ComplaintsforCanadian Tire

• Initial Complaint

  21/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Oct 27th, 2023 I went to Canadian Tire to have my car checked. They took the car to do their diagnoses and then told me that the only issue is that a brake needs to be replaced. They asked if I would like to proceed with the repair and I said yes. I gave them my phone number and they said the repair would take about an hour and they would call when it's done. I left the store and waited for an hour but did not receive a call, so I came back to the store. My car was returned to the parking lot and my keys were left unattended at the service desk. After 10 minutes of waiting, someone finally came to the desk to give me the invoice. I left the store and got into my car and as soon as I turned it on, the *** and traction control warning lights turned on. I drove the car around the parking lot for 5 minutes to see if the lights would leave but they didn't. I then went back into the store and told the woman at the desk about the issue, and she claimed that those lights were already on, which is not true because they were not there when I had the car, and they were not reported when they did their diagnoses. She also said the mechanic that worked on the car dropped off the keys, left a note that the *** light was on, and then went straight home without contacting me, which is suspicious. She said I will have to come in tomorrow to have it checked, so I told her not to charge me for the repair until the issue is resolved. Then when tomorrow arrived, the woman called me and said that I would have to pay for them to fix the ***, and they went ahead and charged me for the repair. I then disputed the charge on my credit card, but I used a Canadian Tire card for the payment, which created a conflict of interest, so after waiting months, I received a letter that they could not do anything about the issue. A few days later my speedometer also stopped working completely. I now have to find a different mechanic to fix all of these issues and I would like to be refunded.

  Business response

  05/04/2024

  *************************** appointment was at 3pm on the day in question, bringing their car to ** complaining of grinding rear brakes, and suggesting that some brake work was likely needed.   

  Our licensed technician (***********************) visually inspected the vehicle's brakes and diagnosed that it required a rear caliper, rear pads and rear rotors.

  ***** also made a note that upon arrival - that this vehicle had the **** and Traction and ABS warning lights already on.     These warnings were noted upon arrival and were entered into our paperwork here on file.   However, an electronic scanning-tool diagnosis would have been needed for this and it is not what the customer instructed us to do, so we only noted it for the customer so they could decide whether they wanted us to take additional steps to test and correct it.     The customer would have an identical copy of this invoice. 

  We advised the customer of the brakes repairs that were needed based on the visual inspection (caliper, pads, rotors), quoted them a  price of $710.61 and the customer gave us the authorization to proceed with the repairs.     The customer also picked up his vehicle and paid his bill at the end of that day.     The only reason we had not yet made an additional call to the customer to let them know their car was ready, is that our counter staff simply hadn't gotten around to it yet.     ***** finished the brake repairs agreed to and went home at 5pm.    The customer came in to check on the status before we had a chance to print off the final paperwork and call to confirm it was ready.   It is just a matter of timing.  

  At the time customer returned to pick up the vehicle and his bill, ************** ***** had already gone home, as his shift ended at 5pm.   He had simply handed off the keys and the paperwork to our counter staff to be finalized.    This is why the customer's keys were still on the counter.     Nothing more to it.   Nothing suspicious.   

  When the customer expressed concern about the warning lights being on (as noted on the invoice too), we offered the customer the opportunity to come back and we would perform another diagnostic scan at no charge, but any additional repairs (assuming they were unrelated to the pads, rotors and caliper) would be at the customer's choice, and expense.  

  However, the customer never came back to take us up on this offer for the additional inspection.    We cannot help the fact that the customer never returned.   Unfortunately now, nearly six months have passed.   

  The customer paid for legitimate work that was diagnosed and subsequently completed:  ie.  The rear pads, rotors and caliper.   

  The quote was explained to the customer.    The customer gave their authorization to proceed.  The work was needed and we completed it as instructed.   The customer picked up their vehicle and paid the bill.   

  As far as what was charged to the customer's credit card - this amount of $710 is all legitimate as it was for the caliper, pads and rotors and associated labour.

  There is nothing to be refunded.     

  The customer also expresses new concern about the speedometer not working?    Our position is that this has nothing to do with the brakes.    When the vehicle left our shop, the speedometer was working.   We did no work related to this. 

  As I said above, we would have been happy to do an additional diagnosis about the warning lights, and discuss any potential repairs with the customer.   However, they never came back and gave us the opportunity for this.   We cannot help that they didn't return promptly.     Now that six months has passed, we have no idea how far the car has been driven, how aggressively it has been driven and thru what conditions.    We cannot take responsibility for an additional six months of additional wear and tear.    

   

  Yours truly,

  ********************************* - Owner/Operator

  Customer response

  05/04/2024

   
  Complaint: 21463184
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Again, there were no TPMS and Traction and ABS warning lights on when I dropped off the vehicle. My main reason for bringing the car in for repairs is because winter was approaching and I wanted to make sure that any issues with the car had been fixed to ensure safe driving in the snow, which is why I also enquired about winter tires but was told that their appointments were fully booked for the week. If there was an issue with ABS and traction, I obviously would have came in looking to get those checked as well because those issues can cause sliding and loss of control, but the warning lights only appeared after the car was returned. I was also only notified of this issue after the repair, and the note written on the invoice was after the repair. If there were warning lights on then they should have been discussed prior to repair to avoid any confusion. Also, the final paperwork was actually already printed and left on the desk with the keys when I came back to check on my car. 

  I never returned to Canadian Tire for any additional diagnoses and repairs and I do not plan to because I was told that I would have to pay again for an issue that only arrived after my car was returned, and I no longer trust this company with my car. I am not asking the company to take any responsibility for anything that happened in the time that has passed since this dispute began, only what was already discussed. I am seeking reimbursement for the additional repairs that I now have to pay another mechanic for. 

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