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Not sure if I told ya’ll but I hit a deer a couple weeks ago. Sad day.
I am fine, Sophie is fine too (she was in the car with me). My car? Not so much.
That not so big deer jacked up my front bumper, my hood, my grill, and something underneath my car. BOO!!! Luckily I have some pretty sweet insurance and they took care of everything pretty quickly and got me back on the road last Friday. I won’t go into the nightmare that was getting my rental car (that’s a HUGE long story that I don’t really care to discuss anymore).
I was feeling pretty good about my sweet ride and then that Sunday I got my oil changed at WalMart. I know some of you are shaking your heads at this but I have always gotten my oil changed on all my cars here and have never had a problem.
Well I got home Sunday and everything was fine. My car smelled a little funny but it usually does right after an oil change. On Monday I went to work and when I was leaving work I noticed a pretty large puddle of oil under where my car had been all day. I dismissed it and drove home. When I pulled into my garage I noticed a HUGE puddle of oil where I usually park my car.
I parked my car, got out, and noticed smoke coming from under the hood. I was VERY alarmed at this point so I called my Dad. My Dad lives three hours away (as does all of my family) and I explained what had happened and he had me pop the hood and check the oil level. Upon doing this I discovered NO OIL in my car!!! Are you freaking kidding me???
At this discovery my Dad had me hang up and call WalMart to see what they wanted me to do. I called the Tire and Lube part and the guy there was sooooo helpful!!! He asked me all kind of questions, told me under NO circumstances should the car be driven and got a manager on the phone.
I admit, I got kind of pissed when it took a manager 20 minutes to answer my call. I was freaking out thinking my engine of my car was burned up having being driven with no oil.
When I finally talked to a manager she wouldn’t say her name and asked me to explain what happened and I told her and her answer was to drive on up to the store and file a claim. I told her I couldn’t drive it because the Tire and Lube people told me not too (and the car had NO oil in it) and she said I needed to borrow a car and get up there. But not right then because she was in the middle of shift change and they didn’t have time to deal with me at that point. She told me to come up there the next day. I told her I had to work the next day and she said oh well.
I told her I could probably have a friend drive me up that night and asked her what the next step would be. She said I would fill out a claim form and then when she got time she would file it with WalMart’s insurance and then corporate office would review it and then decide if they would fix it. I was in disbelief at this point.
WalMart possibly ruined my car and they were doing nothing about it.
I asked her how I was supposed to get around in the mean time with no car and she said that wasn’t her problem. She then repeated that she was in the middle of shift change again and hung up on me.
I called my Dad back bawling (I ugly cry when I get super frustrated) and he calmed me down and then I got ANGRY. He had me check under the hood again to look at where the oil cap was to see if it was on tight enough. He originally wanted me to crawl under the car and check the oil plug but I refused due to the amount of oil under the car (call me a princess but I am NOT crawling around in oil under a car). I couldn’t find the oil cap and started to freak out and then I saw it. Sitting on the fender (whatever that part is called, I’m pretty sure it’s not a fender) of the car.
So the freaking cap was NEVER put back on!!!!
Upon further inspection of my engine there was oil EVERYWHERE!!
That night I had a friend drive me to a different WalMart to buy more oil. I had to call in late to work the next day and fill the car up with oil and take it to Firestone to get a real oil change, the whole engine checked out, and power washed.
Thankfully Firestone said nothing was wrong with my car, it was just more of a big mess than anything. I’m glad to know it was nothing too serious but WalMart was incredibly inappropriate in how they handled the situation.
So to recap, I paid $32 to get my oil changed at WalMart, $20 to get more oil to drive it to Firestone, $38 for an oil change at Firestone, and $10 in kitty litter to soak up all the oil in my garage. That’s a $100 mistake that I will NEVER be making again.
I have emailed the corporate office at WalMart to see if they can do anything about getting me a refund for any of that. I live on a budget and that extra $70 I had to spend fixing their mistake was definitely NOT in my budget this month.
I used to really LOVE WalMart. The selection of products, the prices, the gas discount…etc. But no more. I am officially boycotting WalMart and that’s a shame.
I wouldn’t go back there, either! I hope their corporate office does something about it.
I seriously have not been to Walmart in YEARS because their customer service sucks and they’re ruining the economy with their rock bottom prices. I also watched the documentary on how Walmart treats their employees and it is extremely distressing.
I hate Wal-Mart for a variety of reasons… hope you get some resolution!
Sorry about the awful mess and inconvenience – that really sucks! And yes, I also boycott Walmart whenever possible. I only shop there if I need to (like if I really need something and it’s on my way home). I’m lucky enough to have a little extra room in my budget to shop at a local grocery store instead.
I hope you get a much better response for corporate!
I’ve had a strong dislike for Wal-Mart for years. Mainly because I saw what they did to a small rural county economy first hand. They pretty much sucked the life out of it & all the small businesses around it.
But the fact that that manager was rude & hung up on you is completely rude & uncalled for. Don’t worry I ugly cry too when I’m pissed. :)
I have called 1800walmart to complain about managers more times than I can count.
Oh no! I get my oil changed at Walmart too but this just scared me…I am definitely not going back after your awful experience. What a total jerk that manager is for doing NOTHING to help you too. I am sorry this happened!!
Ugh! I already avoid Walmart at all costs but this is just another reason. I used to go there a lot more when I lived in a small town and that’s all there was but ever since moving to a bigger city its my last resort. Hoping for better luck with corporate!
Ugh this sounds miserable. I am so sorry!!!! At least your car is ok – I avoid Wal-Mart like the plague. However I did have to go there twice in a 12 hour period….its in todays post!
OMG that’s horrible! Luckily your engine wasn’t messed up from that! Ugh, I hate Wal-Mart
My friend once got her oil changed at a Walmart. It actually DID end up messing her car up, so Walmart got her a rental car for MONTHS until they fixed her engine. It could have been far far worse!
Good luck getting all of this taken care of with WalMart. My sister fell in their parking lot one year due to the amount of potholes they had, and it took at least a year, possibly two, for her to get her money from them for her medical expenses. I fully support your reason to boycott them, and I would too if I was in your place! Once again, good luck! (:
wow! I’m amazed at this story – I’m so so sorry friend! This is why my dad taught me to change my own oil – he said to never trust people that make minimum wage…now I know why!
I believe you’re gonna find and marry a guy that knows all about cars and will love to change your oil. haha
oh and p.s. – if you bother Walmart enough, they WILL do something about it – I’m talking call every.day, etc…..
I have disliked walmart since they moved in to my small town in Tn and shut down our grocery and pharmacy.
Omg what if your engine had blown I would have went there an cussed that no name manager out lol
Oh my gosh, that could’ve been so much worse!! I hate Wal-mart, I’m a Target girl through and through. haha I only go to Wal-mart on a rare occasion, but not anymore after this post.
And you just made me thankful for my Dad, who is a mechanic. Though idk what I’ll do when he retires in a couple years….
Sing it, Sister! I had a similar experience once.
I have never had a problem with oil changes at Wal-Mart, but this makes me want to not go there anymore. I’m sorry you had to go through that!
crap that is horrible! we don’t have a walmart close. but the one that is the closest doesn’t have a car department. i usually just get my oil changes at a local place or jiffy lube.
You got lucky..they could have locked up your engine if they didn’t put oil in it. I hope they refund you your money. That is horrible!
I cannot believe how incredibly rude that manager was to you. I HOPE the cop orate office does something to make it up to you and to find out who that Miss Sassy Rude Pants was–her shift should be ending!
That is horrible and definitely not right. I would be writing like you did also.
My mom had a horrible experience at Walmart a few years ago that left me furious. My mom paid with a check and the cashier ran it through the machine. When my mom balanced her check book she realized the amount they charged was higher than she wrote. When she looked at the receipt the cashier had added to her total and pocketed the money. Walmart was HORRIBLE to my mother the employee didn’t get reprimanded and she went all the way to corporate but the situation never got remedied. They are awful.
I am sorry you had a bad experience too :(
Oh girl, this sucks. Definitely write, call, email, tweet or whatever to make sure this is heard!
oh my word! what is their problem?! they have no care for people…only making money!
That is so beyond rude…especially the manager hanging up on you!! It’s disgusting how greedy they are. I am glad your car wasn’t ruined at all. This is a case of why I ONLY take my car to the dealership to get the oil changed.
That’s absolutely horrible. I’m so glad your car is okay. But good grief, Walmart’s response was terrible. Did you ever find out her name? If you did, I’d file a personal complaint against the manager. I hope corporate gets back to you.
We should just stop by the corporate office when you come up here. It’s just down the road from the museum!
What Kim said!! Perks of being an Arkansan
I have heard of them not replacing the lid before at WalMart’s from other friends. I’m sorry to hear this happened, hopefully they will remedy the situation soon.
I would be so furious and on the phone with a Lawyer (they have free ones)give them your statement all your photos and they take care of the rest. You don’t know how much more damage this may have cause your car. Also, I would take it to a professional and tell him what happened a have him check your car before you drive it again. That way Walmart can’t tell you it your fault. I would be renting a car at thier expense, too. Thanks, you just made me madder at Walmart!
I would also see that the Manager gets fired!
Ughh that totally stinks. I would follow up with corporate office again to keep being the squeaky wheel so that they can’t forget about you. I know I call my dad whenever anything goes wrong with my car to and crawling around in oil would never happen either. I will continue to boycott walmart in your honor.
Ronda
I really hope the corporate office handles the situation better than the manager did. The manager sounds like someone who doesn’t give a rat’s butt about customer service and hopefully she gets a talking to about how you’re supposed to handle a situation like yours.