Meineke Car Care Center
Reviews and Complaints

In May of this year, Laura Meineke designed a contract that stated that I was to pay $800.00 for a Pomeranian puppy, all of which would go to pay for knee surgeries, to correct his luxating patellas. The contract stipulated that, if the surgeries were unsuccessful, I would not be bound by it. She was to keep the pup until recovery was over, then I would take possession. Since it took so long (over a month) for her to arrange the surgery, I was able, after much persuasion on my part, to take possession of the puppy, and have had him ever since. The first surgery, done over 3 months ago, was completed and healed well. Laura never took any action to attempt to schedule the second surgery. I have been asking, since the 1st surgery, for her to have the 2nd one scheduled. as time continued to pass with no indication of intent to schedule the other surgery, it became clear that she had no intention of doing so. I then began to request that she refund half the purchase price in lieu of the 2nd surgery. I was forbidden by her to contact the vet myself, so unable to inquire about my $$, or the surgery. In September she said that she would prefer to refund the $400.00, and not to schedule surgery. I have attempted, repeatedly, to collect the $400.00 refund, yet she will not pay it back, not in any form. She will not meet with me, and all written communications about the refund are ignored. She continues to breed and sell puppies, but will not refund the money owed to me, and will not respond to my requests. This breeder is unscrupulous, dishonest, and unethical. When I went to her home, in a small suburb of Cincinnati, the conditions were deplorable. There were dozens of dogs, and the yard and basement had intense odor of feces. The stench from the basement was obvious even in the kitchen upstairs in the main living area. There was rat feces in the basement as well, according to her. There was a doggy-door through which some could go in and out, but some were confined to the basement or the paypens. Some of the dogs had free reign, some in baby playpens, with soiled newspapers. One of the females, she said, was continually bred because (according to Laura) "the dogs like to have it that way, it gives them a purpose". I have been dealing with this for months, and all i get (on the rare occasion when I get a reply) are excuses and more excuses, as if I am bothering her. After months of the runaround, I looked up her criminal history and found that she had more than $8000.00 in unpaid accounts owing. This is a woman who is listed in the "Breeders of Merit" with the AKC. Obviously, i advise to look much further than the AKC when choosing a breeder, and research very thoroughly. I do not know what else to say, except...steer clear!

I
recently had my car serviced at Meineke. I purchased a set of 4 shocks but I
objected to the price. I was told that they were not regular auto parts store
shocks but commercial grade shocks. When I got home I looked up the type of
shocks that were listed on the bill. They were in fact the exact same shocks I
could have bought at the local parts store for way less. It appears I was
charged $100 for a $25 shock times 4. I wrote to Meineke and complained but
they said that their stores are local franchises and it was up to the local
owner who refuses to reply to my correspondence. So I would say avoid Meineke
because evidently there is no consumer protection against their dealers
committing fraud. In these tough economic times it is evident that their
dealers are going to cheat people for all they can get away with. I was my
first and last time to deal with Meineke. Go to someone else for your repairs.

I came in for a free alignment check- tire rotation- left car and went to store next to shop. When I was not called to return to Meineke I went back to check status. The alignment was done- I was told I needed shims in the back.
After leaving I noticed car was driving worse and tires were not rotated. I returned for check up and was told I needed struts
which they could install and I would then need to pay for another alignment- no mention of shims was made.
If they did an alignment check and rotated rear tires to the front the problem with rear struts could have been found and recommendation for service before alignment could have been made.

I had taken my daughters car for an oil change, and was told they had no oil. I was told maybe tomorrow. The air conditioning wasn't working in the vehicle and a noticed a sign saying "free a/c check." I was told they put it on a machine to check it for leaks. After forty-five minutes I was told it had no leaks but the Freon and oil needed topping up in the unit. I was told it would cost $111.00 to do this. He did this, then turned on the a/c and there was no cold air. I was told the pump would have to be rebuilt for $600 to $700 dollars. I told him I didn't want this done right now so he drained all the Freon and oil out of the pump and still charged me $60 for absolutely nothing. But this isn't the end of the story. My daughter headed home to California with her young daughter in the car and the a/c pump seized up which caused the serpentine belt to break, and melted the pulleys on the water pump and on the alternator. While on the freeway she lost her power steering and ended up on the side of the freeway at night, waiting for a tow truck. This was $150 tow home and another $900.00 to have the vehicle repaired.

When I returned to the shop to talk to the manager about this I was informed "there wasn't a manager, he had quit and that they didn't have a number of anyone I could call."

Sorry, I won't be going back there and beware of "free a/c check" signs.

I went to Meinekee On july 2012 and they said i need to get new brakes and roaders so they said they replaced them and i payed them for the service. 3 month later i needed new brakes and roaders again but this time i went to a different car dealer and they said that meinekee never replaced my roaders and brakes i was driving metal on metal they put my 9 year old son in danger and me. They cheated me out of money, and i will sue them if i don't get my money back.

I took my 2010 Nissan Altima for a routine oil change and tire rotation. a week later my car would not start. I realized that the technician replaced my OEM battery with a old or defective battery. Of course when i confronted the counter/mananger he denied and was no way to prove it. Even though I hadn't open the hood since I took it there...
I demanded that they replace my battery with a new one and he said no...So beware of those crooked tech at Meineke on pat booker rd.
H 12/08/12

HORRIBLE experience. My husband dropped my car off there for a simple oil change. When he came back to pick it up, they had completed the oil change and parked the car back in the parking lot for pickup. Turns out, technician left my car windows DOWN and it had been POURING for about 45 minutes. Yep, my car was soaked!

My husband informed the manager who then sent the technician out with two dirty rags that he thought would somehow magically soak up all the water. The technician not only failed at getting any water out of my soaked back seat and floor board. He also SMUDGED OIL ON THE INSIDE OF MY CAR door and the fabric on the backseat.

My husband was already in a hurry and very frustrated so he just had to leave. I called the store back later and spoke to the manager, he basically made me feel worse and said to bring my car back RIGHT NOW so they could clean it. I was already late for my trip out of state so I could not abide by his demanding timeline.

I sent a complaint via the Meineke website and a woman named CONCHITA (Hi Conchita!) from corporate called and left a weird voicemail on my husbands phone. I have tried calling Conchita back at her corporate number of [protected] but she does not care to return my voicemails.

HORRIBLE experience, horrible company from corporate to manager to worker. I will NEVER go to another Meineke ever again.

SAVE YOURSELF THE TROUBLE!

Since 2006 I have managed and worked intermittently as a technician for Meineke, store #728 in Frederick, Md. In my opinion I have been dismissed from that shop because I would not let unethical, unsafe and uneducated repairs continue and I repeatedly pointed them out to the owner and current manager. On a daily basis I have witnessed them selling rotors, brake pads and calipers that my 20 years’ of experience suggest do not need to be replaced. Commonly, brake pads with as much as 7/32 of an inch left on the pads are replaced. Depending on a person’s driving habits, it is common knowledge in the industry that pads with as little as 4/32 of an inch could last up to a year, yet, I have seen this shop tell customers they need to replace their pads. Regarding replacing rotors, I have seen them recommend replacing rotors that in my opinion don’t need to be replaced. I suggest if you’re ever sold a rotor, make sure you ask for the old part and let the mechanic know you plan to take the rotor to a safety inspector to be sure they are necessary. Typically, rotors aren’t necessary to replace just because your pads need to be replaced. I believe that because the shop isn’t making as much money doing honest brake jobs, they are selling parts that aren’t necessary.

I have also witnessed the owner and manager do what I believe to be illegal safety inspections. They give safety certificates to people without looking at the car and put the cash in their pockets rather than putting the money through the shop. They have been putting unsafe cars that don't meet minimum safety requirements on the road to drive next to you or your children.
In my opinion because the store owner is so limited in his mechanical knowledge, many repairs go misdiagnosed costing the customer more money or worse, jeopardizing their safety and those on the road with them. I have personally witnessed mistakes, such as leaving steering couplers loose, which is a mistake that could kill someone, happen.

If you need an inexpensive exhaust repair I would completely recommend them. But, any exhaust part that needs to be replaced should be compared to another shop like your local tire store etc. No doubt there will be no savings for the customer going through Meinke. It’s also important to note that they increase the cost of any part they buy for the customer by as much as 300%.

After I began to speak out about the extensive misconduct of the mechanics and manager and owner of the shop, the work environment became hostile and I was eventually ousted on bad terms. I felt I had to report them to the local state trooper and hopefully they will never be able to do a safety inspection again. Also, be aware that the Better Business Bureau gives them a D minus rating as of August 2012, on a scale of A thru F. To see that information go to www.bbb.org.

I wonder if corporate gets paid for bogus inspections or all the work done under the table?

They charged me 700 bucks to change a timing belt and seal the valve cover and it took them three days to do it because the valve cover leaked oil twice after they said it was done. Unfortunately, there was no need to even touch the valve cover on my car when changing the timing belt, but they did and they could NOT get it to seal oil properly.

I was on the road and had to pay a hundred bucks a night for three nights while they fiddle-farted with the valve cover trying to get it to seal oil, an elementary mechanical problem if ever there was one. Twice they told me it was fixed and I tested it for ten minutes and it leaked terribly again! Ridiculous.

So, a few days and five hundred miles later it was leaking from a different place and I had to do it myself, took me six hours to remove all their sealant from the gasket and sealing faces and re-seal it carefully like they should've taken the time to do. Don't gamble with The Black Hole of Car Care unless you like gambling with your CASH because these guys are really incompetent mechanics.

I have spent about a year in dealing with Meineke’s incompetence. I finally had my case arbitrated by the BBB of Kansas City and won. This vehicle was brought in originally for an oil change and possible leak. After two visits, the second one being a “comeback”, Meineke still failed to change the engine oil and filter. Meineke “allegedly” found numerous leaks in the power steering system, including the power steering pump, hoses and the rack and pinion. The “alleged” replaced rack and pinion leaked and had a torn boot among many other concerns. Meineke utilizes a “shade-tree” mechanic approach to diagnose concerns in order to maximize customer repairs, resulting in fraudulent price-gouging of parts and labor. Meineke fabricates phantom parts and labor cost in order to justify their invoices. Meineke did offer to make repairs under warranty, but the facts are that this vehicle has been back to Meineke twice at a cost of over $3, 260 and continues to leak even more each time returned. I had absolutely no confidence that Meineke’s “mechanic” could perform repairs a third time. This complaint was based on Meineke’s (1) failure to perform basic diagnostic procedures and basic repairs (2) price-gouging of parts and labor (3) incompetence over safety and (4) their lack of principle and integrity towards the customer. Instead of going into details here, check out my videos on YouTube, just search for “meineke rip-off” and leave a comment. Let’s stand up against incompetence and being ripped-off. Thank you.

I was sold a moped from meineke mufflers in salem .ma. with in one months time it would keep stoping on me. on my way to and from work. they said it was my fault for not riding it enough.and I replyd.How can I ride it when it keeps breaking down.they replyd that they did not want to discuss it. with in the last eight months it has broken down numerus times. I want to resolve this with out making it acivil matter.can some one help me please.

This place is a nightmare! Last year in March 2010 we took our truck to do brake job there. They did the job poorly and we had to take it back so shaking it was! Months later I was coming Rt 38 E Hainesport, NJ and my brakes just didn't work anymore...Thank God I didn't get in any accident. Since we had brakes done there we took it to Meineke in Lumberton, NJ. They kept my truck forever and ever time we asked about it has a different story! They "fixed" the brakes and I got it back. It was terrible…the truck shakes like a blender and the ABS light was always on. We took back to them and the manager said the router was bad so they changed it and, of course charged for…We, after other long 5 days, got the truck back and the ABS light was still on and the truck was still shaking! We took someplace else and asked for our money back at Meineke. In the other place they found out that Meineke put the WRONG router in the truck…Are they incompetent or what? Long story short, we lost a lot money in that place because they just give us back the router money not service and anything else. I DON’T RECOMMEND THAT NIGHTMARE FOR NO ONE!

I knew my car needed new brakes, I just didn't know if front ones or rear or both. So I took my car to Meineke on Thunderbird Rd in Phoenix, customer service from the beginning wasn't friendly, and it took almost 2 hrs for them to give my estimate. I am a girl and those places think that just because you are a girl or woman, you don't know anything about cars. They gave me an estimate of over $ 550, 00 saying I needed all 4 brakes pads and rotors replaced. So I decided to get a second opinion and I took my car to couple other places and later I found out I only needed rear pads, which only costed me $160, 00. Don't let those guys rip you off, get your car checked somewhere else before you do business with them! They lie big time! Never again Meineke!