VIP Tires & Service

Reviews 3

MA

Matthew Vincent

I made an appointment for the following week assuming that an appointment would guarantee my vehicle would get right in to begin service. When my wife dropped the vehicle off she asked the representative to call me when they discovered the problem so I could discuss how to proceed. The rep then told her they would be charging me $102 minimum just to look. Ive never been charged for exploration services by any VIP before and most times they do a full look through without me asking (and most times its not necessary for them to do so) and they waited until she was in the service area instead of mentioning this apparent policy change over the phone the previous week. She knew we needed our specific vehicle issue taken care of so she just said, OK and left the keys. Three hours after the start of the appointment I called them to see what they found, since I hadnt received a call yet. The problem, for clarification was an overwhelming smell of gasoline with no apparent sign of a dripping leak under the vehicle. The guy says: "its in the shop now, he hasnt identified the problem yet. If he finds it before lunch Ill call you before lunch. If he doesnt, Ill call you after lunch." WOW. My brain created an image in my head of a grown man standing next to a tree, pointing to the tree and saying "this is a tree". So helpful. Its currently after lunch now and still no call. Im not a certified mechanic so Im forced to rely on people who claim they are. I dont assume any mechanical issue can be quickly found, but I would hope that a trained professional would be able to find a gas leak in less time than 5 hours (and counting). Call me mechanically uneducated (which is also not exactly correct) but the car isnt that big to get lost in while looking. Dealing with the VIP in South Portland feels more like dealing with a weatherman who may be good or may be bad at predicting the weather but keeps showing up on your TV screen each day regardless (my apologies to legitimate weather people). Ive never walked away from there with the feeling of complete satisfaction or assurance that an actual cause was found and repaired. Ive only gone back to them because it feels like they are a large enough outfit that would be forced to stand behind their service, good or bad. I have had to ask for my money back for poor service in the past, and was granted it with apologies. I guess I keep hoping they will fire incompetence and hire quality. Im still hoping but Im not waiting for it anymore.

PE

Peter Robbins

You have to be able to trust anyone you let work on your car, and I wouldnt trust these shysters, honestly they must go to VIP Shyster school to learn how to pull a fast one over on unsuspecting people! It all started with two low tires on the passanger side of my Subaru. I have a small air compressor so I added air to them, well enough to go the less than a quarter mile to VIP to have them look them over and pump them up as needed. I walked in, told them the issue, they said they only had 1/2 hour before close and might not have time to do the needed repairs. I was fine with that, thinking I must have driven over something and just knocked the air out of the tires....I didnt think they had punctures since they were both low but not flat and it had been 30+ hours since I drove it. The sales person came back to me and said the tires were old and all four had severe dry rot and would need to be replaced and that my car was out of alignment and would need 4wheel alignment all totaling $753.48+tax...I thought this was odd since I had just bought my car 3 months ago (used) with 4 new tires on it....but I know "new" tires could have been on the shelf for years, but then they said the "MAGIC" words....you should get an oil change, true I was indeed in need of an oil change, but he said the oil was "black" well, come out from getting an oil change sometime and pull the dip stick...your oil will be black. and then he also told me I needed to have a power steering flush (104.99+tax) I have been driving since I was 17 and have never had a "power steering flush" so I knew he was trying to get money for nothing. I was especially upset because I walked in wanting them to look at my tires, theyre not under the hood, so why did they open it? Just to pad the bill. (By the way, stopped at 3 tire specialty places today, my tires are GREAT also looked up about that "power steering flush" found out its a favorite scam of VIP and all you have to do is look at the fluid, it is clean new and turns to a dark burgundy as it ages, but as long as there isnt stuff in it,, it shouldnt need to have anything done to it. So in the ind I saved myself 890.55...except I will have to stop at my regular place to get an oil change, do not trust these thieves!

JO

Joshua Randall

Went to get my inspection sticker on my car. my girlfriend bought the car from her father who got the car from his mother, a little old lady who only drove it back and fourth to get groceries. Yes it was a 95 mercury sable, but it only had 60,000 miles on it. We had been driving the car for a few weeks when we noticed some issue with the break, a rumble when you came to a complete stop. When we dropped the car off they said it might be about an hour. Cut to 4 hours later and they finally called back with a laundry list of problems, costing around 2,400 dollars. The employee tried to down play the price by saying "well I quoted you at the expense of 4 hours labor which it might only be two hours, we just wont know until we start the work" and "well its only 2,400 if you get the same high end tires that you have now." The employee (I refuse to identify him as a mechanic) Tried to shake me down for 400 dollars to replace brakes and told me it wasnt safe to be on the road. WE HAD BEEN DRIVING THE CAR DAY IN AND DAY OUT FOR THE PAST THREE WEEKS, with very little issue. The employee stated that "Im not going to hold your car hostage" repeatedly before I told him Ill take my chances. We had been on the road all day with only the brakes giving us grief (just a rumble when you came to a complete stop, but still stopping). When we left to go home, the car drove different. The car now rumbled even when pressing the gas pedal, and even worse when using the brakes. We pulled over at a hannaford parking lot. I called VIP again and asked what they had done to the car, because it was definitely not driving the same. They stuck to their story of only looking at the car....Yea right....When we got ready to leave, I put the car in reverse and it made a loud bang and stopped. something was now leaking from the front of the car and the back of the car was now rubbing onto the back tire.We had to have it towed. I am convinced that VIP was behind whatever malfunctioned and caused us to be towed. Whether they intentionally put bugs in or they stressed out the car while testing it, The fact of the matter is, the car didnt drive the same after we left. Find a real mechanic and dont try your luck with these two faced shysters.

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