I realize this isn't a typical topic for Daily Kos but it is the best venue to which I have access to get the word out about a widespread problem that consumers need to be educated about. If enough people object to this being inappropriate for DKOS, I will delete the diary.
Oil and lube shops are selling unnecessary and potentially damaging services. I am writing to ask for your help in educating consumers and also bringing this to the attention of the media and relevant authorities in your area. It is only by acting together and standing up for what's right that we can hold these companies accountable.
The issue was brought to my attention by NBC Los Angeles in a two-part undercover investigation.
Part 1: Video and Text
Part 2: Video and Text
As soon as I saw these stories, I realized I have been ripped off by Jiffy Lube for a number of years, most recently with my 1998 Honda Civic. I don't know as much about cars as I would like so when I take my car in for service I am at the mercy of the mechanic/service technician. I always had this feeling I was paying for unnecessary services but never had proof...UNTIL NOW. And not only are these services unnecessary, they could also potentially damage your engine and void the manufacturer warranty.
NBC Los Angeles dug up these statements (note: links to a pdf file provided by NBC Los Angeles) from the car manufacturers stating that several services offered at shops like EZ-Lube and Jiffy Lube are unnecessary, inappropriate and/or potentially damaging.
Both Jiffy Lube and EZ Lube issued statements claiming they always follow the manufacturer recommendations. If the manufacturer is silent on an issue, they say they follow the recommendations of industry groups such as the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association. As I pointed out in my letter (copied below) to Heartland Automotive, the nation's largest Jiffy Lube franchisee with over 400 shops in 15 states, I don't put much confidence in the recommendations of an industry association whose membership stands to profit from those recommendations. Also, when a car manufacturer recommends to NOT do something, that has just as much validity as their recommendation to do something. So these shops can't claim to be following the manufacturer recommendations but then choose to ignore the recommendations they don't like.
The same may be happening at other service shops as well. My experience has only been with Jiffy Lube and of course NBC's investigation covered both Jiffy Lube and EZ Lube. We need to put an end to the practice. I am in the process of getting a refund for the services that never should have been done. However, I refuse to simply collect my money and turn a blind eye as my fellow consumers continue to get ripped off.
What can you do?
- Start with filing a complaint with the companies.
Jiffy Lube can be reached by phone at 800-344-6933.
EZ Lube can be reached by phone at 800-559-5823 or email info@ezlube.com.
- File a complaint with the local or state authority who regulates these companies. In California, that is the Bureau of Automotive Repair. I filed a complaint and received a call back this morning. They actually thanked me for taking the time to file the complaint because that is what allows them to take action. They said many times people will get a refund from the company but never file a formal complaint. If the Bureau sees a pattern of complaints, they will be able to crack down as they did against EZ Lube in Orange County ($5 million fine, stricter monitoring, etc).
- Contact your local media. Many television stations have special Consumer Investigation teams. They love stories like this and it's a great way to get the word out to as many consumers as possible as well as publicly shame the companies and force them to put an end to the practice.
Here is the e-mail I sent to Heartland Automotive/Jiffy Lube
Mr. XXXX -
Let me start with a positive by thanking you for sending me the refund form. Also let me stress that this message is not directed at you personally, Mr. XXXX. I am sure you are just doing your job. However I want to be very clear that refunding my money spent on services that never should have been performed does not come close to meeting my concerns. Just as a robber returning stolen loot does not forgive the crime in the first place, I do not forgive Jiffy Lube for violating the trust I bestowed on them as their customer.
In fact, I have a goal that goes well beyond getting my own money back. My goal is to stop Jiffy Lube from ripping customers off. Again using the robber analogy, if I know a robber is stealing from all my neighbors, I am not going to not warn my neighbors just because the robber agrees to return my stuff. That does nothing to end the problem.
If Jiffy Lube will not voluntarily halt the practice of selling unnecessary and, in fact, potentially damaging services to unsuspecting consumers that are in express contradiction to the manufacturer recommendations, I will shine as much light on Jiffy Lube's shady practices as necessary to make sure consumers make informed decisions about where to take their cars for service and for those who still opt to go to Jiffy Lube I want them to know what they are in for when they pull up to a Jiffy Lube service station. To this end, I have already reached out to the San Diego media (print and television) and have filed an official complaint with the State of California Bureau of Automotive Repair (case #090215170513). If the practice continues, I will begin contacting the media in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Madison, Memphis, Minneapolis, Omaha, Seattle, St. Louis and Tuscon. You'll notice that I left off Los Angeles because the media there is already onto the Jiffy Lube scam (http://www.nbclosangeles.com/..., http://www.nbclosangeles.com/...). That is how this issue was brought to my attention and I for one think it deserves national attention. I do not consider myself a consumer advocate but being a victim of a scam really gets under my skin. And I will not sit by and do nothing to prevent others from also becoming victims. Every time I drive by a Jiffy Lube, I look at the customers and wonder, "How many of them were talked into paying for completely unnecessary services?"
I understand your employer, Heartland Automotive is the largest franchisee with over 400 locations in 15 states. If they so choose, they can play a positive role in protecting their customers. If they choose instead to side with profits over customers, they are exposing themselves to a very large and very damaging lawsuit. Jiffy Lube reportedly services 26 million vehicles a year. Based on the documents in the attached pdf and Jiffy Lube's stated corporate policy to always follow the manufacturer recommendations, Jiffy Lube would seem to be on the hook for every engine flush, fuel injection system cleaning and machine-based transmission flushing system performed on a Honda going back to at least September 2006 and every Nissan from December 2007. Dates were not provided for the General Motors and Ford statements but I'm sure those would be easy to track down, as would any similar statements from other car manufacturers. As far as the argument that these services are recommended by industry groups such as the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), first I don't give much credence to recommendations from an industry group whose membership stands to profit from those recommendations. Secondly, those recommendations are more than offset by the statements from the manufacturers. I have been told repeatedly that Jiffy Lube's policy is to always follow manufacturer recommendations first and then those of groups such as AAIA. A manufacturer's recommendation to NOT DO something certainly has to be considered just as valid as a recommendation to do something.
Here are some ideas I have about how Jiffy Lube can protect their customers:
- Immediately stop offering engine flushes, fuel injection cleanings, transmission fluid flushes and any other service that is not expressly recommended by the manufacturer.
- If Jiffy Lube wants to argue that these services are sometimes necessary, they should prominently post the statements from the car manufacturers in each franchise location and the service techs should verbally explain that the services are in fact not recommended by the manufacturers and having the service done may void any manufacturer engine warranty remaining on the car. Customers should also sign or initial a statement acknowledging such information was indeed provided. NOTE: Advising your employees to say, "We recommend," "It is recommended," or even "The AAIA recommends" is not good enough. The fact is that no organization without a financial interest in offering these services recommends them and the customer has every right to know that.
- Stop the practice of paying the service tech's commissions for upselling these unnecessary services. This practice encourages them to lie and manipulate the customers into paying for unnecessary services. Don't put the service tech's into the position of choosing between their own pocketbooks and protecting the company's business ethics.
I look forward to a response from Jiffy Lube/Heartland with a list of specific actions to be taken to protect consumers along with a timeline for when those steps were or will be implemented.