A school teacher said Jiffy Lube destroyed his engine by forgetting to put oil into the car during an oil change. He said the company then refused to make things right until KIRO 7 called.
Three weeks ago, Carl Bradberry was on his way home from the oil change in his 2001 Toyota Camry.
“Then it just powered down and I pulled over to the side of the highway,” he said.
He had it towed to Toyota of Puyallup where mechanics told him Jiffy Lube in Maple Valley took the oil out but never put any back in. That's what killed his engine.
“I’m like, wow, you have one job if you’re Jiffy Lube, basically -- put oil in the car,” Bradberry said.
Following his initial conversation with Jiffy Lube, he thought the company would make things right. However, after a few weeks of back and forth with the franchisee that owns the Maple Valley location, things took a turn.
Bradberry was left staring at an email that basically told him to take $2,264.05 -- the Kelly Blue Book value of his car plus a service refund -- or get nothing.
It read in part:
"If you decline that offer, our next step is to close out the claim (and) send you out a denial letter..."
The school teacher said a simple Internet search shows he needs at least $4,000 to get a comparable new car or to repair the engine. However, feeling like he had no other option, Bradberry took the deal.
Late Thursday, after KIRO 7 called the Jiffy Lube franchisee, they agreed to reopen Bradberry’s case and take another look. The spokeswoman made no promises about the outcome, but KIRO 7 will follow up.
KIRO
