White’s Service Station

I fill up here regularly, but have never had automotive work done. I stop in because they have $.50 coffee; that’s a great bargain for when I forget to make a pot at home. Compared to the other two filling stations in town, this one has a calmer breed of customers… They don’t sell lotto and have a crappy selection of cigarettes, so that’s probably why. Does that make me a snob? I don’t care, it makes me a happy customer.

This station has just been through an ownership change, and it is definitely not for the better. After being a loyal customer of White’s since the beginning of the automobile, my 79 year old grandmother took her car in and asked for an oil change. She knows nothing of cars and having been such a loyal customer, she trusted this station. She left with a $ 160 bill, which included $ 31 for the oil change, $ 52 for a new serpentine belt, $ 28 in labor to install said belt, $ 26 for new wiper blades, $ 13 for a new air filter, plus other various labor, enviromental fees and tax. My grandmother is on a fixed income and was not expecting such a large car repair bill, especially a week before Christmas.
A call back to the shop about the repairs resulted in a lot of excuses and no notes as to why this extra work needed to be done immediately.
If this is White’s new business practice, I suggest everyone avoid it, especially if your nice but naïve grandma is off to get her car serviced.