Sears Car Repair Shops Come Under Fire in N.J. : Investigation: The allegations are similar to those raised in California. The Garden State is weighing legal action.
The problems for Sears, Roebuck & Co.’s auto repair centers expanded beyond California on Monday as New Jersey officials accused the chain of recommending unnecessary car repairs.
New Jersey Consumer Affairs Director Emma N. Byrne said employees at six Sears auto centers in the state recommended unneeded repairs that ranged in cost from $30 to $406 during 12 inspections of undercover state cars. She said the cars had disconnected alternator wires, a $10 repair.
The results of the investigation were turned over to the New Jersey attorney general’s office for possible legal action.
The allegations raised by New Jersey officials are similar to those made last week by the California Department of Consumer Affairs, which is seeking revocation of Sears’ license to perform auto repairs in the state. California officials said Sears employees charged undercover agents an average of $223 for unneeded shocks, springs and other components, in part to meet strict sales quotas.
Sears has denied the California allegations, saying the state’s undercover investigation was flawed.
On Monday, Sears spokesman Gordon Jones said the company is conducting an internal review to find out what went wrong in each undercover New Jersey inspection. He said Sears employees do not have to meet quotas for batteries or alternators, the parts involved in the New Jersey case.
The New Jersey probe was not directed at Sears. Undercover agents took cars to 38 randomly selected auto repair shops, most of them gas stations. Eleven of the 38 auto shops--including all six Sears stores involved--recommended needless repairs on two separate undercover inspections.
Sears employees recommended that undercover agents replace car batteries, alternators or both. On the first visit to a Sears facility in Ocean County, N.J., for example, an employee recommended a new $80 battery. On the second visit to the same store, an employee recommended a new alternator for $240.
Byrne said she was disturbed by the results of her investigation, particularly in the wake of the California charges against Sears. “The two investigations seem to demonstrate a pattern,” she said. “We have a lot of questions for Sears.”
In Sacramento, state Consumer Affairs Department spokesman Louis Bonsignore said the results of the New Jersey probe are not surprising. “Our investigation showed the problem extended outside California,” he said.
However, Sears spokesman Jones said he saw no connection between the results of the two investigations.
The New Jersey investigation differs from the California probe in that repairs were never actually performed on the New Jersey undercover cars. Jones said that while Sears’ preliminary diagnostic equipment may have indicated a defective battery or alternator, a mechanic might have discovered the loose alternator wire once work began.
“One thing we are checking is how visible the loose wire was,” Jones said. He said that in a smaller shop, a mechanic might spot the loose wire right away. At Sears, a car is first inspected by a service adviser, or salesman, who evaluates the problem, provides an estimate and refers it to a mechanic.
Jones said he did not know whether publicity surrounding the investigations has affected Sears’ auto repair business. “Some shops are up, some are down. It is really hard to say whether any changes are caused by these allegations,” he said.
