ComplaintsforMeineke Car Care Center

• Initial Complaint

  11/17/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 11-16-2022 I came in due to a "service battery charging system" warning light that turned on my dash the night prior. I verbally agreed to pay for diagnostics and needed service done promptly as I was late for work. The initial diagnosis was I needed to replace the secondary battery (charging at 11.5V) in my car for x dollars. I agreed to the service offered and waited. Later I was told my main battery was a dry type, charging at 6V, and I should replace it with a wet type which costs more. I agreed to that too. When my car was pulled out of the bay the warning light stayed on. The mechanic couldn't figure out on the spot and took it back in. After taking the car back in for further evaluation I went to get something to eat as I was there for 5 hours or so. I then received a call stating I need to change my alternator because the new batteries burnt it (not sure if the exact expression) and now I needed to pay am additional $462 on top of $739 I already paid for the batteries. I asked why wasn't that diagnosed first and got an answer the alternator may have been already weak or something like that. In the initial receipt it is printed I declined diagnostics which is not true. The lady in charge signed I didn't decline this service. This was added in writing but the print is still there stating I declined diagnostics, thus voiding the warranty terms as stated on the back of the invoice. So anything I authorized them in good faith is now turned on me and has zero warranty if they do wish. For the alternator the lady said she won't charge me for the labor, rather just the $462 for the cheapest she could find). I was given a verbal warranty it's all good for a year. No certificates nor serial numbers were detailed anywhere on a receipt or copy - I was told this only happens at a dealer store. Total expenses could've been my alternator $462 plus labor only. I ended up paying $1202. For this incompetence/unprofessional behavior I request to be refunded.

  Business response

  12/15/2022

  Mr. **********’s car came in with a service battery warning/charging light on.  After diagnosing it, it was determined that the auxiliary battery needed replaced.  After a new one was put in we retested and the main battery was showing bad and replace, which we did.  Mr. ********** started to leave the shop and the light came back on.  It was then determined that the alternator was bad.  Our manager informed the customer that we could not get a good reading on the alternator when it had bad batteries.
  When running the diagnostics on a car if the test on the battery comes in as bad, it will give a false reading on the alternator.  We did not want to also sell the customer an alternator if it wasn’t needed. Because we had already taken an excessive amount of his time, we did not charge labor for the installation of the alternator after it was determined that it was necessary.
  I apologize for the time it took in diagnosing and repairing Mr. **********’s car.  It was very unprofessional on our part and I apologize.  Due to the fact that the batteries and alternator were necessary, we cannot refund the money for them.

• Initial Complaint

  09/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On July 8th of 2022 took my car to the meineke on *** S ******* Street in Amarillo Texas. I purchased new brakes, tires, radiator and an oil change costing over $1,600. Oil change and brakes were completed that day. They had to order the radiator. I expressed my concern about the radiator, they assured me it was ok to drive a short distance, approx 03 miles. I did not drive the car again until Monday for college. At lunch, the oil light came on. I checked it & it was empty.Called the store & they told me to bring it to them immediately. Got a quart of oil & headed that way, causing me to miss my second class.The car started smoking & continued for an additional hour or so. I was 2.3 mi from their store. A nice man came out, asked if I was okay & walked me into the shop. While waiting, I needed to get new wheels before they could put the tires on.Wr got back to the store & the shop manager or shop owner said it was going to take longer than a couple of days to get the car fixed.They finally gave me a loaner vehicle. About 11 days later I had to call the store to see what was going on with my car. That's when they informed me that I needed to come up with money for a new motor costing $3,500. That is not my fault. They also handed me a receipt stating that I refused radiator service on the day that I actually prepaid almost $700 for it to be done. I asked the girl to let them know that I needed a few extra days to see what I was going to do. She failed to do so & they towed the vehicle, from my residence, without my knowledge I filed a police report thinking it was stolen. I called the store the next morning to let them know about the truck being stolen and they said they would have someone call me back. I called the police department & they informed me that the shop had the vehicle at 930am. I ended up having to call the store again at 2:30pm. That's when they told me they towed the truck. They had me take my car & didn't even replace the radiator that I paid for.

  Business response

  10/17/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/10/05) */ On July 8, 2022, we repaired the brakes, got tires and did an oil change on Ms. ****** car. The original estimate showed that a radiator was needed but it had to be ordered. At that time, we declined it off the ticket so that the first invoice could be invoiced out and paid for that day. Ms. ****** made a deposit of $700 to order the radiator. She was told that she could drive the vehicle a very short distance but it was better if she didn't because it could overheat and cause additional damage. On July 13th, the vehicle returned to have the radiator installed. When the radiator was being installed, we pulled the hoses off the radiator and found that a previous repair at another shop had been patched in an unprofessional way. We loaned Ms. ****** a vehicle while we waited for more parts to arrive to repair the bypass ***** Once we received and installed the hose parts and were able to start the vehicle with the new radiator, we found it to have blown head gaskets. The head gaskets were blown when she continued to drive it and it overheated as stated in her statement. Ms. ****** continued driving our shop truck. After days of not hearing back from her and not answering our phone calls we went to her house on July 26. The truck was parked outside but no one answered the door so we took the truck back to the shop. Ms. ****** then came to the shop to pick up her Mercury Cougar. Her $700 deposit was applied to the ticket for the installation of the radiator and necessary hoses and she paid the remainder due and drove away in her car. All repairs that Ms. Aiken paid for were satisfactorily performed, therefore a refund is not available for services rendered or having it towed. It is now up to Ms. ****** to have the head gaskets replaced or a new engine installed due to her overheating the vehicle.

• Initial Complaint

  07/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Meineke was supposed to change the oil on my Toyota Highlander. They did not and left the oil cap off. My engine blew up on the Fritch Highway and ruined the vehicle. Their corporate office talked to the head mechanic that said that the oil was not changed. the manager sold the vehicle for parts and I never received ANY of the money from the sale.

  Business response

  07/27/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/07/18) */ ***** ****** had the oil changed on her vehicle on 4-23-2020. This was the first and only time that she had been in the shop. On 6-22-2020 she returned with the engine locked up. The vehicle sat in our parking lot for 8 months while we waited on ***** to decided what to do with the vehicle. She could have it repaired or come pick it up. She did not make further contact with us after 6-22-2020. Out of the blue on 2-23-2021 ****** Towing showed up and picked the vehicle up. ***** showed up at the same time and gave the driver the keys to the vehicle and that was the last we saw of the vehicle and never heard from ***** again. We are unable to offer a refund for an oil change that was done two months prior to her having any trouble with the vehicle that she in turn sold.

• Initial Complaint

  05/16/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company lied about to issue with our truck and highly charged us for the easiest of a number of problems the truck was having. Please note, what they fixed had THE LEAST to help the situation. It was a quick manipulative practice to take advantage of passerby in emergency situations. I want every dime I paid back, for lying to us and NOT fixing our truck. Thank God the Mieneke in Albuquerque is honest. They located the problem in five minutes and are ready to fix it the right way. I would rather not take any money and have them pay the bill in Albuquerque.

  Business response

  06/23/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/05/24) */ **** ****** called us from a Love's Truck Stop miles away from the shop. He explained that he was loaded down and pulling a trailer and that the rear struts were blown. He had called several shops but no one could help him right away and that he was traveling to California. We told him that we could help him out and to come on in. In the meantime, we ordered the rear struts and they were delivered to the shop and waiting when he arrived. When we saw his pickup truck we found that he was not just loaded down but severely overloaded. We pulled another customer's vehicle off of a lift to accommodate his vehicle while he unhooked his trailer. We drove his overloaded truck about 50 feet to a lift where we installed the new rear struts. His diagnosis was correct, the rear air struts where definitely damaged from carrying so much weight. After installing the struts, he paid for the repairs, hooked his trailer up to his truck and continued on his way. The issue that was repaired in Albuquerque, NM, was a front bearing. If the customer had a front bearing problem while he was in Amarillo, he certainly didn't mention a noise or issue to us and we did not test drive the vehicle before or after repairs were made because he was in such a hurry to get back on the road. It was apparent that the repairs we made fixed the rear struts that the customer requested. Had a noise been present while the customer was in Amarillo he would have heard or felt the issue within a couple blocks of leaving our shop. If there was a noise, he chose to drive ten blocks from our shop to I-40 and an additional 300 miles to Albuquerque before having the bearing replaced. Mr. ****** states that there were a number of problems with the truck. He did not give us time to properly diagnose the vehicle and give him an estimate of the necessary repairs, as is customary. I am unable to refund a payment for repairs that were necessary and properly completed at our shop nor pay for additional, unrelated repairs that were made.

• Initial Complaint

  03/30/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 2/7/22 I had an oil change performed on my 2013 Ford Escape 2.0 Ecoboost at this location. My car requires 5W-30, but Meineke Car Care Center on 913 S Georgia St, Amarillo, TX 79102 replaced my oil with 5W-20 instead. They first admitted this to me yesterday, 3/29/22, by telling me it was 5W-20 they used and that it is what Ford recommends, and that I should not worry about the car concerns I called about. I am requesting a refund as this was incorrectly done, and I am having to redo it myself to ensure it is done right. A man named Roger, whom identified as The Franchise Owner, told me that while he would help other people if this had happened to them, he will not help me. I had no cause for concern until 3/29/22, when I used my car to tow our cargo trailer to Dallas, Tx. I use this car and this trailer approx. once every few months and it never has problems. Though yesterday I noticed the car trying to over heat, and the engine power being reduced to prevent over heating. I pulled over and checked the oil, which smelled burnt and had what seemed to be smoke coming from the dip stick. I called Meineke Car Care Center a few minutes later to question the brand of oil used, as I was worried about a cheaper brand being used. It was at that time I was told it was 5W-20 Chevron that was used, and not to worry as it is exactly what Ford recommends for my car. I researched it after returning to Amarillo, again to question the brand. I learned that while the 1.6L requires 5W-20, my engine the 2.0L Ecoboost requires 5W-30. I decided to call them on 3/30/22 and request a refund. The lady I spoke with was the same that told me it was 5W-20 used. She told me she could not authorize a refund, and a few minutes later a very rude man picked up the phone who said he was the owner. He told me I would get no refund, even though he would give it to others and hung on on me several times. I voice recorded everything for proof. I just want my money back and a sincere apology.

  Business response

  05/10/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/04/23) */ When a customer comes in the shop, they tell the person at the counter what service they are needing. In the case of Mr. ********, he asked for a synthetic blend oil change, that package was chosen at that time (it reflects using 5W-20 weight oil). When the technician performed the oil change, he submitted the information via his tablet pertaining to the oil change. The information indicates the exact type of oil, the oil filter and the amount of oil used. When Mr. ******** paid for the oil change, the exact type of oil used was not updated in the computer from the tablet. The actual oil used was 5W-30 weight oil. When I spoke to Mr. ******** on the phone, I tried to explain to him that the information in the computer had not been changed from the original package chosen after the oil change was completed. I then sent him a copy of the report from the technician's tablet showing 5W-30 weight oil was used. There is absolutely no way to change the information in the tablet after the job is completed and sent to the computer. I tried to explain this to him but he became indignant immediately and would not allow me to explain the process. The oil that was used was the oil Ford prescribes for this vehicle, 5W-30. The oil change is not what caused the vehicle to overheat. Pulling an enclosed trailer several hundred miles with the wrong type of vehicle can cause the vehicle to overheat, especially if there is any wind. I am sorry that Mr. ********'s vehicle overheated but it is not a result of the oil change and I can not refund his money for that. Consumer Response /* (3000, 10, 2022/04/25) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) First and foremost, This is highly inaccurate. He never once sent me any documentation showing me that it was reflecting that something else was put into my engine other than 5w 20. Also, he made no attempts to show me any evidence at all whatsoever other than telling me that despite everyone telling me that it was 5 W 20 and that was the right oil, up until I made them aware that that's not what my car required, he instead just told me well that's what it is and was extremely rude. He was the one that was not listening and did not care about what the facts were. Again, I recorded the situation and this man is being outright dishonest. I will submit the recordings upon request. This business does not deserve to be better business bureau A+ with the kind of dishonesty they are conducting. Concerning pulling a trailer with the wrong car, my car's towing is rated up to 3,500 lb. My trailer is almost 1,000 lb. The weight in my trailer was between 500 and 1000 on the way back, but I was experiencing the overheating on the way to Dallas with just the trailer. My car is a 2013 Ford Escape 2.0 turbo engine that is rated up to 3,500 lb. Anyone can Google that and see that is facts. This man never even bothered to ask me what kind of trailer I was pulling or what the wait was. Again just empty assumptions. I used this company for oil changes for a long time. But that did not stop them from treating us this way. It was as easy as a refund, but they treated it like we were going to try to sue them. I believe they denied all responsibility because of that. When all we wanted was a simple refund. Now they lost a customer. Business Response /* (4000, 12, 2022/04/27) */ I'm sorry we disagree on this.

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