On 8/13/2008 my mother-in-law, in her 80s, took her truck to the nearby Long Tire Center (3523 Bell Shoals Road, Valrico, FL) because her windshield wipers were not working. She went there because she was house sitting my house while our family was out of the country. They fixed the windshield wipers and identified a crank case seal problem that was over $600.\r
Upon picking up the car, the car would not start, the battery was dead. They said it was probably dead because the light under the hood had been on the whole time they worked on the truck. They jumped it and she drove home. Later that night she tried to start the truck and it was again dead. Since she is in her 80s she did not know what to do and was not familiar with this area. So even though it was an 8 year battery that was only 2.5 years old, I told her that I would call Long Tire and ask them to take care of it and would pay for a battery if needed.\r
Long picked up the truck and then charged her $20 to test the battery and then charged her for a new battery. I cannot believe that since they had drained the battery and were now saying it was not good, that they would charge her $20 to test it. So even after she had spent over $600 with them, and they drained the battery, they still felt it was fair to charge $20 to test it and offer no discount on the battery.\r
I think they were just taking advantage of a senior citizen because she did not know what to do. I will never go back to this place again. I think it is unconscionable to take advantage a woman in her 80s. \r
Pros: its in the neighborhood
Cons: be careful, ask for exact costs and review
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