I took my car to the VIP location in Brunswick, ME for servicing in May, 2015. Specifically, I wanted a 90K manfacturer reccomended service, and for an estimate on fixing my air conditioning system. The employee I spoke to insured me that he would look at the car, and check "all fluids and systems". I ended up only getting an inspection sticker, oil change, and engine belt replacement from the location(per the employee's reccomendation).
Soon after having the work done by VIP, and after I finished my college final exams, I drove home. After only being on the highway for about 1 hour, my engine started to severely overheat, which caused the engine to stop working. I had to have the car towed by AAA to a mechanic. When the mechanic examined the car's engine, he saw that my radiator cap was not screwed in, and asked me if I had recently had work done on the car. He concluded that the engine overheated most likely due to the mechanic at VIP not screwing my radiator cap on after the oil change at VIP in Brunswick, ME. This error by VIP was estimated to have caused almost 1,900.00 in damage to my car's engine(which no longer works). The 1,900.00 estimate is for a new engine and labor.
One week after the incident, my family member and I called up the VIP location in Brunswick, and spoke to a man who said he was the general manager(who will remain unnamed for privacy purposes) and explained what had happened. He said he would relay the information to the regional manager. I never heard from a regional manager.
After two weeks, my family member called their corperate headquarters in Lewiston, ME ,and spoke to a man(who I believe is the COO of the whole company) who profusely apologized for what had happened. He called me directly, and admitted to me that the man I had spoken to was not the general manager(despite identifying himself as the manager).He further admitted to me that the Brunswick location has been without a manager for over two months, and stated that he believed there were "leadership problems" at the Brunswick location due to a lack of management at the location. He promised me he would fix the problem with my car. Thus, he had my car flatbedded to the Topsham, ME location for a diagnostic evaluation.
VIP is now claiming that my car's engine overheated due a corroding radiator, and are refusing to componsate me(despite offering to "fix the problem"). This is despite reports from two other mechanics who stated that my radiator was not corroded, but in "good" condition. One report is from work I had done on the car two months earlier, the other is from another mechanic the car was flatbedded to in the area. In addition, the mechanic who saw that my cap was not screwed noted that the radiator was not corroded.
I believe that that the lack of a general manager at the Brunswick location is leading to poor work oversight. Instead of making up excuses for administrative problems, VIP needs to accept responsibility for their faults. Their statement about the radiator contradicts two other independent evaluations about the state of the car's engine. Their actions regarding this clear lack of proper quality control, and their managment admitting that this branch has no general manager have been inapropriate. In many ways, I believe(but I am not certain) the company is engaging in clear fraud.
Went to VIP in Rockland Maine on 4/21/15 to get an oil change and winter tire swap out. Sat in waiting area for 15 minutes then was asked to go out and “look” at tires. Guy’s name was Casey and a technician named Chris. He started out by pointing to a tear in the rubber bead area, no effect on the actual metal bead portion just the rubber covering, then said it was not able to be used as it was a safety concern he then went on to say the tires were over ten years old and could not be put on the car as they were “too old” and it was against Maine inspection policy to do so. I said to him you have been the only ones to put these tires on and off for years, are you telling me you ruined my tires doing so? He said literally nothing to this.
I am an ASE Gold Certified Master Technician and have been for over twenty years along with being a Maine state certified inspector myself.
The day after V.I.P. worked on my daughter's car it broke down and she was stranded on the side of the road.
The mechanic who towed her vehicle/fixed it said she was overcharged for the work VIP did and the work was probably unnecessary to start with.
They [VIP] replaced the alternator and the alternator belt and probably all that was needed was for the wire to be fixed. While replacing her alternator it looks like they broke a bunch of other wires, one of which messed up her water pump, which is why she ended up beside the road.
This honest mechanic fixed four broken wires for her. We do not know if the mechanics at VIP that worked on her car were simply incompetent or trying to create repairs that needed to be done. The reason we question this is they gave her a packet of estimates to do all sorts of work they were not asked to do. It appears while they were poking and prodding things got damaged. It took time to do all that poking and prodding and it was reflected in the labor that she got charged for them to do things they were never asked to do.
Taking her car to VIP was a very expensive mistake. A mistake that we will never make again and that we will caution our friends and family not to make.
VIP Tires & Service Reviews
I took my car to the VIP location in Brunswick, ME for servicing in May, 2015. Specifically, I wanted a 90K manfacturer reccomended service, and for an estimate on fixing my air conditioning system. The employee I spoke to insured me that he would look at the car, and check "all fluids and systems". I ended up only getting an inspection sticker, oil change, and engine belt replacement from the location(per the employee's reccomendation).
Soon after having the work done by VIP, and after I finished my college final exams, I drove home. After only being on the highway for about 1 hour, my engine started to severely overheat, which caused the engine to stop working. I had to have the car towed by AAA to a mechanic. When the mechanic examined the car's engine, he saw that my radiator cap was not screwed in, and asked me if I had recently had work done on the car. He concluded that the engine overheated most likely due to the mechanic at VIP not screwing my radiator cap on after the oil change at VIP in Brunswick, ME. This error by VIP was estimated to have caused almost 1,900.00 in damage to my car's engine(which no longer works). The 1,900.00 estimate is for a new engine and labor.
One week after the incident, my family member and I called up the VIP location in Brunswick, and spoke to a man who said he was the general manager(who will remain unnamed for privacy purposes) and explained what had happened. He said he would relay the information to the regional manager. I never heard from a regional manager.
After two weeks, my family member called their corperate headquarters in Lewiston, ME ,and spoke to a man(who I believe is the COO of the whole company) who profusely apologized for what had happened. He called me directly, and admitted to me that the man I had spoken to was not the general manager(despite identifying himself as the manager).He further admitted to me that the Brunswick location has been without a manager for over two months, and stated that he believed there were "leadership problems" at the Brunswick location due to a lack of management at the location. He promised me he would fix the problem with my car. Thus, he had my car flatbedded to the Topsham, ME location for a diagnostic evaluation.
VIP is now claiming that my car's engine overheated due a corroding radiator, and are refusing to componsate me(despite offering to "fix the problem"). This is despite reports from two other mechanics who stated that my radiator was not corroded, but in "good" condition. One report is from work I had done on the car two months earlier, the other is from another mechanic the car was flatbedded to in the area. In addition, the mechanic who saw that my cap was not screwed noted that the radiator was not corroded.
I believe that that the lack of a general manager at the Brunswick location is leading to poor work oversight. Instead of making up excuses for administrative problems, VIP needs to accept responsibility for their faults. Their statement about the radiator contradicts two other independent evaluations about the state of the car's engine. Their actions regarding this clear lack of proper quality control, and their managment admitting that this branch has no general manager have been inapropriate. In many ways, I believe(but I am not certain) the company is engaging in clear fraud.
Went to VIP in Rockland Maine on 4/21/15 to get an oil change and winter tire swap out. Sat in waiting area for 15 minutes then was asked to go out and “look” at tires. Guy’s name was Casey and a technician named Chris. He started out by pointing to a tear in the rubber bead area, no effect on the actual metal bead portion just the rubber covering, then said it was not able to be used as it was a safety concern he then went on to say the tires were over ten years old and could not be put on the car as they were “too old” and it was against Maine inspection policy to do so. I said to him you have been the only ones to put these tires on and off for years, are you telling me you ruined my tires doing so? He said literally nothing to this.
I am an ASE Gold Certified Master Technician and have been for over twenty years along with being a Maine state certified inspector myself.
The day after V.I.P. worked on my daughter's car it broke down and she was stranded on the side of the road.
The mechanic who towed her vehicle/fixed it said she was overcharged for the work VIP did and the work was probably unnecessary to start with.
They [VIP] replaced the alternator and the alternator belt and probably all that was needed was for the wire to be fixed. While replacing her alternator it looks like they broke a bunch of other wires, one of which messed up her water pump, which is why she ended up beside the road.
This honest mechanic fixed four broken wires for her. We do not know if the mechanics at VIP that worked on her car were simply incompetent or trying to create repairs that needed to be done. The reason we question this is they gave her a packet of estimates to do all sorts of work they were not asked to do. It appears while they were poking and prodding things got damaged. It took time to do all that poking and prodding and it was reflected in the labor that she got charged for them to do things they were never asked to do.
Taking her car to VIP was a very expensive mistake. A mistake that we will never make again and that we will caution our friends and family not to make.