Wal Mart Service Center ripoff, they claim to check everything but its a rip off, it will cost you Lexington Tennessee
As you read the following. Keep in mind that this was my family's only vehicle. I have 3 kids and my wife is pregnant with number 4. I live in Lexington TN, if you try and look up an OB/GYN here you will not find one. The nearest one is 40 minutes away in another town, and Wal-Mart made it impossible to get my wife to the doctor or hospital, and they did not care. Regardless of all the facts I faxed to them, they could have cared less.Here is my story.....
I have a 2002 Chevy Avalanche and I have been taking it to Wal Mart to get service since December of 2005. Everytime I've had my oil changed, they noted on their documents that my rear differential fluid was fine. 2 months ago I started hearing a roaring sound from my truck. I took it to a service center (Not Wal Mart) and they informed me that I only had 1/2 a quart of differential fluid. It holds 2 1/2 quarts. They also informed me that I had no leak, and they asked me if Wal-Mart had serviced my truck. The mechanic said that he noticed a blue mark on my rear end that denoted that Wal-Mart had checked my truck, but he informed me that with no leaks THERE IS NOW WAY TO LOSE 2 QUARTS OF FLUID WITH NO LEAK. He said Wal Mart must have not checked it. So I went straight from that shop to Wal-Mart.
When I arrived at Wal-Mart I informed the service center manager of what had happend. He turned my claim over to CMI (Claims Management Inc.). They handle all of Wa-Marts claims. It took a week for CMI to contact me, and they did that by a letter. THE DATE OF MY LAST SERVICE WAS 3 MONTHS AND 3 DAYS FROM THE DATE THAT I FILLED MY CLAIM. They told me to take my truck to an ASE certified technician and have him write a report. The said if the report showed "reasonable and causual cause that Wal-Mart cause damage" then they would pay for it. By this time my truck was not able to be driven. But I risked life and limb and rolled it to an ASE certified technician.
Ironcally, the technician handled all of Wal-Marts jobs. He said that "they all the time bring cars to him that they have either stripped oil plugs outor messed up serverlly". He took apart my truck, and gave an honest opionion. He said that the damage to my rear end was caused by not having any fluid. He also said that I had no leaks. The estimate to repair my truck was $2312.42.
I faxed his report, along with the bill from the first service center that said that he had to put 2 quarts if fluid into my truck. The bill was dated the same day I filed my claim. Both mechanics said that I had no leaks. Should be an easy claim right? NOPE
WAL-MART DENIED MY CLAIM BEACUSE THE SERVICE CENTER WORKER SAID THAT HE CHECKED MY FLUID. Even though I had my last service job done at Wal-Mart only 3 months and 3 days before, even though I had no leaks, and even though my truck had been to two mechanics, 1 of which wrote me a bill to fill my truck with fluid on the smae day I made my claim, Wal-Mart denied my claim.
The CMI rep Marlon French was very rude, and they did not care about my family or me. He didnt care that I couldnt get my wife to the doctor, he didnt care that my family depended on this truck, he didnt care that I had no way to work. Just becuase the Wal-Mart worker wrote down that he checked it, that was good ebough to deny my claim.
I'm not here to get Wal-Mart back. I am here to save anybody that is getting their service work done at Wal-Mart from getting screwed. They are a major rip off, and they dont care if you have had 5 oil changes or 50, THEY WILL NOT STAND BEHIND THIER WORK. Please do not go there.
If you suspect foul play, take a 3rd party mechanic to Wal-Mart and make them check your vehicle in front of you and them. If they refuse call the cops, because they make great witnesses in court.
Chontay
Lexington, Tennessee
U.S.A.
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8 Updates & Rebuttals
Chontay
Lexington,Tennessee,
U.S.A.
Thanks.
#9Author of original report
Wed, September 27, 2006
Thanks for your post. I bought the truck used in 2004. It has a little over 100,000 miles on it and prior to 12/11/2005 I changed the oil in it myself but I never checked the fluid. It may have never been checked. I/ve thought about small claims court and I figure that I'll be SOL there as well but its worth the 71 dollars to try. I've already paid to have my truck fixed, but I just wanted to warn people that this may happen to them.
Thanks agian.
Robert
Jacksonville,Florida,
U.S.A.
I'm attempting to help you, in a 'round about way here
#9Consumer Comment
Wed, September 27, 2006
If the seal areas are bone dry, and have no signs of any leakage at all, you may have a claim against them for negligence(for claiming to have checked the fluid) only. If there is even the slightest residue, you are SOL.
Did you buy the truck new, or used. Did you buy it from a new car dealer that claims to check everything prior to sale? Even new vehicles are pencil whipped on the "dealer prep" work. How many miles are on it? All of this will be taken into account if you pursue this in Court.
You may also wish to get a lab analysis of the fluid in the differential. It is supposed to be GL-5, a synthetic gear oil. I doubt anyone at WalMart can even spell Synthetic, much less know what it is. If the results show the wrong fluid is present, THAT will be how you fight them.
Good luck.
Robert
Jacksonville,Florida,
U.S.A.
I'm attempting to help you, in a 'round about way here
#9Consumer Comment
Wed, September 27, 2006
If the seal areas are bone dry, and have no signs of any leakage at all, you may have a claim against them for negligence(for claiming to have checked the fluid) only. If there is even the slightest residue, you are SOL.
Did you buy the truck new, or used. Did you buy it from a new car dealer that claims to check everything prior to sale? Even new vehicles are pencil whipped on the "dealer prep" work. How many miles are on it? All of this will be taken into account if you pursue this in Court.
You may also wish to get a lab analysis of the fluid in the differential. It is supposed to be GL-5, a synthetic gear oil. I doubt anyone at WalMart can even spell Synthetic, much less know what it is. If the results show the wrong fluid is present, THAT will be how you fight them.
Good luck.
Robert
Jacksonville,Florida,
U.S.A.
I'm attempting to help you, in a 'round about way here
#9Consumer Comment
Wed, September 27, 2006
If the seal areas are bone dry, and have no signs of any leakage at all, you may have a claim against them for negligence(for claiming to have checked the fluid) only. If there is even the slightest residue, you are SOL.
Did you buy the truck new, or used. Did you buy it from a new car dealer that claims to check everything prior to sale? Even new vehicles are pencil whipped on the "dealer prep" work. How many miles are on it? All of this will be taken into account if you pursue this in Court.
You may also wish to get a lab analysis of the fluid in the differential. It is supposed to be GL-5, a synthetic gear oil. I doubt anyone at WalMart can even spell Synthetic, much less know what it is. If the results show the wrong fluid is present, THAT will be how you fight them.
Good luck.
Chontay
Lexington,Tennessee,
U.S.A.
What!!?
#9Consumer Comment
Wed, September 27, 2006
Blame my mom for my name, but I'm all guy.
And yes, my wife is 6 months pregnant, you can check my whole family out at ((( website removed by ROR)))
And, I dont know how the fluid got out. But, like I said if I did have a leak, how could he mark it as good every 3 months. Wal-Mart never documented that they had to fill it. And, the fluid I had put it there 2 weeks earlier was still in there when I took it to the shop. Maybe it is magic.
Jamie
Midlothian,Virginia,
U.S.A.
Chontay..sounds like a woman's name..
#9Consumer Comment
Wed, September 27, 2006
Yet your wife is pregnant. Ok
Well how did the fluid get out? If there is no leak, did it magically disappear?
NO
You have a leak
Chontay
Lexington,Tennessee,
U.S.A.
Response to "You have a Leak"
#9Consumer Comment
Wed, September 27, 2006
Thats what I thought to man. I check everything as did both mechanics. I filed my claim and had my fluid filled on 8/25/06. My truck finally broke completly down on 9/8/06 and I limped it to the mechanic. The fluid I had put in there was still in there and it was still full, no leaks at all man. Belieive me if I though it was in any way my fault, I wound'nt have went through the trouble with Wal Mart.
Plus if I did have a leak, how could the Wal Mart service technician check it as ok every 3 months. If he checked it, he would have at least marked that he had to fill it. He marked it as OK.
Robert
Jacksonville,Florida,
U.S.A.
You have a leak
#9Consumer Comment
Tue, September 26, 2006
If you had no leak, you would be missing no fluid.
More than likely, the pinion, or axle seals leak, and you lost the fluid through them. Look at the front of the differential, where the driveshaft attaches. Is it dry? Look at the backing plates at the ends of the axle tubes. Are they dry? By dry, I mean nothing on them at all, except paint. No residue of any type. What about the differential cover? Is it dry, with no evidence of wetness?
I find it hard to imagine a WalMart flunkie putting forth the effort required to drain the fluid out of the fill plug. They barely have the initiative to even show up for work each day.