Pep Boys Automotive Service Welcome to Pep Boys where our mistakes are your responsiblilty-READ ON!!! Las Vegas Nevada

 Had an issue with my car I took it to Pep Boys Auto Shop 7399 West Lake Mead in Las Vegas, Nevada. I asked for an estimate which cost $97. and change. The shop manager called me the next morning. He woke me up chuckling about the "bad news" and told me that it would cost $2000.00 to repair and that I could go back to sleep now. ??? Could you? I told him I would get back to him. I contacted the dealer. He told me that to remove and replace that part it would cost at the very most, worst case scenario...$1400.00 a $600.00 difference. However he told me that if in fact that part is defective it would be covered under an Emissions Control Act for that particular make of car and that there would be no charge whatsoever. I decided to call the Pep Boys Corporate Office. Their phone tree is set up so that you can't contact anyone there. As I found out later, this is intentional so you are, "forced to contact their Customer Service Department." Forced and Customer Service in the same sentence? So I called their Customer Service Department. By this time I'm furious for obvious reasons, there is no denying that. Nevertheless the c/s was abupt and insensitive. He told me that nothing would be done there, that they would push it down the proper channels. Sounds like something that flows downhill but in reverse. Their idea of passing it down the proper channels was to give it right back to the service manager at the store. Additionally they played my very irate recorded phone call to the service manager whom I described in part of the conversation. (slouched, leaning on rhe counter, chewing gum, watching a tv across the room on the wall that is for the customers waiting) He tried to call me three times at home just to tell me that he had heard the recording describing himself. I know this because he mentioned it three times in a five minute conversation. I told him that absolutely that is what I said, because it was true. I had also said I didn't really care if that's what they allow they're employees' to do while on the clock that's they're business. My main concern is what's going on with my car. Remember I'm explaining to the service manager that took my estimate why I said what I said as if I have to defend myself to him. That's their idea of customer service??? I told him that this treatment was unacceptable because: 1. If the part was in fact defective that it would have cost me $600 more than at the dealership. 2. They completely missed that the part was covered under Emission Law and would have been replaced at no charge. The part was in fact defective and was replaced at no charge by the dealer. The service manager continued to question me as to why I came to them in the first place when I could have just gone to the dealer. More excellent customer service from the guy who know it best. Never have I been treated with such callousness and disdain by such a large corporation. When I asked the manager about the above two points, he responded that I got off easy in that I didn't have to pay the $2000.00 that he was going to charge me. When I asked him, "what would you do if it was your car? How would you feel? He had no response. When I told him that I wanted my estimate charge refunded because: 1. they didn't completely estimate the repair by overlooking the exclusion. 2. that had the repair had been done on their property it would have cost me an extremely inflated charge. The managers' response was the money would not be refunded because he felt that his mechanics had done their job, and that he stands behind them and it wasn't their job to know emission laws and exclusions??? That fact is NOT mentioned on the back of their estimate. In addition to "fixing" automobliles, isn't that part of their job as well? I've talked to other shop owners that were not dealers and they told me that they absolutely knew the laws that would have been applied in this situation. Sounds like those crack mechanics over at Pep Boys need to go back to school. What if this had been a recalled part that could have caused someone injury or death? Would their response be the same? The main customer service departments' input to resolve this was do nothing. Just send a recording back to the service manager that part of the recording pertained to thereby forfeiting my right to protection and privacy and basically said, "here you decide, we'll back you up." He had absolutely no concern that he was going to charge an exorbitant amount of money to fix my car that I should have not had to pay it in the first place. His response was, "You got off lucky." Sounds like something I heard during a school yard fight when I was 15. Needless to say I am disputing this... Ask yourself would you want to patronize a shop that has such an ambivalent, adversarial relationship with it's customers; where their motto is, "You're responsible for our mistakes." ??? Think about it and beware...