这是第二次出现常规换油被忽悠的状况了。我在脸书上发表了一些感慨，并描述了事情的经过。
在Mr. Lube网上提交了投诉，同时在Better Business Bureau提交了投诉。
同时联系了一位本那比事议员，一位华裔，他说让我给他打电话。明天再麻烦人家。
拭目以待。
下面是我在脸书上的描述。
Is the high level of trust in Canadian society under erosion?
Part one: My experiences with unscrupulous business practices of automobile repair shops in Burnaby, BC.
People living in high-trust societies are happier; they report higher levels of life satisfaction. Canada has been consistently ranked among the top ten happiest countries in the world since 2012, when the annual World Happiness Report was launched with the support of the United Nations. Canadians report high levels of trust in the honesty of government agencies, police, and businesses. This is one of the reasons that Canada is considered one of the best countries in the world and attracts immigrants from around the globe. In the undergraduate psychology classes I teach at two universities in the Vancouver area. One of the “cultural shocks” described by international students, especially those from South America, is how safe the place is. “You can trust the police. When something happens to you, you may call the police, and they are not going to come and hurt you.”
However, over the last year or so, my personal sense of trust for local businesses has been shaken by negative experiences. I have recently been victimized by unscrupulous business practices in Burnaby with automobile repair shops. The most recent incident happened on March 6 when I went to Mr. Lube on Hasting street in Burnaby for a routine oil change for my Jeep Cherokee. The car has only 47,000 KM mileage on it. While doing the oil change, a mechanic told me that my car was up for a scheduled transmission fluid change. He made a point to ask me whether I had a transmission fluid change during my last oil change. I said no, and he said then the car needed to have a scheduled transmission fluid change. I trusted his expertise and agreed to have the transmission fluid changed for 344 dollars (before tax). Then another mechanic told me that I needed to have my four spark plugs replaced with new ones. I trusted his expertise and agreed to have the plugs replaced for 249 dollars. After the services were done, I checked my owner's manual and found out that the mechanic had given me misleading and untrue information. The manual says the spark plugs need to be changed only after 160,00 kilometers, almost four times as much as what I have now. Nowhere in the manual says that the car needs a "routine" transmission fluid change.
Businesses are essential institutions because citizens rely on them for everyday living. They form the foundations for social trust. There is no error-free system. However, a touchstone question on the system’s trustworthiness is whether due process works to redress issues when they arise.
I am going to file a complaint with the company on Mr. Lube's website and see what happens. However, I have no trust in this route. A cursory Google search finds similar complaints about precisely the same practice with this Rapid Auto Service Chain at different locations, trying to sell unnecessary services with misinformation.
One customer says the mechanic tries to sell her transmission fluid change at a mere 70,000 kilometers. Well, she may take comfort at the fact that they tried and succeeded in selling me the service at 47,000 km.
There are numerous complaints against this business nationwide. I wonder how many of those cases are handled properly.
https://www.complaintboard.com/mr-lube-l7346.html
https://www.complaintsboard.com/mr-lube-canada-b115652
Another route is to file a report with the Better Business Bureau. I will take this route too. Then there is the small claim court to turn to. Those steps are onerous and time-consuming.
I will report the progress and changes in my confidence in the business institutions in the area. This type of issue is getting more and more common in the auto repair business. I had another troubling experience with a different shop last August-September. This is a serious issue for the city and the residents. It is time for the city, regulators, consumer protection agencies and citizens to do something about this problem.
Mr. Lube refund.jpg