Pep Boys Overcharged. False advertising. Lakeland Florida

 You are using terms which don't add up. The chemical which is used in the AC system is "refrigerant"! "Coolant" is used in the radiator. The refrigerant in any AC system does NOT get used up, such as gasoline. The ONLY way you or anyone else would need to have more refrigerant added is if there is a leak in the system. Without fixing the leak, the new refrigerant would simply leak out just like the original did. Leaks in the AC system are common. A mechanic finds the leak by injecting a dye into the system and then uses a special light to find the leak. You did very well by NOT taking the car to a dealer. Dealers specialize in price gouging, incompetence and poor customer service. The choice of a chain is a little better but not much. Find yourself a good independent shop and patronize them. A good independent shop is usually owned by an older mechanic and employs very experienced mechanics who are far above what you will find in ANY dealership. An independent shop will not price gouge you and will provide excellent customer service. Ask around and make sure you pick one with a good reputation. The reason this store did not respond to the BBB/BS is because they know what you may not know! The BBB/BS is NOT part of ANY government body. The BBB/BS is NOT part of ANY law enforcement body. The BBB/BS has ZERO POWER to do ANYTHING! Do you understand that? The ONLY purpose of the BBB/BS is to SELL their PHONEY accreditations and to SELL their PHONEY ratings. Any business can BUY whatever "rating" they want. The BBB/BS goes to great lengths to deceive the public into thinking they have some sort of law enforcement power. That's exactly why they constantly refer to themselves as " the bureau" just like the FBI or other valid law enforcement operations. Remember, no matter what you may have heard or thought, the BBB/BS has ZERO POWER to do ANYTHING. Anybody who has been in business longer than 15 minutes knows this and pays no attention to their PHONEY BS.

"starting at 34.95"...you need to read carefully...your car obviously required more diagnostic time, thus, more money. You never said specifically what it took to fix. You made out just fine on your thin dime. 

 My complaint is with false advertising. I will gladly pay to have my A/C fixed. I was overcharged for the DIAGNOSTIC. Just because you had a good experience with Pep Boys doesn't mean everyone else does.

If your a/c blows cold and hot, there is a good chance its more than coolant. Everyone wants the cheap fix, however, actuators go bad that work the blend doors. I actually had to remove the dash, to fix a actuator, so it can get expensive.

Pep Boys has always been a pretty good, reliable place for minor things automotive, i.e.; shocks, tires, oil changes.