On 12 Dec, getting close to the holidays, short on time, and I hit a chunk of wood on the road a…read morefew weeks previous, I brought my 2010 Tucson to Hank for an alignment. Said he had to change a rear, lateral stabilizer link, as the ball joint was toast. Sure, it's a 2010. I don't have a heated garage, so I gave him the green light. Then another phone call: the cam bolt was ceased. In the end I walked out with the part in a box (as requested) and a bill for $350.
The ball joint was fine, even thought the part had been cut to pieces by a torch. I returned a few days later and he explained that it was the bushing that was bad. That made more sense, except that the threads on the cam bolt were dry, not a drop of penetrating oil. I also told him the car was still pulling to the right. He said something about the tires needing to be rotated. I had only recently put my winters on, and I always rotate them.
Two weeks, and a highway trip later, the car still pulls, so I went to a reputable, maritime tire chain, on Fairville Blvd to have another alignment done. (Should have STARTED there! Duh!) Sure enough, alignment was way out.
I returned to Hank's today to ask him to refund the alignment part of his bill from two weeks ago. He said, why didn't you come back? I said, I DID come back, and told you about it still pulling. I showed him the report showing the proper alignment and said, here's proof, it wasn't done properly. He started about my tires being worn again, and I told him about me already rotating them, that the new cam bolt was adjusted to max, and that the toe had to be adjusted from the front to compensate. He started about how his machine was brand new, very accurate, etc. I said, I don't care about the machine, it's the person using it. I want my money back.
He said, I can't...
I cut him off, saying, you can't or you won't?
He said, I won't. Too bad.
I told him, as the adage goes, 'Fool me once'... but there will never be a second time - I'll never set foot in your shop again.
We shouted "pleasantries" to each other as I stormed out the door.
Yah, have a nice day. Indeed.