Posted by (+134) 6 years ago
I was in Miles City yesterday, taking advantage of what I thought was a fair value. Normally I change my own motor oil, but am grayed now, and the ground was still moist despite recent warming. I had discovered that Walmart seemed to have a few responsible guys working there and they would do the labor for a nominal fee if I provided my own filter and oil. Since the first of Jan I have used this service two or three times.
Yesterday was different.... first, I had the wrong filter, and so was paged back to the shop to approve a sale of a filter off the shelf. No problem.
second, I was called back again as the service manager needed to talk to me about the amount of oil I had provided. (this vehicle is a 2008 Grand Caravan with a 3.8L engine that uses a relatively small filter, with the manufacturer's manual calling for 5 quarts of oil when changing the oil and filter) I have always known that 5 quarts of oil does not put one's dipstick on the absolute full line, but is definitely within the upper operating range. The service manager started off with how I absolutely had to be completely on full or he could not/would not release my vehicle to me. Essentially he was stating that with the power vested in him by WalMart, my rights as the owner were suspended, and he was prepared to effectively impound my vehicle for the lack of less than a half quart of oil.
I do know better than to attempt to reason with an irrational person, but I confess to trying. Was I pissed off... damned right.... Did I have some degree of satisfaction... some. It seems that I had kept a half quart of the same oil in the rear of the vehicle... thank God! He lifted the quart, eyeballed the level, and decided that would do.
As I explained later to WalMart management I would have gladly signed off on a release wherein I acknowledged that the oil level may not have been exactly on the full line, but it was still fine with me. I was not given that option. I felt as if the guy I dealt with may have been having a bad day, may be better suited to work as a stereotypical state bureaucrat, or maybe just felt like being difficult. I also explained to management that despite having several licensed vehicles, none of them will be seen in their shop, neither for service, nor for tires.
Anybody else ever had something like this happen to them? In retrospect I think I should have merely called his bluff and asked for the Custer County Sheriff's Department to sort it out. Sheesh....
Yesterday was different.... first, I had the wrong filter, and so was paged back to the shop to approve a sale of a filter off the shelf. No problem.
second, I was called back again as the service manager needed to talk to me about the amount of oil I had provided. (this vehicle is a 2008 Grand Caravan with a 3.8L engine that uses a relatively small filter, with the manufacturer's manual calling for 5 quarts of oil when changing the oil and filter) I have always known that 5 quarts of oil does not put one's dipstick on the absolute full line, but is definitely within the upper operating range. The service manager started off with how I absolutely had to be completely on full or he could not/would not release my vehicle to me. Essentially he was stating that with the power vested in him by WalMart, my rights as the owner were suspended, and he was prepared to effectively impound my vehicle for the lack of less than a half quart of oil.
I do know better than to attempt to reason with an irrational person, but I confess to trying. Was I pissed off... damned right.... Did I have some degree of satisfaction... some. It seems that I had kept a half quart of the same oil in the rear of the vehicle... thank God! He lifted the quart, eyeballed the level, and decided that would do.
As I explained later to WalMart management I would have gladly signed off on a release wherein I acknowledged that the oil level may not have been exactly on the full line, but it was still fine with me. I was not given that option. I felt as if the guy I dealt with may have been having a bad day, may be better suited to work as a stereotypical state bureaucrat, or maybe just felt like being difficult. I also explained to management that despite having several licensed vehicles, none of them will be seen in their shop, neither for service, nor for tires.
Anybody else ever had something like this happen to them? In retrospect I think I should have merely called his bluff and asked for the Custer County Sheriff's Department to sort it out. Sheesh....