So I'm doing my first Jiffy Lube shop tomorrow. I'm reading over the instructions and see this: "Shops can be completed at any time during the day, during the location’s normal hours of operation. You should arrive two hours prior to close."

Huh? I was going to call the MSC to get clarification, but it was after close of business when I read this. I'm assuming what they really mean is: You should arrive no later than two hours prior to close." But what if they don't? What if they mean precisely two hours prior to close? I don't think they do, but I think I'll call anyway to alert them to this. It's a conflict.

What is SO difficult for MSCs about using correct language in their instructions? Is it really that hard? We're expected to be precise and correct in our writing, but sometimes it's hard to follow directions that are so poorly written. This is probably the thing I dislike most about shopping -- companies that either don't hire professional writers or that won't spend the money to hire professional editors/proofreaders to ensure that their guidelines are written properly and without ambiguities. The result is very often confusing, conflicting guidelines. It makes me crazy. It really does. The rampant misuse of, for example, possessives is one thing; we can figure out that "the salespersons presentation" means "the salesperson's presentation." But too often the instructions are just misstated. Sadly, too many companies think that spell-check replaces professional proofreaders. It doesn't.

I regularly do a shop that had instructions that were similarly written. I wrote to the MSC and pointed out that what they wrote wasn't what they meant. Nobody took offense, and the instructions were changed. But if we shoppers did that for every instance of inaccurately specified time frames alone, we'd never be able to get any shopping done! LOL.

End of rant. I got carried away.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/14/2019 04:31AM by BirdyC.

Bird -

I am sure that I did the same shop yesterday. They want you to arrive at least two hours before the place closes to ensure that you are served. I agree that this and many other sets of instructions are poorly worded and poorly proofed.

@myst4au wrote:

Bird -

I am sure that I did the same shop yesterday. They want you to arrive at least two hours before the place closes to ensure that you are served. I agree that this and many other sets of instructions are poorly worded and poorly proofed.

Thanks! How did the shop go? It seems a little more involved than the last (and only) oil-change shop I did.

Frankly, I personally believe the vast majority of people cannot write a clear paragraph.

Some days, I can't, either.



Edited to add: After reflection, I decided many people can't write a clear SENTENCE.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/14/2019 05:45PM by ceasesmith.

Birdy,

I have completed the following:

1-Jiffy Lube--30 to 40 minute shop, with an easy report, and fee of $5.
2-Midas--75 to 120 minute shop, with a detailed report, and fee of $15 to $25
3-Precision Tune--60 to 70 minute shop, with an easy report, and a fee of $10
4-Car Max-- only one and at 85 minutes, an easy report and a fee, due to a shopper flake, of $55.

#4 can not be considered, as that was a fluke. Even though #1 paid the smallest fee, the brevity of both the visit and report more than compensated me. In addition, the MSC that currently has the contract paid me the month of the work.

Thanks for that review shopperbob. I need an oil change and will look for JiffyLUbe. The last and only one I ever did ended terribly as the place insisted I needed synthetic oil and charged me so much extra for it they could have bought a case of the stuff for the difference in price on one quart. I ended up losing money as it would have been cheaper to get the oil change at the dealer and pay out of pocket.

OP, the country is full of people, many of whom are college grads, who cannot write a decent sentence. Yes this annoys me as well. And it annoys people like me who always would overthink the four multiple choice answers at school where two of the choices actually were good ones if you spent a second thinking. The answer seems to be not to think too deeply.

You will find Jiffy Lube on PrestoInstaMaps, if that helps.

OK to say that, right, as Presto is not an MSC?

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/14/2019 08:32PM by ceasesmith.

@ceasesmith wrote:

Frankly, I personally believe the vast majority of people cannot write a clear paragraph.

Some days, I can't, either.



Edited to add: After reflection, I decided many people can't write a clear SENTENCE.

I'm literally LOL at that. Good thing I didn't have a mouth full of coffee! It's sad, but true. And some days I have trouble writing a coherent paragraph.

But I'm still aghast that we receive shopping instructions that look like they're something the "writers" would post on Facebook! They constantly get its and it's wrong, don't know a singular possessive from a plural possessive (in fact, seem not to be acquainted with possessives altogether), misuse compliment and complement, and so forth. Yet they harp at US about being professional and correct in our written narratives. It's more than a little ironic.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/14/2019 09:04PM by BirdyC.

@sandyf wrote:

The answer seems to be not to think too deeply.

And clearly the folks who author the guidelines don't.

@shopperbob wrote:

Birdy,

I have completed the following:

1-Jiffy Lube--30 to 40 minute shop, with an easy report, and fee of $5.
2-Midas--75 to 120 minute shop, with a detailed report, and fee of $15 to $25
3-Precision Tune--60 to 70 minute shop, with an easy report, and a fee of $10
4-Car Max-- only one and at 85 minutes, an easy report and a fee, due to a shopper flake, of $55.

Yes, thanks for that. I was in and out this morning in fewer than 30 minutes, but they didn't vacuum my floors or wash the windows (yet the service report said they did). This isn't going to be a 5-star report! I was surprised at how much more expensive their oil changes are than Monroe Muffler's (which I would love to see shopped, but I don't know if they are or not). They were about the same price as the dealer oil-change shop I did a couple of months ago. That surprised me.

I don't know about nationwide, but it does look like the Jiffylubes around here have a new MSC. At least I got an email from the new (very well-known) MSC recently telling me they had shops in my area. I quit shopping with this MSC quite some time back, and don't know if I wan't to restart just for these shops.

@texthinker wrote:

I don't know about nationwide, but it does look like the Jiffylubes around here have a new MSC. At least I got an email from the new (very well-known) MSC recently telling me they had shops in my area. I quit shopping with this MSC quite some time back, and don't know if I wan't to restart just for these shops.

If it’s the large MSC we all know that has almost all non narrative reports, I have done several for them in the past couple of years. It is the easiest report for an oil change that I have ever done. With the use of a coupon the reimbursement will cover most vehicles that use standard oil. It appears this shop is regionally based and maybe only a certain franchisee.

@BirdyC wrote:

@shopperbob wrote:

Birdy,

I have completed the following:

1-Jiffy Lube--30 to 40 minute shop, with an easy report, and fee of $5.
2-Midas--75 to 120 minute shop, with a detailed report, and fee of $15 to $25
3-Precision Tune--60 to 70 minute shop, with an easy report, and a fee of $10
4-Car Max-- only one and at 85 minutes, an easy report and a fee, due to a shopper flake, of $55.

Yes, thanks for that. I was in and out this morning in fewer than 30 minutes, but they didn't vacuum my floors or wash the windows (yet the service report said they did). This isn't going to be a 5-star report! I was surprised at how much more expensive their oil changes are than Monroe Muffler's (which I would love to see shopped, but I don't know if they are or not). They were about the same price as the dealer oil-change shop I did a couple of months ago. That surprised me.

It's not a fun report when virtually everything is a "no". I honestly can't believe they performed so badly with the added bonus of being able to mention that one staff member used expletives to describe someone that I clearly overheard.

I just did one where the entire shop took 11 minutes. The time I saved on the unusually quick oil change I spent dealing with the report and communications with editor/MSC. Apparently, anything under 20 min is unusual and 11 impossible. Note to self: Next time hideout in bathroom for 10 min when car is ready.

Go on a late Friday or weekend, it will not be "Jiffy" at all. Mine was 1.5 hrs. I'll just pay my own way elsewhere next time.

I was just offered a jiffy lube shop that reimburses up to $40. I called the local shop and they said a synthetic oil change is $94.99 and the coupons are for about $15 off. So I would still be out of pocket $40 plus any other misc fees such as an extra minuscule amt of oil needed. They told me most cars 2012 or newer require synthetic oil and I am fairly certain mine does. Don't even suggest waiting for a bonus! This is Los Angeles where bonuses on the rare instance are for $2 if I am lucky.
I have not checked around yet but that sounds like an outrageous price to me. Is this what they charge everywhere?

I get my oil changed at Pep Boys with synthetic oil and a coupon it is about $55. I don't do the Jiffy Lube shops because Jiffy Lube does not have a good reputation where I live but if they are charging that for an oil change it is too much.

I came to the conclusion long ago that the people who write the instructions were not editors.

@AZwolfman wrote:

I came to the conclusion long ago that the people who write the instructions were not editors.

Sadly, I've come to the conclusion that many editors aren't editors....