May 17, 2013
My daughters take the car back to Sears for the oil change since we were uncomfortable going to Pep Boys as never being there before. We already had our account established with Sears Auto Center at Florida Mall since August 2012.
The salesman did not understand English well and proceeds to cause a chain of misunderstandings, resulting in my having to be called at home, talking to Supervisor Bob, trying to understand why we are told we need a Sears credit card to have the work performed.
Daughter 2 Accounting of Events:
My sister and I walked into the Sears Auto Center and requested if we could have an oil change on the car. Hector, one of the employees, had several miscommunications with us handling the vehicle. He cited to us about required maintenance and Sears Credit Card, which prompted us to call our mother at home for further instruction.
Hector drove our car from the parking lot into the Sears Auto Center and asked us to come outside to look at the front tires. There was some wear on them, and he began informing that the vehicle was a security issue and it was a requirement that the tires be replaced and aligned.
When I asked if the tires could simply be rotated he said that they could be, while another employee told me ‘No’ because this service was not offered at Sears and this would not fix the wear of the front tires. Hector then went on to explain that if we didn’t have the tire change, the car couldn’t be released back to us. Once I called my mother on the phone to talk this over with her, Hector changed his story and said the tire change was an option; not a requirement. We confirmed with Hector only about having only an oil change for the time being.
Moving inside the building, we were prompted to pay before service was completed – not after completed service as typical business at Sears was previously done. Having the credit card on hand to pay with, Hector instructed us that we would need a Sears Credit Card in order to pay. Hector asked us if we were previously signed onto Sears program and that it was a requirement in order to pay.
At this point a manager Bob came into the conversation. When asked about the situation that was occurring – being denied to pay with a regular credit card – Hector blatantly denied what he had been telling us – not only about the tire change but also checking out.
Bob began handling the situation personally with me and my sister at another check-out station, and spoke to my mother over the phone about the miscommunications with Hector. It was then concluded that we would have an oil change, and in the future, have our new tires mounted for free and aligned with a small discount.
Overall the experience of just checking in for an oil change cost a little more than hour of our time due to the confusion and multiple miscommunications.
Sears and Sears Auto and Tire Centers 