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| - I USED to be a big fan of Pep Boys but now they have lost a customer for LIFE.
All I wanted was four new tires mounted and balanced. Not too tough. I set a 5:30pm appointment for the following evening (yesterday, 08/29/2014) and showed up right on time. I gave my keys to the guy at the counter, signed the paperwork and was told it would be ready in one to one and a half hours. No problem.
I scanned all the aisles in the store doing several laps. I kept looking into the service area and saw my car sitting there but really couldn't see what was happening. At 7:17, I because apprehensive, so walked around to the big doors, only to find that the service man was JUST THEN putting my car on the rack! I asked, "Are you just now starting to work on my car??!!??" He looked exasperated and started to apologize. I cut him off and said to shut it down; I'll take my car elsewhere.
When I went inside to confront the guy at the counter who--incidentally--had been napping with head-in-arms at the counter--he started to apologize. TOO LATE. I'm already pissed as can be. No explanations at this point will do any good whatsoever. To make me wait an hour and 45 minutes just to find out that the car hadn't been TOUCHED was as offensive to me as it gets.
I told him that I wanted my car ... now. He pulled it out of the bay, then handed over the keys. I demanded that he void the service contract I signed and he refused, saying "Since you have the car, this paperwork doesn't matter any more. Insensitivity to the customer's needs is as insolent as you can get and excuses make no difference.
As I left, I congratulated him: he just caused Pep Boys to lose a customer for LIFE.
Then, I went to the tire store next door and got exemplary service.
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