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Routine oil change results in bad change, car won't run

5 years 2 months 3 weeks ago Tuesday, January 01 2019 Jan 1, 2019 January 01, 2019 7:09 PM January 01, 2019 in News
Source: WBRZ

ZACHARY - A woman went in for a routine oil change only to learn minutes later she didn't get what she paid for.

Tanya Perkins says her daughter brought their 2010 Suzuki in for an oil change at the Zachary Walmart on December 22, 2018. The oil change was paid for and the woman was handed her keys to leave. Not even a mile down the road, she says all the dashboard lights turned on, the car started shaking violently, and smoke was coming in from the vents. After the woman pulled over, the oil dipstick was checked and found to have no oil residue.

Perkins says a Walmart auto technician went to the car and added oil in hopes that it would help, but it didn't. The car sat on the side of Highway 19 for a few days until it was towed to the owner's home on Christmas morning while the situation was sorted out. After a few more days of no action, Perkins contacted 2 On Your Side.

"Walmart did admit fault," said Perkins. "We've been getting the runaround due to the Christmas holiday and the New Year holiday."

After filling out a customer incident report, Perkins says she had to rent a car to fulfill her scheduled obligations. They've been assigned a claims agent through Claims Management, Inc., and did receive a phone call from a representative stating so, but have not heard from that agent since the incident has been reported.

"I feel like it's a David and Goliath situation, Walmart being Goliath bullying David because we are a professional working family and all of this has come out of our pocket," said Perkins.

The bills have added up to about $1,000 with car rental costs, gas, and missed work. Walmart did reimburse Perkins for a towing fee, but she feels the car is totaled. They're waiting to learn more after a mechanic takes a look Wednesday.

Walmart says its third-party claims service, CMI, has been in touch with Perkins and will investigate.

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