We were notified of a post on NextDoor by a loyal customer. Our initial instinct was to continue focusing on serving customers and repairing vehicles while letting the internet take care of itself. However, it has become a lively discussion and we cannot sit back and let our name be dragged through the mud due to false information. We will not go into a point-by-point debate but do want to address a few of the major points.
To start, this entire conversation started with a post from “Amy H.” and although we welcome criticism, we do not appreciate defamation. Her accusations have numerous falsities. It would take pages to identify each of those in her narrative, but we will point out just a few. First, let’s recap what occurred and why. We did recommend replacing inner tie rod ends that were severely damaged because we experienced a wobble/shake during our test drive, and it was visually in poor condition. We were concerned over Amy’s safety in driving her vehicle in its damaged condition. This is a safety concern because if the tie rod breaks, the driver loses the ability to steer the vehicle. We let her know there could be issues with the brake rotors but let’s address the safety issue first given it also is related to the drivability concern. We did the repairs and charged substantially less than the standard industry labor time for this job. We did this because we suspected there would be additional items that needed to be addressed after the safety issue was handled. We communicated to Amy the presence of a brake issue was not definitive as all that was observed was some bluing on the rotor. Fast forward, Amy returns with the vehicle and the shaking persists. We offered to continue our diagnostic process FREE OF CHARGE to further identify what was causing the problem. Amy would only have to pay for repairs, and we would work with her financially as needed. She took her vehicle back saying she wouldn’t pay for any additional repairs, demanding that any further repairs free of charge.
Management proactively called Amy and encouraged her to return so we could confirm the integrity of the prior repairs completed and address the outstanding shaking issue. We offered to work with her on pricing. Again, she refused and said she would go to a different shop. The interactions with Amy got very concerning at this stage…
- She stated she spoke to 7 shops that said the pricing for the tie rod job was too high. We offered to refund 100% of the labor she paid if she could share one of the professional contacts she spoke with so we could verify her claim. Amy did not share any contacts.
- Amy stated she spoke to the attorney general’s office, and they stated our shop was in the wrong. We found it suspicious the attorney general’s office would weigh in on a situation like this, but nevertheless, we offered to refund 100% of the labor she paid if she could share her point of contact so we could verify her claim. She did not share any information.
- Amy stated in her posted we quoted her $1000 for rotors. This outrageous number was either made up by Amy or came from someone else. Recall, she never left us the vehicle to inspect the brakes therefore we never had a chance to recommend rotors. We don’t quote repairs unless we have a repair recommendation from inspection.
- Amy states in her Yelp review she got an oil change the prior month. That’s inconsistent with her NextDoor narrative that her last service was 6 months and 3K miles ago. She also alleged we manipulated her computer system to decrease her oil life percentage from 30% to 10%. These systems are designed to be tamper-proof. We don’t understand why Amy is sharing inconsistent information or making odd accusations.
- Finally, Amy’s MOST CONCERNING action: she had an anonymous letter (pictured below) sent to our shop and alleged a federal investigation is ongoing and that one of our team members was bribed with a “large sum of money” to sabotage her vehicle. We are stunned that anyone in our community would take these unethical steps.
We remain ready to help Amy resolve her current circumstance and we will do it free of charge. After that, we kindly ask her to find another shop to service her vehicle. We believe respect is a two-way street. Our hard-working team should not be subject to manipulation, dishonesty and slander. Behind our brand there are human beings that care about their team members, their customers, and the Park Hill community. We believe all interactions within our shop should be founded on decency and honesty.
There were a few other comments on the thread we want to address:
We want to make clear that we acknowledge our shop has its flaws. We make mistakes. We are human. Our team continually talks about areas of improvement and “making it right” when we fall short of our high standards. For example, Jackie B. posted about dropping off her vehicle earlier this week and by noon the oil change was not done. She’s 100% correct in her criticism and we tried calling her twice this week to remedy the situation but unfortunately it went to voicemail both times. Our current scheduling process was instituted when COVID began but it creates some inconveniences for customers seeking quick services. We are doing an ongoing evaluation on how we can improve this process given COVID concerns have slightly diminished. We know our shop has areas of improvement and we welcome feedback. Our goal is to get better and continue to serve with dignity, accountability, and friendliness.
Another topic was pricing. On the spectrum of being a dealer-alternative versus a quick lube shop, we are more like the former. We typically use dealer or aftermarket OE quality parts. This is naturally more expensive, but also provides a better-quality repair. There are shops that provide cheaper repairs and lower quality parts. We encourage customers to call around to ask credible shops what their oil change prices are. The industry has experienced over a dozen price increases in the last year for motor oils, yet we only adjusted our pricing one time. Inflation has impacted the cost of labor and parts, but we will continue to focus on providing quality services while balancing affordability.
Finally, our front office team has 2-3 automotive professionals who are female. Our overall team comes from numerous racial backgrounds. Any suggestion that we target based on profile is unfounded. We value and welcome neighbors and customers of any race, color, creed, gender, or background. Society is filled with excess hate and anger; our shop is a safe space for all. We’ve also been long-time partners with a local non-profit supporting low-income single mothers who need assistance with reliable transportation. Like all shops, we have areas where we can and should improve, but this allegation is offensive.
To close, we welcome feedback and hope to continuously improve. We hope to serve our neighbors and customers better each year. If anyone wants to call in and speak with ownership/management, we welcome that conversation. We want to build relationships with our customers and earn their trust to service their vehicles. If there are additional comments on NextDoor, we will not respond as we’ll be busy fixing vehicles and serving our community. Thanks for your time and continued support.