Griffin Brothers

The Hammer

Reviews
Written: 1

1.0

I visited the Pineville Location because my car heater was not blowing warm air - they took several hours to review - then came back saying it will cost me $485. When I asked about the breakdown they indicated two hoses plus flushing the radiator. They implied this would possibly correct the problem but after doing the service they would again review to see if that fixed the problem. Then they charged me $65 dollars for the review which was never revealed upfront - poor business and customer relationship building.

The paperwork revealed service 'recommended' nothing about reviewing the original problem. I worked down the street and felt they would be convenient and fair - WRONG - they were out to get as much $$ from me as possible. They did not know what the problem was and how to fix it - if they did they did not tell me.
I went home and on line a I found the solution to the heater problem was not enough anti freeze - a $5.00 fix - DO NOT USE THIS REPAIR PLACE. They make up service to inflated the bill.

Steven P.

Reviews
Written: 1

1.0

I had bought tires and rims many times with Griffin Brothers, and I was satisfied with the price and service. I let them start doing mechanical work on my vehicles. There was problem with my air conditioning that they were unable to fix and said I would need to take it to a dealer. Another firm said they could fix it for around $700.00.
I had bought new tires and when I picked the vehicle up it had a mild thumping sound that was never there before......they were unable to locate the problem and suggest I take it to another firm they recommended. They thought it was in the drivetrain assembly. Problem is still there, and I believe it was in the tires.
Anyway, I then took my wifes car in because of problems starting, again couldn't find anything wrong until it wouldn't start at all and needed to be towed in ......Found the problems $2000.00 later..
I had my truck in for oil change and to check the brakes. They said the brakes were ok.......2 weeks later $700.00 worth of brake repairs.
I had my BMW in for a water leak, which was fixed for $400.00,(cooling lines replaced) The next day out of town it was leaking again....... another $300.00 ( reservoir)
Step son took his Jeep in for an oil change, when he picked it up it was shaking terribly. They said new ball joints @ $700.00. Finally went somewhere else and they replaced u joints and stabilizer bar for $268.00.
After having them work on my truck brakes, 3 weeks later my front wheel nearly came off on the Interstate. IT WAS NEVER TIGHTENED! These rims had locking lug nuts, so it was definitely not someone trying to steal the rims.
After speaking with the owner who said he would review all of these issues, I never heard a word back from them. This is deplorable customer service.

Mark H.

Reviews
Written: 1

1.0

I took my Jaguar XJ6 to Griffin Brother at their Pineville NC location for a routine oil change. In short the technician torqued the oil plug too tight which cracked the oil pan.
This is an 8 hour plus job which will cost over $1,000.
Griffin Brothers will accept no responsibility for their damage to my car. You cannot make everybody happy I understand this from experience.
When you damage some ones property you should let them know which Griffin
Brothers did not do. It was leaking so much that I was 3 quarts low by the time I noticed the oil leak. They caused a bad oil leak which in turn could of cost me my engine. What a bunch of
I will be sure to post my experience at Carolinas Healthcare facilities so that the 1,000's that work there know that this company has bad scruples and no integrity at all.
This company deserves a ZERO.

Concerned Citizen

Reviews
Written: 1

1.0

If I could give zero stars i would. They used gear oil in my transfer case and differentials. They told me that an oil leak I had would cost $500 to repair, I took it elsewhere and got it fixed for $30. They replaced rotors in the car that were actually already used - not new, yet they passed them off as "new". They messed up my window regulator - I went to pick up my vehicle and the window was down. I tried getting it to go back up and it didnt work. They still charged me, only giving me a $100 discount on the regulator. Don't waste your money here these people have mediocre technicians and poor management. The gentlemen running the front desk don't seem to know any technical information.

wicked r32

Reviews
Written: 1

5.0

I am from out of town doing some work in the Charlotte area, I had some free time and was needing brakes for my car. I checked out some of the local shops and Griffin Brothers stood out. After looking at all the mixed reviews I give these guys a chance and I must say if they did excellent! They went all over charlotte trying to find the right brake pads for my rare car and not only succeeded but did great work. I highly recommend these guys and gals. They were polite, knowledgeable, quick, and took car of other customers in the same many as they treated me. That j you and if I ever come back you are who i'll be seeing! Oh!! I stopped at the one o University, kudos to them.

Thanks,
Satisfied customer!!

Pete S

Reviews
Written: 1

1.0

There are few businesses I've encountered that I would never do business with them again, but Griffin Brothers(University Location) certainly earned this designation! I don't know which was worse, their poor workmanship or their total lack of responsibility and accountability. Do not be fooled by the good customer service facade given by the front desk staff.

When my timing cover was removed it was broken and fractured. The broken clips and shards of plastic were left inside of the engine compartment. When I brought this to the attention of the front desk CSR (Ester), she actually said to me "it would be fine". No apology, no empathy, all while keeping a straight face, REALLY!!!

I asked to speak with the service manager and I was told he was unavailable. I declined any other service at that point from Griffin Brothers. They did not put my vehicle back together and I had to request the nuts and bolts from the front desk which were removed from my timing cover! Finally, I had my vehicle towed to a different garage, as I felt the lack of professionalism had become egregious.

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!!!

Pete

Ms. Byrd B.

Reviews
Written: 1

1.0

Griffin Brothers takes advantage of women , I had my rear axle serviced at Griffin in 2010 and they lost my keys, I purchased 2 new tires and they were the wrong size which caused my wheels to lock. Griffin was unwilling to make me whole financially $1,300. I took the truck to Ford and they made me aware of the wrong tire sizes and fixed the problems right away. Ken Car Store Manager is dishonest and dsigraceful.

Griffin Brother Tire
8040 N. Tryon Street
Charlotte, NC 28262
(704) 549-8595

Please do not patronize this company because they do not cover their mistakes,

Opirioner

Reviews
Written: 1

4.0

I have basically a new car which is about 3 years old with about 30,000 miles. As I did not have much time to go to a dealer went to Griffin for a annual State Inspection. They did the inspection fine but advised me that I need an immediate replacement of my all 4 tires and the alarm is ringing that all have to be changed and costs about $500-550. I think the advisor thinks I am wearing a flower on my ear to fool me!! They are really unreliable giving all kinds of cheating statements. Fortunately I did not fall prey went to the dealer and I was told the tires are good for another 30k without any major problem.
I would not advise these cheaters to any one!
Jay

turbo

Reviews
Written: 1

1.0

I have an 86 year old aunt that brought her 1995 car to the Pineville location to have 4 new struts installed and get a 4 wheel alignment. She noticed that the mileage was wrong for her car on the bill and when she left the shop the car seemed to ride the same as before. Her list of work performed was not very clear on the repair order printout. She called me and told me what happened and thought maybe something was wrong. I questioned her and advised her to go back and question the billing printout and why the mileage was listed different from her actual mileage. She did return and asked to have one of the mechanics to drive her car and verify if her original complaint of bouncing and rough ride was any different from when she brought the car in for the original repair. She just about had to beg the mechanic to test drive the car which he finally did. When he returned, he put the car up on the lift and looked under the car. He stated that nothing had been done to the car and no new parts were installed that he could see on the suspension. When my aunt approached the service writer, she asked him why the mileage was different on the car, about 90,000 listed, while her car had about 48,000. He seemed confused according to my aunt. Then he looked up her repair date and said he knew what happened. He told her another car was there like her car the day of the repair and that the mechanic must have worked on the other car like hers and the cars were mixed up and the parts and work that should have been done on her car were done to the other car instead of hers. She spoke to the owner's son and the service writer, they made no apology to her but said they would make sure the work was performed. They did install the 4 struts and do the 4 wheel alignment and the service writer crossed out the incorrect 90,000 mile printout and hand wrote in her correct mileage. They did correct the "mistake" but how do we know if this explanation is true? Did they try to "ripoff" an 86 year old widow? If the owner's son and service writer had apologized, would this been an admission of guilt? Was this the proper business decision to make? Many people would have sued over this type of "mistake" since it could have been construed many ways. I would think a good business owner would have apologized, corrected the mistake and possibly offered a few free oil changes or some type of simple offering to make the customer feel assured that they were sorry and that they appreciated their business and they wanted them as a customer in the future. Nothing of that nature occurred.
Do these thinks happen often in dealers of repair shops? Of course they do but not that often. Many times the customers don't know that a mechanic started work on one of two cars that looked the same. Most often, a good service writer will check on the work being performed and make sure the mechanic has the right vehicle, is sure of the work being performed and will monitor the work as the job progresses, assuring the mechanic and customer of time and work performed. This company has seven going on eight locations, it is not a perfect world and people do make mistakes. My aunt has been going to this Pineville location for several years and trusted them to do the work as requested. Even though they did "correct" the "mistake", her feelings were hurt, she felt she wasn't treated fairly or with respect by the owners son and service writer. My aunt is not a "complainer" type and pays willingly for services performed. She had spent a good bit of money at this location and does try to maintain her car, she believes the people there when they tell here she needs a repair. At least the mechanic did test drive her car, put the car on the lift and report to her that nothing had been done to her car that she thought she paid for. Many people would have sued but she chose not to go that route and the shop did perform the work. Again, no apology was given and I think they have lost a loyal customer that trusted them.
Too many businesses operate this way today and assume that a few lost customers is not that important. I realize some people can never be pleased even if you give them everything for free. This is an 86 year old woman with a positive trusting attitude that made no scene or big argument but only trusted in what she was told. In our economy today, losing customers is not a winning strategy. She or others can take her business and trust somewhere else that she feels appreciated.
I happen to be a relative of this woman. This could have been anyone else that asked me my opinion according to my experience. I am a 61 year old Veteran, have 8 years experience as an electronic bench technician, 4 years avionics technician on military aircraft, 7 years experience as a licensed Airframe & Powerplant technician on civilian aircraft-fixed and rotary wing, 25 years as an ASE Master Re-certified auto technician in factory and independent shops, 15 years as a Porsche Master Dealer Technician w/Honors. I do feel qualified to give an opinion and too many shops today are a dime a dozen. There are many good technicians out there that work very hard for their experience and pay and they usually pay a high price to stay in the business. Finding good "management" is another book that has many chapters. People skills, management talent and experience, ethics, creative skills, personality, personal responsibility and accountability, training and mentoring all add up to what leadership and business skills are all about, based on my experience. It's nice to see good management and real men step up at the right time and take charge whether it's in government, business, education, military, etc. Too often we see people more concerned for their paycheck than doing the job they are supposed to be doing. They are more afraid of what will happen if they do the right thing rather than just do what is "popular" at the moment. This is what makes so many men stand out from the others today in business and other disciplines that go the extra yard to do even a simple kindness. A simple honest apology to an 86 year old woman that has given you her trust doesn't seem like a big request. Maybe Griffin Brothers could spend a little time on some training sessions at the Pineville location for Customer Satisfaction and Service Writer Job Flow And Follow Up rather than just checking the bottom line. Just a suggestion.

Adams115

Reviews
Written: 1

5.0

I have taken my car many times to the Park Road shop. Chris and David are great! They know their stuff and always deliver great services. Thanks from Adams.