I recently had service done at Marlboro Tire and Automotive twice. My first experience was good…read more During the last week of April they replaced the starter on my 2021 Kia Telluride, and everything seemed fine at the time.
However, when I picked the vehicle up, I noticed an issue with my parking sensor that had never happened prior to the service. I made another appointment to have that checked out along with several other issues I already knew needed attention -- a wheel bearing, a check engine light, and a transmission issue.
I dropped the car off on Sunday, May 17th. They called me Monday and explained that the parking sensor issue was unrelated to the starter replacement, which I accepted. They also said the transmission issue would need to be handled by the dealership. The check engine light turned out to be caused by the evap vent valve being disconnected from the evap canister, and they reconnected it. Total cost was $160.
I stopped by a little after 3 PM to pay and pick up the keys, but told them I would return later that evening to actually take the vehicle home.
When I came back at 9:55 PM, the first thing I noticed was that the vehicle was unlocked because the mirrors were folded out. On my Telluride, the mirrors automatically fold in when the car is locked. When I opened the door, the dashboard was lit up and the radio was on. Once I sat down, I realized the vehicle was actually still running.
My car's drive information automatically resets if the vehicle has been off for four hours. The dash showed the vehicle had been running for 9 hours and 30 minutes, had been driven 16.7 miles, and was averaging 4.5 MPG. I took a picture at 9:58 PM.
Honestly, I wasn't even angry at first -- I was more shocked than anything and was actually laughing about it when I told my wife. Mistakes happen.
The problem came the next morning when I returned to let them know what happened and showed them the picture. Instead of acknowledging the mistake, they immediately denied it and insisted there must have been some kind of malfunction because they "could not have made that mistake."
I initially spoke with the two women behind the counter, but then a man came out from the office and asked what I wanted. I told him I felt they should at least refund the $160 service charge or compensate me for the gas burned while my car sat idling all day. He refused both.
We went back and forth for several minutes. I explained that up until that moment I had actually been happy with their service and thought I had found a repair shop I could continue using. I told him the issue wasn't the mistake itself -- it was the refusal to take responsibility for it.
I also explained that if he had simply apologized and made some effort to make it right, I probably would have laughed about it later and continued bringing my vehicle there. Instead, I was treated as if I was making the whole thing up despite having photographic evidence.
When I told him that my only remaining option was to leave an honest review online about my experience, he accused me of threatening him. I told him it wasn't a threat -- I simply intended to describe exactly what happened.
To make matters even more frustrating, when I later attempted to leave a review on their website, I was required to enter my invoice number, last name, first name, invoice total, and service date to verify my visit. After entering all of the correct information directly from my invoice, I received an error message saying the information did not match their system records. I can't say for certain what caused that, but it certainly gave the impression that I was being prevented from leaving a review through their website.
Again, mistakes happen. What matters is how a business responds when they do. Unfortunately, their response completely changed my opinion of this shop.
