Meineke ripoff, life-time warranty is worthless! Very Misleading ! Cheaters ! Chambersburg Pennsylvania

I know this is so old but I have to respond.
Did you also know the "Lifetime Brake Warranty" only applies to the pads too?

People fall for this stupid line alllll the time!!

Sorry to the OP- You didn't get ripped off! You got exactly what they stated- a lifetime warranty on the muffler. You should have read the warranty. It's like that with everything in life. Do you read your insurance policy? Your loan terms? They all come with rules and exceptions. You did however fall for thier misleading offer.

They only offer those deals to get people into the shop and buy services. They appear to be great deals, but obviously you have learned they are not. So thanks for spreading the word, hopefully people will start paying attention to what they are really getting with these "deals".

Sorry Larry your analogy is way off. Do you pay labor when you buy your tools? You should look into a new tool store. I'm pretty sure she did pay for labor to install the parts in the first place, therefore additional labor would make sense.

No way they are going to HAND her a muffler. I don't know of ANY muffler shops that even sell mufflers without installation. I am also sure that thier warranty stated something about them having to install the muffler for the warranty.

All legit warranties will state what the warranty covers and what it doesn't. It will also tell you what you must do for the shop to honor the warranty. This would be where it says Midas must install it, and probably inspect it to verify it is bad. I'm sure since this issue Kim has re-read her warranty information and NOW knows the details.

" My point is, the consumer needs to be aware of what they are getting, ask questions and read the fine print on the contract/workorder."

Thank you Michael- people should take responsibility for knowing what they are buying. You research information on cars, computers, dvd players, whatever before you buy them, why wouldn't people attempt to learn as much as possible about the repair service before buying. (A service is still a product) If people did learned a little about what they are paying for there wouldn't be half as many rip offs. One because the car owner wouldn't let it happen, and finally the bad shops would get the clue and stop attempting to treat people badly.

SO anyhow to sum up...

It is misleading and maybe a bad sales tactic... but it works... that's why you bought thier service right?

You are responsible for reading the policies regarding the warranty

And last... Thanks again for getting the word out. While the lifetime warranty might work great for some people, most people feel mislead once they find out the real deal.

And really the only reason I am interested is because I want people to stop going to auto shops for the price of brakes and then saying "whyyyy? Mieneke has a lifetime guarantee for only 49.99" or whatever it is. Or "That guys a rip off- Mieneke has a LIFETIME WARRANTY for only 49.99- he thinks he's gonna get over on me? I'm telling everyone what a lier he is!!!"

Is that selfish? I really just wanted to get my own issue regarding "Lifetime Warranties" on here. I mean I feel bad for Kim, but only in the sense that she was not a very informed or involved customer. Oh well.

Meineke will not hand her a muffler. Most states require different licenses to do "over the counter" versus "service" sales. I can sell exhaust parts all day long, as long as I install them. The first time I attempt to sell a muffler without installing it, I am in violation of the law...I am not licensed for retail sales.

Meineke's warranty is clearly printed on the back of the invoice. The only way any shop will be able to warranty their parts is to install them themselves. If Meineke handed her a muffler, and someone else figured out how to install it wrong, and it killed her with fumes, who do you think the lawyers would go after? They would go after Meineke.

I do not know how they invoice muffler replacements, or what the warranty details state, but her request to just get the muffler and take it with her is interesting.

Are they allowed to refuse her the new muffler? Most invoices separate parts and labor, so if they sold her the part with a lifetime warranty, can they force her to use their labor to get the warrantied part?

Does the warranty as written require payment of a repair to get the replacement part? I agree they are not ripping her off, nor doing anything unusual, but I never considered that someone would ask for the part only.

I too had a life time warranty muffler installed on my Suburban for approx $180 and saved $20 by using an internet coupon posted on the Meineke website. My muffler was installed on 14 July 06 after having brake work performed to pass the PA State Vehicle Inspection. When they gave me an estimate for the muffer installation, I ASKED THEM TO EXPLAIN what the lifetime warranty meant. They explained to me the muffler itself was covered but not the labor or the other smaller parts to install it.

I also read the the warranty information before they installed it. I made the choice on my own to have the installation performed knowing fully what I was getting. I also asked many questions before my brake work was performed, basically doing research and my homework before I agreed to the estimate and work being performed. My point is, the consumer needs to be aware of what they are getting, ask questions and read the fine print on the contract/workorder. I shopped around on the internet, by going to the muffler shops in person and by telephone to get the best prices and worth for my money.

The fine print is also at the bottom of the screen on your TV when companies advertise to cover themselves so it's up to you to know what the fine print is. I am always weary of "Free" or "Lifetime Warranty" etc., so I know what I'm actually getting. I do this because years ago I learned the hard way when purchasing products or services with things that were too good to be true so now I am a much more savvy consumer. By the way, I received outstanding service from the Receptionist to the mechanics to the owner at Meineke in Chambersburg and am extremely happy with their service.

Read her missive again. "They said only the muffler has a lifetime warranty on it". Those are her words. This tells you Meineke told her the tailpipe also needs replacement again. My brake job analogy is much better. Yours would be more correct(yet, not really) if, in order to replace the broken wrench, I had to buy more tools at the same time.

I used to work for a Meineke in Maryland. I know the routine. I have been doing this for years. Meineke buys their exhaust stuff from Maremont in TN. The prebent pipes are made from 16-18 gauge aluminized steel. Sometimes, they get lucky and use 14 gauge. Clamps cannot be re-used, nor can gaskets, and the pipes almost always rust away before the muffler. Her tailpipe, and probably the short pipe between the converter and the muffler need to be replaced also. Meineke is honoring the warranty completely. The entire warranty for everything Meineke does, is printed on the back of her invoice. Nobody offers a lifetime labor warranty. You and Kimberly both know it. This goes back to that "common sense" issue I drone on about. Mechanics get paid from the labor. If the mechanic who did the install is no longer there, do you think the new mechanic is going to do the work for free? I had that discussion with the owner of the shop I worked at. I don't work for free, and nobody else does either. My issue was having to re-do everything the guy I replaced had touched. He got paid for doing it wrong. I should get paid for doing it right. I did, and it cost the shop owner a bunch of money.

They cannot just give her the muffler and let her have someone else install it. No shop will do that. Using brakes again, if I give someone a set of brakes and they install them wrong and crash, guess who gets sued? The customer isn't going to sue themselves for lack of skill. They will sue the shop that handed them the pads. Remember, at the trial, the customer will only have the invoice which showed the work being done. They will claim the new set of incorrectly installed pads were for something else. Installing the muffler incorrectly can kill someone. Ever heard of carbon monoxide poisoning? The pipes need to be replaced because they have holes in. Goes back to that CO poisoning thing again. That, and you cannot install a new muffler on a rotten pipe.

No, Kimberly is not giving the whole story here. I know Meineke pricing and policies, inside and out. The issue of what she paid was only to show she got a great deal on the original repair. At my shop down here in Jax, the job would cost $175 for Cat-Back. I would also "lifetime" warranty the muffler only. The pipes and labor have a one year warranty, just like Meineke and Midas offer.

She didn't get ripped off at all. She won't get it done correctly cheaper anywhere else up there either.

Kimberly is right and Robert is so wrong. Meineke made an offer to install an exhaust system on Kimberly's vehicle for $139 and Meineke further offered a lifetime warranty on the muffler. Nobody forced Meineke to make that offer. Meineke undoubtedly was aware that others charge higher prices for similar or better quality exhaust systems but chose to offer their product for $139. Meineke also knew that they were making this offer in the rust belt, where the muffler was likely to fail within a few years. Kimberly accepted their offer at face value and in good faith.

The muffler failed. Meineke then refused to replace the muffler unless Kimberly agreed to purchase additional work namely the labor to install it. And the labor charge just happens be the price of the original system. Meineke refused to replace the muffler if they could not collect a labor charge.

Suppose you buy a wrench with a lifetime warranty for $20 at Sears. A year later the wrench breaks. You take it back and they tell you can have a free replacement only if you pay them $20 for labor. Did you get a lifetime warranty or did you just buy a replacement?

Meineke obviously had no intention of honoring a lifetime warranty on the muffler. It was a bogus offer to induce unsuspecting buyers to buy at Meineke. Meineke acted in bad faith.

Kimberly is right and Robert is so wrong. Meineke made an offer to install an exhaust system on Kimberly's vehicle for $139 and Meineke further offered a lifetime warranty on the muffler. Nobody forced Meineke to make that offer. Meineke undoubtedly was aware that others charge higher prices for similar or better quality exhaust systems but chose to offer their product for $139. Meineke also knew that they were making this offer in the rust belt, where the muffler was likely to fail within a few years. Kimberly accepted their offer at face value and in good faith.

The muffler failed. Meineke then refused to replace the muffler unless Kimberly agreed to purchase additional work namely the labor to install it. And the labor charge just happens be the price of the original system. Meineke refused to replace the muffler if they could not collect a labor charge.

Suppose you buy a wrench with a lifetime warranty for $20 at Sears. A year later the wrench breaks. You take it back and they tell you can have a free replacement only if you pay them $20 for labor. Did you get a lifetime warranty or did you just buy a replacement?

Meineke obviously had no intention of honoring a lifetime warranty on the muffler. It was a bogus offer to induce unsuspecting buyers to buy at Meineke. Meineke acted in bad faith.

Kimberly is right and Robert is so wrong. Meineke made an offer to install an exhaust system on Kimberly's vehicle for $139 and Meineke further offered a lifetime warranty on the muffler. Nobody forced Meineke to make that offer. Meineke undoubtedly was aware that others charge higher prices for similar or better quality exhaust systems but chose to offer their product for $139. Meineke also knew that they were making this offer in the rust belt, where the muffler was likely to fail within a few years. Kimberly accepted their offer at face value and in good faith.

The muffler failed. Meineke then refused to replace the muffler unless Kimberly agreed to purchase additional work namely the labor to install it. And the labor charge just happens be the price of the original system. Meineke refused to replace the muffler if they could not collect a labor charge.

Suppose you buy a wrench with a lifetime warranty for $20 at Sears. A year later the wrench breaks. You take it back and they tell you can have a free replacement only if you pay them $20 for labor. Did you get a lifetime warranty or did you just buy a replacement?

Meineke obviously had no intention of honoring a lifetime warranty on the muffler. It was a bogus offer to induce unsuspecting buyers to buy at Meineke. Meineke acted in bad faith.

Kimberly is right and Robert is so wrong. Meineke made an offer to install an exhaust system on Kimberly's vehicle for $139 and Meineke further offered a lifetime warranty on the muffler. Nobody forced Meineke to make that offer. Meineke undoubtedly was aware that others charge higher prices for similar or better quality exhaust systems but chose to offer their product for $139. Meineke also knew that they were making this offer in the rust belt, where the muffler was likely to fail within a few years. Kimberly accepted their offer at face value and in good faith.

The muffler failed. Meineke then refused to replace the muffler unless Kimberly agreed to purchase additional work namely the labor to install it. And the labor charge just happens be the price of the original system. Meineke refused to replace the muffler if they could not collect a labor charge.

Suppose you buy a wrench with a lifetime warranty for $20 at Sears. A year later the wrench breaks. You take it back and they tell you can have a free replacement only if you pay them $20 for labor. Did you get a lifetime warranty or did you just buy a replacement?

Meineke obviously had no intention of honoring a lifetime warranty on the muffler. It was a bogus offer to induce unsuspecting buyers to buy at Meineke. Meineke acted in bad faith.

If you get a brake job done, and all you needed at the time was new pads, are you going to complain when the pads wear out and you also need rotors and calipers? Do you think the shop should give you those for FREE? I'm guessing the answer to those questions is yes.

Meineke offered to give you the muffler at no cost, thus honoring the lifetime warranty. Labor is not included after one year at any Meineke. Why should it be? You wanted cheap. This means you, as the customer, are willing to give up some things to get CHEAP. One of them is quality. The premium line of muffler for your truck lists at over $200. You paid half that and got a muffler AND a tailpipe. It is not unreasonable to need the system replaced every few years in the rust belt. It is unreasonable to expect the repair shop to do it for FREE. You probably also need a new tailpipe, and new clamps. The increase in price over the years brings you back into the range of your original bill. At the extremely low price you paid, I'm guessing you bought the muffler on SALE, getting a CHEAP muffler even CHEAPer.

If you get a brake job done, and all you needed at the time was new pads, are you going to complain when the pads wear out and you also need rotors and calipers? Do you think the shop should give you those for FREE? I'm guessing the answer to those questions is yes.

Meineke offered to give you the muffler at no cost, thus honoring the lifetime warranty. Labor is not included after one year at any Meineke. Why should it be? You wanted cheap. This means you, as the customer, are willing to give up some things to get CHEAP. One of them is quality. The premium line of muffler for your truck lists at over $200. You paid half that and got a muffler AND a tailpipe. It is not unreasonable to need the system replaced every few years in the rust belt. It is unreasonable to expect the repair shop to do it for FREE. You probably also need a new tailpipe, and new clamps. The increase in price over the years brings you back into the range of your original bill. At the extremely low price you paid, I'm guessing you bought the muffler on SALE, getting a CHEAP muffler even CHEAPer.

If you get a brake job done, and all you needed at the time was new pads, are you going to complain when the pads wear out and you also need rotors and calipers? Do you think the shop should give you those for FREE? I'm guessing the answer to those questions is yes.

Meineke offered to give you the muffler at no cost, thus honoring the lifetime warranty. Labor is not included after one year at any Meineke. Why should it be? You wanted cheap. This means you, as the customer, are willing to give up some things to get CHEAP. One of them is quality. The premium line of muffler for your truck lists at over $200. You paid half that and got a muffler AND a tailpipe. It is not unreasonable to need the system replaced every few years in the rust belt. It is unreasonable to expect the repair shop to do it for FREE. You probably also need a new tailpipe, and new clamps. The increase in price over the years brings you back into the range of your original bill. At the extremely low price you paid, I'm guessing you bought the muffler on SALE, getting a CHEAP muffler even CHEAPer.

If you get a brake job done, and all you needed at the time was new pads, are you going to complain when the pads wear out and you also need rotors and calipers? Do you think the shop should give you those for FREE? I'm guessing the answer to those questions is yes.

Meineke offered to give you the muffler at no cost, thus honoring the lifetime warranty. Labor is not included after one year at any Meineke. Why should it be? You wanted cheap. This means you, as the customer, are willing to give up some things to get CHEAP. One of them is quality. The premium line of muffler for your truck lists at over $200. You paid half that and got a muffler AND a tailpipe. It is not unreasonable to need the system replaced every few years in the rust belt. It is unreasonable to expect the repair shop to do it for FREE. You probably also need a new tailpipe, and new clamps. The increase in price over the years brings you back into the range of your original bill. At the extremely low price you paid, I'm guessing you bought the muffler on SALE, getting a CHEAP muffler even CHEAPer.