What's Wrong At Jiffy Lube?

 
Experiences 926 - 950
 

Possible Actions


  1. Add Your Experience.  We will likely add it to the following Personal Experiences of others. Show others that they are not alone.  This will also help us create a critical mass which can create appropriate changes.
     

  2. Determine whether remedies suggested by others are appropriate for your situation.  People like yourself have offered various remedies. 

    Check-out our newest addition -- Option 11. Go to Small Claims Court.  Jiffy Lube may not show up and you may get a default judgment...
     

  3. Tell others about this website.
     

  4. Send an email directly to Jiffy Lube. 
     

  5. Tell your legislators about Shell Oil.  If they neglect well documented problems here at Jiffy Lube, then how can they be trusted to do the right thing when they want to explore, transport and refine energy.  Shell may pay more attention if the stakes are higher...


Personal Experiences



[950] Robt in Randolph, MA  Employee Theft

When I saw the Randolph, Ma location listed Id thought Id add this little incident from last year: I like to visit this shop on a Sunday due to convenience but the day I came the employees (no manager on duty & no name tags visible) were telling the customers that the computers were broken & that they could give disocunted service with no receipts. Obviously, they were pocketing the money due to manager either being out sick or out on an errand. The sad thing was, most of the customers realized what was up but the slick talking street jive employees thought they were pulling it off. Pathetic, dont you think?

[949] Melissa  Employee

My husband has managed many Jiffy Lube stores over the years in two different states. I check this site off and on when I am bored. I see a lot of stories of people complaining that their vehicles broke down soon after having their oil changed. Yes some times people make mistakes we all do. More often than not though the car would have broken down anyway. Cars break down everyday. You know your car will not be perfect forever. If you get your oil changed every 3 months like it is recommended than if it breaks down it will most likely be after it had an oil change. Many times people do not take care of their cars though or get services done when it is recommended. They cause damage to their own cars. People get so busy that they forget to get an oil change until their car is not "acting right" and then are in shock and angry that their car breaks down. All places deal with these same issues. Jiffy Lube gets a bad name because it has so many stores. If you actually just do a search for one city you will not find that many complaints. When I come on here I look for complaints made about my husband's stores. There was 5 for the city he is in right now and the city has 9 stores. The last complaint was back in 2006 !!! These are years and years worth of stored up complaints about a countries worth of stores. Of course it looks like a lot.

Then comes the issue of employees and if you can trust the business. All stores are different. You can not just look at a video from a bad store and say they are all bad. It is a franchise and there are far more incredible stores than there are bad ones. People also think they are told to get services that are not needed. Many times they say a relative that has been a mechanic for years told them so. First off old mechanics do not know all the ins and outs of new cars and mechanics these days specialize in certain areas because cars are so much more complex these days. Many more say they are mechanics but they just work on their own cars. If people would read their own vehicle manuals they would see what is recommended for their vehicle and that is exactly what Jiffy Lube has right there on their computers. Would you never drive your car because you saw that one had a problem? Of course not, so why stop going to Jiffy Lubes because you saw there was a bad one. Why not check one out in your area first and see for yourself. 

Heartland Automotive has gotten a bad name on here also. That is the company my husband works for and he has never worked for a better company. People keep saying how they are just after money and they hire incompetent people because they do not pay enough. Every company is trying to make money but Heartland takes care of its employees. Heartland pays better than any job my husband has had before. The employees are constantly getting training to keep on top of all the new cars. Yes, Heartland is trying to make money and that is exactly why if there was such problems at all these stores they would get rid of the problems. Why would they want to keep paying to fix cars? If you really look at some of these postings some of the stories seem so bizarre, shocking, and do not make sense. This is usually because the person them self does not really know cars or what has happened to their car and it is easier to blame someone else. Especially if that someone else has money to pay for repairs if they can not. Some of the employee complaints sound a lot like people that got fired and just want to get even. What do you think happens to the employees that get fired by Jiffy Lube for causing some of the legitimate problems? Well apparently they come on here angry and try to get back at Jiffy Lube.

[948] Dwayne in Murfreesboro, TN  No Idea What To Expect

A new Jiffy Lube has just opened  on South Church St, Murfreesboro, TN just 3 miles from my home.  I was going to give them a try but after reading all the horror stories on the above web site I will be taking my business elsewhere.

It's a shame, the franchise owner has no idea what is in store for him/her.  None of my family or friends will be doing business there either.

[947] Nathan in Beaverton, OR  Incorrect Transmission Plug Loosen

On Saturday, January 19th I took my 1994 jeep wrangler in for an oil change, a tranny fluid change, and a rear differential fluid change.  After they were all buttoned up, they gave me the go ahead to get in the car, start ‘er up and leave.  I could not even get the car out of the bay, because the tranny was stuck in 4th or 5th gear!  The jeep has about 90k miles and the tranny was in perfect working order.  I even had a clutch repair tech comment on how smooth the tranny was about 5 months ago.  The onsite manager apologized immensely and assured me that they would address any problems that they caused.  I asked the manager where he suggested that I take the jeep to be inspected and he offered the Jeep dealership up the street.  So they shipped the jeep to the dealership Monday morning.  Monday afternoon the transmission tech at the dealership suggested that an incorrect plug was loosened causing a detent ball to drop and release the linkage for one of the gears; but in order to verify, they needed to get inside and examine (this news was received by one of the managers at jiffy lube very poorly and resulted in a loud and aggressive monologue with the staff at NW Jeep).  That is not what Jiffy Lube wanted to hear.  They told me that they were unwilling to pay the expense of examining the transmission, even though they feigned concern for my plight the night it happened apparently because I was stranded at their shop.  It appears that this was just to get me out of their hair, because they have baulked at any efforts to actually determine the cause.  Their conclusion is that I am stuck with a jeep I cannot drive at a place I cannot store it with a repair bill I cannot afford.  Plus I’ve got a rental car that I must use to get to work, and the bill is only stacking up!

I am not yet done fighting this situation as it only recently happened.

My primary complaint is that they did not produce any hard evidence that they were not at fault.  I believe the burden of proof lies with their case.  I brought in a perfectly functioning jeep and could not drive it ONE INCH after they changed the fluid.  It defies all logic that a manual transmission would stop working with no sign of failure.

Please do not take any of your vehicles to any Jiffy Lube no matter how close it is to your house.  You may have survived without incident, but if and when an incident does occur you WILL NOT be treated fairly.

[946] John in Augusta, GA  $20 Tire Rotation Too Much

I went to Jiffy Lube today in Augusta Ga. 30906. I was charged $20.00 for a tire rotation. My personal feeling is that's crap. I went back to complain and the manger offered $5 off the next oil change. So thats like paying $15 for a tire rotation? So we get into the mediocre range of tire rotation costs. Well lets talk about the oil change price $30. That is not competitive that is the high end of acceptable. I have in front of me a coupon at Tire Kingdom for tire rotation and oil change to include 6 quarts of oil for $10 not including the oil filter so figure another &10 for that.  $20 total for something costs me $50 at Jiffy lube. I can double tire kingdoms price and still come in under what I paid at Jiffy Lube. Tire kingdoms example can be found many other places I just using them to drive a point.

After taking the time to write this I am actually even more angry and am willing to continue to attempt making life hard on Jiffy Lube. Unless they do something to show genuine concern. Often times people hide behind a companies name and place blame on the company and say things like I am just the manger or just the sales person, etc. the upper managers off course never physically present, where real work occurs, hide literally. I am low on the income chain, thanks  for the nose bleed.

[945] Samantha in Greenville, NC  Misplaced Oil Cap

First I want to thank whomever for putting this website together and the opportunity to expose the egregious behavior!!

I took my car into Jiffy Lube in Greenville, NC for an oil change the day before Thanksgiving.  I'm a college student and headed out of town 2 hours later to go home for the holidays just to find my self on the side of the road with steam and radiator fluid spewing all over my engine.  It was now about 5 pm on Thanksgiving eve.  I went directly back to Jiffy Lube and expected them to fix it.  I filed a claim. They put a plastic resin on the crack in my radiator, and said it would "bond" and repair the damage to my radiator.  I was soooooo desparate to get home, that I accepted their feeble gesture to repair the damage.  But, of course, it did not work and I was stuck on the side of the road again - about 10 miles down the road.  I abandoned the car and was fortunately able to get hom by about 10:30 Wed. night.

After my brohter inspected the car, it is obvious that the mechanic at Jiffy Lube did not put the oil cap back on and left it sitting atop my radiator which then was damaged by the oil cap sitting on the radiator when the hood was closed.  The demarcations on the radiator, the oil cap and the underside hood of the car are in a perfect straight line. 

After the holidays, I followed up to the claim and was told that I could've caused the damage, even though their mechanic had just checked the approved the levels of coolant and all fluids in my car and the fact that I had driven 2 miles in late November just prior to their inspection and services of my car.  I was also told that since I don't have a videotape of Jiffy Lube's mechanic forgetting to put the oil cap back on, which is the reason for my radiator getting cracked - my claim is being denied.

The only course of action for me to take is to file in small claims court, which I am doing as this is being written which is how I found out about this website and want others to beware of JIFFYLUBE!!!!!

[944] Adam in Hadley, MA  Loose Oil Filter

The Jiffy lube in Hadley, MA didn't put on my oil filter on tight and a few miles down the street I had smoke pouring out of the back of my car and oil covering my motor!   I broght it to a REAL auto shop after and thankfully there was no damage.  I will never EVER go there as long as I live and I will tell everyone I know about it too.

[943] Josh in Wilsonville, OR  Wrong Air Filter

I had an air filter replaced in my 88 toyota pickup truck almost a year ago (yes it was actually time) by the jiffy lube in Wilsonville.  Recently I was working on my truck and noticed a clasp wasn't closed on the air filter case.  I tried to flose it only to realize that the air filter wasn't seated properly and a small edge was sticking out.  When I took the case apart I found they had not improperly seated, but put the entirely wrong air filter in.  It wasn't just a case of the wrong size either.  The brillant employee tried to put a parallelagram shaped air filter into a rectanular case.

[942] ILL in Long Island City, NY  Idiots

So I went to store 549 for an oil change and not only were workers anthony and jean were extremely rude. When I asked them to vacuum my car they told me to ".... off." And those idiots put in the wrong oil... what am I paying 35.99 plus tax for??? and these idiots want a tip????

[941] Mark in Parkville, MD  Theft

On Sunday January 13, 2008, I had my oil changed at the Jiffy Lube store at 2105 E Joppa Road, Parkville, MD.  I was the last customer for the day and I paid $66.81 for a synthetic oil change.   On Tuesday, January 15, when the sun came out I reached for my Oakley sunglasses which were in a case.  The sunglasses were not there.  The case was empty.

There has been no one in my vehicle since Sunday evening.  When I left the store the sun was down and it was nearly dark.  It rained all day on Monday.  When the sun finally appeared on Tuesday, I discovered the theft.  Do you think Jiffy Lube cares?  How do I prove something I know happened but do not have actual photographic evidence?

I, like so many others will never return to Jiffy Lube and of course I will tell others of my plight.  The negative advertising will not replace my sunglasses, nor will it calm my ire, but waht can I really do?

[940] PD in Portland, OR  Bait & Switch

I recently brought my car in for an oil change in Portland, OR. It was about 30K miles and the young man working on car stated that they could indeed do my 30K check up, as opposed to bringing it to the dealer. The price was right and so two weeks later I brought it in to have the work done. I was quoted the price of $69.00 according to Jiffy Lube for the identical work that the dealer was going to charge about $450.00. I was surprised and so I asked again if indeed it covered everything that needed to be done according to the warranty check list-the price seemed too good! And I am told that yes it is all done, the dealers just charge way much more for this and that. I had the work done, but I still felt the whole thing seemed dubious. I paid, left, and went home. At home I began to scrutinize my bill. What I was charged for was a radiator flush-that was the only work done!!! I checked the 30k check list and it mentions spark plugs being replaced, other electrical items inspected, belts tightened and checked and various other items not even addressed. I called another Jiffy Lube to find out if they would do for a 30k check up, and he mentions that yes indeed they do. I ask if it includes everything from the list. Yes, he states. I then start asking about the specifics that were not done. He then seems to remember that they do not do everything after all and I would have to go to various places to have these other issues attended to.So it seems that all though they do the 30k check up, they really don't, but will absolutely lead you to believe that it is done to warranty satisfaction. I have since found out that my warranty can indeed be voided by not having all the required elements inspected, as I was lead to believe was being performed on my vehicle by Jiffy Lube.In short, I feel I was outright lied to by a representative of Jiffy Lube and now as I see these other anecdotes, this seems to be normal operating procedure for them.

[939] Sandra Against the Law

Jiffy Lube 3198,Virgin Futures inc.22781 three notch rd.,calif.md. I have been to this jiffy lube twice ,but never again when you pay with a charge ,their machine prints out your complete  charge #,it is not right to do this only the last 4 numbers should print , Iam very upset with this happening,I have been a victim of idenity theft and this action does not set well you need to change this matter ,from what I understand other customers have complained. I did not even get a call from the manger who was not there  Joe Greenwell, would like to know if you are going to correct this ,if not I will make a  complaint to the right place. This is against the law,passed last year. Date of last service 01 07 o8

[938] SMN in Santa Monica, CA  Refused to Honor Written Quote

I feel I would be doing your company a great disservice by not writing this letter to you.  Saturday afternoon, I brought my car to a Santa Monica location for an oil change.  The young man explained that my particular make and model requires synthetic oil and this service would cost $74.00.  He handed my a document with that price on it, I handed him my keys and I was on my way.

When I returned, another man asks for $103.00.  I explain to him that there must be a mistake and I show him the document.  He says that the person made a mistake and it would cost $103.00.  I told him this was unacceptable.  After 10 minutes of attempted reasoning, he offered $10.00 off.  I refused and asked for the manager.

Now 20 minutes into the checkout process, a man who identified himself as Isaiah, the manager emerged.  I calmly explained that a mistake had been made and asked him to honor the quote.

Very rudely and unprofessionally he says “Sorry dude, it needed 8 quarts, so I need $103.00”.  Again I refuse,  explaining I have a written quote.  After another 15 minutes of  him more or less holding my car for ransom, I insist that he call his supervisor.  He at first says “I don’t have his number dude” He then says “Listen dude, and this is a one time offer,  I’ll give you 6 dollars off… take it or leave it”.   Again, I refuse, stating the kid before him offered 10 dollars off.  Isaiah says “You should’ve taken it dude, tough luck.

Now I’m outraged and so is the woman friend who gave me a ride. .  I then assertively say “I will not pay one cent more than I was quoted and will wait as long as necessary”.  He then shouts across the garage in front of the staff and another customer “I guess that should say something about your career”.

Now, beyond furious,  I say, “If you don’t call your supervisor immediately or give me my car keys, I’m calling the police”. I ask if we are in L.A. or Santa Monica.  He answers “I can’t remember dude”, and walks away It’s been 45 minutes of ugliness and I then call the Santa Monica Police to settle the matter.  FINALLY he calls his supervisor who apparently gives him authorization to honor my quote.

One would think at this point that this incredibly unpleasant matter would be over.

He gives me the agreed upon price and asks me to swipe my card.  I swipe it and notice the credit card machine says “Transaction cancelled”, not “Declined”, so he says “Do you have another card? This one is declined.  I try the card 2 more times.  This time noticing that his hand is on the mouse and is intentionally canceling the transaction.

It took nearly an hour of raising my voice and getting upset to pick up my car.  This is inviolably,  the single worst experience I have ever had at retail.  This is also the worst possible ambassador a brand could ever have.

[937] Samuel  They Really are Thieves

t's a scam shop.  They charge for a premium oil without asking if you want it.  And after quoting me $10 for a windshield wiper, they charged $12.  Furthermore, they wouldn't give a breakdown of bill until ones card is run through the machine.  They really are thieves

[936] Rob in Bellevue, TN  Refused to Clean Up Environmental Spill

On January 9, 2008 I went into a JL facility in Bellevue, Tennessee (west of Nashville) for a simple oil change. All went well as I watched them closely and brought the exact amount of my own oil. I drove the truck home and parked it. The following day I did not drive it and on the morning of the the third day my wife noticed a huge puddle of oil underneath the truck on to our newly paved exposed aggregate driveway. Simple answer...oil drain plug not tightened. Manager apologized and took responsibility, but would not arrange a clean-up with a third party equipped to deal with a big spill. Got a call from “Customer service” at corporate...offered to pay $150.00 for the clean up, but no more than that. Have contracted with ServPro to clean it up and dispose of the oil and cleaning solutions properly, since the spill is only about 30 feet from a protected stream feeding a scenic river that is also under Federal protection. Will do the clean-up properly and submit bill and photos and statement from ServPro...if they don’t reimburse me in full, I’ll haul ‘em into small claims court. Making a mistake happens...but these folks won’t step up to the problem and solve it. I won’t be back in any event.

[935] Jaye in Portland, OR  Would Not Fix Bolt They Broke

I took my car to Jiffy Lube in Portland Oregon on Division Street and the car was running great, just thought it time for oil change.  While waiting for the job to be completed, they came out and said they had broken the bolt to hold the Pan and I would have to have the car towed from the facility to my repair shop...I DROVE IT IN AND HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED OUT....$430.00 LATER PLUS TOWING EXPENSE  I HAD LEARNED A BIG LESSON!   Corporate would not speak to me, I found many simular or more severe complaints on Jiffy Lubes website and no support when I filed with BBB.  They stated they had many complaints against Jiffy Lube and had not been sucessful in settling them!  The Manager of the shop wrote out a statement that THEY had acidently broke the bolt....but Corperate ignored it.... JIFFY LUBE IS BAD NEWS!  BEWARE!!!  

[934] Joni in Olathe, KS  Paid for Their Mistake

Okay so normally I take my car to Walmart to have the oil changed.  Well, because they were too busy and I wanted to get it done before the holiday season, I called Jiffy Lube.. Surprise they got me right in, and got it done in less than 20 minutes.  Well 3 weeks later, my oil light came on.  I stopped and checked the oil, and it looked fine.  The next day the light came on again.  Mind you I have NEVER had a problem with this before.  I have NEVER had a leak, NEVER had my oil light come on nothing.  So... I get home and my husband checks it, I have NO OIL ON MY DIPSTICK!!!  How does that happen I think.  I call Jiffy Lube and he says oh just come back we'll check it and top it off.  My husband says that the guy tells him "Oh we sucked out 4 quarts and refilled it.  BUT how is that possible if there was NO OIL AGAIN ON THE DIPSTICK.  So now they tell us they have filled it, and my husband made sure this time, that the oil was full.  I paid $25.00 for this, which is $10 more than I would have paid at Walmart, and almost blew up my engine.  I'm not very happy and I doubt I will be returning to them.

[933] Susan  Put in Wrong Oil

Jiffy put the wrong motor oil in my truck 2 times.  It was supposed to be w20 not w30.  I didn't pick up on this until the first time unfortunately.  I have a 2007 Ford Expedition

[932] Vinesh  Question the Integrity of All Work Done

I have gotten so much work done at Jiffy Lube – and after watching the video now, I question the integrity of every work I ever paid for. What is Jiffy Lube going to do regarding this? This is unbelievable!

[931] Dimitri  Promotion or Scam?

Sandy  Jiffy Lube "Buy One Get One Free"  Promotion Or Scam????  You get a coupon that expires before you need an oil change??  The store said they can do nothing for me and gave me the local rep's number.  After 2 messages and no return call I called Texas and was told "I hate to be the one to tell you this but I can't help you."  This is bad business. 

I think I'll think twice where I want to take my 2 cars and 5 trucks for their next oil change.

[930] Victim in San Jose, CA  IPOD Theft

I wanted to add my experience with the Jiffy Lube on Camden Ave in San Jose, California. On January 3,2008 at about 2 PM my husband took his Nissan XTERRA truck to Jiffy Lube for an oil change and they also vacuumed the inside of the car. My husband had just dropped my 9 year old son off at his sports practice. My son had gotten an IPOD nano for Christmas with money he had gotten from several family members because they all knew he wanted one so badly. I have never seen him so excited. When my husband dropped off my son, he asked him to leave the IPOD in the back seat pocket of the truck. It was not visible to anyone, you would have to be inside the truck and reach into the pocket which is deep. Whoever worked on and or vacuumed  my husband's truck at Jiffy Lube "lost" the IPOD (I am being very gracious in my wording here) because right after the oil change when I went and picked up my son, he looked for the IPOD and it was gone. It disappeared at Jiffy Lube, of that I am positive. I have been to see the manager 3 times and have gotten no results. I even went into the garage to talk to these guys and let them know that they "misplaced" an IPOD that belonged to a 9 year old who was heart broken and we couldn't afford another one. They didn't seem real sympathetic and I believe they knew what happened to it. I am now going to file a police report. Whatever happened, it seems really stupid, since a customer would notice an IPOD missing very quickly and it was easy to track down where it disappeared and the employee numbers of who worked on the car is on the invoice along with date and time etc....... DO NOT GO TO THE JIFFY LUBE AT 3606 CAMDEN AVE IN SAN JOSE CALIFORNIA-----you might end up missing something out of your car!!!!

[929] Employee  Bad Things @ Heartland Automotive

Not everything that happens at jiffy lube is bad. Yes, alot of ... things happens. But that goes with anywhere you shop. A majority of the bad things that happen are from a franchise called Heartland Automotive. There, being a former assistant manager, I have seen the worst of the worst. I almost called the better business bureau on my one boss because I personally witnessed him selling services and not performing them.

I want all of you who are reading this to also know one thing, Jiffy Lube is on the verge of eliminating that franchise because of all of the bad things that they have done to give the company as a whole a bad name. We are actually changing the colors slightly and have changed the logo a bit. Kind of like how AT&T got such a bad reputation so they changed to cingular. Now they are back to AT&T.... because they are starting to become respected again. Its sad how a few bad eggs can make the whole compnay look bad. But trust me not all stores are bad.

I am 23 and general manager of a store. Yes I have made mistakes. With my mistakes, I do what I can to correct them and get the customer on the road again we the desire to return. Shit is going to happen. What shows if it is worth returning is how the problem is handled if there is one. I know that each and every one of you have made a mistake at your job and and have burnt a bridge in the past. Unfortunately for us, some stores have burnt too many bridges to the point where is affecting all of the rest of the stores. 

I guess the point of the little novel I am writing is that problems happen anywhere, and I am sorry that something bad had to happen to all of you. You are all being problem identifiers. Problem identifiers are a dime a dozen. If each and every one of you were problem solvers, This web site would not be here. Im sorry that you have to find something to complain about to get through another day. I am doing my best to be a problem solver. Since I have taken over my store, my car counts have increased on a monthly basis of roughly 14% over the previous years numbers. If you have questions or would like to argue with me, please do. I know the company well. I know the why we things the way we do from the selling to the procedures to the pricings.  I have worked with the worst now, I am a proud member of the management team for the franchise Virginia Lube.

Sorry I was really scatter brained while writing this. Too many lube jobs today

[928] Joseph in Houston, TX  Stripped Drain Plug

I have had two bad experiences with the Jiffy Lube store on Availed Rd, Houston TX. In the last 60 days.

1. My Wife's Ford Wind-Star "Mysteriously developed" a stripped out drain plug.  I had it repaired for $ out of my pocket.

2. My Ford P/U truck strangely developed the same problem. Drain plug Spinning freely in the housing.  On each instance the Jiffy Lube Manager stated that the problem was caused by Wal-Mart technicians.

Gentlmen, what is wrong with this picture?  Confession: I and My wife do from time to time have the oil changed at WalMart. But the receipts and dates corrispond with JIFFY LUBE.  Your manager states the painted color code does not corrispond with Jiffy Lube; But I see two different colors of paint on the drain plug.   MY RECEIPTS COLOR ARE FOR JIFFY LUBE.

What can be done about this issue???:

If I had not gotten my oil checked for a change, I would have run dry on oil and then my motor would burn up ------------ replacement.

[927] Toby in Tukwila, WA  Forgot To Replace Oil

I had the oil changed in my Mercury Mountaineer at the Tukwila, Wa Jiffylube. The only problem is they forgot to put oil back in the vehicle after they drained it. I was at work the next day when my wife called me from the side of the road with the engine light on. My dad discovered the engine had no oil in it but, it did not freeze. He filled it and I went back to Jiffy Lube. They denied that it even could have happened because of their rigorous checks and offered no remedy. I'm just happy the engine was not damaged from what I can tell.

[926] David in Mt. Penn, PA  Chasing Customers Away

I am writing this letter to inform you of the terrible treatment I received Friday evening, January 4, 2008 at your Jiffy Lube store #2936 located at 4760 Perkiomen Ave. in Mt. Penn, PA.  Let me start off by making it clear that I am Fleet Manager for my company’s vehicles, and have used Jiffy Lube many times in the past.  Although I know that they will always try to “up-sell” the job, as a busy manager, I appreciate the fact that I can get the vehicles in and out quickly.

My young daughter received a gift certificate from Jiffy Lube for Christmas.  She took her vehicle to the above location and asked for the $31.99 oil change.  As is Jiffy Lube’s standard, they brought her into the bay and told her she needed a new air filter and needed high mileage oil.  At no time did they tell her that by putting in the high mileage oil, it would bump her up to the $49.99 category. She was not told or was aware that she would be paying $18.00 more for this oil ($4.50 more per quart!).   She came to our home very distressed.  As a young girl starting out on her own, that $18.00 difference is a big deal.

My wife and I were going out that night, so I said I would stop and talk to the manager on duty about this extra charge.  I asked to see the manger and was told that the person on duty was a manager.  I explained to him that my daughter was charged for high mileage oil, but was never told at the onset of the additional cost.

What followed is almost a text book case of how to chase customers away from your business.  I have sixteen years in the customer service business, so I feel I speak with some bit of expertise.

The manager on duty denied that not informing her of the additional costs could never have happened (I have had that same thing happen to me numerous time on my own Jiffy Lube experiences with our company vehicles. If you don’t ask how much, they don’t tell).  He proceeded to bring in an employee, who had no knowledge of what was “sold” to the customer.  He then had the audacity to tell me to have my daughter bring her car back in.  They would remove all the oil they just put in, fill the car back up with dirty old motor oil, find an old air filter from the trash, stick it back in the car and give my daughter her money back.  Needless to say, I was shocked at that suggestion.

After refusing to refund the $18.00 difference back to my daughter’s credit card, he told me he needed to fill out a customer complaint form and we would receive a refund from Jiffy’s Lube’s corporate office.  He then spent about 10 minutes in the small office filling out this form and having a cell phone conversation with who I assume was the manager, during which time he was telling this person what a jerk this customer was (my paraphrase).  When I asked to see a copy of what was being sent, he let me start to read it, but then jerked it out of my hand and said “I have had enough of this, I’m done.”  When I asked to have a copy of it or something for a paper trail that I had registered a complaint and requested a refund, he said he had nothing to give me.

I then explained to him that I had a long standing relationship with Jiffy Lube and spent a long time in the Customer Service part of business.  I explained that you never argue with a customer, never get in a customer’s face, and never try to make the customer feel like an idiot.  I had just experienced all three of these situations.  At that point, this Jiffy Lube employee, whose job it is to have satisfied customers who want to come back and spend more money at Jiffy lube, told me to get out of the store or he was going to call the police because I was harassing him.

As a side note, we stopped at a restaurant for dinner later on that evening.  We had a small problem with our bill. We were charged incorrectly twice for two items. The young waitress was so nice and professional the way she handled the problem, and in fact the manager removed the items from our bill because they had screwed it up so bad.   I just had to compliment the waitress on how she handled it.  I then shared with her our pervious customer service nightmare we had just had at Jiffy Lube, and she said, “I know.  I had the some problem at that store.  I went in for a $31.99 oil change and came out with a $114.00 bill.  I had no idea what I was getting or how much it was going to cost.  I will never go back there again.”  I think it is interesting that she was also a young girl, like my daughter, unfamiliar with the workings of a car and what they need when being serviced.  Someone easy to “up-sell”.

We have no wish for any ill harm to come to the employee involved.  I am sure it was at the end of a long day for him, and a complaining customer was the last thing he needed to deal with, but I do think that Jiffy Lube needs to strengthen their training of employees, or at least this store, on how to handle customer complaints.  Had this situation been handled differently, it would have resulted in a loyal Jiffy Lube customer.  I am sure it is not Jiffy Lube’s company policy to argue with a customer, bring back cars and have old dirty oil and old parts put back in, or to threaten to have a customer removed by police.

I think the old business proverb applies here:  “Get good service, you will tell a few but get bad service and you will tell everyone.”   Jiffy Lube #2936 has lost this family’s business.

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