Goodyear Auto Service Centre Charged for services not performed Charlotte, South Carolina

I took my 2004 Tahoe to Goodyear for new tires and an oil change. I specifically asked if they had synthetic oil and was told by the store manager that, "Yes, they used Kendall synthetic." When I paid for the service (I also purchased $700.00 worth of new tires,) I asked the service rep. to confirm that they had used synthetic oil and he did so.

I've changed my own oil for the past 20 years but because I had recently undergone hand surgery I had decided to trust Goodyear to do the oil change this one time. After all they are a nationally respected company, tire supplier to NASCAR etc. etc. Being a sceptical sort, when I got home, I pulled the dipstick and checked the oil. It was filthy. I then looked underneath the car and sure enough my old Fram oil filter was still on the car.

I went back to the store and confronted the assistant manager. (The manager that I had originally dealt with had left for the day.) He acted like it wasn't a big deal and said "Oh, the technician must have forgotten the oil change, pull it into the shop and we'll change it."

Not wanting a confrontation because I was dealing with my surgery, I agreed to let them do the oil change. This time I watched. The technician walked back and forth across the shop floor a couple of times and then appeared with a carton of Napa regular oil. When I told him I had ordered synthetic he said that they were out of it.

By this time he had already drained the oil from my car and so I had no choice but to let him use regular oil until I could get the synthetic oil.

When I did eventually change to synthetic, I noticed that the filter Goodyear had used was a different length. Further investigation showed that the off-brand filter was recommended for use in a Honda engine. Same threads and circumference and it worked but did it harm the engine? I don't know.

When I confronted the assistant manager he didn't have an reason for trying to decieve me. He did refund the $49.95 I had paid for the original oil change but I've often wondered how many other customers they have ripped off by not doing the work that was ordered and paid for. Great way to boost your bottom line I guess but this was outright fraud.

I e-mailed Goodyear but got no reply so I'm glad to find this blog. I tell the story whenever I get the chance. I'll never buy another Goodyear product nor will any of my family and many of my friends and business aquaintances so what did they gain by their deception?