I have been a customer of Midas Princess for at least six years now, but after my latest…read moreexperiences, I have decided I will never return. I will also make sure that none of my friends and colleagues ever use this shop ever again. I am writing this review so that others can also think carefully before trusting their vehicles to this shop, because in my experience, when something goes wrong while a vehicle is in their care, they simply refuse to take responsibility for it.
I took my car in for brake repairs and paid approximately $690. When I came back to pick it up, I immediately noticed that one of the wheel center caps was missing. I mentioned it to the front desk, and Jessie came outside. Before I had even finished explaining the situation, he confidently said, "I am 150% sure it wasn't there before." But the problem is that I know it was there. The front brakes on that wheel had been dragging, causing the wheel to get extremely hot. Before dropping the car off, I specifically checked that wheel by touching the rim to see if it was overheating. If the center cap had been missing, it would have been the very first thing I noticed.
I calmly explained this to Jessie, but instead of listening, I was met with a dismissive attitude. At one point Jessie said, "I'm sick and tired of customers trying to ask me for repairs like this." That comment was incredibly insulting. He spoke to me as though I was trying to scam the shop over a wheel center cap. After repeatedly explaining my side, he rudely said, "I'll give you $20 cash." If he truly believed this was only a $20 issue, why not simply replace the missing center cap? That's all I was asking for. Why was I expected to track one down myself for something that happened while my car was in their care? So, I left the shop and told him that "you lost a regular customer today."
The next day, July 29, I received a call from Jason, who told me they needed the size of the center cap so they could get a replacement for me. I went back the following day and provided them with the center cap from another wheel so they could make sure they ordered the correct size. I also clearly told them that I was selling the car on August 14, so I needed this resolved before then.
After that, I followed up three times. Each time, I was told essentially the same thing: the replacement had been ordered but had not arrived yet. Because my sale date was approaching, I became increasingly concerned that this was simply being delayed until I no longer had the car. Finally, on August 13 -- the day before I was supposed to sell the car -- I went to Midas in person. Only then was I told that the center caps they had received were "not the correct size for my vehicle". However, when I checked with the Toyota dealership, the correct size was available there.
Unfortunately, this isn't an isolated incident. Over the years I've experienced several broken promises and denied mistakes:
- When I purchased my tires from them, I was promised lifetime seasonal tire storage. Two years later, I was told they would no longer honor that promise because of the change in city regulation. Regardless of the reason, the promise was made when I purchased the tires, yet no alternative solution or compensation was offered.
- During an oil change, my steering wheel came back with a big scratch on it, and responsibility was denied.
- On another visit, they insisted that one of the car wheels only had four lug nuts after servicing it. Only after I insisted they check again did they find the missing one, then dismissed it as a simple mistake.
That raises a much bigger issue for me than the value of a center cap. This is a business where customers routinely leave vehicles worth tens of thousands of dollars in their care. If something goes missing or is damaged while a vehicle is being serviced and the response is simply to deny responsibility, dismiss the customer's concern, or drag out the resolution, then what recourse does the customer have? Based on my experiences over several years, I can no longer recommend this shop.
