travel « Journals of Journeys

7Aug/10Off

Accurate Auto = FAIL

Towed Hyundai Sonata June 20, 2010

CAPTION: 268 mile tow through the desert and into Los Angeles because of Rob Jeffries, Chuck Albert, and Accurate Auto's failure to provide service.

On March 19, 2010 I took my 2005 Hyundai Sonata in to Accurate Auto for the manufacturer's recommended 60,000 mile servicing. Why Accurate Auto? Because back when I had my Toyota Camry and had several instances when the gas tank imploded, a good friend of ours who had been helping us with our auto mechanic needs was unable to do so and recommended Rob Jeffries, the owner of Accurate Auto, to us saying that he was the only mechanic in the Chico area that he trusted.

Since then, the Camry was donated to the local community college because we felt that it was unsafe for anyone else to have it given that we never really were able to figure out what happened to cause the implosions and I bought a Hyundai Sonata. So when it came time for the service and the company I bought my Sonata at had lost their lease and went out of business, I brought it to Rob.

But Rob's gotten bigger, took over the old Big O Tires shop, expanded to selling and installing tires, too. And he's taken a back seat to the hands on he was doing back when I first started going to him, turning the daily operations of his shop over to his brother-in-law, Chuck Albert.

Still, they were quick and friendly, got the service done on the vehicle and I was on my merry way.

Fast forward exactly 2 months later when, on June 19, 2010 I was traveling with my sons through Death Valley before their summer got wicked hectic and we didn't have the time to take a mini-vacation together (and before it got too much hotter in the desert!). As we came over the 5,000 feet above sea level pass that dropped down to Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley, the check engine lights came on and the car stalled. For several terrifying minutes, I coasted down to sea level at speeds that sometimes exceeded 80 m.p.h., turning into the Stovepipe Wells General Store and Fueling Station's parking lot. I tried a few times to get the engine to turn over, but it didn't.

After hours of frustrations, making phone calls to places like Henderson Hyundai just outside of Las Vegas to have them tell me that it was my fault I was stuck in the desert, that I should have never driven my vehicle in there to begin with (I still find it hard to understand where that came from, but I guess that's probably one of many reasons they're going/have gone out of business last I heard), and AAA whose driver overshot us by an hour and didn't get to our location for several hours after being dispatched, we arranged for a tow to Harbor Hyundai in Long Beach, CA, the only place that was able to get the car in first thing Monday morning to find out what was wrong.

Sadly, we missed celebrating Father's Day with my husband and wouldn't see him for several days after as he was scheduled to work for 96 hours (the joys of working for the municipal fire department). With the tension of the unknown, it was probably all for the best we put off celebrating until later in the week. That's another joy of firefighting, the family becomes accustomed to celebrating holidays and special events on odd, off days.

Shortly after nine Monday, June 21st I contacted the service advisor at Harbor Hyundai who was able to tell me that the crank shaft sensor had malfunctioned. They were able to replace it and it was covered under the extended warranty I had the foresight to purchase. We breathed a sigh of relief and tried to spend the rest of our day resting and preparing for the long drive home once the car was fixed.

And then the service advisor called back. He needed my approval to replace the timing belts. The amount of the service was breathtaking - and not in the most gorgeous sunset you've ever seen kind of way. It came to the tune of over $400. He went on to inform me that the belt should have been replaced when the car received service at 60K miles and said that even if I opted not to replace it at that time, it would need to be replaced and would cost even more since the entire front they already had disassembled to access the crank shaft sensor would have to be removed again to perform the replacement. I authorized the repairs and worked at the kink in my neck from the tension.

The car was washed and ready by the close of business. Los Angeles traffic was a bitch. We waited it out until passage was relatively smoother and started off into the night. It took over nine hours and over a half a dozen rest stops catching a half hour here, an hour there, of sleep before we finally pulled in, hours after daylight, safe and sound at home, June 22nd.

On July 8th, armed with the worn belts that were replaced, receipts for the expenses we incurred, a copy of the towing bill (over $1300), and an invoice for reimbursement, I visited Accurate Auto (which happens to be a NAPA AutoCare Center whose pledge, according to their site, is:

About Our Services
Our business takes quality and customer service seriously. As a NAPA AutoCare Center, we follow a strict Code of Ethics so customers will know up front what to expect. As part of this code, we pledge to:
Perform high-quality diagnostic and repair services at a fair price, using quality NAPA parts.
Employ ASE-certified technicians in all areas of work performed.
Be dedicated to customer satisfaction.
Exercise reasonable care for the customer's property while it is in the shop's possession.
Provide a system for fair settlement of customer complaints, should they occur.
Maintain the highest standards of the automotive service profession. )

where I spoke to Chuck Albert. I didn't need to remind him that they had serviced my Hyundai Sonata, he remembered me. I shared with him, by way of showing the part in my auto manual under the 60K mile service requirements, that according to the manufacturer, my timing belt assembly was supposed to have been replaced. I then pointed out on the invoice they had provided me at the completion of the work the part on it that showed the timing belt was checked but not replaced as stipulated. Mr. Albert stopped me to check with an online database, All Data, to see what they recommended. A few minutes later, he returned to say that All Data did stipulate the same - that the timing belt was supposed to have been replaced. I then explained what happened with the crank shaft sensor's malfunction and subsequent repairs that included the costly replacement of the belt. Mr. Albert then looked at the belts I brought with me:

Above: Balance Shaft Belt

Above: Close-up image of destroyed balance shaft belt. Note the loose teeth on the white background and the ones still intact on the belt. These had fallen off and interfered with the crank shaft position sensor and caused it to go out, resulting in the engine's failure.

Above: Packaging from replacement balance belt and other replaced items.

Above: Ruined v-ribbed belt that was removed from vehicle during Hyundai Harbor's service, the same belt Accurate Auto stated on the invoice I received after the 60K mile service was completed indicating the belt was "ok". Clearly it was not and as Mr. Albert admitted during our conversation on July 8, 2010, could not have become that worn (note the cracks which should be smooth) in just 2 months time and should have been replaced.

Mr. Albert stated that the service Accurate Auto provided me was negligent and furthermore added that Accurate Auto was responsible for the subsequent engine failure I experienced Saturday, June 19, 2010. He made copies of the invoice from Accurate Auto at the time of the 60K service, Harbor Hyundai's service that was performed on Monday, June 21, 2010, the towing bill for over $1,300, and the invoice I had printed up listing the expenses I incurred as a direct result of their negligence. He said that he would give the information to Mr. Robert Jeffries, the owner of Accurate Auto, that evening or the following morning as Jeffries would be the one to handle the settlement.

The following day, Friday, July 9, 2010, Mr. Albert called me to tell me that he had seen Jeffries the previous evening, given him the information and paperwork and would be in touch with me. He was unable to say when exactly, stating it could be in the hour or up to a week, but did assure me Jeffries was concerned and would be taking appropriate action.

When I hadn't heard from Jeffries or Albert by Friday, July 16, 2010, I called the shop and spoke to Albert. He was puzzled as to why Jeffries had not contacted me and stated he would inform Jeffries I had called and expected to hear from him shortly. Another week passed and on Friday, July 23 I attempted to call Rob Jeffries at Accurate Auto. The employee who answered the phone asked who was calling, then put me on hold. Several moments passed and the employee claimed Jeffries had left. I have evidence to the contrary. I asked for Chuck Albert. Several more moments passed after being put on hold and Mr. Albert came on the line. Frustrated and feeling that I was being taken for a ride, I expressed this curtly with Mr. Albert. I informed him that I felt they were jerking me around. Mr. Albert was quick to say if it were up to him, this would have been settled, but he's not the owner and is not able to do so. At that time I told Mr. Albert that I saw no other alternative than to pursue legal action. After our phone conversation, I sent a formal demand letter to Jeffries at Accurate Auto along with the itemized invoice for the expenses I incurred as a result of their negligence.

On Friday, August 6 I checked the status of the certified letter I sent. It was noted on USPS's website that the article had been refused at by the addressee and was being returned to the sender (me). At this time, there is a formal letter of complaint that's been filed with the Bureau of Automotive Repair, NAPA Auto Care's customer service, and inquiry being made to the Ripoff Report folks. I've since learned that Michelle Jeffries, whose Facebook page shows she is married to Robert Jeffries, is listed by the Bureau of Automotive Repair as the owner of Accurate Auto, and therefore has been reported.

Why the Jeffries' and Accurate Auto are failing to uphold their claim to taking customer service seriously, is a complete mystery to me. Why they feel it's appropriate to let a woman traveling alone with her children be stranded out in the desert overnight and not make any attempt to offer a remedy to something that was caused directly by their negligence is more than disconcerting, it's contemptuous. I urge anyone considering taking their auto care needs to Accurate Auto to reconsider and share with others this experience so others are equally informed. This isn't about money, it's about doing what's right. It's about honest, integrity, and being true to the promises you make. The Jeffries' promise is as they pledged above. Clearly they have failed on all accounts and should be held accountable.

Side note: A review was posted to the Accurate Auto Facebook page that has since been removed. It read:

FB-review-posted-July-23-2010

As I stated before, Mr. Jeffries, even if you do remove the review from your Facebook business page, this is on the World Wide Web, it won't go away.

Other reviews can be found at Yelp.com under Accurate Auto in Chico, California (as linked throughout this post), Twitter.com, Facebook, and pretty much anywhere you look online. Because you simply can't fall short of your responsibilities and leave someone literally out in the desert, helpless, and not expect there to be some sort of karmic payback.

Filed under: 2010, Article, Family, Important, Information, Just Wrong, Review, Reviews, Tech Problems, Twisted, Warning, services, travel No Comments

23Aug/09Off

Back-to-School Shopping – Part One

Early this morning the boys and I went back-to-school shopping.

When I was a kid, my parents figured out while they were still responsible for my care which included buying clothes for me, that back-to-school shopping should be done a week or two after school starts. The reason is simple. The clothes my mother and I thought were "cute" or "cool" or "fashionable" on the racks turned out to be quite the opposite among my peers and were quickly relegated to live a life of exile at the very back of my closet. Waiting a couple of weeks (they weren't terribly cruel, they did buy us one new outfit before the start of the school year) gave us the opportunity to check out our classmates, see what the fashions were, what we could get away with wearing on a fairly regular basis.

The R. Kelly Experiment - Stay in that closet

I'd do the same with my own kids, but they're boys. They don't care and there's only so much you can do with jeans and t-shirts. I suspect that'll change soon. It'll be all about the labels. Little do they know how adept I am at removing labels or tacking them onto a second-hand shirt picked up at a nice little thrift shop down the street.

Oh wait. They do know how to read. Ha, like they'll be reading their mother's blog.

But that doesn't mean I'm completely out of the mother-child bonding ceremonial rituals. You forget, I'm my mother's child. I learnt well.

A few years ago the kids were going to a school that raised their own vegetables and fruits. The meals where very healthy, prepared exquisitely and thus we happily forked over the money to let them buy lunches (and breakfasts too!). However, they're back to a school where it's a bunch of #10 cans, watered down syrupy fruits that haven't seen fresh since 1982, and packaged crap. So we've instituted a new routine. We go grocery shopping for a week of school days, each kid allotted the amount that they'd pay for school breakfast and lunch and any savings they could scrape out of it while still putting together healthy, filling meals goes towards extracurricular trips, retreats and so on.

It's a wonderful experience because the kids are able to apply math skills, develop a sense of nutrition and health, and actively contribute to the household finances while learning how to budget as well as trim expenses in an effort to save money for something else. Adding to this, we're now establishing a new bonus round. If you opt to take out the items a bit too high in sugar carbs and/or fat and replace it with something far more balanced (not that they can get away with Ho-Hos, Ding-Dongs, Twinkies or crap like that), three more bucks are added to whatever savings they had by the time we're done with the shopping trip.

bak2skool

See? Here's a kidlet weighing some bananas he opted to get over a box of Twix cookie snacks (that barely scraped by the 'healthy food item' list) and figuring out his grand total as he worked his way towards earning an added $3.00.

And just because you wanted to know, both boys saved over $8.00 and the banana man had swung the bonus money. Of course, they're using my lunch meat, bread, condiments and milk for the week, but that's okay, they're trying to save money to go on two fall church retreats. I'm hip to that. Down with that? Cool with it?

Yeah, you get my point.

So what do you do? Share, please!

Filed under: 2009, Cool, Education, Family, Journals, Kathie, Parenting, School, Thoughts, money, travel No Comments

23Jun/09Off

Good Intentions

Well it seems my intentions of putting up a photo essay entry about Tobias the Adequate, a comical magician we were entertained by at the Valhalla Renaissance Faire a few weeks ago have been sidelined by a number of things. First, the photos are just too big to put here and get the full effect, so that means there's a lot of work entailed in putting them up in a photo album online. In the meantime, I'm working on keeping things at an even keel in the homestead now that the kids are home full-time, the hubby is enduring night time construction (and bright lights, jackhammers, and the bleating of trucks as they throw the gears in reverse) right outside the station, and keeping pace with several works in progress manuscripts in preparation for a writing convention I'll be attending late next month. And if that's not enough to keep me on my toes, let's throw into the mix the work that's involved in keeping the fledgling writer's group going throughout the "leaner" months when the majority of the members take the time off to be with their family, travel and so forth.

Thankfully Mother Nature has been able to stave off the fire season this year with periodic rains. Whether that turns out to be a true blessing or just pushing us back a bit further for a more frantic, furious season has yet to be seen. It has made the wild grasses grow longer which means as the temperature rises such as it has within the last few days, those long grasses dry out and become horrific wicks. I doubt I'll be able to update my blog with details of any fires my husband is working on or pose a threat to our community, but I abide by the rule of never saying never, so we'll see how that pans out. In the chance I don't, here are some fairly good sources of fire information:

Cal-Fire Incident Web (formerly California Department of Forestry - Fire) at http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/
Inci-web: National Fire Incidents at http://inciweb.org/
Inci-web: California Fire Incidents at http://inciweb.org/state/5/
and California Fire News blog at http://calfire.blogspot.com/ (sporadically updated)

You can also subscribe to their feeds. If you're unable to find the feed information, leave me a comment and I'll provide you with the information.

Finally before I go back to transcribing my manuscript (which I spent upwards of an hour this morning at my weekly write-in having to restructure after I found a major flaw in the timeline-- rewarding to get it done, but frustrating to have to endure), a reminder. As you might recall, our friend and a fellow firefighter's young adult son, Sean, was critically injured in an accident at the end of May. He's been getting better and was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital down in the northern San Francisco Bay Area. However this has caused a lot of strain on their small and close family as his dad, Vince, has returned to duty. They're in the process of transferring him back home. I continue to post updates at Terri, Sean's mother, posts them. They can be found at the Angels Near and Far blog which is located at http://www.kathieleung.com/blog/ Please visit often and keep Sean and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Also, please keep two of my friends, Anne and Julie, in your thoughts and prayers as both of them are enduring many trials and tribulations that have come with news they have cancer - again. It's been amazing watching all three of these situations and the people in the center of them as their strength, their graciousness and their beautiful spirits have shone through so beautifully. It's been humbling as well and has caused me, for one, to learn it's important to balance things out, to appreciate what we have right around us and has served as a thump on my head to remind me the world does not revolved around me alone. And you'd think having teenagers would have done that just fine alone!

Filed under: 2009, Family, General, Information, Journals, Kathie, Parenting, Prayer Request, Summer, Thoughts, Updates on Sean, Writing, fire, travel No Comments

10Jun/09Off

Spontaneous? Who? Us? Nah…

For our little family of four, spontaneity is when each of us has to make a simultaneous dash for the "facilities." Yeah, it's like that. So when Dadzilla suggested taking off for the weekend, Momster about fell out of her chair, then made a few calls and set things into action. There was a Renaissance Faire and then there was her mother's first century ride that would be nice to stop in on and cheer her on.

Well, well, well. Amazingly, we pulled it off. It was a grand time, too!

Lady Pirate

It was pirate weekend as evidenced by this couple we saw as we waited in line to enter the faire. Wizardly

And then there was this wizardly fellow.

Some came in costumes. Some were simple, some were in the making for something fantastic and others were quite extraordinary. It truly was like walking into a Renaissance Carolers different world altogether.

We were greeted by carolers dressed in beautiful, ornate costumes of the era...

We're fans of the show "How I Met Your Mother" and in one particular episode, there's a flashback to when Ted came home from the Renaissance Faire and showed his friends what he got. Of course, the Pie Dudes stopped off at the first place displaying the same weapon, mimicking Ted's famous line: "Look what I got at the ren-ee-sance fair!" Boys!

Look what we got at the Renaissance Faire!

And for your information, no, they did not get these!

There were pirates and people and minstrels. And look, it appears there was even a bear in our midst - check out the gal on the right. Yes, it was cold and rainy. Not your typical June day, not even up at Lake Tahoe.

Tobias the Adequate

And then there was this guy, Tobias the Adequate, who was strolling about the fair, hawking his show at the Queen's stage. He put on a grand magic show that was, if not amazing, quite funny! But more about Tobias another day, he deserves his own blog entry.

Nay or Verily, Sire?

The Queen of Poland enticed these two naves in a game of "Nay or Verily." One had to belt out the tune "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star!"

Nay you say, sire?

Twinkle, twinkle little star... o/~

Renaissance Musicians Does my doll look like me?

Musicians of the royal court play while one of the queen's hand maiden asks us if her doll looks just like her. One of the Pie Dudes noted the doll was missing a pair of glasses. Such a wise acre!

Around the corner, A Viking - quite a contrast to the maiden! nearby the queen's stage, this Viking woman was greeting faire goers. She drew quite a few stares, too. Think it was the copper uhm breast plates? And yes, we did happen to overhear someone ask about cup sizes...

Loading the Canon Drill
This gent was teaching the crowd how to load the canon. Dadzilla didn't think he looked very "Renaissancy."

Legoland Costume

As if this little lad was looking "Renaissancy"? He does get credit for coming in costume and possibly creating the costume, or a good portion of it, himself. Go Lego Warrior!

Lego Warrior had a friend. We called him Sir Silver Dude. He seemed enthralled with the cannon loading drill.

Plenty of helpers gathered for this drill. No swabbing the deck here!

Capturing My Heart
And we'll end this post with this fair maiden who captured my heart. There are many more pictures of this sweet little lass, but that'll come another day. My spontaneous burst of posting energy has drained out...

Filed under: 2009, Family, Journals, Kathie, Photo Essay, Series, Summer, copyright, travel No Comments

7Jun/09Off

So Ya Wanna Know What Mom’s Up To, Eh?

Surprise, Mom! My mother, in her 68 years of youth, is up in Tahoe, riding around the lake on the back of her sleek bicycle doing her first century ride while raising $5,000 (all on her own) for Leukemia. What a woman, huh? As of this very moment (as I get ready to post this), she's still riding around the lake, but we got to catch up with her in Truckee just a bit ago. In fact, this shot here is just after I tapped her on her shoulder and said "mother?" She had no idea we were going to be there, so it took her by complete surprise. You can take a look at the map of the route she's taking [here] (we met her at point 79 on the map).

In support/memory of tags

Here are all of the ribbons for people she's wearing in memory of, or in support of, on this trek.

And below, she's off and running for the last segment of her ride, due in around 4:00 pm where my brother and sister-in-law are supposed to be waiting. Back on the Road