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Just Brakes

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eddie of lubbock, TX August 5, 2009

took car for brake job on 7-10-09 and they put brakes and rotors never got turned so i drove for about a month and got a vibrating on my steering wheel when i put brakes on took it back to them on 7-30-09 for the brakes again had a friend look at brakes before and saw that rotors werent turned, that it caused the rotors to warp. when went back to just brakes they said it was bad tires doing the vibrating and shakin of steering wheel so went to mechanic and he looked test drove car and said rotors were bad he took wheels off and told me the same .,that rotors had never been turned and rotors were warped.

so i had to pay him for the brake and turning the rotors since just brakes was ignoring the problem ..i have photos of how rotors were when i took it back in and how there suppose to look when they were turned..now the car is drivg right without no shaking of steering wheel, and just brakes doesnt want to refund my money for what they were suppose to have done..i havae kids and was not gonna risk there lifes cause they want to give me the run around..i cant afford to be paying for a job that is not being properly conducted..

vince of orlando, FL August 3, 2009

Six months ago I stopped at a Just Brakes location(now closed)for a brake inspection on my 2003 Monte. Car had over 45k original miles, same set of brakes, so I thought it was time. The mgr. cheerfully had his techs inspect the brakes pronto. The result amazingly, was still plenty of ware on both axiles. Approx. 25%! I thanked him and drove off.

Now today I decided I'd go to another location to check on the progress of the brake ware. I was again greeted by a friendly mgr. He advised me of the basic price of under 100 bucks and they would perform the inspection. The mgr. told me they still had at least another 6 months of ware. I told him to do the job anyway. Better safe than sorry!

Midway through the service the tech approaches me to tell me what was causing the ware, but their were no safety factors involved. He however tried to advise me to replace parts on front and rear axiles, something about corrosion. I told him the car has 52k miles with the original brakes and that I would be trading it in soon. He just gave me a frustrated look and said nothing else. The mgr. never even brought it up. I paid him for the basic service and left.

Bob of Gulfport, FL June 24, 2009

Went with my 25 year old son to have the brakes changed on his 2003 Nissan Altima. Asked for advertised 99 brake job. Received phone call from "Albi," clearly reading a script, "At Just Brakes, we recommend changing the brake fluid every 12 months or 15,000 miles, as moisture is likely to get in your brake fluid. In your case, the calipers on your vehicle are stuck." He then quoted an estimate of 442.83, plus tax. I then conference called my son and Albi read the same statement as above. We told Albi that we would take the car elsewhere for a second opinion. We then took the car to Safety Tire in Gulfport, FL. The technicians there are ASE certified and I have found the business trustworthy in the past. They examined the car, repaired the brakes, and advised there was nothing wrong with the calipers. In my opinion, Just Brakes attempted to engage in a "Bait and Switch" scam, advising me (the consumer) to authorize unnecessary work and the company is not to be trusted.

Chad of Westminster, CO June 6, 2009

We just got done with a year-long nightmare with Just Brakes here in Thornton, CO, on 120th Ave and Washington St. At first, I had taken my 2001 Mitsubishi Mirage (a pretty small economy car) there to fix the brake pads which had a life-time warranty from a previous Just Brakes repair at the 98 price from a Southern Colorado location. It was 2 years later, so not too bad for the amount of miles I put on the car.

The manager at the time, Lanny, replaced the pads but said the rotors were warped/worn and could not be machined and that they needed to be replaced. So, 460 later, brand new pads, shoes, and rotors. Then, less than a month later, the brakes are grinding again, took it back in for warranty work, and WOW, all of a sudden Lanny tells me that we need new calipers, imagine that. I was stupid enough to pay for it, they machine the rotors under the warranty, replace the pads and shoes, AGAIN, and supposedly put on new calipers (found out they were really just re-conditioned used calipers, not new).

Of course, 2 weeks later, the brakes are again grinding, enter the sale of new struts, 600. Since then and for the past 6 months, just about once a month we've had to take the care in for "warranty" work and they just can't seem to get it right. It's a freaking nightmare dealing with them and they refuse to replace their own defective parts, instead stating that the warranty is up on everything but the pads and shoes, and that they will stop doing any warranty work unless we buy all new rotors again.

Now Lanny, and thier new manager Dan, are trying to tell my wife and I that the rotors from the factory (OEM supposedly) are designed to wear out in less than 8 months, which I know is complete BS! We refuse to give them any more money, and will take it to our local mechanic which we should have done in the first place (all this started with them because of thier own stupid warranty).

I'm drafing up the lawsuit right now against them. We've had it and want it done right. We already know we paid way too much, and I won't even start of the "entire new" brake system that they were legally obligated to fix before allowing us to leave and refused to put the vehicle back together on my wife's 2000 Jeep Wrangler, that was 1,400 we found out we never needed to spend.

It doesn't matter the few decent experiences anyone's had with this company, they are complete rip off artists, and I only wish I had scoured the internet before ever agreeing to a single out of warranty repair there. I feel like a complete idiot.

Mirandi of Austin, TX April 24, 2009

They did the exact same thing to me with the leaky part, I was told that I only have a few days before my back breaks would fail. I went into Just Brakes, I told them my brakes were squealing and I would like to have them checked. Mike gets out the paper to write the work order and all he says is "Brake Service on most cars is 99.88, okay sign right here." Paul pulls my car around, 10 min later they have a diagnosis. Replace shoes, resurface rotars at first replace drums, then decided they could be resurfaced, and replace calipers. I'm like the callipers were replaced a year and a half ago how long do they typically last. He says 30,000 miles, I haven't driven that much yet, and he said I should replace the calipers now come back in a few months and he will look further into the brake system to see what is causing the problem.

At this point, I am completely skeptical about what needs to be done and because he quoted me 654 plus tax. He tried to keep my business by saying the drums could be re-surfaced and it would only cost 500. I told him that I just wanted to get my car back and leave. Then he said I could not leave without at last getting the basic 100 service done, because he does not do free brake inspections. I went back inside the store, called the 1-800 number on the wall and a guy from their corporate office had to call the store and tell the guy to give me back my car.

Julie of Minneola, FL April 7, 2009

Julie of Minneola FL (04/07/09)
My brakes were squeaking, but only in the morning. I called to set up an appointment for 4:30 on April 6th, 2009. At 4:25 went to Just Brakes and stated I would wait for my car. Eric and Darren went over my car pointing out crystalized pads, and worn wheel cylinders. It would cost me 509.99, instead of their advertised price of 99.88. I told them I am a single mother and could not afford that. They said just do the 99.88 and the brake fluid flush at 39.99. (Eric said that brake fluid flush needed to be done every 12,000 miles) I told them I needed to call someone and ask them what they thought. They said don't get the brake flush because if you need new wheel cylinders it will need to be done again.

I told him to do the brakes at 99.88, but not the flush. Darren said to bring it back when I could do all of it. I told Darren to just put it all together and I will think about it. I went to another company Palm Tire Automotive and had them look at my brakes. Larry at Palm Tire said there was nothing wrong with my brakes at all, they did not need to be replaced, everything was fine, pads were fairly new. I was one of the lucky ones who asked someone else. I am so glad I have friends who know about brakes, because Just Brakes sounded very convincing.

I was lucky only 2 hours out of my life.

Sarah of Houston, TX March 25, 2009

Sarah of Houston TX (03/25/09)
I am extremely disappointed in Just Brakes and the staff that works there. Although they seemed very nice and friendly at the start, I was completely shocked at their prognosis.

I was told that my right front caliper was broken and needed to be repaired and that the cost would be over 460.00. After I told them to hold off on the repairs that I was going to take it somewhere else, the manager put me on hold and came back on the phone and offered to complete the repairs for 389.00. Right away I became suspicious of why I was not offered that price to begin with. I told them still that I would take it to another place to be repaired and the manager told me that they have already started the repairs and that I had to let them finish what they had already begun. Though I was not happy with that, I agreed.

Once finished, I asked them to explain to me exactly what was wrong, once again they explained the caliper issue with me. One of the guys there went to look at my ticket, and strangely enough, the problem was not even written or recorded on my ticket!

I took it to a Brake Check where I knew the manager, he is a family friend, and had him take a look at my car the very next day (yesterday). He told me that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the front caliper, but that the rear ones were too close to the rotors and were over 240 degrees F when they went to touch them. He informed me that if I had driven much farther, then they could have caught on fire. If the Just Brakes staff hadnt done it on purpose for sabotage, then they did not take the time or care to notice the issue, putting me and others on the road in extreme danger. Not only was the staff lying to me about the damage, most likely because I am a female and came in there by myself, but I could have been hurt.

I will be reporting this to whoever I can in the Houston area and on websites that reference this location. Like I said before, I am extremely dissatisfied with Just Brakes and will never bring another vehicle there, or recommend them to anyone I know.

Tim of Duluth, GA March 9, 2009

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