I thought every self-respecting BITOG member changed their own oil?
Jiffy Lube--Stiffing Customers
- Thread starter msparks
- Start date
- Status
True story. When I was a teenager I worked at a Jiffy lube for 2 weeks and quit. My dad brought me up with integrity and good auto maintenance skills. My first week I was the "upper bay tech" where I vacuumed the interior, checked tire pressure and added the oil. The second week I was moved to the "lower bay tech" job where I actually drained the oil, changed the filter and grease job etc. One day the manager came to me and said that if I see a Jiffy Lube oil filter on a car that there was a bottle of windex I could use to wipe the filter down to look like new. In other words - don't change the filter! I looked him in the eye, said a few choice words and quit on the spot. This was more than 20 years ago so JL sucked then and still do today.
[censored]! They had the nerve to rip off a "normal looking white guy?" Imagine what they're doing to women and minorities!
I had some extra time tonight so I spent the better part of an hour reading every post in this thread. About a 1 1/2 years ago I sold a '96 Toyota Avalon with 195K. I did my own oil changes from the start, nothing but dino. The first time I took it to the dealer was for the major maintenance service at 60K(timing belt, transmission, cooling system, etc.). Every service after that(90K,120K,150K)they checked the brake pads and each time reported lots of life left. Believe it or not, the last time was at 150K and I still had 40%+ left. The point is that not all dealers are crooks. I bought the replacement Avalon from this dealer and told him why I came back. I also told the friend that bought the '96 about the brakes so he could keep an eye on them.
I became a DYI'er many years ago, after having dealt with several different mechanics and dealerships and having them at one time or another try to rip me off. An educated customer is dealerships worst nightmare.
Several years ago I had taken one of my vans in for warranty work and wanted to take advantage of an $8 tire rotation. I picked the van up at night, and the next morning I noticed the tires weren't rotated, (I had marked them). Giving the dealer the benefit of the doubt I called and asked if the tires were rotated. The natural response was yes, I said are you sure? "Yes the mechanic is right here, I asked him". "I said that's funny I marked the tires and they weren't rotated". The reply was, " s*.*t he marked his tires". They told me bring it in and they'll rotate them. I said give me my $8 back, and that was the last time they saw me.
Several years later I went to work selling cars. I changed dealerships 5 times in less than 4 years. Having management invent ways to take commissions back from me was making me sick. Funny how they treated the top salesman. The shops were no better ripping people off. I had some good times, but didn't want to participate in ripping people off, it was encouraged. After working in 5 different stores I got tired of trying to find someone honest to work for, and went back to the business I left. I'm sure there's a good dealership somewhere, I just didn't want to spend half a lifetime trying to find them.
On a positive note I found a mechanic I can trust and he will be seeing me for projects I'd rather not tackle. Local independent that appreciates his customers, he's worth his weight in gold!
Frank D
Several years ago I had taken one of my vans in for warranty work and wanted to take advantage of an $8 tire rotation. I picked the van up at night, and the next morning I noticed the tires weren't rotated, (I had marked them). Giving the dealer the benefit of the doubt I called and asked if the tires were rotated. The natural response was yes, I said are you sure? "Yes the mechanic is right here, I asked him". "I said that's funny I marked the tires and they weren't rotated". The reply was, " s*.*t he marked his tires". They told me bring it in and they'll rotate them. I said give me my $8 back, and that was the last time they saw me.
Several years later I went to work selling cars. I changed dealerships 5 times in less than 4 years. Having management invent ways to take commissions back from me was making me sick. Funny how they treated the top salesman. The shops were no better ripping people off. I had some good times, but didn't want to participate in ripping people off, it was encouraged. After working in 5 different stores I got tired of trying to find someone honest to work for, and went back to the business I left. I'm sure there's a good dealership somewhere, I just didn't want to spend half a lifetime trying to find them.
On a positive note I found a mechanic I can trust and he will be seeing me for projects I'd rather not tackle. Local independent that appreciates his customers, he's worth his weight in gold!
Frank D
Last edited:
- Status
Similar threads
