Need help?

[Sippi]

Need help dealing with a meineke service center.


Took my 01 eclipse in to get it looked at. Last Tuesday the car just shut off on me in the middle of traffic. I had a friend take his car there and said they were good and took care of him. Well I had the car towed to the shop on Gulf to bay and they told me it was my distributor that I was getting any spark. So i told them to get me a price on it and they tell me 250 for a used one but i was trying to pull one of a junker eclipse. I told them to wait until they heard from and I'd let them know on what I was doing this was friday of the same week that the car broke down. I go down there Saturday to talk it over and make a decision. I get down there and realize they have done all the work without my permission and now have a charged me 700 dollars for all the work. I posted a pic of the receipt for the work. This seemed way to much to pay for a distributor and they said they had done the work and that I had to pay to get my car back. I knew i was getting screwed but the car was supposedly fixed and if I paid i could be one my way. So i waited until i got my paycheck this week paid them and went to drive home. I drive a block down the street and the car stalls. Every time I lift of the accelerator the car dies. Its starts right back up every time no problem. I take it back to them and he tells me bring back 2 maro and we'll look at it. Im worried if I take it back whats to keep them from fixing what they didn't and saying something else is broken and charging me to fix that? I have considered taking legal action but not sure if I have enough to go on here?


Questions:

Was I screwed over with the price?
How do i keep them from screwing me over again?
Can I take it to another mechanic have them document the work and see if they did what I paid them for and then sue their ass?

[Thaking]

You got your tender ass plowed by them with no lube. I'm not a mechanic and I know simple stuff to do but that seems way too over priced.

[Zman]

there are 3 part forms, one goes to the cust when you drop off the car, then when they call you to do the work and you give permission they have to get some info that they didnt have before to verify that you talked to them over the phone. Use to be we asked for the SS number years ago or the DL number. Something to cover the shops ass that we talked to you on the phone and added personal info on the invoice thats not on yours. Now I believe the dept of agriculture handles the complaints. yep for real. I would also call meineke corp office and explain it to them also what happened. Call dept of agriculture also and they can help and give you an idea what was supposed to be done. read up on it online

[CoRDiTe]

I am kinda loss. How did this turn out to be $700 dollars worth???

[Nycist]

Holy shit you've been molested. Sounds like an average price for a dizzy, but how do you end up with a $700 bill? From the invoice posted you didn't get charged that much.

[Thaking]

^ What do you mean? Its $630 plus $40 for tax its pretty close to $700.

[The Hedgehog]

They literally raped you without lube.

I'll put money it was actually the Alternator....

[Kabron]

Holy shit you've been molested. Sounds like an average price for a dizzy, but how do you end up with a $700 bill? From the invoice posted you didn't get charged that much.

I thought the same a first. If you look closely at the labor, it is charged for 3X hours, so that make up the difference you overlooked.

[Nycist]

^ What do you mean? Its $630 plus $40 for tax its pretty close to $700.

Sorry, I couldn't make it out clearly on my Iphone.

[nocomply540]

Next time get a Haynes manual and do it yourself!

[Noah2JZ]

This is why your suppose to sign a receipt when you drop the car off. at the bottom of this receipt there is a section where you sign that says total charges should not exceed $_____________. and your suppose to put in the amount and sign it. I never leave my car anywhere unless I see this paper. Good luck

[CoRDiTe]

This is why your suppose to sign a receipt when you drop the car off. at the bottom of this receipt there is a section where you sign that says total charges should not exceed $_____________. and your suppose to put in the amount and sign it. I never leave my car anywhere unless I see this paper. Good luck

I never considered this... Thanks for this. +1

[ibidu1]

I have learned theres two kinds of mechanics in the automotive industry.

1: The parts slappers: They never take the time to actually diagnose and test for the problems. Dealers are notorious for this! These are the guys usually bragging about working for some new car dealership for twenty some years.

2: The REAL Mechanics: They do not brag about working at some, they work for peanuts. They have a lot of cars, because they move a lot of cars. Their reputation, is their pride! These are the ones to look for

[Sippi]

So I called Meineke Inc. or whatever company owns them. I talked to customer service she said that if I would take the car back they would fix the car if its their mistake and if it turns out to be another problem they would notify me and I would have the option to get a second opinion. My father has told me I could also take it to his mechanic and let him to a diagnostic check on it and see if they actually did what they say they did and if they didn't we would file a civil suit.

I'm not sure if it will be worth the civil suit and how much trouble it will be. Also i don't trust them to be honest about the repairs. They could easily just fix what they didn't and then bill me for some other shit or say something else is broke. I'm really at a loss here guys. This shit fucking sux.

Oh and I signed the document that said visual inspection only and contact customer before proceeding but didn't see a dollar amount line like your suggesting.

[CoRDiTe]

I have learned theres two kinds of mechanics in the automotive industry.

1: The parts slappers: They never take the time to actually diagnose and test for the problems. Dealers are notorious for this! These are the guys usually bragging about working for some new car dealership for twenty some years.

2: The REAL Mechanics: They do not brag about working at some, they work for peanuts. They have a lot of cars, because they move a lot of cars. Their reputation, is their pride! These are the ones to look for

I take one of my cars to the dealership and never ever had a problem with them. They always diagnosed the car and told me exactly what was wrong or what it needed. They even hand me a print out. My choice to get fixed or what not. This is done at Bill Currie Ford too. Always been treated right there. Gator ford in Seffner area has always treated me right too.