If God Didn't Want Them Sheared He Would Not Have Made Them Sheep

Victories come so rarely in life, but when you do win one it's oh so sweet. My little victory came in the form of a check I received in the mail today, and even though the amount was small the pleasure I got from depositing it was enormous. Let me tell you the story.

About a month and half ago I went into a little quickie lube establishment to get new belts put on my car. The belts had about 85 thousand miles on them and they were looking a little worn, so I decided to pay the 30 bucks or so I figured it would cost me to get them replaced. The guy at the quickie lube wrote me a work order for the belts and told me I could wait inside until the car was ready. I should have known something was wrong when I looked at the work order and noticed that no price had been quoted for the job, but I put my suspicions aside and sat down to wait things out.

Well, about 45 minutes later the lady at the counter told me my car was ready and sort of off-handedly remarked that the amount due was $125.00. Coolly and calmy I politely inquired "$125.00 FOR BELTS!!!", to which she offered no response. I then asked her how in the world they arrived at a figure of $125.00 and again she stonewalled by saying "Sir, that is the charge. How do you want to pay?" I wanted to tell her what she could do with her belts and leave the shop without paying them a single dime, but they still had the keys to my car and I wasn't about to hoof it all the way home.

So I payed them their blood money and picked up my keys, but before I left the shop I decided to pop the hood just to see just what kind of belts you get for $125.00 these days. I was half expecting to see platinum and diamonds when I looked in the engine compartment, but, alas, all I saw was plain old rubber V belts staring back.

After I got home my blood pressure just kept rising and I figured that rather than have a stroke over this I could either swallow my pride and forget about it or I could do some serious complaining. That's when I got on the internet and discovered this wonderful little place called the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office and a little department called the Consumer Fraud Unit. They had a complaint form that you could download and instructions on how to file, so I printed it all out and proceeded to vent my anger.

To make a long story short, the quickie lube shop soon received a copy of my complaint along with a letter from the District Attorney's Office saying that they were referring the matter to the California Department of Consumer Affair's Bureau of Automotive Repair. Although this didn't seem to garner much of a response from the quickie lube, subsequent letters and phone calls from this nice lady I talked to at the Bureau finally convinced them that it would be in their best interest to settle this matter.

Which takes me to today and this nice refund check I just received. Ah, sweet victory, and let me tell you it is a sweet victory indeed. However my purpose in relating this tale is not to gloat (ok, maybe just a little) but rather to serve as a lesson to anyone who might someday read this. You know, usually I'm pretty content in the knowledge that no one ever reads my blog. If no one reads it then I don't feel compelled to write anything worth reading. But just this once I have to say that I wish I actually had an audience, and I say that because as I was depositing the check tonight I had to wonder how many others had gotten ripped off by this shop and not fought back. And worse, by not fighting back and teaching these guys a lesson, how many more would this shop feel free to rip off in the future? It can become a self-perpetuating cycle unless people put a stop to it.

And so that is my lesson for the day. Yes it was important to get my money back, but just as important was the satisfaction of knowing that somewhere deep in the bowels of the District Attorney's office a file has been started with this shop's name on it. And as more people fight back and complain that file will grow, and someday it just might reach the critical mass necessary for the D.A. to pursue these guys and shut them down once and for all. That's the real lesson I want to pass on. If someone rips you off you have the responsibility to fight back, not only for your own sake but for others who may find themselves in the same situation. Just remember that the law is on your side and can work in your favor, and it is only through your own inaction that we all become victims.

And as I step off my soapbox let me add one last thought - beware of Marlee's Speedee Oil Change on Trade Zone Blvd. in Milpitas. They're a bunch of crooks, and I've got the evidence to prove it.