Genuinely one of the WORST experiences I have ever had at an auto store. I already have a hard time going into auto stores as a woman; however, this experience takes the cake. I recently had to swap out one of my spark plugs and had to order a pack online to finish replacing the rest, but one of my other plugs started misfiring today before my plugs have been delivered, so I came here looking for some help on which one I needed to replace until the set came in.
I get to the store at 7:30, right when they open but I wait a few minutes before I walk in to try and give them some time to fully open. After a few minutes the doors still are not unlocked, and when I had pulled on them, the (who I presume to be) store manager glared at me and my partner before coming to open the doors. Didn’t say hello, didn’t say good morning, just opened the door, and closed it as he walked back inside…while we are still standing outside waiting for the store to open. I go in, and I ask if they would be able to do a diagnostics test on my car because I just need to know which spark plug it is. He only says, in an extremely short and aggressive manner:
“is your check engine light on.”
“…yes, that’s why im here :)” (still trying to stay positive as I know some men just test me like this in these shops) and he proceeds to scoff under his breath while grabbing the scanner.
We get out to my car, and I pop my hood so that when I figure out which one I can replace it and be on my merry way. He is getting annoyed at this point and says “you don’t need that. Start your car.” I respond “oh, yea no I was just doing that for me for when we figure it out! The last time I needed to get this done he started the car when he was plugged in and ready, my bad” and I started the car. He then proceeds to complain about how it’s so hard to find the plug for the scanner and how all cars are different (which I know, and I laugh off because it can be frustrating). He tells me to take a photo of the code (P0300, multiple/random misfires) and I turn off my car and follow him back inside thinking he’s going to be able to tell me if it was one over the other. At this point he is just straight up talking down to me and says:
“I can’t do anything for you, im not a mechanic.”
“Oh! Sorry, the last guy was able to help me out on which plug it was so I could replace it”
“yeah well im not a mechanic. You take that to your mechanic. Not me.”
“My dad is my mechanic, but he’s 2.5 hours away, I was hoping for some help.” (Granted I have an attitude at this point now because he is just treating me like actual garbage)
He then laugh-scoffs at me as I call my dad, now asking if I’d be okay to just drive the 20 minutes back home and wait for my plugs because not only have I been treated like a moron, but I’ve been told that there is quite literally nothing he will do to help, he’s rude as all hell, and I don’t want to give any of my money to people who treat their customers like their scum of the earth.
I was fine to drive home bc it was random misfires and not one plug specifically, but I will NEVER go back to an advance because of this interaction. AutoZone was 10x nicer, more considerate, and willing to help me out when I was a little confused on which spark plug was which.
Do not waist your time with this location, they do not care about their customers at all, and CLEARLY have the mindset of “I don’t get paid enough for this”. Completely deplorable behavior, and he should be ashamed of how he conducted himself. Multiple other men went in and out, seemingly without a hitch, so if you’re a woman go somewhere else where they’re willing to help.