Audi woes - new wheel, rotor, front panel

[Mike Arman]

>From: "films at crazyralph.com" <films at crazyralph.com>
>Subject: RE: Audi woes - new wheel, rotor, front panel
>
> > You certainly need to visit that Wal-Mart and explain what happened.


Congratulations - you've been had by the monkey lads.

A few years back, a neighbor of ours who worked in the jewelry department 
in the local WalMart took her Toyota to the other side of the store to have 
the oil changed - "You're an employee, we'll take good care of you!" was 
what they said.

Except they left the oil drain plug loose, and of course it came out, and 
of course so did all the oil, and of course that was the end of the engine 
in her Toyota.

Their immediate response was to deny that her car was was ever serviced 
there in the first place, claiming "it wasn't us, someone else must have 
done it", but stopped that after she produced the paid work order, which 
was three whole days old.

"Not our fault. You have an old car. It was getting ready to break anyway. 
You were driving it too hard."

Then the car was put on (someone else's) lift and the missing oil plug 
noted and photographed, and their tune changed slightly - very slightly.

After about three months of increasing acrimonious communication, WalMart 
agreed to buy her a junkyard engine and install it "for half price".

A few months after that, they agreed to let someone else install it and 
they would pay half of the bill.

A few months after that, they agreed to let someone else install it and 
they would pay all of the bill.

A few months after that, they agreed to pay for a guaranteed running engine 
instead of a junkyard engine, and pay all of the bill to install it.

She went this route, WalMart eventually and with ill grace picked up most 
of the tab, and after almost a year, she had her car back.

Moral - don't EVER let mass-marketers work on your - or any - car! If you 
search the archives for "monkey lads" you will find some AMAZING tales of 
utter incompetence, stupidity, and sometimes outright fraud.

You got a cheap lesson in that you were unhurt - others have not been so lucky.

Amazingly, said neighbor still works at WalMart, but doesn't take her car 
there for service any more . . .

Best Regards,
Mike Arman