I leave either a 5-star review for an amazing experience or a 1-star review for a deplorable one. I don’t want anyone else to endure what my daughter and I did. This warns others about the lack of professionalism and unprofessional customer service at AutoZone on Hospital Dr.
Another AutoZone was out of my battery, so they sent me to Hospital Dr. to buy it and return to them for installation. The next day, we still had issues so we went back to Hospital Dr. A kind Caucasian woman employee tested it and found it at only 3%. She offered to do a replacement, but Antonio took over, told her to do something else, and slammed the battery onto the cart as if he was frustrated. At my car, he set it hard on the edge of my hood, directly on the paint, leaving three marks down to the metal (photos attached). He became defensive and dismissive. I asked if they sold paint and sandpaper to possibly resolve it; he said NO and NEVER apologized.
I went inside (this should be on camera), pointed to the Caucasian woman behind the counter and said I wanted her to do it. I reported the damage to Selene, the assistant manager. She put both hands on her head, said, “Oh no,” and shook her head. Has this happened before? Now I’m very confused.
Outside, Antonio argued aggressively with me. My daughter witnessed Selene telling him to be quiet, but he continued and grew irate. When I said I’d call GEICO, Selene begged me not to, saying they handle these situations in house. My daughter immediately called GEICO.
Selene said her DM, Mr. Small, would call Tuesday after PTO. He never did. The following week, GEICO called me and said Mr. Small told them claims would handle the damage. I called the location and Selene later said Iesha Pope, the DM, wanted me to text her. I thought Karlan Small was the DM. I urge corporate/franchise ownership to listen to my calls with Mrs. Pope. I explained Antonio never apologized and Selene tried to stop me from calling GEICO. Mrs. Pope apologized for him, but he should have apologized himself.
Three body shops said my car needed to stay a couple of days. Mrs. Pope said claims definitely wouldn’t provide a rental. I offered small claims court or a $600 check to arrange repairs myself and sign a Release of Liability, while shops quoted $1,200–$1,300. I need my car, and won’t pay my deductible for damage I didn’t cause.
Coming from corporate, I found Mrs. Pope to be unprofessional. She said, “I am not a dog in the fight.” I’ve never heard a manager use that language on a business call.
I texted photos of the damage and my car. She replied, “I know exactly where y’all are at,” then chuckled. This made me uncomfortable.
I requested an update the following week. She never contacted me. When I called her, she said claims found a repair shop, no rental was needed, and repairs should take one day, that was fine.
During that conversation, I raised the confusion surrounding the district manager's identity. I told Mrs. Pope that my daughter had reminded me that GEICO and Selene had identified Karlan Small as the district manager, whereas Mrs. Pope had told me he was a store manager. I expressed concern about the conflicting information. She replied very nonchalantly then became quiet and changed the subject when I explained the seriousness of the discrepancy. It’s been about a month with no contact from Mrs. Pope.
I value my possessions. If you value your car, avoid AutoZone—any AutoZone—and use O’Reilly Auto Parts or Advance Auto Parts.
THIS EXPERIENCE WAS AN EYE-OPENER FOR ME AND IT SHOULD BE FOR YOU TOO!
