Take a look at my review history and you will see that I have NEVER written a negative review and usually only use yelp to highlight businesses I love. Unfortunately, I've had an experience at Advance that has forced me to break my years long streak. The experience was so weird and random, I honestly feel like I'm being pranked or something.
TL:DR They don't call until 15 minutes before closing. I rush over to get my car. Manager freaks out and yells at me, compares me to his mother, nuns, and other "annoying women." Turns out, I even made it on time.
I dropped my car off for an oil change. They said they'd call me when it was done. I waited around. At about 4:45pm, I was called and told that my car was ready, but that they close at 5pm, so I'd better be there in 15 minutes. I told them I would leave work now but I couldn't promise I'd be there in 15 minutes, maybe 20. They offered to leave my car unlocked with the keys inside. I said I wasn't comfortable with that. They said they'd called three hours ago and left a message. I said I had no record of a missed call. This whole conversation was happening through one guy while the manager told him what to say, so I asked to talk to the manager directly.
He basically started yelling at me, refusing to accept that he'd perhaps not called me or misdialed and implying that it was my fault I didn't get the call, telling me that I was depriving him of time spent with his twins, telling me I was treating him like he was "retarded," comparing me to his mother/teachers/nuns, telling me that was a rude, sarcastic, "annoying woman." All the while, I kept saying, well, "I'm on my way now!" To which the manager replied, "Well I hope you get here by 5pm otherwise you'll just have to wait until the morning" and then, "I'll wait but only so I never have to see you again which would be an early Christmas present to myself." I was literally running down the street as he yelled at me on my phone. I am not kidding.
As it turns out, I got there at 4:57pm. There was another customer there, and as soon as the customer left, he laid into me again. I couldn't believe it! He said he never wanted to talk to me again and yelled at me to leave the store. I was honestly too shocked and too unaccustomed to fighting with strangers over literally nothing that I didn't even know what to say. I started laughing because it was so bizarre.
I am still reeling from this interaction. I have worked in service industries and come from a small business family, and I honestly don't understand how I triggered his anger so intensely. It was really disturbing because he'd been so friendly when I'd come in before, both this time, and when I'd previously gotten $300 worth of repairs! It was like the spirit of some maniac had taken over his body.
I could understand it if I'd actually been rude, but I really hadn't been. I was frustrated that I'd been given so little notice, but basically I was just begging for them to stay open 5 more minutes so I could get my car-- though it turned out I didn't even need that time. I even asked him to point to what I've said or done and he said that it was my "tone" and that was that. I honestly feel like he and I were not experiencing the same reality.
The manager has made it more than clear that he doesn't want my business. If you are a customer who wants to be treated courteously, not have your time disrespected, or if there's the slight chance you might accidentally trigger with your "tone" his issues with his mother or nuns or whatever... he may not want your business either. read more