Preview Review

Next Review

Pep Boys Consumer Reviews - Page 2

Most Popular | Newest | More Options >
More filter options:
They Wanted to Charge Nearly $500 for a $135 Job.
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA -- I went in to check how much they would charge to change a coolant flange. The man asked me the year of my car then said it would be $437 without skipping a beat. What he didn't know was that I had just been down the road at a smaller auto repair shop and they quoted me $135. Pep Boys is a ripoff. And because I was a woman on my own, he thought I was an idiot. I told him they were charging me $300 more than the place down the road and he knew he'd been caught out and just blustered. Do not trust these people. I went to them once before and wasn't happy with their service or price. They are just a money grabbing machine and take advantage of people.

Replies
Upcharging
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

MIDDLEBURG, FLORIDA -- Went to visit my family in Florida. My sister while I was there told me her car was making a noise. I've been a mechanic for 30 years and within 50 feet I was able to tell she needed front bearings, and I told her to take the car to Pep Boys with my dad. I called the next night to find out what they were charged and come to find out they were charged $1100 for two bearings and an alignment.

The bearings which average between $100-$140 at different parts stores and at Pep Boys are $136.99 but at the service counter she was charged $491 for both sets of bearings and I was told that the 136.99 price would only warranty the bearings. If they went bad she would have to pay for the labor but the $491 covered the labor if the bearings went bad so Pep Boys is taking extra money only guessing that the part is going to go bad, and if it never does go bad and you drive off into the sunset they collect that extra money from you.

To me that is stealing and it's a total ripoff. Be very careful not to take your car to Pep Boys. I verified this by calling two other Pep Boys stores and both managers I talked to verified that that's how the policy is. What a total ripoff this company is!!!

Replies
On September 19th I Went to Pep Boys for a New Starter & New Electrical Component. Igot My Car Back on the 22nd. They Overcharge Y
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE -- One person assembled the starter and ran an electrical analysis. When the car would not start I was told I needed a new switch. On the third day a new person began working to install the switch I purchased and he damaged the fittings. He and a service man told me it was already broken. Haha. I had to purchase a new component because they refused to accept responsibility. They refused to refund the core charge when they kept the old one. They finally finished on day four. It was a terrible experience. Do not take your car to Pep Boys on Gunbarrel Road in Chattanooga. They are very unprofessional.

Replies
Fraud Deliberately
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

ROBERTSDALE, ALABAMA -- I took my 2007 F150 in for 2 tires 2 months ago. Yesterday, I took it back for two other tires, master cylinder, brake booster and 2 wheel hubs upfront. When I got my bill I saw the actual receipt from local auto parts house sitting on my paperwork. They nearly doubled the price on every part they replaced. They also added the limited extended warranty (66.00$), road hazard warranty (46.73) which I said I don't need because where I'm moving to they don't have Pep Boys locations. Then they charged me $20 more per tire than I paid two months earlier for same tires.

This company advertises low cost tires, but add on extra charges and doesn't tell you. This is not honest or good service... When I called, they took my info, and case number. LOL you must get a lot of complaints if you need case numbers. If you choose to buy from these people, ask upfront what is your out-the-door price. They mislead you any way they can.

Replies
Advertisement
Customer Serviceless
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

BRANDON, FLORIDA -- I called and got an estimate from Shawn on the price of placing a trailer hitch on my daughter's car. Two weeks later I called and made an appointment to get the hitch put on and spoke with Shawn. We arrived for our appointment to get the hitch put on and Shawn attempted to check us in. It seems that Pep Boys doesn't carry a hitch that fits my daughter's car.

He asked me who gave me the quote. I told him that he did. I had his name written down with the quote. He told me there was no way he did it because he didn't even know how to look stuff up. Very very reassuring. Meanwhile we were suppose to leave on vacation with a trailer hitch that has now had to be postponed. Do not trust these people. If they will lie to you to get your vehicle in their bay they will not tell the truth about what may be wrong with it.

Replies
My Experience with Pep Boys
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- My experience with Pep Boys: 7/10/13 Wednesday 5:15 P.M. – I notice flashing clock and poor starting. Go to Pep Boys Buy new battery and it is installed by Pep Boys. Waited on by **. Installation complete and I start to leave. I turn on my a/c and notice it is blowing through the defroster vents but the knob is set to the dash vents. I return inside and notify fleet mgr ** of the issue and am told by ** there is no one available to do the diagnostics on this issue and that if I return Wednesday before 5 pm that he will ensure that there will be a technician available.

7/11/13 Thursday 4:30 P.M. – Return to Pep Boys and meet ** in the parking lot. He indicates that I should wait there and goes inside. After a few minutes ** comes out to speak with me. He advises me that there is no technician on duty that can deal with my issue. He also states that he has seen this issue previously and that they probably just need to hook up a piece of equipment that will allow the technician to re teach the truck's computer about the actuator, no problem.

I tell ** that I was told by ** to return and that there would be someone there. ** said “I don't know any anything about it sorry there is no one here." He says “When can you be here before 5 P.M?” and I said Sunday. He says “that will work. What time can you come in?” I said I would be there at 9:00 A.M. He said “Great I'll have them ready for you.” 7/14/13 Sunday 8:45 A.M. – Return to Pep Boys and wait for opening time. The gentleman that originally installed the battery (I don't know his name) noticed I was waiting outside and said he would advise the manager that I was there.

** the service manager comes out to talk to me and says no one told him anything about this issue and that the A/C tech did not work weekends. He apologizes for the inconvenience and says he will have someone call me on Monday. 7/15/13 Monday - No call. 7/16/13 Tuesday – No call. 5:00 PM I return to Pep Boys and wait at the front counter for 15 minutes before being acknowledged by any staff member. After staring over the shoulder of another cashier while she helps a customer pick out seat cover colors, ** helps a customer. When he finishes he turns around and finally acknowledges me. I ask if he remembers me and he does.

I tell ** hat no one ever called me as he had promised and he said he had left notes for ** to follow up. I express my displeasure at having been here four times so far with no resolution. He says "excuse me I will discuss this with the store manager **." I observe ** and ** discussing the issue in the stairwell to the elevated manager area. ** returns and asks can I leave the vehicle and I tell him I cannot as it is my only transportation. He then asks when I can be back before 5:00 P.M. I let him know that Thursday at 4:30 will work but I was getting tired of coming back over and over without resolution.

** says that ** “the big boss” was aware and would ensure the issue would be resolved. 7/18/13 Thursday 4:25 P.M. I return to Pep Boys and speak to ** at the front counter. He says just a moment and goes to the customer waiting area. ** comes down to the floor ad approaches asking me if I need help. I said I was back again to have my A/C issue looked into. He says “What happened? Tell me.” I retell the majority of the above to jog his memory. He then proceeds to tell me that changing the battery had nothing to do with this and the diagnostics would be laborious and time consuming probably 2 to 3 hours.

He takes my keys and I wait in the customer waiting area and watch the ½ hr of inactivity on my truck. It is in the first bay next to the window so I have an unobstructed view. Finally a technician opens the hood, checks the fuses, hooks some equipment to the truck and leaves. After approximately 45 minutes total (so much for the time consuming labor intensive diagnostics) ** comes in and says the actuator failed three weeks ago and Pep Boys is not responsible. I told him that it worked when I brought the truck in and when I got it back it did not. He said the equipment said otherwise. At this point I'm feeling somewhat misled.

I stated again that it worked when I brought the truck in and that I knew it worked as my wife has a little dog that rides on the dashboard and I shift the air to the defroster to accommodate the dog. I said that I did not believe him to which he replied “it is the computer not me, I didn't know anything about this”. I said that I had watched he and ** discuss this on Tuesday and he said that had not happened. I told him they had their discussion in the stairwell and that ** had come back and let me know that ** would oversee and follow up on the issue.

He replied that he had never had any discussion with ** regarding this issue and that they should have dealt with this on Tuesday as the technician was there. So I asked him why I had been jerked around so much when this was apparently so easy to take care of? Once again he lied to my face saying he knew nothing of the issue. His only suggestion was that I take the truck to the dealer and that if their diagnosis was different “he would take care of it”.

What faith can I put in a man who just lied to me multiple times let alone the company he represents. I feel as though this entire process was by design to make me give up and go away. This guy knows full well that I will be charged a substantial amount by the dealer to have a diagnostic done. And I believe, based on his previous behavior that if I have this done he will deny ever having the conversation or making any promises to fix the problem. The resolution put forth by Pep Boys was to refer the complaint back to the store that screwed it up in the first place!

I get a call from **, the guy who told me to show up on Sunday when they apparently didn't have the proper technician scheduled to work, and his solution is the same as ** the liar. All he wanted to do was repeat the problem was not Pep Boys but I could take it to the dealer. My solution is to share my story with any one who will listen. Pep Boys employs folks who will lie to you, jerk you around, break your vehicle (perhaps to drum up more business?) and then tell you it's not their fault. Save your money, save your time and save the aggravation!

Replies
Predatory Auto Repair Abuse
By -

CRESTWOOD, ILLINOIS -- First, some history on my 2000 Chevy S-10 4X4. My truck is in excellent mechanical condition. Maintenance has always been performed by the book, on time, no short cuts, no exceptions. On my way into work on 12/10/2010, I began hearing a noise on the front driver's side of my truck which I assumed to be a bad wheel bearing. I took it to Pep Boys in Crestwood Illinois and talked with the service manager. The service manager initially gave me an estimate of $45.00 to investigate the noise.

The service manager called me a short time later and stated that the noise was from three lug nuts that were where loose on my front wheel and that these were tightened and everything was OK. The service manager stated "you could use rear brakes". The service manager went on to say "You could use pads, rotors, and bolt kits(?)". I explained to the auto repair manager that I had rear brakes/rotors replaced 7000 miles ago. The service manager stated that "they look real bad"€. Given that I had no interest in doing a brake lob in 5 degree weather and against my gut feeling, I told the service manager to go ahead with the rear brake work.

The service manager called a second time a short time later. He stated that I needed a front lower ball joint, that there was a lot of play in it. Given that I did not feel like doing a break lob AND a ball joint in 5 degree weather again, against my gut feeling, I told the service manager to go ahead with the repair. The service manager called me a third time a short while later and his opening comment was "how long do you plan on keeping your truck". My first thought was "here we go, I am getting my leg humped by this guy for un-needed work". The service manager stated that his mechanic "chewed up the upper ball joint trying to remove the lower one".

At this point, I said "stop what your doing". I told the service manager that I brought my truck in for a noise in the front end that was resolved by tightening the loose lug nuts and now I have purchased rear brakes and a ball joint that "€œI could really use"€ and now you are telling me I need another ball joint. Already having the feeling that I am being taken complete advantage of. I told the service manager NOT to do any additional work, do NOT call me with more needed work and to return the old break shoes, rotors, and ball joint to me. I picked up my truck later in the day. The initial estimate of $45.00 swelled to $650.00.

The next morning at work, I asked our truck mechanic (32 years'€™ experience) to take a look at the parts that were removed from my truck by Pep Boys. The following is what I was told about the parts: Brake pads when new typically are in the range of 3/8" to 1/2" of pad thickness. My old pads had 3/8" pad surface left. My rotors were not smooth like glass but showed normal signs of use. New rear rotor thickness is 0.79. My rotors were at 0.77 and could have been lightly turned rather than replaced.

The stud end of the old ball joint was clamped into an 18" vise mounted to a plate steel table. A 36" pipe wrench was applied to the underside of the base adjacent to a steel block. Upward force was applied to the ball joint base. Using this crude set up to measure play, it was established that there was less than. 005" of play and the ball joint did not need to be replaced. In addition, after checking my receipt, I found three line items for "Extended Warranty" which I never authorized to be put on my credit card.

I went back to the store and saw the service manager waiting on a customer back in the service department. I told one of the store associates that I wanted to speak with the service manager and left my name. 5 minutes later the associate told me that the service manager was not available and that he (the associate) could help me. I told the associate that I have two questions. First, what is the $35.00 shop fee that was charged to my credit card? The associate said it was a disposal fee for the parts removed, especially the brake pads because they contain asbestos and are hazardous.

I explained that all the parts were returned to me and therefore Pep Boys disposed of nothing related to my repair and I asked that the $35.00 disposal fee be removed from my credit card. The associate stated that that was a standard fee charged to all customers and the fee could not be removed. I then asked about the "Extended Warranty" charge of $23.46. The associate told me that the service manager had asked me if I wanted an extended warranty and I agreed to the charge. I asked for documentation to this effect and the associate said "see, here it is right on the receipt - authorized by phone".

I explained to the associate that I did not authorize the warranty in fact an extended warranty was never discussed and I wanted the charge credited to my card which he did. The associate stated in a very authoritative voice "if you cancel your warranty and the breaks fail after 90 days, we will owe you nothing." I replied "IF MY BRAKES DO NOT LAST LONGER THAN 1 1/2 TO 2 YEARS, I WILL NEVER SPEND ANOTHER PENNY AT PEP BOYS". I have submitted the facts above to the CEO of Pep Boys. While I intend to pursue this, I thought it fair to allow the CEO a reasonable time period to respond to this predatory, fraudulent behavior first.

Depending on the CEO'€™s response, and in view of many similar complaints I have seen on the internet, I am considering contacting my states attorney to discuss a class action suit against Pep Boys. Having purchased at Pep Boys from time to time over the last 20 years and having been mostly satisfied, as far as I am concerned after this fraud that was perpetrated on me, Pep Boys is a predatory auto repair facility. Pep Boys is dishonest, and Pep Boys has lost all credibility with me.

NOTE: The Pep Boys CEO contact information can be found via Google search. Might not hurt to drop him a few lines if you have been defrauded, taken advantage, or otherwise cheated by Pep Boys.

Replies
Customer No Service and Physical Threats
By -

PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA -- I dropped my truck off for service this morning at about 10am for hesitation and rough idle issues at the Panama City, FL 23rd Street location. I was told by the service manager that they would run a diagnostic test and have an estimate for me by early that afternoon. I left at that point to run some errands. By 4pm today I had not heard from them so I called to check the status of my vehicle. I was told by the employee that he just got on shift and would check on it and call me back. Two hours later at 6pm I still had not gotten a call. So I called again. Again I was told there was no information and I would be called.

An hour later at 7pm I physically drove to the location thinking that they must know something. When I arrived the employee at the counter pulled my file and told me they didn't really know what was wrong with it but I "should" replace the coils, plugs, plug wires, PCV, Air Filter, Fuel Filter, and get a Fuel System Cleaning to see if that fixes the problem. I had a problem with this as I had recently had the wires and plugs replaced and the fuel filters replaced at Firestone 3 months ago. This told me they really didn't look at anything on my vehicle. And to top it off they had no estimate as to how much all of this would cost and told me they would call me later.

I decided at that point I did not want them to touch my car and asked for my keys. The employee then rang me up $103.97 for the "diagnostic" test that apparently can't tell them what is wrong with my truck. I asked to speak with his manager which turned out to be a big mistake. When I told the manager about my wait, the issue with not knowing what was wrong and my dispute about the diagnostic fee he became very belligerent and aggressive. He screamed at me and when I tried to speak he talked directly over me. Towards the end of our conversation he came to the counter, put his finger in my face and leaned forward in a threatening manner.

I told him if he continued to be aggressive I was going to contact the police. He continued to do so and was extremely belligerent. At that point I stepped out of the store into the parking lot to contact the police. I advised them I was not comfortable with the situation as a 6 foot tall well over 200 pound man was threatening me. (I am a 5 foot 2 inch woman and very small in stature.) When the police arrived the manager accused me of threatening him and that I was going to leave without paying the bill. Neither of which I had done or intended on doing. It was at this point I just paid the bill and am in the process of contacting their corporate offices.

I wanted this to go out to a warning to anyone thinking of going to this or any other Pep Boys. I do not recommend going to Pep Boys for any repair as I believe them to be dishonest, belligerent, aggressive, and they have the worst customer NO service I have EVER experienced. They will charge you for diagnostic fees and then tell you they do not know what is wrong with your vehicle. They are unapologetic for their incompetence and totally unhelpful.

Replies
Advertisement
Dishonest Service Work
By -

EVANSVILLE, INDIANA -- I notice a small amount of antifreeze on my garage floor. I do most of the mechanic work on my car and truck. So I started checking for the leak. Checked radiator, radiator hoses, heater hoses, coolant line for oil cooler, I noticed small amount of seepage around lower timing belt cover and water pump. I was going to make the repair but my wife thinks I'm too old to still be working on my truck. So I took it to Pep Boys and told them about the water pump leaking. I know when you replace the water pump it is best to replace the timing belt too because you must remove the timing belt to get to the water pump. This was quoted as five hour job.

Took it in first thing Monday morning. Repair was completed on Saturday at 7:00 PM. Picked up truck first thing Sunday morning. Asked the service manager if I could drive it to Indianapolis IN, he said no problem. I paid my bill and drove to my home in Newburgh IN which is about seven miles from the Pep Boys location in Evansville IN. I parked my truck outside my garage while I put some of my things back in my truck when I noticed antifreeze leaking rather badly under my truck. I drove back to Pep Boys while watching temp gauge which never ran hot.

I was telling the service manager about the leak when the mechanic standing there said, "are you driving the T100?", I said "yes I am." He said you have a bad radiator leak, I told him it was not leaking when I brought it in, and he said he did nothing to it. The top radiator tank was cracked on the side next to the motor. I asked if he removed the radiator to replace the timing belt and water pump like the manual calls for and he said no. He laid a piece of cardboard on the radiator and laid on it to do the work. The top radiator tank is plastic like most cars and trucks use nowadays. Without liquid in the tank it is not very strong.

And when he was lying on the radiator he cracked the tank. They wanted 379.99 for the radiator and 79.00 for labor to replace it. I got my key and left. They wanted me to pay for the radiator that they damaged while working on my truck. The next day I went back and spoke with the store manager, he went and spoke with the mechanic that had worked on my truck, then we went out and looked at the cracked top radiator tank, he said "it's been leaking a long time. We can not do anything about it." I told him it was not leaking when I brought it in.

I went home and was telling my neighbor about what happened to my Toyota truck since he has a Toyota truck the same year. I told him what I had replaced and about the leak when I got it home. He said "they cracked your top radiator tank." I said "how the hell did you know, I just left the store." He said when Toyota replaced his timing belt and water pump they cracked his top tank. They did not remove his radiator to replace timing belt and water pump, they laid across the top of it like Pep Boys did. But Toyota replaced the radiator that they cracked, no charge because they cracked it.

I called the store manager and told him about what Toyota did to my neighbor's truck. He said "but your truck is going on sixteen years old", and I told him my neighbor's Toyota truck is the same year. He said "yours has been leaking a long time." I filed a complaint with the BBB. Have not heard anything yet. Do not trust PEP BOYS AUTO. I will tell everyone I meet not to take anything to Pep Boys Auto. Pep Boys did a pressure test on my truck while they had it. No mention of a radiator leak. Isn't that strange. They also charged 35.00 for an electrical evaluation. I don't know why. Bunch of crooks.

Resolution Update 03/27/2009:

Pepboys payed for the radiator that they damaged, and refunded the money charged for and electrical evaluation that they failed to do. Still will not do business with them again.

Replies
Prices and Quality
By -

SALISBURY MARYLAND AND ALL OTHERS, MARYLAND -- Before taking your car for ANY type of service, PLEASE call the service dept for an estimate of repairs. Then call several other places. Shop around. Reason being, Pep Boys recently jacked up their labor rate to 83.00 per hour!!!!!!! In my area, not only is this high, but it's nowhere near comparable to even the dealer! The dealers here, as well as everywhere else is $65.00 per hour. A timing belt installation through Pep Boys is $50.00 MORE and comes with a 6 month labor warranty. The same repair at the DEALER (with dealer parts and certified techs licensed to work on YOUR car) is $50 less, and has a 1 YEAR warranty!

Furthermore you never know what kind of quality you're going to get. You can take you car for engine work and have a MECHANIC with 6 months experience. You can go back the next day and get a certified TECHNICIAN with 15 years experience. More helpful advice if you have NO OTHER PLACE TO GO (like maybe you breakdown on a Sunday, out of town), Pep Boys marks their parts up as much as 40% at the service side. So to prevent getting raped on prices, simply go to the retail side, have a parts person look up the parts you need. Purchase the parts at the register and put the newly purchased parts in the TRUNK of your car.

NOW go to service, and let them know you already have the parts, you just need them installed. You just saved yourself A LOT of cash. Same thing goes if they tell you they have to "out purchase" from another parts store (like NAPA or AUTOZONE). Tell them no thanks, you'll come back with the part. "Out Purchase" literally means the associate at the counter can mark up the price to WHATEVER THEY WANT. The higher the markup, the BETTER they look to corporate!!!!

I've read a lot of other reviews about unhappy customers not getting their money back. I worked at Pep Boys (not proud) for 7 years. THEY WILL ALWAYS GIVE YOUR MONEY BACK if you stand your ground. I've put engines in cars because the customer drove their car 50 miles overheating in excess of 260 degrees (we put a radiator hose on 1 FULL YEAR prior). All you have to do is stay respectful, DO NOT CUSS (you'll just get thrown out), and politely tell them you'll just call 1-800-PEPBOYS. That's usually all you need to say to get a FULL refund.

Simply put, the store manager does not want to deal with the paper work, poor customer satisfaction rating, and being yelled at by corporate big wigs. IF YOU DO have to call, it's usually settled over the phone from there. Just DO NOT leave the store. Let them watch you make the call, or better yet, ask to use THEIRS. Again, YOU WILL ALWAYS get whatever you want. All in all I would say avoid the store completely, they have nothing positive to offer you. Even the parts sold are bottom shelf, VERY poor quality parts. 50% of all starters and alternators installed at Pep Boys are defective right out of the box.

Replies
Top of Page | Next Page >

Pep Boys Rating:
Star Star Empty star Empty star Empty star
1.9 out of 5, based on 54 ratings and
145 reviews & complaints.
Contact Information:
Pep Boys
3111 West Allegheny Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19132
215-229-9000 (ph)
215-229-5076 (fax)
www.pepboys.com
Product/Services
Compare General Auto Companies