Massey-Yardley Dodge Chrysler Jeep

Gross overcharge, lies and deception

28th of Dec, 2011 by wedged

On a recent trip my wife made from Naples to Fort Lauderdale on September 22 2011, our 2002 Durango R/T developed a problem. Based on a 5 minute phone conversation with her and some pictures she sent me, we determined the problem was that the bolt that holds the idler pulley for the serpentine accessory belt had loosened. This caused the belt to walk off of the pulleys, split and become tangled around the power steering pump pulley. She had the vehicle towed to Massey-Yardley Dodge Chrysler Jeep at 777 North State Road 7, Plantation Florida. They said they could repair it right away. At the service desk my wife informed Helen Murcusky that the belt was new, as were the tensioner pulley and idler pulley. All of those items (belt and both pulley assemblies) were purchased in March of 2011 and installed shortly after that. Other new items that had been replaced in previous 6 months are the AC compressor, the water pump, thermostat and all coolant hoses (using Mopar hoses), front brake pads, front rotors and front calipers. A quick look under the hood makes it obvious this is a well maintained vehicle.
The person working on the car looked it over for about ½ hour. After that Helen Marcusky told my wife that the belt was no good, which we obviously knew. She also told my wife that the pulleys were “not new” and were “broken”. My wife relayed this information to me and I told her to be sure to get the “old broken” parts and bring them back with her. They are under warranty and I wanted to return them to get a refund. The person working on the car replaced the “broken” pulleys and the belt. The total bill came to over $600 including 1 hour of diagnostic time and 1 hour of labor time.
My wife was home in Naples with the vehicle by the time I arrived home from work that same day. She gave me the box containing the shredded belt and the pulleys that were replaced. Upon examination, I could not see any problems with either one of the pulleys. That same evening I decided to reinstall the pulleys to find out what was broken so I would know what to file a warranty claim for. I removed the belt and both pulleys that had been installed earlier in the day at Massey-Yardley Dodge Chrysler Jeep and reinstalled the pulleys that Helen Markusky claimed were broken. I also installed an old belt that I had originally removed when I installed the pulleys and now shredded belt earlier this year. The total time for the removal and replacement of both pulleys and the belt, from opening the hood until starting the engine, was 18 minutes and 55 seconds. After starting the Durango and observing the engine run for several minutes, I did not hear any noise or see any visible problems with either of the “broken” pulleys. That night after reinstalling the “broken” pulleys, we drove the Durango to a restaurant to have dinner. It has now been driven at least a thousand miles with the “broken” pulleys in place. As I had suspected, based on a few things I had my wife check before calling for a tow truck along with the photo she had sent me, they are functioning perfectly as designed.
We were grossly overcharged for labor and sold parts that were absolutely unnecessary. The only problem was the shredded belt and 1 loose bolt. Helen Murcusky was told the exact problem by my wife before any work began. This should have been a 1 hour job at most, including ½ hour of actual labor and ½ of observing the vehicle run and a test drive. I cannot think of any shop supplies that would be used during this job that could possibly have a total value of $40 that was charged. One or two rags and a squirt of penetrating oil, perhaps? My wife has since contacted the dealership several times trying to resolve this overcharge problem. She spoke to Matt Kelley and Helen Marcusky to get an answer as to why perfectly functional parts were replaced. Each time she has been told a different story. Matt Kelly stated that “the bearings went” in the pulley and that he stood behind his “mechanic”. When asked why she lied to my wife when she stated that “old broken parts” were the only thing that needed to be replaced” Helen had no answer. If that were true, the belt would have been the only part they needed to replace.
As of 12/27/11 the “bad” pulleys are still on the vehicle, functioning flawlessly. The parts the dealer installed are still in a box on the shelf.
Starting in 1986, I worked as a technician at a Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge store in Southold NY. I also worked at Herb Obser Motors (now Eagle Auto Mall), a Jeep/Mazda/Volvo store in Riverhead, NY where I became an ASE Certified Master Technician. We also owned and operated our own auto repair shop in NY before relocating to Naples. I am currently employed as a technical expert by a company that manufactures automotive pulley and bracket systems. I have purchased and owned nothing but Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge and Jeep vehicles since even before I began driving in 1984. I feel that what The service department at Massey-Yardley Dodge Chrysler Jeep at 777 North State Road 7, Plantation Florida has done is an embarrassing disgrace to the industry. I also wonder how many other people have been deceived and overcharged by this fraudulent service department.

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