How I Fought the Man and Won: The Day Jiffy Lube Blew Up My Car

I needed my oil changed, desperately. Doug, my mechanic and the only person I've let touch my car for years, had a four-day waiting list. I felt like I was cheating on him, but the seduction of a cheap oil change in less than fifteen minutes was more than I could resist. I took my car to Jiffy Lube.

If I'd only known the hell I was in for, I'd have sped off in the other direction. For starters, the promise of an oil change in fifteen minutes turned out to be a big lie. I spent more than an hour drinking bad coffee and watching Sally in the waiting room.

After a mechanic finally worked on my car, he told me I needed to replace three parts. If he'd just said one, I'd probably have said okay. But three? Come on. They've gotta know that not all women are gullible when it comes to cars. I made him show me the parts. Finally, I agreed to a new air filter (I could see for myself how dirty it was) but nothing else. Mostly, I was just grateful to pay my bill and leave.

"Your car is on fire!"

I hadn't driven a mile when I stopped at a light and a woman came running toward my car, waving her arms frantically. I figured she was nuts, especially when she started beating on my window. But then I heard what she was screaming: Your car is on fire!

I pulled over and sure enough, flames were coming out from beneath my hood. The not-so-crazy woman was already on her cell phone calling the fire department. Within a few minutes, two fire trucks arrived and put out the flames. After a quick investigation, one of the firemen brought me a charred cloth.

"Here's your problem," he said. "Somebody left this oil-soaked rag on your engine."

I turned around and took that rag right back to Jiffy Lube, where I asked to speak with the manager. My request was more than reasonable: I wanted a refund and I wanted Jiffy Lube to pay for any damage to my car. But her response blew me away.

"That's not our rag," the manager barked. "Our rags are pink and that one is white. You must have left that one in there."

I tried to explain to her that chemicals from the fire extinguisher had probably discolored the rag. Besides, wouldn't her mechanic have noticed if there had been another rag on the engine? By now, I was throwing a fit loud enough for everyone in the waiting room to hear: Jiffy Lube had caught my car on fire and they were lucky they weren't paying hospital bills.

When she realized I wasn't going anywhere until I got what I wanted, she admitted that she didn't have the authority to refund my money. I would have to speak with a regional supervisor.

For the next three days, I called the supervisor pretty much every hour. At first, he took the manager's side, claiming it wasn't their rag. Then his boss cut the rag in half, revealing pink fibers in the center. They finally agreed to pay my mechanic to check out the car and fix any damage resulting from the fire.

"What about a refund?" I asked.

"You still are benefiting from the services we provided," he replied. "I'll just send you some coupons for your next oil change."

Like I'd ever go back there.

I told him that if I didn't get a refund, I was going to make his life ten times more miserable than I'd already made it. I had my money the next day.

Know your rights

According to Jocile Ehrlich, president of the Better Business Bureau of Cincinnati, if a mechanic gives you trouble, you should take the following actions:

1. First, speak with the manager of the shop. Be sure to document your conversation.

2. If you're unable to reach an agreement, and if the company is a franchise, direct your complaint to the owner of the franchise. A phone call might work, but a written complaint provides better documentation.

3. If you're still unable to come to terms, send a written complaint to your local Better Business Bureau. The Bureau will send a copy of your letter to the shop, encouraging them to settle the complaint.

4. Still haven't achieved a satisfactory result? Your next option is legal action. If you want to play hardball, you can file a complaint in small-claims court. (Most county courts can provide you with a handbook outlining this procedure.) If softball is more your style, you can try mediation or arbitration. Mediation brings both parties together with a facilitator who helps the two parties resolve the complaint. Arbitration makes a ruling that is legally binding. The Better Business Bureau offers help with both of these options.

I'll never stray again

After Doug had a good laugh at my Jiffy Lube story, he gave my car a thorough inspection. Nothing was wrong, he said, not even those other two parts that Jiffy Lube had tried to sell me. And then he did something unbelievable--he said I didn't owe him anything for the check-up.

"You don't know what I've gone through to be able to pay you," I explained. Then he said he'd take fifteen dollars. I wrote him a check for twenty-five.