Potpourri
Last week the wife's car needed an oil change and since I don't have the facilities to do it myself, I had to take it to an oil change place. They told me I had to go buy the oil because they don't and won't carry Mobil One. Turns out the shit is $8.99 per quart. So with tax I spend $72 on oil and take it to back to the place. They change the oil and after all is said and done I get a bill for $56 bucks.
WTF? I asked the manager. He said "uhh well we aren't allowed to discount the oil changes even if you bring the oil." I was fucking pissed. I asked him, "so this goddamn oil change is going to cost me $128 bucks?" The manager saw I was pissed off so he swiped his card gave me a 5% discount and pulled a $15 coupon out of a book. Which made it a bit better.
I wrote to their corporate headquarters to ask them why they were giving a 15 year loyal customer the sand in the Vaseline treatment. The lady basically said..sorry nothing we can do.
You would think in this economy, treating the customer right would be priority one. Charging me for oil that they didn't pour is not the way to keep my business. If I ever go back it will be because the manager tried to help me out with the coupon.
I got into my truck on Monday to take the kids to school and the little dashboard display went BEEEP! TIRE DANGEROUSLY LOW! I walked around and kicked the tires but really couldn't tell which one. So after dropping the kids off I headed down to the NTB so they could check it out. I was already in a tired grouchy mood so tire bullshit was not on my list of happy time activities that morning.
I chugged 4 cups of their free coffee in the waiting room and ended up feeling kind of woozy and light headed.
The tire tech walked in and said it would be $25 bucks to patch my flat. I sprayed the remainder of the coffee out of my mouth and blurted...$25 bucks to put a fucking patch on a tire???!! The tire manager then came in and said..and all your other tires are dangerously cracked and need replacement.
This is when I lost it. I said .."you just put two new fucking tires on this truck in the past six months so don't give me this shit about all my tires being fucked!"
"The manager must have been used to customers spitting coffee and carpet bombing the F word in his face. He said "I'm not shitting you sir come look" He showed me I had two tires with cracks, I showed him the two brand new ones...he said "uhhhh ok just these two then" My coffee buzz started wearing off and I kind of felt bad for yelling at the dude so I asked him how much to replace the cracked tires.
Turns out he quoted me a price $25 cheaper than the last two I bought so I went ahead and let him replace the tires. I know I'm a softy. Then I got to sit in the waiting room and listen to some tattooed guy explain what bukake was to his mistress. I about lost my coffee again.
Labels: Personal interest
posted by Bill Rowland @ April 07, 2009
31 Comments
31 Comments:
All the new Silverados that were recently purchased as fleet trucks at work have those low tire warning sensors. Within the first 10,000 miles, every single one of them malfunctioned. They all say there's a low tire, but there isn't.
Damn that sounds like a day I had last summer. I went to Walmart for an oilchange...while I shopped. When I picked it up a guy that looked like he may have rode the short bus to school came out and said my car was almost out of oil. What? I have my oil changed every 3k miles. Later that day I walk out to get in my car and there is fluid all over my driveway! I am thinking its oil. But its the transmission fluid. My hubby had to completely rebuild my transmission. Never had any trouble mind you until duh duh duh changed my oil. Ironic dont you think?
hammer...I wish you a totally F-less Tuesday!
~AM
I never get the $19.95 special. I drive an F350 Diesel.
Mechanics and drycleaners ... they are all crooks!
Don't feel so bad now. Service and oil change on F350,FWD,6.0 diesel,including filter,15/40 motorcraft oil,and they washed the truck,at the local small dealer where I bought the truck,came to $105 including tax. And they thanked me for the business. When all these small bus. types are run out by the "Changes" in America,it will be a sad day.
Time to find a new place to have your oil changed. That is outrageous.
And tire guys are rip offs. I have never had someone try and sell me new tires for my new tires though.
I hope you have an awesome day today.
Definitely find a new place for your oil change. My brother used to make me do my own - we had no facilities either. I had to chock the back tires, jack up the front of the car and I think I set cement blocks as backup if the jack failed, and drained the oil. While I would never do that now, it did make me fearless to do my own work on the lawnmower. I think it's about 20 years old now and still starts first time every time.
I think I've find an old fashioned service station that sells your oil to do your changes in the future - it might be more than the lube only guys charge for their masses but a lot less than paying for both the crap and the good oil - maybe you should have asked the dude for the gallon of oil that he didn't use. That would have been fair if you'd paid for it.
LOL,
You live the life dude!
Bukake, I can only imagine that conversation in the waiting room.
I will not buy a tire from any of the syndicated tire places such as Tire Kingdom, Firestone, etc. I have had too many problems just as you describe with them.
The local Dodge place used to get my service business...but no more. I am tired of the service manager trying to sell me something I don't need everytime I go in there.
I found a local tire shop that also does oil change and lube and such for less money than the Dodge house...and a damn site friendlier.
HOLY CRAPPE, HAMMER! i just HAD to go look up "bukake" - there's a conservative guy at one of the sites i go to who uses it in his nomenclature. BLECH!
There's never a dull moment...and an honest mechanic!
Funny, but you make every unpleasant encounter sound like a sitcom...f bombs and all. You crack me up! :D
Alan: I had 2 sensors break at 10k miles too.
Michelle: that is my biggest fear, thats why I watch them.
airman mom: Me too! :)
Wreggie: My SUV runs about $48 with a coupon. I sure miss the 10 dollar changes.
Dana: don't get me started on drycleaners.
Diller: you ain't lyin. That's about what the dealerships charge here.
beachgirl: I might just bite the bullet and start driving it to my mechanic.
Jeannie: I miss the days when I could do my own. Problem is I bought a car that is only 3 inches off the ground so it has to go on a hydrolic lift. I've learned my lesson on these fucking sports cars. I'm going to try using a mom and pop place next time.
Admiral: if it made me blush you have to know it was bad :)
GuyK: I'm going to start looking, my butt hurts after all these other places.
Nanc: I know right? Who the heck wants to hear that described when they are drinking their morning coffee?
Scarlet: hehe I need to start taking a hidden camera to these places.
to bad the did not have a coupon off on bukake that day. As long as you had to wait, I mean!
About the LUBE and oil change...bringing your own shit to a shop is never a good idea. It's like Obama taking your hard earned tax dollars and giving them away to some f*ckin bank. It's just plain bukake.
I have repairs and inspections coming due...I can't wait....Lawd!
We recently had an incident with a t.v. It went in for repair for what they told us was a common problem. They'de order the part, fix it and call in two weeks. The call came, but with a message that said it wasn't cost effective to fix the t.v., they scrapped it, and were sending a check for 900 bucks for replacement.
We paid double that and the t.v. was only a little over a year old. It was a big Toshiba flatscreen but the basic company warranty had just expired so we had to use the extended plan we bought from the store. Unfortunately, it was from Circuit City and they went out of business so it wasn't an option to get another t.v. from them. We had to take what the warranty company was offering.
So yeah, for $900 we can get another t.v. but it won't be the brand or model we initially purchased. We even tried to get the t.v. back because when we called Toshiba and explained what happened they said even though their warranty had expired considering the circumstances they'de probably be able to help but the repair shop and the warranty company both said the t.v. was gone.
We haven't even really gone and looked at new t.v. sets. We have one in our bedroom and that has been doing us fine. It's too stressful to deal with companies and their bullshit right now.
My Point: As long as it wasn't for receiving!
JihadGene: Good comparison. It's like bringing eggs to dennys.
flyinfox: good luck on those.
Crystalchick: sounds like a screw deal all around.
im glad wes works on cars. I never have to deal with this
gotta watch that. tires have expiration dates from the date of manufacture, and they are sometimes warehoused for YEARS. it is, indeed, possible to buy an expired tire brand new. doesn't have to do if they;re black like new, or dry-rotted, etc.... has to do with the way rubber ages. if I remember right, the life of a tire is like 5 years, that's it.
FYI, the date of manufacure IS stamped on the tire, but ya gotta know how to read the date code.
my advice would be to screw the NTB guys ( I did the same thing with Goodyear) and find a redputable local tire dealer, preferably a discounter at that.
yup.
B-)
--------
We bought our van's tires at discount tires. They have some kind of guarantee for repairs. Whenever I get a flat looking tire, I take the van in and they check it and most of the time pull the screw out, and fix it for free. See, my DH drops all kinds of shit, usually screws in our garage. And me being me, as I pull in, I hit one every freaking time. Oh, yeah? How about 4 times in 2008. So far, in 2009, only once.
With tires, I get rotations and that kind of stuff free also. They are within a mile of my house and usually, not busy around nine. So after I drop DD off at school- I'm in and out of there in 15 mins. Often without an appointment.
My DD has spent $1000 already on the his 15 yo Jeep Cherokee. Last year it was $4000. When the repair guys see him coming, they know that he'll ask for a good customer discount. Sometimes he even get it!-LOL. He says if will not spend a dime more for repairs on the Jeep. I say "Yeah of course, It will cost you more than a dime when the next thing breaks. " He really wants to wait until next year to buy a new vehicle, but I'm betting that he break the next time the Jeep breaks.
snowmanpoop: My wife feels the same way.
Dr Chip: good information. I'm going to look up my date codes.
The ones on there were 5 years old so that makes sense.
Debbie: dang I need to find a place like that! I know of one but they only sell used tired.
My employer insists on getting his tires at NTB, where he has an account. I think it's because it's the only place that'll extend him credit anymore.
Last October, I had a slow tire leak, was due for a rotation and a front end alignment (uneven tire wear). I gave it to them for the weekend to do those, and an oil change. Tuesday, the tire was flat again, and was on the same hub as before I turned it in, meaning not only did they not fix the flat, they didn't do the rotation. Which means they most likely poofed the oil change and alignment, but charged for them. I took it back, and the guy who I was standing over to watch that he DID the patch said he couldn't fix it because the sidewall was dry-rot, and the whole tire needed replacement. I went in the showroom and did my flailing Chris Farley bit in front of the customers on how the tire wasn't dry rot two days ago, why now, and who are they ripping off. The manager fixed the flat for free because he was such a nice guy.
They wouldn't fix the latest leak, saying the tread was too low for them to patch it; the owner says get new tires. Of course the manager says a front end alignment is needed; I tell him to look up in the system when the last one was done, he sees, but does the high mileage schpeel, and I tell him forget it. They open 7 a.m. I get there 6:45, with 7:00 appointment for baby's new shoes, they he promised would be sitting waiting for me! The manager comes at 7:05, first mechanic 7:20, the rest slowly drift in. He swore it would take one hour tops, it took 2.5.
I drove for hours to Tire Rack in South Bend for A+ tires, price, and service on my own car and truck. I wouldn't go to NTB if it was across the street and my mother owned it.
MTS1:
If wasn't sitting in the waiting room watching through the window they would have done the same exact thing to me.
I get all my car advice from the Tappet Brothers otherwise I have nothing else to offer.
Cheers
Maddy: Me too!
I use Mobil 1 too. I think it's worth the price considering I can go 15,000 mile on an oil change. It costs me about $70 to get it changed and that's with the oil included. Of course they always try to push a radiator flush or a fuel injectors cleaning too.
Hilarious! Yea, it's hard not to come away feeling sodomized when you're dealing with those guys.
But at least you got some comic relief in the end. I was in some airport, Nashville I think, and found a t-shirt for Moon Pies. Hade to explain to Denise why "Eat More Pie" might be confused for a rude suggestion.
It seems every time we turn around, someone else is trying to screw us over.
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