Two weeks ago, my car battery kept dying and I popped in to see if they could test the battery…read morecells for me. The front desk guy Mike told me no, says some bs that they don't have the equipment to do that.
Bro I've had AAA tow trucks pop up on the side of the ROAD w/that little device and read my battery strength. Showed me the number too. So this is an insane thing to claim flatly that they can't do it, and expecting me to believe that it isn't a pretty big fail on their end if they can't do a simple current read with a 50 dollar device.
Whatever. I move on.
I ask him if he can test the draw from my newly installed soundsystem, to see if maybe that's the issue. He says no, and tells me to basically go to another store to get it figured out. I actually have to go into the parking lot to call an audio system store, to get the answers I need.
I have some choice words with him bc I feel like he isn't trying in the slightest to earn my business. On the contrary I feel like he's telling me to go somewhere else. I apologize, and I buy a new battery cuz just like, fuck it. I prolly need one no matter what.
When the job is done, I meet Michael (whom I think was the owner). Hewalks me around my car, is super helpful, polite, teaches me things I didn't know and tells me about some error codes that should be addressed. Shows me a bubble on my tire, we agree to take care of it next month.
Well a week later I'm back in there, bc a whole bunch of fault codes keep being tripped but I know those corresponding elements (like power steering error, etc) are working. So it's probably a sensor or wire issue bc I just rewired my car audio the previous month, and it had a faulty ground that blew some fuses.
Mike (the owner) is there when I show up . Super friendly, helps me out, remembers me, tells me "we'll call you before we incur any costs", which is a gracious thing to say. However I get a call a few hours later from Mike the front desk guy (however I thought it was the owner). Starts telling me the Tire Pressure Monitor System error is shorting the other systems, and the solution is 2 new tires bc the tread is different and tripping the TPMS.
Yes. I'm aware that's why the TPMS light stays on. But what HE doesn't know, is that I have driven with that error code for over a YEAR, and previously for a few months. Funny...how back THEN it wasn't tripping any other fault codes, huh?
I honestly thought I was talking to Mike the owner and I asked "well how come the TPMS error is only just NOW causing all these issues to all the other sensor issues?" and he says "I don't know." Oh I know who THIS is, now.
I told him I don't agree with the assessment, and I'd like to pick up my car.
I walked in, said "Here for the Civic." and he hands me a piece of paper.
I have to SAY "....keys?" for him to go walk over to a wall, and get my keys.
I said "That's two times in two weeks I've had an issue with you. I live up the street and would've brought 10 years worth of business. YOU'RE the reason why I'm not doing business here."
And I left.
It COULD be the TPMS sensor, but the way in which he explained things to me made me feel on multiple occasions that he didn't know what he was talking about and just being rude to me to cover that up. Or rude bc he felt like he didn't need to explain things to me. Either way, I'm not dealing with that shit.
I'll find out from a dealer. As someone who worked for Herb Chambers for many years, what I learned is that the service teams at big dealerships are more reliable than ppl think to give them credit for. They are THE most knowledgeable ones for your make/model, and even if it isn't the lowest possible price, there's all kinds of guarantees with dealer shops they will honor, if work doesn't go right. Because if a shop was caught doing shady shit and ppl reported it, they can the RIGHT to sell that make of car (yes that can happen). Losing that status is the DEATH for any major dealership, so the service teams don't fuck around bc that would be the end of their job.
TL;DR Mike the owner is very nice but Mike the front desk guy is not.