We have been customers of Christian Brothers Automotive in Southaven since 2022 and have been there…read morenine times for oil changes, but this last time was terrible. We have been loyal customers and have been very nice to them, but the last time I had questions about the inspection they had done in early March of this year, it became a whole ordeal.
They inspected the vehicle because my husband asked them to take a look at his engine mounts, at first they said it was a Courtesy check and then when they were done with the inspection they charged him $89.95. The excuse was that it required more effort to inspect so they needed to charge the service, but they never communicated that to us. Since we were customers for a while we just let that go and continued business with them. They gave us a quote for the work and we discussed it.
My husband and I decided that the price they estimated for the labor and engine mount (around $700) was expensive. We had an expert opinion on the situation as well and during that time Christian Brothers ordered the part and we decided if we could buy it from them. They agreed.
My husband and his friend installed the part, but when they installed it, they realized it was a transmission mount and it did not need to be replaced. We were confused as to why they ordered the transmission mount because our friend who works on cars said that the top mount was the one that was worn out. The transmission mount was not worn out, but because the time and labor to get to the transmission mount was strenuous they replaced it.
On Tuesday, March 25, 2025, my husband scheduled an oil and brake fluid change with them, and I took his car in. My husband wanted to question the engine mount to them but, since he was at work, I asked them to look at it because we knew it did not need to be replaced. They said again it would be a courtesy check since the inspection was not too long ago. They did not charge me for the inspection.
When I came back to pick up the car, I brought the original transmission mount to them, and the technician or service writer named Sean tried to explain to me that the bushing of the engine mount needed to be replaced because he could move it with a piece of metal in the hole and press it down with force. He showed it to me. They said that it needed to be replaced now.
I did not know anything about engine mounts so I looked it up on Google to fact-check it, and when I looked it up, I noticed Sean got very annoyed. I found on Google, " Signs of a Bad Mount: If you CAN'T move the bushing by hand, or if you notice excessive engine movement, clunking noises, or increased vibrations, it's a strong indication that the engine mount is failing." I showed them what I found, Sean then explained that what I found on Google was wrong. On the original mount, there were no cracks on the bushings as well, it just showed that it was used of course. I tried to explain to them that this mount did not need to be replaced.
The manager Corey came to the desk, and asked, " So what do you want us to do? What do you want from us?" he stated aggressively. I did not know what I wanted them to do, because I did not know how to resolve the issue.
I explained to him that this mount did not need to be replaced because it did not look worn out. Google says that the bushing is supposed to move with force, but before I could finish explaining, GM Corey asked and said, "What do you want us to do because we are too busy trying to go back and forth with you? We do not have time for this!?" We are not going to argue about this for hours with you!" - he said angrily.
I wanted them to figure out the issue because we paid them in early March around $89.95 for an inspection. It should have been their job as a business which we had paid for to figure out the issue instead of asking me what I wanted them to do. I had asked them to look at the initial inspection report and he denied it and said no because they made it clear that I as a customer was wasting their time.
Christian Brothers Automotive at that point was aggressive, argumentative, and defensive. I was unsatisfied with the part that they ordered and I questioned their work, and instead of conflict resolution, they responded terribly.
It is okay for customers to question the business and find a solution and maybe come to a compromise but it was not okay for them. It was a ride-or-die mentality.
The owner came out at this point and in total three men were looking down at me and raising their voices at me. The Owner John Ferrante says," My technicians work hard every day and do the best they can for their customers and I do not like how you are talking about my workers! I don't usually fire customers but I fire you!" He then says, "You and your husband can go to Google Technician instead of coming here." He then laughed at me.
But the thing is I never insulted or ridiculed them, I just had questions and all I wanted for them to do was to verif
