Firestone local customer skills

The local Firestone Service Center had a $9.95 coupon for an oil change (including disposal fee). After giving the coupon to the rep, he tells me I have to use 5W-30 but the coupon is only for 10W-30 …. and that it’d void our warranty if he used the “wrong†oil. Thus he has to charge me $29 (so … that’s how they justify maybe an extra 45 cents per quart??) I pulled out the maintenance book (page 238) to show him that he’s wrong … that 5W-30 is “best†for cold weather … and that So. Cal’s 65 degree mornings make the 10W-30 perfectly acceptable, as it states in the manual. Being caught in a bait n switch in front of a room full of customers, he got so upset he ushers me out, telling me, “I’m not changing your oilâ€. Wow, real people skills. So the Prius went a few blocks away for the same price … another coupon … at the local Shell station. I know the Firestone Centers are individually owned, but I’m wondering if Corporate will even care. I wrote to them anyway. Anyone else had funky treatment from Firestone? We’ve always been treated nice by the folks at the other Firestone Center in our city.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mikepaul @ Oct 2 2007, 04:26 PM) [snapback]520484[/snapback]</div>

We ALMOST bought our lifetime warranty from them just a few days ago, from the other Firestone Center in our city ... but after being soured by the bait n switch coupon, AND the fact that Corporate never even bothered to return our call or answer our email complaint, we decided to just stay clear of the whole organization. I'm thinking with unanswered issues like poor tire manufacturing controls, and dishonest independent contractors, they'll go belly up right after we paid for a lifetime alignment and get zero for our money.