can go in & just have a chat with the owner or general manager, without accusing 'em of cheating you, and if they give a rat's patootie about taking care of customers, then you maybe got a small chance at getting some money back. <br /><br />If it's a chain, or if the owner don't think he'll ever see you again, might as well go in guns blazing; you won't get any money back but you might feel better after blowing off some steam.<br /><br />good luck.

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Problem with local garage.

If you have a dispute, then call MC and tell them so and they will put a hold on that charge till you tell them different.

 

[NYMINUTE]

Re: Problem with local garage.

Somebody expecting to make an easy sale. I have a 98 Mountaineer. Had a 4 wheel done last year. They didn't try to sell me anything.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Problem with local garage.

Surprised they didn't find that your shocks were leaking. Impossible to do an alignment with leaking shocks. <br /><br />I would confront them, then without any threats I would do like SBN said. Call MC, put the charge on hold, send them a detailed account of the situation with a copy of your new bill. Make sure that the 2nd shop describes the alignment particulars.

 

[Barlow]

Re: Problem with local garage.

Originally posted by Mark42:<br /> ....Any comments or suggestions?

walk in holding a crowbar over your shoulder.. just a suggestion.<br /><br />I rank that up there with theft.

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Problem with local garage.

I took my van in once ot a garage that I had come to trust because it was stumbling. I di not have time to look at it myself so I just brought it in.<br /><br />The guy called and told me it had the wrong plugs (also that the plugs were bad) in it and needed plug wires. The wires I expected beacuse they were original. The plugs were less than 15K old. I told him to go ahead and do the job and to save the plugs so I could get the money back from the people who did them in the first place.<br /><br />$400 later I picked up the car and it ran fine. I took the plugs and inspected them. I've seen a lot of plugs and these looked fine. I cross checked the plug type with the recommended plugs and the ones pulled out were OEM replacements.<br /><br />To top it off they charged me $16 a plug for the new ones.<br /><br />Well I took the plugs in and basically told them they screwed me( I used more diplomatic terms). The service writer basically ran down his list of accomplishments as a mechanic and told me you don't put Bosch plugs in an American car. He also said the plugs were toast.<br /><br />I respectfully disagreed and he basically said he knows more about this than I do. I demanded my money back and he didn't budge.<br /><br />I wrote to the owner of the station and followed up with the manager. They eventually refunded the work on the plugs without ever saying they were wrong. <br /><br />This station had a chance to keep my business. However, they lost it for good. Even though they refunded my money, I had to hound them for it. Lots of garages out there to get my money. That one will not get my auto work, nor will I fill my two gas guzzling SUVs there..

 

[xikxak]

Re: Problem with local garage.

Instead of shooting all those cats,drop them off in this guys yard.Now you solved two problems. dave

 

[Mark42]

Re: Problem with local garage.

I will take the advice to call MC. Will see what they say and how to do the hold.<br /><br />BTW this is the place:<br /><br /> A-Tech Automotive <br /><br />I didn't know they had a website until I did a search to get their phone number.<br /><br />I am so sorry I went there. I thought they would be up on the latest technologies. Instead I think they like to stick aftermarket crap on your car at inflated prices. My impression that they were more interested in selling me tires than doing a good alignment is probably correct.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Problem with local garage.

Called MC and got info on dispute. But I have to give the garage the opportunity to make things right. So I called and spoke to the kid at the desk who I dealt with yesterday. After a long conversation, we were getting nowhere, and I asked to talk to his boss. I explained what happened, that my $50 got me nothing, and they did not represent the situation clearly enough for me to make informed decisions, so I want my money back.<br /><br />To my surprise, the senior management said OK. I gave him my MC number. Will see in a few days if the credit shows up.

 

[deputydawg]

Re: Problem with local garage.

As a mechanic myself that is certified for allignments, you are being fibbed to slightly.<br />I will never do an allignment without "recommending" new tires or a tire rotation if worn from bad alignment. This is not necessary though, I just feel my customer had to know if their tires were getting uneven wear. <br />Ask them to show you the "shims" they have to mess with to allign the vehicle. <br />Also, the shocks leaking, this is a real problem not just a joke like muffler bearings. Some vehicles do have gas or oil filled shocks that do leak. Mostly off orad rigs, but some do.'

 

[cmyers_uk]

Re: Problem with local garage.

To my surprise, the senior management said OK

Now did they do that because they are good or because they knew you had caught them bang to rights. Hummm never trust em.

 

[12Footer]

Re: Problem with local garage.

Nobody better touch the allignment on my vehicles except the dealer shop.<br />They do not sell tires (directly anyhow), have excelent equipment, and have allways been honest in the past.

 

[deputydawg]

Re: Problem with local garage.

Alignment jobs are easy to set up and do. They are also a very easy target for ripoffs. Mainly because people don't fully understand the alignment thing. Also you can really play on a persons fear. Just say that the steering will be effected and bang panic sets in. There are a few moving parts in a front end, but they are simple and easy to align. 4 wheel for that matter is easy to do anymore. The old Ford trucks with the I beam suspension were the hardest. <br />I always left the car on the lift after I did a front end inspection. I would show the customer exactly what was wrong. I would then tell them all of the options, and all of the possibilties. I would then lower the car, hand them the keys and tell them to call me when they have had a second opinion or decided on what to do.<br />One thing most people don't know though, if I allowed a car to leave the shop without fixing everything, especially brakes and steering, it was my liability. Insurance made me fix it before it went out the door.

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: Problem with local garage.

Along those liability issues, I used to work on lawnmowers before they had emergency stopping features. They were just coming to market. Any that came in with the devices removed, I wouldn't work on. If they were just taped, I cut and removed the tape. You'd be amazed how out-of-joint some people can get about a few wraps of stupid tape! But I digress.

 

[Tinkerer]

Re: Problem with local garage.

Amazing what you can get if you confront people with their poor work.<br /><br />A few years ago I needed some small sections of rust cut out of the A pillars on my car. Had a clear discussion with panel beater that it'd be welded, not bogged. Great quote. Gave him the job.<br /><br />Checked it out when I got it home. Looked great. Couldn't see the repair. Alas, no weld. Full of bog.<br /><br />Panel beater was about 20 years younger than me, about 5" taller, way heavier and a lot fitter. Also looked a lot tougher, but maybe I was overly impressed by the Harleys and bikie tattoos and other aspects of what he had in his factory that suggested he was a hard man. I ain't.<br /><br />I objected to the $300 he'd ripped off me.<br /><br />Went back to get my money. Half expected to cop a flogging. Certainly expected a real hard time with no money. <br /><br />End result was that he went to water. Offered me a cheque. I insisted on cash and got it. <br /><br />I walked in feeling about the size of a mouse and walked out feeling ten feet tall.<br /><br />Also the $300 was nice back in my pocket. Spent it and a bit more on a mig welder and did the job myself.

 

[jtexas]

Re: Problem with local garage.

Originally posted by Mark42:<br /> To my surprise, the senior management said OK. I gave him my MC number. Will see in a few days if the credit shows up.

Call me cynical, but that tells me that the counter guy did what they trained him to do; "get $50 any way you can, we'll give it back to the few that complain."