Jiffy Lube scam - caught on tape

My car's not all that old, and that's pretty much all I have to do.

 

You have cars in Montana? I figured you for a Conestoga wagon and a team of oxen.

 

I'm advanced. Most folks still haven't upgraded to a wagon and oxen. They're still riding around on horses. Makes for an awful mess in the streets. I have to be careful or my heels get all icky.

 

No one has yet mentioned this gem from Leo when on the phone with management.

"Channel 4 is here now... They caught us on camera."

OOPS!

 

Go to your dealership instead for service. They already ripped you off when you bought the car.

 

More stuff here:

http://www.nbc4.tv/investigations/8881193/detail.html

 

You're right, but upsale techniques are considered good business. People who defend this kind of crap say "Well, it's just like when you go into a fast food place and ask if you'd like fries."
No it isn't. Nobldy implies that something bad could happen if you don't order fries.

 

I had a friend go to a Jiffy Lube outside Philadelphia, and they told her she needed to get her brake fluid changed - which she did, not knowing that to be 1,000,000 times false. I told her after the fact my 1962 Buick most likely has the same brake fluid that was put in there 44 years ago.

It must be a girl thing. From what has happened to my friends, they'll tell a woman she needs a new Johnson Rod, but will be tell a man, filter and oil, and your brake light is out. I used to go to Jiffy Lube too...no more.

The moral of the story is I wish you could change the oil on cars today yourself. $15 for five quarts of oil and new filter for that 44-year-old buick, plus a grease gun to the fittings, and you're good to go. It is nearly impossible to change the oil on my '99 Ford Ranger 4x4.

 

Him: "Your car needs a radiator flush."
Me: "My radiator was replaced a month ago."
Him: "Oh."

 

Knowledge with a Jiffy Lube is disarming.

One time, I couldn't get back to my regular mechanics (truly good, knowledgeable guys in neighboring state) and I was going 90 days without an oil/oil filter change. I don't drive an ultra-common vehicle, so I checked to make sure they had a proper oil filter.

Take it in. Watch out the window to see that stuff is done. Manager walks up to me with the vehicle's air filter. Tells me it's dirty (thanks, Captain Obvious ... any filter more than a hour-long trip old has dirt in it) and needs replacing. Then tells me he doesn't have one in stock. I said "so why do you have it out of my vehicle?"

Manager weakly smiles at that one. Pushes the fuel system flush sales crap, to which I answer "please tell me how that's any better than buying a bottle of fuel injection cleaner to put in with my next tank of gasoline?" No answer. I ask him to get his young guys not to use his airguns to tighten the lugnuts on my vehicle. (I don't care for being antagonistic, but if you're going to assume I'm stupid, the a_shole in me emerges in a hurry).

When I get it back, it has 2/10 of a quart too much oil (my manufacturer's TO is a lot more accurate than their computer) and all four tires had different pressure readings. Lucky for them they somehow got the filter on without screwing that up.

Suffice it to say, find a dependable mechanic (or if you have one, stick with him/her), pay a couple of bucks more and call it the smartest peace of mind one can buy.

 

They were surprisingly good about it. I didn't notice there was a problem originally until a few hours later. I took the car to another Jiffy Lube, they saw the problem and they called the district manager immediately. They arranged for a local car dealer to fix it. I was in touch with the DM constantly, and he told me to get/do whatever I needed to get/do.

They also paid for the rental car I needed while the repairs were being done, and the meals I ate. I made sure I didn't eat at McDonald's, but I didn't soak them for a night at the Ritz, either. All told, I think the total charges were about $1,500.

He handled all of it very professionally, but I made it clear from the beginning that I was extremely pissed and probably wouldn't patronize JL again. He didn't try to talk me out of it.