Pep Boys Auto Service & Tire

Ripped Off At Pep Boys Moffett Rd. Mobile, AL! We were visiting family in Mobile, Al in August when I needed my A/​C repaired in our car.
I didn’t know any good repair shops so I took it to Pep Boys since I remembered them from CA. BIG MISTAKE!
I was there for 3 plus hours and shared with the manager «Brian» that I had been an A/​C mechanic for over 2 decades. After having me there waiting and watching several mechanics congregate around my vehicle, I asked when he thought they would be done.
He said that they found the leak, but were just going over it to make sure there were no other leaks. I said OK. After another 20 – 30 minutes, Brian the manager came back in and said to follow him out in the shop to my car.
The mechanic showed me where he thought the leak was and said that he tried to take the liquid line valve out, but thought if he tried to torque it any harder, he might break it off.
I said thank you for alerting me. I then said, «If it’s leaking at the valve, why can’t we just change out the «valve core?» They both looked at me and said, «Yeah, we can do that!»
So, they proceeded to order the part that I told them to replace. (Which was a fraction of the price of removing and replacing the valve and line.)
I waited for them to get the valve and for the additional time it took to install the little valve core. I then paid the $ 115.33 and drove off…
Before I even made the 20 minute drive back to my daughters house, the A/​C was blowing hot again! I was disappointed and frustrated because I thought it was fixed.
After all the time and experiencing the amateurish attempt to solve my problem, I decided NOT to go back and go through that again. I started looking again for a shop in the immediate area.
I found a shop that was not only closer, but much more professional and with experienced mechanics. After explaining my frustration and aggravation with the last «repair,» that got my car in and had a good mechanic check it over. They told me there was NO charge and to drive it and bring it back in a couple days. They put dye in the refrigerant system and would then locate the leak.
I brought it back at the appointment time and waited for a few hours. They gave me the car back, showed me the leaking bad part they replaced and only charged me $ 215 for everything!
I called the Pep Boys shop on Moffett Rd., Mobile, AL and the manager «Brian Pettis» said he would give me a refund if I brought proof that I had it repaired at a reliable and professional shop. I said, «fair enough…»
The next day I drove the 20 minute drive to Pep Boys Moffett Rd location. I waited for him to wait on two other customers and then he finally said, «Let’s see what you have…»
I handed the paperwork to him and he looked it over. He said, «OK, so what do you want?»
I said «I want a full refund for the repair that wasn’t done.» he said, «we’ll I can’t refund the amount for the Freon.» I said, «OK, so can you refund the amount for the rest?»
«Let me see the invoice again…» I put the papers in front of him again and he said, «WELL, DON’T THROW THEM AT ME…» I said, «I didn’t throw them at you, I set them in front of you…»
He said, «I’m not giving you any refund now…» Dumbfounded I said, «Are you saying that you won’t refund the money after telling me you would if I provided proof that the repair you made was faulty?» he said, «That’s right.
I told him that I’ll be sure to let everyone I know about the kind of manager and shop he runs here in Mobile, AL. and I left.

My Lexus conked out near the Battleship, in the rain, on a Saturday morning, a few days after Alabama lost to Ohio St… Needless to say, the first days of 2015 were not going well. My girlfriend and I had a 10 hour trip ahead of us, so I had my car towed to Pep Boys on a whim (anywhere is better than the side of the road, right?). I rented a car and came to see what was wrong with mine. I explained the car’s symptoms and the manager (Jeff, Jed?) immediately diagnosed the problem as a dead alternator, and even described in detail how easy it would be to change it. He told me it would be a quick job, and he might even be done that day. My gf and I drove back down to Dauphin St. to kill time and he was finished by 6pm. A one-​way rental charge would have been almost $ 600, so it was crucial that they finished that day. The whole experience was about as good as it can get under the circumstances.