Don't take your car to Mr. Transmission

[Centella Cajon]

He has been posting this to a lot groups for the last 2 weeks. Still
don't know what his point is except that he got taken with his own

And according to Spy Sweeper, when you go to the site he posted and
click on a thread spy ware is installed on your computer unless you
have a program that checks in real time, like Spy Sweeper, and warns
you. Go there with great caution.

 

[Andrew]

And according to Spy Sweeper, when you go to the site he posted and
click on a thread spy ware is installed on your computer unless you
have a program that checks in real time, like Spy Sweeper, and warns
you. Go there with great caution.

Which "thread" (link) installs Spyware? The only external links are
mrtransmission.com, ripoffreport.com, and complaints.com.

 

[Brian Nystrom]

REPLY: DOnt take your car to AAMCO Transmission Co. either (if they are
still around). I learned they put thier Office personnel thru ' in
house sales training courses' to promote rebuilding the transmission or
selling a new one after the car is testdriven . I took a car there once
, and it ended up being a Modulator Control that was needed -- AAMCO
wanted to rebuild the transmission . Thieves.

This blanket indictment of AAMCO is just as wrong and unfair as Andrew's
treatment of Mr. Transmission. As I wrote above:

"I've had work done by a local AAMCO guy who's been completely
trustworthy. The rebuild they did on my Excel transmission lasted 115K
miles, which is impressive when you consider that the orignal only
lasted 64K. He's even told me when he didn't think that work was worth
it on another car. He's good, he cares about his customers and the
quality of the work his people turn out. These are the reasons that he's
been in business at the same location for 20-something years. I refer
people to him all the time.

OTOH, I've heard horror stories about other AAMCO stores. It's not the
name on the building, it's the guys that work there that count."

My local AAMCO guy is as good as gold. It's a shame that yours isn't,
but that's the fault of the personnel.

I once worked for a guy in the muffler biz and I watched him train and
incentivise his employees to rip off customers (he called it "selling
jobs"). Between his dishonesty and his cocaine habit, he didn't last
long. Sales training can be beneficial in that in can help technicians
to explain work to customers in a manner they can understand, but taken
to an extreme (as above), it's wrong. Again, it's the people that make
the difference and that's true no matter what the name of the business is.

 

[Andrew]

"Brian Nystrom" [email protected] wrote in message

Only to a very limited degree. While it may be possible for them to yank a
franchise from a problem franchisee, that's usually the only leverage they
have and that may not even be the case. They are not legally liable for
poor work by a franchisee unless they are following a policy that comes
down from the top. One bad store DOES NOT make for a bad company and you
have no right to trash the entire company. It would be within their rights
to sue you for defamation. While I fully agree with the action you're
taking against the local store - assuming that you're telling the whole
truth - what you're attempting to do to the company is wrong. Frankly, the
fact that you're unwilling to go to arbitration makes me very suspicious.
If your case was as strong and "cut and dried" as you make it out to be,
arbitration is the best way to go, as you would win, win quickly and do so
at minimal expense.

I'd really love to hear the other side of this story.

It is obvious that you do not know how good franchises operate. They operate
on their "good name" for business and good franchise operators make sure
that bad apples are promptly removed. This is not the case of Mr.
Transmission as some owners of franchises are not very happy campers. If you
get past the intial canned hype at
http://www.business-opportunities.b...-leadership-in-the-automotive-repair-industry
or http://tinyurl.com/cpmo6 if your news reader tears apart the link.

You will see such statements as:

Shane said on October 27th, 2004 at 10:43 pm:
Just like Matt's report on RipOffReport, I did my research. Just like Matt,
I worked at a shop for almost 20 years ? the work itself I could do with my
eyes closed. I believed I could make money with Mr. Transmission. Guess
what? NOT A DIME! Guess what else? I FINANCED THE $150,000 INITIAL
INVESTMENT WITH A SECOND MORTGAGE!! UNLIKE Matt, this IS going to court. I
want EVERY PENNY I put into this AND damages!
I don't know about the work of other franchises, but DO NOT BUY INTO THIS
SCAM, you will NEVER MAKE MONEY!

Better yet, go to
http://www.ripoffreport.com/results...mit2=Search!&q4=&q6=&q3=&q2=&q7=&searchtype=0
or http://tinyurl.com/7mx2q and read more about the people and franchise
owners who have gotten ripped off by Mr. Transmission.

Mr. Transmission attempted to get my website off the net by use of lawyers
and I did not budge. It did not work.

As for arbitration... who do you think decides which arbitrator to use? Not
me... As you are clueless and need a steer, there are two parties involved
in this dispute and one of them is me. I don't chose the place that
arbitrates so who do you think will chose?

I'll type out the scenario very slow to you so you can understand. My
transmission breaks and it needs replacing. I go to Mr. Transmission and pay
over $3000 to have this done. I pick up my car a week later and it
breaksdown due to the transmission light going on and transmission fluid
venting out. I tow the car back and they keep it a few more weeks. They do
such things as replacing an ECT sensor, whose only purpose is to make the
dash temp gauge work. In addition they remove my Performance Control Module
(PCM), do a compression check on my engine and many other things during
those two weeks. They tell me they found the problem... wiring from another
ECT to my PCM. They take the vehicle to another shop and have this replaced
at my expense. I pick up the vehicle and what do you think happens? The
transmission light goes on and my transmission vents fluid. Of course my
dash temp, which was working before, is not working at this time.

I tow it back to the shop and they state that I'm out of luck because it is
my engine and wiring which is at fault. I take it to the dealership. They
reroute my transmission cooler back to the stock cooler. They replace a
damaged/ incorrect dipstick in my transmission. They drain 5 quarts of
excess transmission fluid from my vehicle due to the damaged/incorrect
dipstick. They clean transmission fluid out of my MAP sensor.

Guess what... No more transmission problems after that. So what do you think
was causing the transmission problems after getting it replaced? Very
obvious when you look to see what the dealer did to correct the problem.

 

[Andrew]

'I had to take my car to the dealership after they were finished with
it. Not only did I fork out over $3000 to get it fixed but I had to pay
another $2000 for the dealer to fix it after they were done.
Mr. Transmission Sucks'

REPLY: DOnt take your car to AAMCO Transmission Co. either (if they are
still around). I learned they put thier Office personnel thru ' in
house sales training courses' to promote rebuilding the transmission or
selling a new one after the car is testdriven . I took a car there once
, and it ended up being a Modulator Control that was needed -- AAMCO
wanted to rebuild the transmission . Thieves.

After this experience, I'm going to avoid all chains as I'm getting the
picture of franchise owners hungry to get a return on their investments. It
is better to deal with the small folks who make a living off of word of
mouth or a dealership.

Mr. Transmission takes the cake though in transmission repairs. They state a
nationwide warranty on their website but when you look at their locations,
they are only located in 21 states in America. They also state they have the
best warranty in the business but I do not see them offering a lifetime
warranty like Aamco does.

 

[Brian Nystrom]

"Brian Nystrom" [email protected] wrote in message



It is obvious that you do not know how good franchises operate.

I know EXACTLY how a franchise operates, as I worked for a franchise
company at one point.

They operate
on their "good name" for business and good franchise operators make sure
that bad apples are promptly removed.

That's up to the main office. The degree to which they can do that also
varies with the contract they have with their franchisees. There is no
"standard" contract for all franchise businesses.

This is not the case of Mr.
Transmission as some owners of franchises are not very happy campers. <snip>

That can be said for virtually ANY franchise. Granted, there are some
that are basically rip-offs, but there are also a lot of people who can
manage to lose money no matter what business they're in. It's easy to
blame the head office for poor business sense. In some cases it's
justified, but in most it's not.

Mr. Transmission attempted to get my website off the net by use of lawyers
and I did not budge. It did not work.

Good for you. What did they do, send you a letter?

As for arbitration... who do you think decides which arbitrator to use? Not
me... As you are clueless and need a steer, there are two parties involved
in this dispute and one of them is me. I don't chose the place that
arbitrates so who do you think will chose?

If it's voluntary arbitration, you have a say as to who the arbitrator
is. If they're trying to push the mandatory arbitraton on you, I don't
blame you for resisting.

<unnecessary explanation snipped>

I understand your situation and I have said that I completely agree with
your actions against the local store. Is that plain enough for YOU to
understand? What I disagree with is your trashing of the entire company
for the actions of ONE store. Got it???

If you got a bad cup of coffee at a Dunkin Donuts, would you put up a
website called dunkindonutscoffeesucks.com?

 

[Brian Nystrom]

After this experience, I'm going to avoid all chains as I'm getting the
picture of franchise owners hungry to get a return on their investments. It
is better to deal with the small folks who make a living off of word of
mouth or a dealership.

A lot of franchise stores ARE small folks. My local AAMCO store is a
three man operation and the same three guys have been there for at least
10 years. They work hard, do good work and charge fair prices. His
reputation is flawless and deservedly so. He gets a lot of business via
word of mouth. The fact that he's a franchise store doesn't change that.

It's amazing that you try to tell me that I don't understand the
franchise business, but you make statements like this. Contrary to your
belief, there is nothing inherently evil about franchising. What do you
think most gas stations are? Most coffee and donut shops? Most
restaurants? Most convenience stores? The list is endless. We all deal
with franchise stores all the time and in most cases, they're fine. As
with any industry, there are inevitably bad apples, but they're the
exception, not the rule.

Mr. Transmission takes the cake though in transmission repairs. They state a
nationwide warranty on their website but when you look at their locations,
they are only located in 21 states in America.

Do they offer the same warranty through all their stores? If so, that's
technically "nationwide". The fact that they don't have stores in all 50
states is irrelevent. Perhaps they have plans to get there, but they
can't force people to open stores.

They also state they have the
best warranty in the business but I do not see them offering a lifetime
warranty like Aamco does.

Then you have an issue. Since you're already on a crusade, why don't you
see if you can get the FTC to force them to remove that claim?

 

[Jordan Samuels]

A lot of franchise stores ARE small folks. My local AAMCO store is a
three man operation and the same three guys have been there for at least
10 years. They work hard, do good work and charge fair prices. His
reputation is flawless and deservedly so. He gets a lot of business via
word of mouth. The fact that he's a franchise store doesn't change that.

It's amazing that you try to tell me that I don't understand the
franchise business, but you make statements like this. Contrary to your
belief, there is nothing inherently evil about franchising. What do you
think most gas stations are? Most coffee and donut shops? Most
restaurants? Most convenience stores? The list is endless. We all deal
with franchise stores all the time and in most cases, they're fine. As
with any industry, there are inevitably bad apples, but they're the
exception, not the rule.


Do they offer the same warranty through all their stores? If so, that's
technically "nationwide". The fact that they don't have stores in all 50
states is irrelevent. Perhaps they have plans to get there, but they
can't force people to open stores.


Then you have an issue. Since you're already on a crusade, why don't you
see if you can get the FTC to force them to remove that claim?

My 2 cents worth.. when we see ads on tv or in magazines, etc, those
ads don't say, "Some of our locations are the best in the nation,"
etc. They say, either overtly or by implication, that the entire
chain of outlets/stores/franchise facilities is the best at this
or that service.

I'd sue. And I think it's appropriate to advice the public, based
on your experiences, that their ads proved false in your case and
that people should stay away from that company for that reason.

"Crusade?" Welllllll..... :O)

Jordan S.

 

[Andrew]

I know EXACTLY how a franchise operates, as I worked for a franchise
company at one point.

I guess you missed the part about providing great customer service.

That's up to the main office. The degree to which they can do that also
varies with the contract they have with their franchisees. There is no
"standard" contract for all franchise businesses.

Bad business = Bad publicity. Any decent main franchise office goes by that
adage. If they don't then they are a fly by night outfit.

That can be said for virtually ANY franchise. Granted, there are some that
are basically rip-offs, but there are also a lot of people who can manage
to lose money no matter what business they're in. It's easy to blame the
head office for poor business sense. In some cases it's justified, but in
most it's not.

If you take a deep look into you will see. This chain states they have a
nationwide warranty but they are located in only in 21 states in America.
Look at their website for locations. "Best warranty in the business"? Aamco
offers a life-time warranty and Mr. Transmission does not.

Good for you. What did they do, send you a letter?

If you looked at the website you would have seen the letter by their legal
staff..

If it's voluntary arbitration, you have a say as to who the arbitrator is.
If they're trying to push the mandatory arbitraton on you, I don't blame
you for resisting.

It is mandatory arbitration by the American Arbitration Association per the
"contract". They have already picked the deciding party. This is in the fine
print of every Mr. Transmission service agreement. You need bright light and
a magnifying glass to read it though.

The NAF (National Arbitration Forum) handled collection disputes for the
bank First USA. First USA paid NAF several million dollars as a result of
the contract, and First USA won 99.6% of the cases out of 50,000 total.
From Reynolds Holding, Private Justice: Can Public Count On fair
Arbitration? Financial Ties To Corporations Are Conflict Of Interest,
Critics say, October 8, 2001.

The AAA ( American Arbitration Association) has held shares in AT&T, Bank of
America, Aetna, Cigna Corp., General Electric - all of which the AAA has
resolved disputes for. General Electric and Sprint corporate officers have
sat on the AAA board. In 2000, the AAA received 2.1 million dollars in
membership fees from GE Industrial Systems, Aetna, and other corporate
interests.

This is conflict of interest but it does not seem to apply.

<unnecessary explanation snipped>

I understand your situation and I have said that I completely agree with
your actions against the local store. Is that plain enough for YOU to
understand? What I disagree with is your trashing of the entire company
for the actions of ONE store. Got it???

The franchise head office was involved for a short time during my
discussions with the local shop. All they did is back the local shop.

If you got a bad cup of coffee at a Dunkin Donuts, would you put up a
website called dunkindonutscoffeesucks.com?

A cup of coffee does not cost $3000 + and it does not cost close to another
$2000 to get you a good cup of coffee.

You failed to miss the point. Why was my car transmission finally working
correctly when the dealer 1). Pulled off the aftermarket cooler and rerouted
it to the stock cooler? 2). Replaced a damaged/incorrect dipstick out of my
transmission? 3). Drained 5 quarts of excess transmission fluid from my
system? It is very obvious the shop screwed up but the head office refuses
to step in and take care of business. That is bad business.

 

[Brian Nystrom]

These SMALL folks, in most cases, get involved with a business that they
know NOTHING about. I did not have the luxury of word of mouth as I broke
down out of town. I took it to a chain because they are more accountable
then a local shop I know nothing about. I assumed the franchise would back
up their hype. I had no time to do a search on the business.

I did some research into the shop after the fact. It was established in 1994
but sold in 2004 to a person who knew nothing about transmissions. Look at
the 13th figure down at:
http://www.mariettaga.gov/business_license/weekly/050404.htm

Now look at:
http://www.businessesforsale.com/gotta/Georgia-Established-Transmission-Franchise-For-Sale.aspx
They are trying to unload it already...




How can you compare spending $3000 and forking over close to another $2000
to coffee and doughnut shops? If I get stiffed for $10 I'll take it tongue
in check but when it hits $5000? I don't think so...

First off, I NEVER said that you shouldn't pursue your case against the
local store. How many times do I have to reiterate that before it sinks in?

While it's true that I named all small ticket franchises, there are
plenty of other big ticket franhises out there, too.

How can you have a nationwide warranty when you have franchises in only 21
states? Are you going to tow the car hundreds of miles? There are no Mr.
Transmissions in California. Will you tow your car close to a 1000 miles for
warranty repair? Planning a store and having a store are two different
things. When I get a repair and I breakdown while in warranty, I want a
place that will be within an hour of me.

I hadn't looked at it from that angle and you make a good point. In
retrospect, I guess "nationwide warranty" is misleading if you can't
take advantage of it.

You don't seem to realize that I'm doing this for the average Joe or Jane.
Yes, I'll sue Mr. Transmission and I will get my money. However, I'm going
to voice my public opinion all over the net. You see, I don't live from
paycheck to paycheck but a lot of people do. Has it crossed your mind what a
family, who lives from paycheck to paycheck, would encounter if they were
ripped off like I was? It could ruin them. Do you ever think of others
Brian? I do. In fact, I think enough of them to put my website up at my own
expense. You won't see an ad or popup on my site.

Yeah, I think of all the honest people employed at Mr. Transmission
stores who are potentially being hurt by your "nationwide" smear
campaign. How would you feel if people in another store with a good
reputation lose their jobs because of you?

While altruism is a wonderful thing, let's be real shall we? What does
it cost you monthy for hosting fees, $10, maybe $20 at the outside?

When you add the additional hidden expenses, such as search engine
placement, I'll be in the negative column well after the settlement. Google
"Mr. Transmission" and I'm in the top 30.

You PAID for search engine placement? Whatever, it's your money to waste.

Dude, lose the Burt Reynolds look alike. Kind of lame when you throw in all
your bicycle, ice climbing, and kayaking adventures. What are you running
from and what are you trying to prove?

What in the world are you babbling about? Burt Reynolds? Running?
Proving? Have you completely lost it or something?

Yes, I enjoy cycling, kayaking and ice climbing. Add X/C skiing and a
bit of woodworking to the mix, too. What's your point? It beats sitting
on the couch and getting old. Perhaps if you had an interest other than
bashing Mr. Transmission, you'd be better off.

Since you did a bit of searching around about me, you should have
noticed that I spend a lot of time helping other people with similar
interests to be more successful at them. I do that at my own cost, but
that's not the point. People helped me when I needed it and now I pass
along what I've learned to others. It's a heck of a lot more positive
way to live than spending one's time trashing a transmission repair company.