Mis-Treated at the Sears Auto Center, Huntington, WV?
Question:
What good will it make? Today I took my car to the SEARS Auto Center in Huntington, West Virginia. I had a NAIL (as far as I can tell with my own bare eyes) stuck to my front left tire.. When I checked in I reminded the guy that last year when they fixed another flat for me, they forgot to place the wheel's bolts and i asked that they didn't do it again this time .. I was very kind.. he took the keys, and said would call when it was done.. about an hour later i walk back in there.. my car was parked outside.. he charged me for about $25 and said that they got the nail out (I asked specifically) i walked ot my car after paying, and GUESS WHAT??? The nail was still on the tire! Right where it was when i got there to get it fixed!!!! Went inside and told him, he went to the mechanics area and came back out side.. he saw the nail, he kept looking at it, and that he said "My mechanic will NOT work on your car!" I said what do you mean! he kept saying over and over again "My mechanic will not re-work on your car!" and come inside I will give you your money! I said "I came here to get this tire fixed, you charged me, you came out and saw that it wasn't even fixed, and now you are refusing to FIX it.. WHY?"I asked.. he kept repeating "My mechanic will not work on your car...!" no VALID explanation... I asked him if he as being prejudice.. as I could not believe in my ears that SEARS AUTO would (1) lie about fixing my tire, (2) and instead of apologizing and getting it right they were simply refusing to give me service.. (It was a simple nail/tire fix!!!)
He kept going and going on about his mechanic refusing to work on my tire.. I told him that that wasn't an excuse, not a valid reason! and wanted a clear answer.. I went there to get a service, to be treated fairly, respectfully, and with dignity, instead I was being sent home with a nail in my car for which i went there at the first place (they charged me for it) and when he saw that it wasn't they were simply refusing to give me service.. he was rude, and he started accusing me this time.. all i wanted was a clear answer.. MY MECHANIC DOESN'T WANT TO WORK ON IT AGAIN is not a clear and valid answer.. I asked for his manager's name, he gave me his name but told me he wasn't in.. let's be honest his manager probably wouldn't do anything either.. if i was lucky he would apologize but would not even punish this guys treating me like this.. me and my friend who was with me were speaking in our native tounge.. and when i reminded him before he check my car in about the problem they did last year, i think he may have decided to treat us like this.. like idiots.. I am smart enough to go and check to see if the nail was really taken off or not.. and sad part is that if i didn't check it could have hurt us or even kill us driving like that.. but WHY was a small nail, a small repair for SEARS had to end up like this.. was it because i had an accent in this small mostly very conservative and prejudice town... or was it because this guys simply and legally could refuse to offer me any service.. isn't this even illegal? i mean how can someone work on a flat tire, charge you, give you a receipt and when i prove them that the nail was still on the tire they could simply refuse to offer me any service..
this is not a $25 issue, this is not about money or time, this is about how terrible i was made feel so low..
Answer:
Your mistake was that you left. SOMEONE in authority was in the store, and you should have stayed right there until you could speak to them. When that fails (either because no manager was available, or some other malfunction in communication), ask for the number of the regional manager and call right there from the store.
You are paying for a service. You shouldn't be treated this way. I know the money isn't the issue, and that's really the point of taking things like this to the highest level necessary. If you let them run over you once, they'll always run over you. If you raise a fuss, they'll recognize you and never try anything like this with you again.
My mother had problems with getting truck tires put on at Wal-mart once, and after a combination of poor service, incredibly long (it took basically all day) wait time, and mistreatment, she ended up with about a $300 discount on the tires and service. They recognize her, and they never give her attitude or make her wait any longer than is absolutely necessary.
Sorry for your problem, but I highly doubt that it was your accent, Huntington may seem like a small, conservative town to you, but its one of the largest towns in the state. We West Virginians get a bad rap, but we're a lot more tolerant than the media portrays us.
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