WARNING!!! Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT bring your car to be serviced at Fred's Friendly Sunoco!!! I had the most horrific experience dealing with the anything BUT friendly owner and staff this past week!
I brought my 2007 Chrysler Sebring to Fred's Friendly Sunoco on Tuesday, 9/20/11 because the engine would start but not turn over. The owner called me on 9/21 to inform me that it was the fuel pump and estimated it would cost around $600 for parts and labor. I told him that was fine and authorized the repair. I did not hear back from him for 3 days, so I called him to find out what was going on. His response was, "I'm still working on it. I'll call you later". I did not hear from anyone until the next day when a different mechanic called to inform me that it wasn't the fuel pump but an electrical problem and he would need a "computer expert" to look at it for $100. Annoyed and frustrated, I agreed. Again, I heard nothing for 3 more days. Finally, on 9/28, the owner called me to tell me my car was all set. He told me he had replaced my car's computer and I owed $1,370! Not only was this more than DOUBLE what he had originally quoted me, but he never authorized this repair with me. My car is under warranty and had he informed me about the computer I would have declined the repair since I could've had it replaced for free by my dealership! He also charged me for a fuel pump I didn't need because he said once he put it in he couldn't take it out. When I tried disputing this over the phone, he rudely ignored me by having conversations with people in the background while I was in mid-sentence. He then became angry and defensive, telling me he didn't need to "check-in" with me after every move he made and that no one likes working on my type of car. (Really? A Chrysler Sebring?) He said he gave me a deal and that he wasn't making any money on this. He said he charged me for 8 days of labor, but the shady hand-written receipt he gave me showed charges of only $85 for labor which made no sense. Another fraudulent detail was that the fuel pump and wires had serial numbers written next to them, but the new computer he claimed to install just said "computer $680.00". When I got in my car, the service engine light was still illuminated on my dashboard, which also raised suspicions, because had he in fact replaced the computer, that light would not still be on. None of this seemed to add up and at the bottom of my receipt it clearly states: YOU ARE ENTITLED TO A PRICE ESTIMATE FOR THE REPAIRS YOU HAVE AUTHORIZED. THE REPAIR PRICE MAY BE LESS THAN THE ESTIMATE, BUT WILL NOT EXCEED THE ESTIMATE WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION. He would not refund any of my money but took off $70 for my "patience". My soft gray cloth interior was smeared with black grease stains and saturated in the smell of gasoline, the $10 worth of change that filled my cup holders had been stolen, and my half tank of gas was now below E, which aided in adding insult to injury. This review is the first thing I wrote AFTER my detailed complaint to the Better Business Bureau!
Needless to say, this establishment is owned and operated by an inconsiderate, untrustworthy, unprofessional scam artist and I would advise anyone considering going there to save both a head ache and a ton of money by taking it ANYWHERE else! read more