PepBoys ripoff fraudulent representation faulty equipment & workmanship Macon Georgia

End of January 2007 my truck broke down in Macon, GA while on the way to Central Florida from Atlanta. I was towed to Pep Boys (as they were the only shop in the area). They told me I needed to have my clutch system replaced. I agreed and waited at a nearby restaurant for the work to be done. Within a very short period of time (less than an hour), I received a phone call that stated my truck needed a new transmission and they had located 2.

Within minutes I returned to the shop to found my transmission completely removed from my truck and the service manager telling me he'd found 2 possible replacements. One was new and the other used. I questioned the quality of the used one and was told the place they were getting it from could absolutely be trusted... and "anyway, parts and labor are warranted for 30 days." I agreed. It would be the next day before they could get the part and have the work done.

The next day I returned to the shop (the overnight stay in town was at my expense, of course) to pick up my vehicle... at a cost of $1405.00. I was told the transmission had 30 days warranty and the clutch system was lifetime.

So I head out continuing on my journey to central Florida. Upon stopping to fuel up near Ocala, I discovered a major transmission fluid leak. I went to the Pep Boys in Ocala where I was told it was a bad tailshaft seal and quite possibly bad bearings/bushings. They could not do the work at that time but the fluid level was safe enough for me to get to my destination.

The next day after dropping my father off at the VA Hospital in Gainesville, I went to the Pep Boys there to get the seal replaced. I spent almost 5 hours waiting and they did nothing short of telling me they couldn't find the part and they recommended I get all my belts replaced at a cost of over $300. I declined.
I picked up my father following his procedure, took him home and called Ocala Pep Boys to see if they could help me. It was determined that they could so the next day I drove back to Ocala for the seal replacement.

After another wait of almost 5 hours, they finally found the right part and did the work. Keep in mind, at this point my trips back and forth to Pep Boys have totaled well over 200 miles and several days.

Upon leaving a day later to return to Atlanta, I discovered more transmission fluid leaking. I stopped by the Ocala Pep Boys where I was informed this leak was coming from the top of the transmission and not the seal they replaced a day before. Their recommendation was for me to return to the Macon store. This is precisely what I did.

The service manager said he thought the leak was due to the gear shift being twisted incorrectly by the mechanic so he twisted it back. As the mechanic who originally worked on my vehicle was not in and there was a wait for service, I would have had to stay another night for them to look at it properly. I declined; deciding to continue on to Atlanta and have it checked out at a Pep Boys there.

I phoned three different stores in my area only to find that none of them work on transmissions. After a bit of run around with the Macon manager, it was finally decided that I would take it to a local transmission shop to be checked out.

The shop owner informed the Macon manager that a complete rebuild would be necessary because the whole transmission was crap. The Macon manager refused to have the work done and began giving me a difficult time stating there was only a three day warranty on the transmission and I agreed to a used one so too bad.
With much ado, we came to the agreement that I would drive my truck back to Macon for the mechanic there to repair it. Again, my expense, my time, more mileage on my vehicle.

It took over a week for the work to be done and then only part was completed. They replaced the whole tail shaft. In the process, they apparently overlooked or more appropriately ignored the fact the shifter boot was cracked (probably done when the original work was done) and the yoke was warped.

When I picked up the truck, I was told there was a 90 day warranty this go 'round. With this repair, they had only driven 7/10ths of a mile. This is not enough to get it into all the gears. It didn't drive right from that point. It wouldn't shift into gears without difficulty and there were very strange noises coming from the gear box, and clutch. Having such a problem with them from the get go, I decided to give it a little time to see what happened. Keep in mind that I rented vehicles for all trips over 100 miles as I was not confident in the reliability of my transmission or clutch.

At the very end of the 90 day warranty, I opted to take a trip to Nashville from Atlanta. My truck was more difficult than ever to operate. Upon arriving in town, I noticed a major leak again. I took it to the Pep Boys in Nashville where it sat for three days with nothing done. They said the leak was coming from the top of the transmission not the tail shaft and Macon said my warranty didn't cover that... and they don't actually work on transmissions there. With no other option, I limped home in my truck and promptly took it to my mechanic of nearly a decade.

Upon very careful inspection, it was determined that I needed to have this transmission completely rebuilt and have the clutch system replaced. Apparently the transmission problems caused issues with the clutch system. This work took two weeks to complete and cost me $1854. But ALL of this work and parts have a 12 month / 12,000 mile warranty.

Over the course of this entire ordeal, I made countless attempts to have matters resolved with the Manager in Macon; tried to contact the district manager and even made attempts to find resolution with individuals higher up the chain of command. The Macon manager was usually very rude and degrading while no one else ever returned a call or message. They were fraudulent in their representation of the warranty and ability to do proper work. The best offer they gave me was to reimburse me for half of the cost of the used transmission because I had driven so much on it.

Here is the real kick... there was another person at the Macon Pep Boys when I was there originally, who also had to have his transmission replaced. His truck was an automatic and he got a brand new transmission from the chevy dealer. The same mechanic that worked on my truck, worked on his. This other person is currently having his transmission replaced again. Apparently the mechanic not only installed it wrong, he broke off a crucial part and glued it back without telling anyone. According to the chevy dealership, this was a major safety issue.

I am still trying to reach someone at the Pep Boys corporate office to see if resolution can be made before court proceeding are necessary. Originally I was willing to accept the reimbursement of the used transmission, but now I want the whole amount returned.

Shannon
Atlanta, Georgia
U.S.A.

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