Ouch, Jiffy Lube News Story

[Bruce Nunnally]

Interesting TV Documentary report showing "Jiffy Lube" at 5 of 9 locations cheating customers by charging for services they did not perform:

http://www.nbc4.tv/video/9152183/detail.html

Nice story with hidden cameras under the hood, and careful marking of parts prior to taking the car in for service.

[MAC]

Disgusting! This is why I would not hesitate to file a written complaint with the Better Business Bureau, corporate headquarters or a state’s attorney general if I felt I was being scammed. It sounded as though whom ever the kid was talking to on the telephone (my impression is that it was the owner) was involved. I would prosecute the owner and anyone involved. Jiffy Lube should yank the franchise licenses—I would have zero tolerance for this kind of nonsense.

[Bruce Nunnally]

Apparently after the report and other publicity the following notes: http://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/jiffylube062106.htm

The 31 Los Angeles area Jiffy Lube centers are owned by Heartland Automotive. Jiffy Lube issued a statement saying “it does not tolerate the problems discovered in the KNBC report.” The company said that six employees, including a district manager shown in the video “are no longer working for Heartland Automotive.”

Five of the service centers found to have been ripping off consumers were closed for two days in May for “re-training.” Jiffy Lube also said that in Los Angeles, it would institute its own “mystery shop program” to ensure that “all procedures and policies are properly followed.” “Over the next several months, video cameras and monitors will be installed in the 31 Heartland Automotive-owned service centers so customers can watch their services being performed,” the company said. “Further violations of company policies could result in the revocation of franchise agreements for the affected service centers.”

Why not institute that policy for all 2,200 Jiffy Lube centers across the United States?

Are Jiffy Lube customers to assume that they too are being ripped off?

Jiffy Lube did not answer this question until after this article was first posted on the Corporate Crime Reporter web site. After the article was first posted, we received an e-mail from Jiffy Lube spokesperson Helen Bow. Bow said that in fact the mystery shopping program was "nationwide."

"Jiffy Lube customers also have several options available to them if they believe for any reason they have not received top-quality service," Bow wrote. "Toll-free customer service phone numbers are printed on the back of every Jiffy Lube invoice. Customers can also request the return of their old parts -- excluding used motor oil and other fluids -- after they have services performed."

[JimD]

Unless the shop owner is your brother, there is only one way to avoid getting ripped apart on routine automobile service; DIY! Unfortunately, the shady shops and the honest shops get painted with the same brush in the eyes of 95% of car drivers.

When a similar investigation turns to home repairs, you can add several zeros to the price tag for work that is not needed or not done.