When Jiffy's not so spiffy: what to do when your car needs maintenance. (Buying Power).The strange noise coming from Richard White's 1993 Audi led him to the Bloomfield, New Jersey, AAMCO AAMCO Anthony A. Martino Company . "They said they could do the work in a day. I ended up getting it a week later because they were searching for parts," White says. Several parts needed to be replaced including the clutch, ball bearing housing, tire rod, axle, boots, and a broken transmission mount. Originally quoted $700, White paid $1,560 for repairs. "Four days later the clutch would not come up off of the floor," he adds. White had to lift the clutch manually with his foot in order to drive. He took the car back to AAMCO and it became worse. "I've been totally inconvenienced. And have no idea how long it's going to take to get the car back, but now they're asking me for another $275 to fix the master cylinder Noun 1. master cylinder - a cylinder that contains brake fluid that is compressed by a piston brake cylinder, hydraulic brake cylinder piston chamber, cylinder - a chamber within which piston moves . "Maybe if I had taken it to a dealer I would have been better off," White says exasperated. Boasting fast and economical service, franchised stations such as Jiffy A fraction of time that has numerous interpretations depending on who uses it. It may refer to one computer clock cycle, one nanosecond, one millisecond or one AC power cycle. There may be others. See nanosecond. 1. Lube, Midas, and AAMCO chains have become household names History Formation (1998-2000) Household Names have been together since 1998, with various members rotating throughout the line-up with singer, Jason Garcia, until it was solidified in the summer of 2000 with bassist/keyboardist, Chris Peters, and drummer, C. J. . In 1999, AAMCO spent $25 million on advertising alone and presently enjoys 95% brand awareness. Nevertheless, many of these automotive repair shops have come under fire by angry consumers. A laundry list laundry list A popular term for a long list of Sx, diseases, or etiologies that share something in common–eg, differential diagnosis of acute abdomen of complaints can be found on Internet sites started by irate i·rate adj. 1. Extremely angry; enraged. See Synonyms at angry. 2. Characterized or occasioned by anger: an irate phone call. car owners (such as the "AAMCO Sucks" site at www.ripoffreport.com) or at Consumer Affairs.com, an independent Web-based consumer news and resource center edited by a former deputy director for the Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. and a former assistant district attorney from New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. . Complaints include wrong parts, wrong information, being charged for new parts when rebuilt parts were used, and warranties that are not honored. Even though White's unfortunate experience mirrors that of many other dissatisfied AAMCO customers, AAMCO corporate representatives maintain the company's preeminence. "I know that less than 1% of AAMCO customers have problems with the service," says Michael Pekula, AAMCO director of consumer affairs. "Every AAMCO franchise is advised to keep the customer informed of what needs to be done to fix his or her car at all times. They are told to do everything in their power to address any customer service issues fairly," he adds. The 706 independently owned and operated centers, however, are only as good as their owners. While the AAMCO Transmissions Center in Pasadena, Texas had only two complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau in a 36-month period, the Santa Monica, California For other uses, see Santa Monica (disambiguation). Santa Monica is a coastal city in western Los Angeles County, California, USA. Situated on Santa Monica Bay of the Pacific Ocean, it is surrounded by the City of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades and Brentwood on the north, , AAMCO owner had been charged with 14 criminal counts including grand theft, conspiracy, and false advertising. "That shop has since changed hands," Pekula says. AAMCO also claims to send mystery shoppers to the franchises regularly to make certain the shops are following procedure. The following advice given by the BBB BBB A medium grade assigned to a debt obligation by a rating agency to indicate an adequate ability to pay interest and repay principal. However, adverse developments are more likely to impair this ability than would be the case for bonds rated A and above. and NADA may help keep your car out of repair shop hell: * The BBB can offer a company's complaint history, what it has done to resolve complaints, and whether the company complies with the Bureau's advertising standards. * Contact your local Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR), Car Manufacturers and Dispute Resolutions, or similar government offices in your area that administer and enforce regulations pertaining per·tain intr.v. per·tained, per·tain·ing, per·tains 1. To have reference; relate: evidence that pertains to the accident. 2. to automotive repair dealers. They can tell you whether a company's license is expired or terminated. They can also tell you what kinds of complaints they received, and whether the license holder has ever been disciplined or named in a disciplinary action. * If you give your authorization over the phone, understand exactly what work you are approving. Phone authorization is a binding commitment. * For major work get a second opinion and an estimate. Have the technician show damaged parts and explain the repair work. If you want to inspect the damaged parts, ask the mechanic when you authorize the work, not after. * Keep all paper work for major servicing, especially warranties. Many computer maintenance schedules delete records out of their system at different intervals. |
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