Sears Auto Center Scams Another Consumer

On September 22, 2014 I went to Sears Auto Center in Glen Allen, VA (store 7511) for the FIRST time (also the LAST) just to get an oil change. A week and a half later my car started experiencing some issues so I took it to my dealership to be checked out, that is when they discovered my radiator cap was off and I was told that whomever dealt with it last either didn’t put it back on or didn’t secure it. I knew exactly whom that last entity was, Sears. I went back to Sears immediately after leaving my dealership and spoke with the manager Mac about the situation who Immediately apologized for the inconvenience. I also showed hmim the paperwork stating that due to the loss of coolant and it causing my engine to overheat that there may be engine damage. He said that they DO check the radiator fluids as a “courtesy service” and that he would make it right by reimbursing me what I had paid my dealership and that he would speak with the mechanic to make sure that nothing like this happened again and that he hoped I would consider coming back to them. A week later I was experiencing similar issues and decided to take it back to my dealership, I didn’t trust Sears to handle anything, they then let me know that my water pump was busted and there was indeed engine damage. I paid my $200 deductible to have my warranty cover the water pump but the engine damage was Sears’ liability to have to cover. I called Sears and again spoke with Mac who informed me that due to the extent of the repairs he had to file a claim with the insurance company Sedgwick to cover the repair costs and that they would also reimburse me my deductible. For weeks I dealt with an incompetent insurance company that did nothing to rectify the situation. They ultimately denied the claim DESPITE the fact that Mac/Sears took responsibility in the beginning KNOWING they had something to do with it. I even have a document typed by Mac stating that they had left the radiator cap off and he reimbursed my fees. So I couldn’t understand how the insurance company could deny a claim if the client admitted responsibility. I spoke with Mac in reference to the decision and they tried to pass the blame by saying my dealership did not run proper tests and now it is their fault. Unfortunately for Sears I have documentation from Mac stating they left off the radiator cap, I also have witnesses of my dealership that can attest to the fact that the causation expert that was sent to evaluate the damage did not follow up with anyone at the dealership, he did not ask questions, no true investigation was done by him or the claims adjuster. I also was told by a CURRENT employee/mechanic who works for Sears Auto Center that they are “taught how to rig cars so that they will have more issues and the customers Have to bring them back for more repairs.” This is very vital Especially in terms of having them subpoenaed to court if I take the lawsuit route which is PRECISELY where we are headed. I now have a blown head gasket and may need an entirely new motor thanks to their negligence and they are trying to turn the cheek and not do anything to correct their mistakes. I have not owned my car for even a YEAR and it was ruined by a careless mistake.

Aleasesa Bouton

A stunning nightmare that never ends turns into a lawsuit with Sears Auto Center

Our Sears Auto Center nightmare never ends, just gets worse. It is stunning:

• How we are being forced to file a lawsuit, at the insistence and provocation of Joe Oakes, Sears loss prevention department, and legal counsel who have advised of our rights against Sears for negligence and endangerment. All we wanted were our keys and our tires mounted appropriately, without loss and danger. Since Sears lost our keys, we merely asked for reimbursement to get our keys replaced. When we provided Alyssa A. with the estimate from Toyota of Orlando for $452.96 (see estimate posted herein), suddenly we never heard from her again. And when Sears Bob Parr, Joe Oakes, Moises and Melanie filed their lies in their “investigation,” we never heard from anyone.
• How Sears Auto Center employees Moises (the “mechanic”), Carlos and Bob Parr lost half of our key chain and then went on to lie and cover up their negligence in their one-sided “investigation.”
• How Sears said the keys were not there WHICH IS A BLATANT LIE BY ALL OF SEARS PERSONNEL. We are providing signed affidavits to counsel attesting to the fact that we are 100% POSITIVE THAT THE KEY CHAIN WAS INTACT WHEN GIVEN TO SEARS PERSONNEL.
• How Sears mounted our new tires, charged us, sent us on our way without our keys, and WITHOUT EVER CHECKING THE TIRES OR THE TIRE PRESSURE BEFORE SENDING US ON  OUR WAY.
• How Bob Parr and Cory admitted that Sears policy is that the “mechanic” merely drives the car from the bay to the parking lot without checking the tires or the tire pressure when SEARS MOUNTS TIRES THAT A CUSTOMER BRINGS IN THAT THEY DID NOT PURCHASE FROM SEARS!
• How my daughters and I were allowed to roam through the maintenance bay unescorted searching for our keys in tool boxes, over equipment, for three hours, while Sears management personnel stood around talking about the problem (see some of those photos in other posts here in this online journal).
• How Sears manager Melanie brought a set of keys to us, asking if they were ours. When we said, “No,” and described them again, and showing the matching half, Melanie replied, “Oh, then these must be another customer’s keys. It doesn’t happen often that we misplace keys, but it has happened.”
• How we opened our bags for Melanie and police when we called the Orange County police to file a report — Funny how the Sears report read to me by Stephanie at Sears auto customer service stated that Bob Parr and Joe Oakes and Melanie said that we refused to open our bags! UNBELIEVABLE LIE BY SEARS PERSONNEL TO COVER THEIR NEGLIGENCE! We opened our purses THREE TIMES that evening, proving that none of us had the keys that we entrusted to Sears.
• How my daughters and I were and are 100% POSITIVE THAT THE FULL KEY CHAIN WAS IN TACT WHEN CARLOS AND BOB PARR directed us to leave the key chain in the ignition when they told my daughter to drive the car into the maintenance bay. One of them unclipped the halves, leaving one in the ignition and taking the half with the key that opened the trunk to get the tires out BUT THEY FAILED TO RECLIP THEM AGAIN, putting only the key that was left in the ignition on their purple lanyard – and that was the only key they returned to us that evening!
• How on the way home that very evening June 4, 2013, the tires Sears just mounted started to go flat because according to Sears managers Cory and Bob Parr, it is Sears policy that since we did not buy our tires from Sears, Sears Auto does not check the tires nor check the tire pressure when they mount them = SINCE WE DID NOT BUY THEM FROM SEARS.
• How Bob Parr told us that he wish we had turned around and come back if the tire light came on — I had to remind him that it was nearly 9:30 that night — Wasn’t the auto center already closed? He admitted, oh, yes, that’s right.
• How after having our car towed back to Sears on June 6, 2014, Bob Parr puts another customer’s discarded tire on our vehicle because he no longer can find either one of mine that they removed to put my new tires on.
• How Sears Auto Center employees lied to managers, how managers lied to loss prevention, how NO ONE AT SEARS EVER QUESTIONED US ABOUT THE EVENING but then somehow Sears “investigation” is closed.
• How we have begged for help from representative after representative, made call after call, have written a letter to Bob Parr and get no response from him or Sears, or any of the tens of people we have contacted.

We have one valet key. We cannot open the trunk without opening the car to unlatch the trunk. The old discarded tire that Bob Parr found from another customer in their garage needs air added weekly.. We are scared to death to be on the road.

I gave Sears two new tires, one of which still had the blue sticker on it. But I only have one new tire and a garbage tire Sears decided to put on in place of my new one.

IF SEARS HAD CHECKED OUR TIRES AND TIRE PRESSURE ON THE TIRES THAT THEY WERE MOUNTING, we would not have been sent on our way with under-inflated tires, creating a hazard for us in what possibly could have been a fatal situation that night. BOB PARR WOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO SEND A TOW TRUCK. His paying for the tow is clear admittance of their negligence and attempts to cover up the same.

So instead of having two new tires that I purchased and provided to Sears, I have my one new tire and ONE TIRE THAT BOB PARR SAW FIT TO PUT ON OUR VEHICLE THAT ANOTHER CUSTOMER REPLACED AS BEING UNSAFE because he said he could not find the tires that he removed from our car.

We have had representatives  email that they want to reach out. When we provide our telephone number, we get NO RESPONSE.

Other representatives will say, we don’t have your contact information on file, and we will provide it again, and STILL NO RESPONSE.

We have used Twitter – to no avail. A representative will message to my daughter, stating to Direct Message him/her. When she does, they don’t respond.

Then @sears and @searscares blocked my daughter from following them on Twitter.

We have opened complaints with Sears and Sears online auto center, only to have them close the complaints instantly, with no investigation.

My daughter and I called the Orange County police and initiated a police report that evening of June 4, 2014 when Bob Parr could not reach Moises, the “mechanic” who worked on our vehicle.

The Better Business Bureau and legal counsel have now written to us indicating this is a legal matter of fraud and negligence by Sears Auto Center and its employees at the Sears Auto Center at the Florida Mall on S. Orange Blossom Trail.

Service Supervisor Bob Parr Negligence at Sears Auto Center Florida Mall

Bob Parr, Service Supervisor at Sears Auto Center at Florida Mall, is perfect for covering up Sears employee negligence and inadequacies to the detriment of Sears auto customers, then filing falsehoods in Sears reports.

He made excuses to us every terrible moment we had to be there in our 3-hour search for our keys that Sears employees lost. While Bob Parr, Carlos, Melanie and other Sears and mall personnel stood around talking, three women had to roam the entire Sears garage maintenance bay looking for the keys the employees lost.

Bob Parr, Melanie, Sears Auto Center Florida Mall on June 4, 2013

Bob Parr, after charging us for mounting the two new tires that we had brought to them, he sent us on our way at after 9:00 pm, WITHOUT THE OTHER HALF OF OUR KEYCHAIN WITH KEYS — we had been there since before 6:00 pm.

Sears Auto Center at Florida Mall loses customer keys

On the way home, several miles down Orange Blossom Trail, the light on the dashboard indicating low tire pressure came on. Being too late, Sears Auto Center now being closed, we figured that Sears was negligent in just not resetting the light, and continued home.

June 5, 2013, I called Sears and talked to Cory. He insulted me in a telephone conversation when I referred to the light as the tire pressure light. He told me, “That’s not what it is called.” Regardless of what it is called, it came on, I told him. He instructed me to come back. I explained that we lived 1.5 hours away and could not come in today (Wednesday, June 5, 2013). Cory further stated that since we brought in the tires, IT IS SEARS POLICY TO NOT CHECK THE TIRE PRESSURE AFTER THEY MOUNT THE TIRES. SEARS WILL ONLY CHECK THE TIRE PRESSURE WHEN THEY MOUNT TIRES IF THE CUSTOMER BUYS THE TIRES FROM SEARS! He said that the next time we would come in, they would reset it for FREE.

June 6, 2013, my daughter and I are leaving to get groceries when we notice the tire is completely FLAT.

Flat tire that Sears Auto Center at Florida Mall mounted on customer car less than 36 hours previously

Calling Sears to tell them that the tire they mounted is FLAT, a tow truck is sent to take us back to Sears.

Ace Wrecker tows customer car to Sears Auto at Florida Mall

We are given a litany of excuses from Bob Parr. He tries to state that the tire must have picked up a nail or something. How convenient for Sears to say! When I told Bob Parr to put my tire back on that they took off, he told me they didn’t have it, and then proceeded to search the dilapidated tires that other customers had discarded. He said he could not find my tire so he was putting on another customer’s old worn tire.

We have been driving on that old worn tire, which tire loses pressure, and puts us in harm’s way. This is Sears!

Ripoff Report filed October 23, 2013

On June 4, 2013, my family and I dropped off our Toyota Corolla at the Sears Auto Center located at The Florida Mall for a tire change. We had our own new tires in the trunk for the Bob Parr service supervisor and his staff to put on the car. I drove the car into the car bay, as I was instructed by Bob Parr Carlos. Before leaving the driver’s seat, I asked Carlos if I should leave the keys in the ignition, and he said that I should leave the keys in the ignition. I did.

At that time, my keys were intact. The keychain was a two part keychain that could not be unclipped. The keys that were on the keychain were: the manual car door key, the car key fob, house keys and valet car key. There was also a huge, heavy blue metal clip attached to the keychain.

We were told that it would be between an hour to two hours for the tire change. We left. When we came back and I was handed back the keys, The only key they gave me was the valet key. [continued below]….

Report Attachments:

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The rest of the keys and the keychain were missing. My manual car door key, my car key fob and my house keys were missing along with the second half of the keychain and the metal clip. I asked them where was the other half of my keychain with the rest of my keys.This started a 3-hour search for the keys. We checked our purses in front of the staff, in front of police officers (there is a police report) to make sure we did not have the keys. We, my mother and my sister and I, personally searched through trash cans, mechanic uniforms, the mechanics’ stations, walking over the lifts and other maintenance areas of the Sears auto garage, as well as the vehicle inside and outside and the parking lot.We had to file a police report because the mechanic who was working on the car could not be reached, and there was fear someone was going to break into our house since Sears has the home address on file, and the keys were missing. We had to leave the auto center without the keys that Sears misplaced. At one point during the key search, Melanie presented us with a set of keys asking, “Are these yours”? We stated no, and she replied, “Well, these must be another customer’s keys.”As we are driving home, the tire light came on in our car but the auto center was
closed (it was now nearly 9:30 pm), so we could not go back. We had to be escorted to our house by the community security to make sure that no one had broken into the house.
Less than 36 hours later, when we went to run errands, the tire was completely flat. We have pictures of the tire. We had to calls Sears Auto Center to get a tow truck to tow the truck back to the Auto Center. We have dated pictures of the Ace Wrecker tow truck, tow truck driver and the tow truck company.

Bob Parr Service Supervisor as well as manager Cody admitted that they did not check the tire pressure on the car when they first put on the tires. They stated that it is Sears policy to NOT check tire pressure when mounting tires that a customer does not buy from Sears. Their staff will just drive the car around the lot once or twice then park it. If the tires don’t pull, they consider them good to go. Sears still had not found our keys and still did not know where the keys went.

They sent us home on tires they mounted but did not check which are clearly losing pressure. As Bob Parr stated, the put the tire on but the tire may have been faulty — but they put it on anyway, sending us on our way and what could have been a fatal situation due to their complete negligence. When the car was towed back to Sears (with proof on record), Bob Parr could not find our original tire so he put someone else’s old discarded tire.

In telephone conversations with Sears Corporate, Bob Parr, Melanie, Joe Oakes, Moises and Carlos who worked on the car and were working the evening of June 4, 2013, lied multiple times about what transpired over the flat tire and stolen/misplaced keys.

In their false case report in a Sears “investigation,” they stated that we refused to our bags. In fact, we opened our purses three times in front of staff Melanie as well as Deputy Ventura to show we did not accidentally have the keys. Sears denied that we returned a day later with a flat tire. Instead, they lied and reported that it was a week later. There are other false statements in the report filed by Sears personnel in this “investigation,” which Stephanie read to my mom over the telephone. It should be noted that this “investigation” by Sears was completely one-sided – theirs – because we were NEVER questioned before they closed this “investigation.”

We have been extremely patient, making attempt after attempt to resolve this with Sears simply cost of replacing our car keys. We had costs associated with replacing house keys, of which we did not ask. At the last point in July 2013, Alyssa A. Sears executive offices offered to reimburse us for key replacement should we provide an estimate. When we provided that written estimate, she ignored our telephone messages, never returning our calls.

When we attempt to email district managers, they ignore us. We open a complaint but they immediately close it without any notification. Their one-sided “investigation” by which they have loaded their reports with false statements by employees to cover their negligence. Never once did Sears try to contact us in their “investigation.” I tried to get in contact with Sears over Twitter but they blocked me from contacting them and have ignored my problems every step of the way.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 10/23/2013 01:45 PM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Sears/Orlando-Florida-32809/Sears-Auto-and-Tire-Center-Sears-mounted-flat-tire-putting-us-in-near-fatal-drive-home-PL-1094116. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.

Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report.

How Sears Auto Center managers and employees lied in their “Investigation”

Sears definition of — investigation —
1. Ask their employees some questions.
2. Their employees lie.
3. Sears closes the investigation.

… doing NOTHING for their wronged customer.

Sears NEVER interviewed us, customers who were harmed, in their one-sided “investigation.”

Sears IGNORES the fact that the Orange County Sheriff deputy had to file a police report against Sears the evening of June 4, 2013, which report we have in our possession, proving that Sears managers and employees lied to cover their negligence

Some of the instances of negligence by Sears employees include:

• Sears employees lying that they never had our keys at the onset
• Sears manager Bob Parr having three women customers search through the maintenance bays unescorted, looking through mechanics’ stations, walking through oil and over hydraulic lifts, for which we have PHOTOGRAPHS.
• Our submitting to illegal personal bag searches by Melanie to prove that we did not have the keys