Pep Boys Sucks
Creepy as hell
Bunky and I were excited to go shopping with Kiwi this weekend, but as soon as we started up the car, we started hearing this squealing noise, mixed in with a scraping metal sound. Obviously this is no good, so we turned right back around and then I took the car to Pep Boys for repair. Now I should mention that I really hate Pep Boys. The workers act like they can't see you, they never call you back, they always try to rip you off, and everyone in the store is generally rude. However, it's close enough for me to walk to, so I keep going back for more.
I dropped the car off around 3:00 PM, expecting I'd get it back that night. The PB employee said right away it sounded like the brakes were at fault, and wanted to convince me I'd probably need the more expensive ceramic brake pads. This kind of subtle scam is pretty typical, and I was glad that the problem didn't sound more serious. I was told the car would definitely be finished early that evening. Of course, I never got a call, and when I called to check on the car I was told some of the cars ahead of me turned out to be real "nightmares" and so my car was only half done. I was a little annoyed, but I figured I'd get it early on Sunday. On the plus side, my brake pads were only 1/3 worn out, so all I needed was a slide change (cleaning out the dust and lubricating everything). I also asked for an oil change.
When I called on Sunday, no one picked up the phone until 30 minutes after the store was supposed to open; apparently there had been crazy black ice, and all the employees had had trouble getting into work that day. Still, I was assured that the car would be ready by noon. Naturally, noon rolled by and when I called later that afternoon I found out my mechanic had totaled his own car on the way to work (due to the black ice). Since there is no sense of teamwork at Pep Boys, no one picked up his jobs and so my car sat there all day. When I complained about this to a manager, I was told it would be done first thing tomorrow (Monday! Argggghhhh!) and I'd get 50% off the brake service ($45 off).
Although I was pleased about the discount, I was still wary. The car was indeed ready that morning, but because the price reduction counted as a coupon, I couldn't use any of the coupons I had with me. Also, I noticed that the price seemed a little high. On my way out the door, I went through the many small line items on the receipt and found out why: I had been charged a $40 towing fee, even though I had driven the car to Pep Boys myself. WTF?!?! I marched right back in there and pointed it out, and the manager just handed me $40 in cash from the register so he wouldn't have to go through the effort of crediting my card. His way of explaining the erroneous charge was, "Haha, sometimes those SKUs just get on there!" WTF?!?!?!?!?! So it took 3 days just to get my brakes cleaned and my oil changed, and if I hadn't gone through the receipt thoroughly, Pep Boys would have charged me for services I never even received.
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December 14th, 2009 - 19:44
Wow, that “towing fee” sounds quite sketchy. Good thing you caught it!
December 14th, 2009 - 21:52
Ugh, what scammers!! Yes, I always stay away from Pep Boys. It’s taken something that should be customized (car care) and commoditized it. With predictably disastrous results.
December 28th, 2009 - 14:10
I agree Pep Boys is the worst car place in the history of car places. Don’t ever buy anything from there with a warranty.. They will never honor it.
January 30th, 2010 - 09:13
I am a former P-B store manager, service advisers are paid a percentage of all tickets. I have seen service managers make there people push to sell parts and service that are not necessary.