Before you go to a Jiffy Lube, have a look at this

My friend once told me that Jiffy Lube use used oil when you do an an oil change there. Now I guess my fired was right.

*Your link needs Internet Explorer to open (it didn't work with my Firefox).

John Horner wrote:

sorry for the typo. 'fired' should be read as 'friend'.. (perhaps I was excited to watch the video)

ExtremeValue wrote:

Odd, I use Firefox myself and the link works ok for me. Maybe there is an update, plugin or configuration difference on your machine.

John

Here's the complete story from

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NBC 4 * Video: Is Your Mechanic Cheating?

Is Your Mechanic Cheating? Part 1 By Joel Grover and Matt Goldberg

POSTED: 7:57 am PDT April 21, 2006 LOS ANGELES -- Imagine going to get your car repaired, paying for it, and then finding out the work was never even done. With the help of insiders, NBC4 uncovered an apparent scheme at stores that are part of a nationwide chain with 30 million customers a year.

NBC4 shelled out a lot of cash at repair shops across town. But were the repairs paid for really done?

"Does this happen to customers a lot?" NBC4's Joel Grover asked a former employee of America's biggest Lube and tune chain, Jiffy Lube. "Every day," the insider replied.

To conduct the investigation, NBC4 wired two test cars with hidden cameras in places mechanics wouldn't find. Then, NBC4 drove one of the cars to an Encino Jiffy Lube, to get an oil change.

A service advisor named Leo recommends repairs, like changing the fuel filter. "Fuel filter, every 48 months or 60,000 miles," Leo tells an NBC4 undercover producer.

NBC4 pays $240 and asks the technician what they did. "Oil change, air filter, fuel filter," the technician tells the undercover producer.

But they didn't change the fuel filter. NBC4 knows that, because before taking the car in, they lowered the gas tank, and marked the fuel filter with a big "four." After leaving that Encino Jiffy Lube, NBC4 checked the fuel filter, and the original one with the "four" was still on the car.

"It's so easy to get away with, so why go through the trouble of doing it," a former Jiffy Lube employee tells NBC4.

When NBC4 took their test car to a Jiffy Lube in Canoga Park, a manager named Anthony recommends a top of the line transmission flush.

"How does that work?" NBC4's undercover producer asked. "We do it with the machine," the technician replies. A machine called T-Tech, which they're supposed to hook up to the transmission lines under the car, to suck out all the dirty fluid.

But the entire time NBC4's test car was being serviced, no one ever touched that machine, and NBC4's hidden camera shows no one ever touched the transmission lines underneath. They charged NBC4 for the T-Tech service anyway.

It happened again at Jiffy Lube locations in Glendale, Sherman Oaks and Burbank. NBC4 got stiffed at five out of nine Jiffy Lube locations, and no one would explain why.

When NBC4's Joel Grover asked Leo at the Encino store why he charged them for a fuel filter and never put it in, Leo replied, "I don't remember." After Grover showed him the undercover tape he did remember.

"How do you explain this?" Grover asked Leo. "I don't know, to be honest," he replied.

"Were you trying to make an easy buck off us?" Grover asked.

While Grover was there, Leo called his district manager. "Channel four is right here. They caught us on camera. They didn't change a fuel filter on a Jeep," Leo told his district manager on the phone.

Grover went to Canoga Park to talk to Anthony and asked, "You charged us for a transmission service that you never did. Why?" "You can talk to my district manager," Anthony replied.

So NBC4 tracked down the district manager, Steven Ayoub at a Glendale store.

"Are you Steve Ayoub?" Grover Asked. "No I'm not," he replied. "Are you the district manager?" Grover asked. "No I'm not. I have a vehicle here," he replied.

He denied his identity and told NBC4 he was a customer.

"Which one is your car?" Grover asked. "That one," Ayoub replied. The red one?" Grover asked. "Correct," Ayoub replied.

But that red car belonged to another customer.

"That's your red Camaro back there?" Grover asked another customer. "Yeah. What's going on with it," the customer replied.

The district manager was lying to NBC4.

"I th "Jiffy Lube International and its franchisee Heartland Automotive Services take KNBC's allegations seriously. Pursuant to its franchise agreement, Heartland Automotive Services will investigate this matter fully and take appropriate actions, as necessary, to prevent further occurrences. Additionally, Heartland Automotive Services will implement a mystery-shopper program to ensure all of its customers receive the quality car care they deserve.

Jiffy Lube International "Heartland Automotive Services"

Tips from NBC4's insider to avoid being schemed:

# Stay near (but not in) the service bay and watch your car while the technician works on it. You can question the technician to make sure he's doing all repairs you agreed to. # If the shop is replacing parts, ask for all your old parts back.

To consumers: If you've had problems or experiences with Jiffy Lube stores, you can contact the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office's Consumer Protection Division by e-mail at snipped-for-privacy@lacountyda.org.

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Is Your Mechanic Cheating? Part 2 By Joel Grover and Matt Goldberg

POSTED: 4:18 pm PDT May 3, 2006 UPDATED: 1:22 pm PDT June 30, 2006 LOS ANGELES -- More of NBC4's undercover investigation exposing how you could be paying for car repairs that are never even done. NBC4 investigator Joel Grover found it happening at one of the nation's largest repair chains. It's a chain he's exposed before.

This is the third time in three years that NBC4 went undercover inside Jiffy Lube. After each investigation, Jiffy Lube has promised to clean up its act. But now, NBC4's hidden cameras reveal there are still big problems at some LA area stores.

NBC4 drilled holes in the underside of two test cars, so they could hide tiny cameras and watch Jiffy Lube technicians at work. What they found is the technicians don't always do the repairs they charged for.

"In my opinion they're committing a crime. They're selling you something knowing they're not going to change it," says a former Jiffy Lube employee.

At a Jiffy Lube in Glendale, they sell an undercover NBC4 producer a hundred dollar transmission flush. "There's a special device which we put into the transmission. It sucks all the fluid out," the technician tells the undercover NBC4 producer.

But that device just sat in the corner and NBC4's cameras show it was never hooked up to the transmission lines as promised. They still charged $240 for the work.

Three years ago, Jiffy Lube's spokesperson told NBC4, "This is wrong and it needs addressed." That after NBC4 caught employees selling unnecessary repairs, a violation of company policy. Jiffy Lube promised to conduct additional training to prevent more violations of their policies.

But a former Jiffy Lube employee tells NBC4, "The training is a joke." The insider says part of that training was how to spot an NBC4 undercover customer. "Instead of telling us not to do these things, they're telling us how to avoid not getting caught doing it," the insider tells NBC4.

But NBC4 caught them just last month at a Jiffy Lube in Encino. Before taking a test car there, NBC4 marked the oil filter with a happy face. A technician there told an undercover NBC4 producer they were going to change the fuel filter and oil filter. But NBC4 cameras capture a technician bringing over a new oil filter, Setting it down on the car, and then take it away without putting it in. After NBC4's visit, the old filter with the happy face was still there.

"The problem comes from the top," says a former jiffy Lube employee. NBC4's insider says management, like the district manager Steven Ayoub, push employees to meet internal quotas to sell at least $66 of services per car. These targets are known as budgets.

"If you don't meet the budgets, you're not going to get your bonus. Your job is on the line," the insider tells NBC4. He also tells NBC4 the only way they can meet their quotas is to sell as many services as possible. "They don't have the time to perform each and every single service they sell," The insider says.

Which could be why Jiffy Lube employees NBC4 caught undercover wouldn't talk on camera. Even the district manager tried to duck NBC4's questions by pretending to be someone else.

"You're not Steven Ayoub?" NBC4's Joel Grover asked. "No," Ayoub replied. "I th Heartland Automotive confirmed that KNBC's identification of the district manager is correct. Like many retailers, Heartland Automotive offers a manager incentive program. Bonuses are discretionary and based on customer satisfaction survey scores, customer volume and sales.

NBC4 received a check from those Jiffy Lube stores refunding the money they paid for the repairs that were never done.

To consumers: If you've had problems or experiences with Jiffy Lube stores, you can contact the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office's Consumer Protection Division by e-mail at snipped-for-privacy@lacountyda.org.

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NBC 4 *Jiffy Lube Reacts To 'Is Your Mechanic Cheating?'*

Jiffy Lube Reacts To Hidden Camera Report

POSTED: 6:49 am PDT May 24, 2006 UPDATED: 3:53 pm PDT May 25, 2006 LOS ANGELES -- Earlier this month, NBC4's Joel Grover reported the findings of his hidden-camera investigation in a two-part series, "Is Your Mechanic Cheating?"

Now the company that was the subject of the investigation, Jiffy Lube, is making sweeping changes in response to the report.

Following is a transcript of Grover's follow-up report.

JOEL GROVER: It was just three weeks ago that we uncovered a scheme at local Jiffy Lube stores where customers were charged for repairs that were never done.

Now, in an email, Jiffy Lube tells me that it's taking "agressive" steps to stop the fraud we uncovered.

A Burbank Jiffy Lube was closed to customers Tuesday and Wednesday because the company was retraining all its employees. Four other Los Angeles area stores were also closed -- all stores that we caught on tape charging for services, like a transmission flush, that were never done.

After our investigation, dozens of customers ... (emailed to say they) wondered if the same thing had happened to them.

TO ease those concerns, Jiffy Lube says it's installing video cameras in 31 Los Angeles area stores so customers can make sure repairs are really getting done.

Jiffy Lube has also terminated six employees we caught on tape, including one employee at the Encino store who sold us a new fuel filter but later admitted to the district manager that the work was not done.

Also gone is the district manager, Steven Ayoub, who denied his identity when I tried to question him.

This is now the third time in three years that Jiffy Lube told us it was cleaning up its act.

With these latest changes, Jiffy Lube hopes customers like Dore Rodine will give it one more chance.

(Addressing Rodine) Are these steps enough to get you back as a customer?

RODINE: That's difficult to say, joel. I'm really not sure.

GROVER: You might wonder why someone from Jiffy Lube didn't appear in this report. The company still won't sti down and talk with us about our investigation or the steps they are taking to clean up.

To consumers: If you've had problems or experiences with Jiffy Lube stores, you can contact the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office's Consumer Protection Division by e-mail at snipped-for-privacy@lacountyda.org.