I went into Goodyear @ Commack Rd & Jericho Tnpk, for my car's annual safety inspection. They brought the car in after only a few minutes of waiting. From the waiting room, I saw them put my car on a lift and raise it all the way up, when most inspectors just plug in the diagnostic tool to check for emissions issues, and do a quick walkthrough. "Uh-oh," I thought. "They're either doing an overly thorough inspection or they're putting on a big show." I couldn't see everything the mechanic was doing, but, about five minutes later, he called me to show me a few red drops on the floor. "You're leaking steering fluid. Here's a print-out of how much it'll cost," he said. It was for $500. I could not believe what I was seeing or hearing. "Well, that's kind of funny," I replied, "because, I'm a backyard mechanic who checks his cars almost every week, and there hasn't been a single drop of anything, EVER! Now, how do you explain that?" He didn't say a word, and just stared at me. "Call the manager, right now." He froze for a second, then said, "He isn't going to say anything different." Ah. Now, I *knew* I was being scammed. "Get the manager, NOW." He froze again, but managed to say, "Sir, your car still has two weeks on the sticker. You failed, but, I'm not going to give you a rejection sticker. You can go after you pay." "I'm not leaving this bay until my car is down and out, and the keys back in my hand." He did so. I locked the car, walked into the shop, and, with about 6 other customers waiting, said, not overly loud, but, in a commanding voice, "I want to see the manager, right now." The clerk said, "You'll have to wait your turn." "Fine," I said, in the same voice, "I'll just call the police, while I'm waiting." I pulled my cell phone out and started to push the speed dial (I always have the local police numbers in my contact list, wherever I'm travelling, just in case). The clerk immediately got on the intercom. "Manager to the front desk." A few minutes later (I hadn't put the police call through), the manager comes in, and tried to get me into his office. I declined, quickly recapped what had happened in front of everyone, and accused his mechanic (not him, necessarily) of fraud, and said that I wasn't letting my car out of my sight, and he had two choices: Pass the car and I'll pay or let me go without paying. He opted for the latter. While I waited for the manager, the clerk tried to talk a woman with a nail in her tire tread (not the sidewall, which would require a replacement as opposed to a repair), that she needed to replace all four tires. Fortunately, she realized from me that she was being ripped off, so, she said, "I'll have to wait until my husband gets home," and left. I overheard another customer whisper an expletive, and he got up, and said he wanted his keys back. The clerk gave them to him, all the while staring death beams at me, and that customer left. The car passed inspection at another garage. When I got home, later that day, I opened the hood, and found fresh, power steering fluid on top of my car battery, which is well above the power steering pump and hoses! After cleaning the bogus residue from the battery and beneath the car, where the "inspector" had, clearly, squirted drops of power steering fluid, it hasn't "leaked" anything since. That was two years ago. I had contacted the local Better Business Bureau and the Town of Huntington and Smithtown (I'm still not sure who has jurisdiction) about the blatant rip-off. They took my information, but, as far as I know, nothing came of it. I wouldn't go into this place for an oil change, much less a crooked inspection. (I can't wait to see Goodyear's response to this, if they deign to do so: I'm mistaken? The problem fixed itself? The "inspector" and/or manager was fired and that I should come in for a freebie? No way in hell to any of those).
P.S. In case you're wondering why it took me so long to write this, it was because I was furious, and couldn't write without seeing anything but red. I had forgotten about it, until I took the same car into the "good" garage, where it, once again, passed with flying colors, though he warned me that both my battery and tires would need to be changed before the next inspection, which I already knew. That's honesty and integrity. Something this Goodyear (and almost all name brand chains; refer to my review of Midas in Commack) severely lack. read more