Just Brakes
Reviews and Complaints

I have auto zone receipt showing purchase of new break pads and grease to front breaks, 3 months ago and now my front breaks are squeaking. I called and was disregarded because I didn’t use in-house breaks. I explained I have life time warranty on breaks and have purchased the same breaks once every year with no prior issues or noise. Until I trusted your company with the replacement. I paid for the labor and feel as if this was done on purpose so I would told I didn’t purchase your breaks.

I went to your store #114 on rayford in spring tx on 11/2/2018 at appx 320pm. I had a 330 appt. The manager nancy was very pushy. I explained to her what I needed and could afford. She quoted me one thing and it increased. I asked could I get caliper and brake pad replaced and come back in a few days for rotor since it was only 1 wheel that needed the work. She started rushing me telling me they were getting ready to close and I needed to hurry up. She then said if I didn't get all the work completed (brake pads, rotor and caliper) she wasn't going to do anything at all. The way she said it was very rude and nasty. She also stated after hearing me on the phone if I bought all my parts they could put it on. First she said she would charge $120, then it was $175, then $90+ $178 and then it was $298. After that I said well i'll drive to the nearest auto parts store and buy parts. Well you need to hurry because we are getting ready to close! She called advance auto and supposedly was getting me market value. Parts end up being close to 200 dollars and she was charging $200+. The total was $415. I told her I can't afford that. Well let the truck down!
On top of all that she kept referring to me as "girl"... Not appropriate, not good customer service and at this day in time with all the racial tension I found it very rude for a caucasian to be calling the black woman girl when conducting business. The man before me was referred to as sir, but me girl. She even was going off on an employee in my presence. Seems she needs to be taught good customer service and good management skills. She is extremely rude and pushy!

I had my brakes and front rotor assembly and stuff replaced on a January 8th of 2017. As of last week, maybe a week and a half, my ABS light came on my brakes are grinding. I cannot see how my brakes would be bad after a year. I have tried to email, but no one has responded. I havent gone back to the shop that did the work, yet, because i fivured i would cut out the middle man.I would like to know what I can do to get this fixed without paying for the items that I paid for a year ago. This is unacceptable and if its the kind of work you do, on tje part your named after, i will do my best to let people know not to go to any of your shops.

On 03/16/17 I went to store # 650 for brake services. Jamar was the individual that helped me and again on 03/27/2017.
On both occasions Jamar claimed that the system was down and he needed cash for service rendered. I gave him $120.00 cash on the 16th and $80.00 cash on the 27th. Jamar explained that my credit card would be charged an additional fee if swiped and and since the system was down he needed cash. I returned on 3/27 because the brake job was poorly done and the car was still grinding and making sounds when I press on the brakes. Jamar told me that the calipers and roters weren't checked and was not serviced, and added that he was going to have to order them and it'll cost me an additional $80.00.

Jamar stated on both occasions that a statement would be available whenever I return to the store. I returned on 3/28 and requested a statement for tax purposes but unfortunately Jamar was unable to furnish an accurate statement because he never enterd my visit in the system and I doubt he deposited the $200 in the register since there was no record of the trasaction. Jamar attempted to pass of a statement for service rendered on 11/28/2016 for a total of $371.87 for the recent visits. When I pointed it out to him he said he'd have to get corporate to reissue a statement. Jamar made 2 more attempts to create false statements with the wrong ammount, wrong date of service and incorrect list of service rendered. My family and I have been a faithful client of the Hobe sound store, store #651.

I've never experienced such dishonest and unprofessional service from store #651 or from any other auto service provider ever in my life. I'd also like to add that the morning of the 16th they had several customers and cars to service so I wasn't in any rush. I walked to a local breakfast dinner and returned with breakfast for him and another mechanic. So you can imagine my disappointment at the outcome.

I have faith that you will restore my faith in your company and serviceman.

On November 15, 2015 I took my family van in for a routine oil change. They told us it would be about 4 minutes to an hour, so we went to the grocery store. About 3 and a half hours later I finally received a call that the vehicle was ready for pickup, but there had been an accident in their parking lot and there was some damage to our vehicle. When I arrived I found the entire right front of the vehicle to be damaged. I spoke to the store manager and the district manager that day and they assured me I would be taken care of and receive a call in the morning. That call never came! I had to call repeatedly over the next 2 days to reach the district manager - at that time he told me to take it to a body shop for an estimate of repairs and they would get it taken care of right away. I got the estimate to them by November 19th - $5000.00 minimum to repair and a week with out the vehicle. To date I have not heard from anyone to get this taken care of, every day I am told someone will return my call - but they never do. My first call in the morning will be to my attorney! Don;t believe anything they tell you!

I too have been hustled and abused by Just Brakes here in Phoenix. I should have walked out after the Leader AD was dismissed, however, I fell for the con in good faith and paid 4-5 times more than the ad offered. The problem developed and played out at the 32nd Street and Greenway location. First, I had to return 3-4 times for complaints of shoddy workmanship, loose parts, severe pulling to one side upon braking, etc. In that exchange, they also installed a faulty master cylinder that leaked on to a bladder that they refused to replace. Second, they had to turn the drums and resurface them several times. When I went back to further complain I was having continued problems, that store was closed. I visited other stores for assistance, and upon inspection they inform me that the rear drums were "Out of Spec" and required a new job for the same price that I originally paid. They also admitted that the bladder was damaged, and a result of a faulty installation, and that if I was to "Get The Work Done, They would replace it for free. I have been chasing this down for years completely ignored in my many attempts to make this right. I have never in my life seen an organization get away with so much. I have tried for several years to contact the main office in Texas at two numbers, and they refuse to return my call. I understand that they were bought out and changed hands, but they own this! This is consumer fraud as far as I am concerned and the next step in small claims court for 3 times the amount. I will Contact the FTC, The District Attorney's Office. The Attorney General, and so on.

i arrived at 4 pm on the 10th of january to have my brakes changed, with no hesitation they had my car on the lift and all 4 tires off the car, its now 4:15 pm, at 4:35 the manager takes me to my car and proceeds to tell me that 3 of the 4 rotors are bad and cant be machined... he informed me that new rotors would be $80 per rotor.. before i walked into just brakes i called auto zone and priced the same rotors, and they were $27.00... per rotor... i then told them to just replace the brakes.. at 4:45 the manger tells me that he called for my parts and they should be here in just a few minutes, that pep boys is just a couple blocks away... huh ... Just Brakes you would think they would have brakes in stock... guess not ! at 5:00 a young lady came in and needed all 4 brakes and 4 bearings changed... and 5:45 finally the pep boys delivery driver makes it to drop of the parts needed to change my brakes and service the young ladies car... now at 6:00 this young lady is driving away in her car.. and im still waiting.. finally at 6:20 ... almost 2 1/2 hours later they tell me that my car is done... Really ! total work time... 40 minutes... wait time on parts ... an hour and a half... should have been half off or some kind of discount... really bad customer relations... would not ever recommend Just Brakes... PATHETIC...

STAY AWAY FROM JUST BRAKES...
More like JUST DAMAGE AND POSSIBLE DEATH!

Not only did they say my lifted truck was in need of changing its parts only a year later, it was as if my truck had never been fixed. Seemed like everything was wrong to the tune of $1200.00. I knew something was up. Well, they never put the cap back on the brake fluid resevoir and I had no idea the brake fluid was damaging other parts, causing corrosion. A while later, with my girls in the truck, we were running errands. My brake pedal hits the floor and the warning lights come on. By the grace of God a mechanic was 2 min away. I don't know how they sleep at night knowing what they do to people.

II recently took my wife's car to a couple of local mechanics for a brake job estimate. I knew the front rotors were warped and needed to be replaced, I was holding out until it needed a complete brake job. By the time my wife told me her car was making a funny noise, the rear brakes had apparently been worn down to the indicators for quite some time, as they were beyond turning, too. The estimates I got were for roughly $450 and $480; I also took it to the local dealership for comparison, they quoted me about $800. Now I knew Just Brakes has a bad reputation for dishonest business practices, but that's a significant amount of money to pay for a brake job and I figured it couldn't hurt to give them the benefit of the doubt and take it by for a free quote, right? So...any guesses as to what they quoted me? How does over eleven hundred dollars sound? That price included refurbishing all 4 calipers at a cost of $175...EACH! BTW, there's an Auto Zone within spitting distance of the north Fort Worth/Keller Just Brakes, they sell refurbished calipers for my wife's car for $55 each. When I told them to forget it and put the car back together, they wanted to negotiate. I wasn't interested in anything they had to say at that point, so they took their sweet time putting the car back together.

When I took the car back to the mechanic that gave me the original quote, I told him I had taken the car to Just Brakes for an estimate...he laughed and said "let me guess...they said you need to recondition your calipers, right"? Even knowing what a bunch of crooks they are, he was still shocked at the quote they gave me. I was the only car he had in the shop at the time and he had another mechanic working on it, so he took the time out to give me a quick lesson on brake calipers and showed me that mine were working fine. So much for giving Just Brakes the benefit of the doubt.

2006 Saturn Ion 3 Vin F.
3/31/2012
Brake hardware kit - Retail $7.50 JB charged $42.50 ea (x2)
Rear shocks (Monroe)-Retail $31.99 JB charged $69.00 ea
Ft struts-Retail $133.00 ea JB Quoted (declined) approx $300+ pair
Brake Pads-Retail range $20 - $61. JB charged $53.88 for unkn brand/quality.
Ft rotor- Retail range $36 to $59 JB charged $71.64 for unkn brand/quality
All of this is accurate and just FYI. This list is just a sample of a mystery shopper experience on this date.

Just Brakes' has a Business Model of consistently commiting consumer fraud against customers; they are not interested in repeat business, but their model focuses on RIPPING OFF customers including Women, Elderly and anyone else they can "con". I had an experience where they promised a "Free Estimate" and while waiting they jimmied the paperwork; Altered the Worksheet which make it look like the "free estimate" was a work order authorizing them to do all the work on the car - cheating on out of hundreds of dollars of concocted an unnessary work without any authorization at all; then, holding your car hostage until you pay them. THIS COMPANY WAS A TARGET OF NBC NIGHTLINE which found the padded jobs and didn't change old brake fluid they had charged customers for; yes, they charge for parts they don't even change on the vehicle - it's all a scam and we wonder why the feds or the State gov. doesn't put them out of business - must be cheaper to pay fines instead of buying parts and fluids? Stay away!

STAY AWAY FROM JUST BRAKES…!
The first time I went in I knew my truck would need some work. Total bill was $580 for repair, replace, and service my truck. Which consisted of new Rotors, Pads, Repair Front Calipers, Fluid change, and hardware, Okay fine, I knew that going in. Paid about $240 for labor, which I got lazy and had them do it…
Now went in about a month ago because I knew my pads didn’t have too much life in them so had them look at it. Here is where they will get you for work not really needed. Same people as before, he tells me my rear Calipers need to be rebuild, new hardware, and Fluid change. NO Thanks, tires went back on. A month has gone by, went back, now we have a different people in the same store (Keller). Comes back and tells me (get this, same rear brakes) I need new rotors, hardware, and Fluid Change. Total price $290 to do the job. Nothing about the Calipers as before, so this tells me there is NO CONSISTENCY with any of their personal, or training for that matter. They went ahead and honored the pads but for only 90 days for their lifetime warranty unless the repairs are done, then the lifetime warranty of pads will be honored. The only thing that they are trained to do is to nickel and dime you for whatever they can so as not to honor the Lifetime warranty unless suggested repairs are done.
I have done my brakes on my truck since buying it new and never had issues with any of the repairs they suggested, I JUST GOT LAZY. Rotors don’t need machining unless warped or cracked. My rotors weren’t warped. Fluid change is only needed once a year or if air somehow gets in the lines. So beware of what repairs they tell you because it will add up. Find yourself a reputable mechanic from someone you trust and had work done from them or otherwise start doing them yourself…
STAY AWAY FROM JUST BRAKES…!

Long story short: I have a 1993 Cadillac Sedan that I bought from the son of a little old lady in Oklahoma who had passed away. The brakes were not making any noise or having any problems but just to be safe, I took it to Just Brakes for them to inspect. They came back with a repair bill of close to $1300.00 and told me that the drums had been machined out of spec which implied that they had been machined before elsewhere. But something didn't sound right to me so I told them to stop and put the car back together, which they did. I took it down the block to Pep Boys where I told them the same thing - inspect the brakes. The poor guy doing the job came back scratching his head and wondered if I was having any problems and I said no. To my surprise he said the brakes are original to the car and hardly look used at all! And I said, "are the drums okay?" he looked at his boss who said, "if they've never been touched, then they've never been machined." Proving once and for all JUST BRAKES is for suckers! Don't be a sucker!

This is in response to an article in the St. Pete Times online article posted 22 June, 2004.
I had a wear indicator squeal from the front brakes of my 99' Blazer with 52, 000 original miles on her. I go in to ideally change the pads all the way around the vehicle for their advertised price of $99. After "inspection" they tell me that my front disc rotors can't be "machined" due to them not being "within tolerance". Remember, these are the original brake pads and rotors so anyone who has dealt with an honest mechanic (if they truly exist) knows that under normal circumstances, the rotors can be turned at least once. That was my first red flag. I even asked to see the micron meter readings and the tolerance specs from their own supposed documentation. He stated that he'd have to look them up which naturally prompted me to ask, "If you have to look them up, then how can you quote specs and tolerances just after the inspection." He naturally diverted the question to his "technician" who of course knows the specs from years of expertise. Due to the year of the truck, I decided to change out the front rotors. Meanwhile, naturally there's an issue with the back calipers not opening and closing "The way they're supposed to." According to the technician, they are suddenly sticking and a full brake line bleed is necessary at an additional cost of course. I grudgingly agreed and eventually had all disc rotors and pads replaced. I pay my $256.35 bill and depart (not too bad). I immediately feel resistance similar to the brakes are being applied. About five minutes later, I smell something burning. I pull over and notice smoke coming from my driver's side rear rotor. I call them back and the sales manager stated that it sounded like my caliper is sticking (foreshadowing maybe?). I slowly go back to Just Brakes and am subjected to the additional caliper fees and additional labor costs. Remember, there wasn't a caliper issue until I came to Just Brakes. My suspicion is that the expert technician intentionally installed the old calipers in such a way that would cause them to react the way they did.
While waiting on the new calipers from Advance Auto, I had a smoke brake (no pun intended) with the technician and we discussed my military career and pay / benefits and he also expressed his approximate annual salary. I say approximate because he divulged that the mechanic and I suspect the sales manager as well, make commission of part sales. Hmmm? Sounds like an incentive to embellish on what is actually needed to ensure your safe in the event that you actually need to use your brakes huh?
Oh yeah, they also have about a 25% mark up on parts from the auto parts store just ½ mile down the road. I know this because I called Advance to check the price just to see how much more they're charging. I even asked the sales manger if there is a markup due to delivery. He said, "No, they deliver for free!".
I understand companies are in the business to make money, but deception or outright lying is inexcusable. This is one of those cases you wish you could scream from the proverbial rooftops to warn motorists who need work done! I guess this is what is known as wisdom. It would be wise not to go to Just Brakes again! :)
By the way, my final bill? When it was all said and done I was subjected to a whooping $658.38! A $99.00 brake service; I have a feeling that rarely happens. To their credit, in the commercial they do say something to the effect that additional fees may be required (more foreshadowing perhaps). Remember, "At Just Brakes we really do, care!" (about your money; additional fees and services may be required).
I wrote this to inquire if anything came about during the sting operation and maybe some sort of class action law suit that might have come about due to their unscrupulous practices?

OK...I am the LAST one that falls in behind the masses to rip some poor business guy or Company in an online forum, especiaally when the posts tend to be on the somewhat hysterical side...BUT! I needed simple pads replacement recently...2003 Isuzu Rodeo LX, Super well maintained. I am a car guy, have done my brakes since I was 15, all makes and Models (MB/BMW, Porsche, My Vettes, all of them...) I am deploying in a few days, and I just didnt feel like getting skeeter bit or busting knuckles last week, so I roll into Just Brakes here in S. Pasadena outside St Pete Beach (FLA) area:. Nice enough guy greets me, writes me up!. After having read all of these posts here, I asked the guy (nicely) "Hey, you guys have kind of a rotten online rep, lets just stick to the basics, swap the pads, and I'll be on my way"!. He looks at me a bit askew, and has me sign the service order where I wrote in VERY large letters "99..99$ MAX charge for brake service" as per their much advertised special, . Well, I watched as the Wheels and brakes came off?. Then suddenly there was much furious flapping of parts catalog pages as the service guy starts looking up part numbers and entering them into his PC?. He comes over to me (an hour later) with a grim look on his face, holding an ESTIMATE of 600+ dollars in relairs! And so it begins..."Sir, we found that one rear disc was .000015th's out of round, and the front Pads were glazed (Typical for FLorida hot, stop and go traffic here in ST Pete) so he starts to tell me that it was because my Brakes are "dragging" (Not properly releasing/i.e; Calipers are shot, etc, etc, ad nauseum). I looked him straight in the eye and said "Do you remember when I asked you politely that there be NO Shenannigans today? Do you remember that? I followed up with "I have changed my Brakes and their pads since I was 15, he Calipers work flawlessly, there is NO dragging, NO squealing, NO loss of fluid (Sign of a truly bad seal or Caliper), and to tell you the truth, the Pads, although "Glazed" will last EASILY another year or so! So whats it gonna be? The 99$ special, or do I have to raise my voice a bit"? He grinned, saw that I wasn't going to fall for it, and he tells the guys in the Garage "Button it up, were done with him...". I saw what was happening, so I asked him one last time "Sir, I asked you nicely, PLEASE, just replace the pads, and rotate my Tires...please? I'll gladly pay the 99$ AND I'll tip your Crew". He wasn't having it! So...Moral of the story? There is NO 99$ brake special. Plain and simple. In the blink of an eye, the guy presented me with a horror bill for 600+ dollars in "Dangerously defective brake parts that need to be repaired/replaced".Once you roll in, its as if they are reading the lines of a play..."Brake system shot, yadda, yadda, heres the bill, 600-1200$. Its all a scam, plain and simple. That the Justice Department hasnt crawled up their Butt yet surprises me greatly. Then again, maybe they are going after all those Wall Street Banker types that ruined our economical system? Yeah right...I'm headed back to Afghanistan to serve this great Nation...AGAIN...God bless America and free enterprise!

I'm an old lady - I was actually afraid of the employee who took my order. I said yes to $275 estimate that he gave me to replace my car's brake pads before he actually looked at the car. I did not expect to pay $99.98 since I always knew that $99.98 price was impossible. I started to get upset when the guy called me indicating that it would be $475 since there was more things to be done. I said that I could not afford more than $275 - the price that we agreed upon. I told him that I would pick up the car and cancel the order. He said that I could not do that since I already agreed with the $275 and that he would fix the car for that price but would give no warranty - I reluctantly said yes. This guy was so intimidating and could have been a criminal at one point. Old ladies - please do not go there. By the way, the pads needed to be replaced again after 6 months.

I use to be a manager of a just brakes location. you want to know the funny part. I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT BRAKES. The reason why i got the original assitant position is because i have a sales background. Now ask yourself this question why would a legitimate brake shop need to hire salesmen. Well you have to have someone exprience in selling if you gonna sell the immorral bs they sell. Heres how it works and this is there training. Some one calls in for a price its always 9988 even if you know its there gonna be more for the vehicle whether theres a non stock pad fee or a larger truck fee you never inform them of that tell the vehicle is torn apart. Next you have the vehicle in while its being torn apart you are trainded to chat with the customer to try to build a =='repoire. this way you can try to get them to build trust with you. Next unless the systems contaminated you bring them in for what is called the WALK AROUND and this never changes for the vehicle and here is how it goes. The tech usually the other mngt team member introduces him self then this this the walk around... sir/mam the reason for your (stated complaint) is due to your wheel cynders leaking (if not visibally leaking then you say there sticking due to age and milelage doesnt matter if theres only 20000 miles on the vehicle if they question it thats what the mng/ast/=(salesman)if there for. now sir/mam do to the wheel cylinders not functioning your front calipers have overheated causing them to bind and not release correctly. Your pads are overheated and your shims are non reusable. Due to your rears not working correctly your rear hardware is weak and also needs replaced. due to the overheating upfront we will also need to replace the front hardware to. the play tech then turns to the mng aka salesman and says '(salesmans name) in order to fix mr/mrs so and sos problem i am going to need to replace the rear wheel cylinders and hardware. i am going to need to rebuild the front calipers and replace the hardware and shims. i would also suggest replacing the master cylinder due the the condition of the lower hydraulics. ill try to save the rotors and drums but i wont know till i machine them (which always never happens theyll need replace to by the time i got done w' the customer) Can you go ahead and give mrs/mr so a so a price and ill get the problem fixed. Now the salesman prices it note: theres no set few for parts mark up or other work thats the managers descrestion. I was told one time by the corporate office when i thought i was overpricing wheel cylinders to do it tell i get caught NO LIE. if the customer says no you try to counter the no with aggressive tatics Basically bad cop and if they say no then the tech will call and try to second effort the sale in a concerned manner (good cop). but if you ever had your car inspected at Just Brakes your walk around would have sounded the same unless they werent doing the way they were traing at what just brake calls 'THE WAY' school. Now if you refuse to do the extra work they will do the 99 88 special but wont machine the rotors (which if you check is part of the advertised service which last i check is considered fraud if not done.) the excuse i was suppose to give if called on not machining the rotors was they were to close to spec or were non machinable due to the overheating. But the real reason i come to find it not machining the rotors will cause the brakes to squeak pretty quickly. Now why would we want you to come back in two weeks later with squeaky brakes simple Now we can tell you the reason why there squeaking is because you didnt do the suggested repair work and thats part of the disclaimer you signed witch ulmatley says if you read line five of the trans warrenty that we dont have to warrnety damaged pads if there was suggested work not performed but if you take care of the rest of that work today well go ahead and and warrent to out the pads. Just watch out when you go to just brakes cause its no lie its a scam i been part of it take my word on it.

Just Brakes in Conroe ripped off my son who is on a college student's budget. He went in to replace squealing brakes and left $200 poorer WITH SQUEALING BRAKES. Complaints to the corporate office offered no relief only the suggestion that it was our own fault for "agreeing" to service. It's difficult to NOT agree to service when the "technician" uses a crowbar to remove parts from your vehicle and the #1 safety feature of your vehicle is in shambles. These people should be sued over and over and over until they can no longer stay in business.