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Rocks
I've gone to other places in the past- all the competitors- but today, beyond a shadow of a doubt-
Pep Boys has proven to me they are the best of the best as far as taking care of their customers,
& going above & beyond for me, personally.
The last time I was there was maybe late March, they did a nice job for me....
but today the same wonderful guys exceeded my expectations......
So I'm curious I guess, if anyone else has had that level of service,
literally half the staff was going out of their way to assist me....
Most of those franchise places I avoid like the plague. Glad it worked out for you. They are not typically customer service driven and sometimes lead to more problems than they are worth. A quality local parts place "not franchised", but privately owned, is who I go to for parts or repair questions. Like I said, glad it worked out for you.
it's pretty hit or miss with PB. Most pleaces, they hire barely knwoledgeable people that have a hard time even working the parts interchange computers. A few of the places are Pep Boys Speed Shops, where they sell a lot of real performance parts as well, and the staff there tends to be a bunch more knowledgeable and helpful. There are a couple PB around here that I would stay away from, and a couple that are go-to paces for replacement parts just for that reason.
I have had to use them once for service and it was an act of desperation where I was scrambling to find someone to press in new u-joints to half shafts. I hand carried all the parts to them. That was all they did. It wasn't a positive or negative experience, they simply did what I asked them to do. Other than that I hear nothing but horror stories of ignorance and incompetence. I would never trust them do to do on-vehicle repairs nor would I recommend them.
I will NEVER suggest anyone to use Pep boys. Over priced,bad customer service, and a ripoff. Far away from home, a wheel bearing went out on my dodge ram. With few fast options for repair, it was sent to pep boys. They charged $400 to replace a wheel bearing in two hours, and spilled red soda ALL OVER THE CARPETS. Worst part is, they didn't have the guts to tell me what they had done. I found out when I got in my truck to leave.
That's weird cause I think they are the biggest crooks ever. Went there for $50 advertised tires and the crook says it'll be $500. So I do a quick math in my head and 50 x 4 = 200. So I ask the crook why is it so high.... he then proceeds to tell me it includes lifetime balancing, road hazard warranty etc. I tell him I don't need them and why didnt you ask.... no answer.... then he sarcastically says you dont want new valve stems either? What a scumbag.
I thought it was just this store that was crooked but another Pepboys store pulled the same exact scam so I know its a company wide deception probably encouraged by corporate.
For Parts, I would say they are average at best. I much prefer Napa or Advance and find that their parts tend to last longer.
For service, I would not set foot in one, just like any other "chain" garage. Like dealer service, they are there to push sales and extract money from your wallet. They are highly trained to sell to you. Not to be your friend who wrenches on your car.
Then again, I know more about the mechanical aspect of the car than a lot of people, do a lot of my own work, and easily sniff out a rip-off service writer a mile away who is trying to sell me stuff I do not need. (I have seen one place, a new car dealership, purposely sabotage parts to try and run up a repair bill).
Instead, I tend to try local private garages, and once I find one I like I build a relationship with them so I can trust them, and they can understand what I expect of them. Been with the same local guy now nearly two decades, and it has been a great business relationship!
I did have a good experience with a Pep Boys in Florida. I took a nail in one of my tires and I didn't notice it until after work. All the other tire shops were closed, but Pep Boys were still open. I took the tire to them in hopes that it could be patched. They not only patched the tire, they rebalanced it, put it back on the car, handed me the keys and said "have a nice day". They didn't charged me a dime. It worked out that they were training someone and it took a bit longer then they expected. It didn't bother me at all since I was watching TV in the waiting room. I tipped the guy 10 bucks and I was on my way. They still could have charged me but they chose not to.
Just to clarify- I was in a bind,
they went way above & beyond to help me....
nobody else would've done what they did for me today.
Also, I don't use them for serious mechanical issues.
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