Just a question for experienced shoppers

I had a shop for today for an oil change which resulted in being told by the msc I would not be able to complete. I set aside today to complete it, I downloaded the forms, I made the required phone call and the dealership said they do not do oil changes for my type of car. The instructions for the assignment list what types of cars and year are eligible and mine was certainly eligible. In addition, when I requested the assignment, I submit what type of car I have. Would you expect some type of nominal payment for attempting to complete the assignment ?

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Cost of doing business. You are not going to get any money for it. It sucks, but that's what it is.

Basically, I try NOT to take assignments that I cannot do repeatedly and that are profitable. I do not want to bother learning/preparing for a 1x or 2x shop. I'm not saying this oil change shop falls under this.

This sounds like the Chrysler oil change shop to me. I would not take my Honda to a Chrysler dealership to get an oil change. Just seems goofy. Especially in the Los Angeles area when there are plenty of Honda Dealers to visit.

There are oil change shops for Jiffy Lube and other non-dealership oil change shops available if you really need an oil change and want a shop for it.

In addition, I would never "set aside" a day to do something like this. I get the people who shop full-time for a living and setting up routes. That did not sound like your situation. So I am not sure what "set aside" means in your case. I shop and make my shops fit into what I'm already doing or where I am already going. I don't make special trips/visits just for a shop UNLESS it was a huge bonus and it worked out for my schedule. I make shops fit into my routine/schedule and those that don't, I won't do.
They asked me how much money I wanted for attempting the shop so I will probably get something. When I accept an assignment, I see that as a contract for me to do the stated work for that company. I could be sitting there all day for an oil change and when I sign up for it, so I have no idea how long it will actually take.

In my experience, most dealerships can handle an off brand oil change. They only need the appropriate oil filter which is not oem specific for all brands.

I see your take on it but I disagree.
Its' nice on their part if they are willing to give you something for what you have done. But I would not expect it either. It sounds like you are out the time/effort for making a required phone call? You didn't lose your day. You lost an opportunity at having oil changed as a shop. At this point, I would think maybe they throw you $3-5 for the phone call attempt. Nothing else was "lost" other than a few minutes of time that could have been spent on other things.

Not sure where you live...but people in Southern California are not taking their vehicles to dealerships that are not for their vehicle. There are too many toyota/honda/chevy/ford dealerships throughout the LA area that someone would not take this car to Chrysler dealer. It just seems like a goofy scenario bring a different car in. I know oil is oil and the filter size is what matters, but it is not common to see something like this. Some people are worried about being the obvious shopper. This scenario screams that (at least in major urban area) by taking a vehicle to a different manufacturer for service.
I live in middle Georgia. If the shop outlines what cars can be used, I don't get your argument that I should match my car with the manufacturer. I think you are just expressing your opinion but we are talking about the shop guidelines and requirements.
Yes, i understand your car fits the guidelines/requirements. So what. I'm not taking a Honda to a Chrysler dealership, nor would I take a Ford to a Honda dealership. They only allow other vehicles, because dodge/chrysler vehicles are not popular enough on their own to fill all the shops needed. Obviously this Chrysler dealership is not interested in doing an oil change for your vehicle because they too think that is goofy.

I'm sorry it didn't work out for you. Hopefully they will compensate you something.
Most dealerships these days, have what they call a quick Lane or fast lane. It's not an actual Lane in the service bay most times, but they have dedicated oil change guys that come and get your car and change the oil and get it done in with the dealership considers the timely manner.. the Chrysler dealership where my son gets the oil changed on my Jeep usually takes around 30 minutes sometimes closer to an hour if they're busy. So it's not usually in all day thing like waiting for your car to be repaired at some dealerships.
Just a voice of "experience" here....I've been doing this since 2006. Auto service shops can be really challenging. Even if everything lines up perfectly; you're dealing with lots of moving parts at a service location. If your shop is predicated on getting service done on a specific day...I would pass on the shop. They could be backed up and not be able to take you. They could have staffing issues and not be able to take you. What happened to me once was that I was going to get my car inspected and the guy who was a state-certified inspector didn't work on the one day I was there. Lots of moving parts in those.
If it is the Chrysler shop I called my local dealer to ask and was told they only do the brands they sell here. Some dealerships will do other brands. I see bonuses on that shop and it is probably because of the restrictions by the dealership itself. If you have a friend or relative who may lend you their car that fits the shop then perhaps you can save the day and do that.
I too am surprised that they are willing to pay you something. But in this business it is on us, the shoppers , shoppers to make sure we can do the job. Another scenario would be that you accept a retail shop for a women's clothing store that requires you to try on the clothing. The job asks for a female over 18. You might fit that so technically you are qualified to do the job. However you wear either a plus size or a very small size so for those jobs you would make sure the store has your size. Another scenario to watch for...you accept a restaurant shop that says you can do it any day. That particular restaurant in your area is closed on Monday. So you cannot do the job on a Monday even tho the guidelines say you can do it any day of the week. These are things we, the shoppers, must check out.
I was going to sign up for a similar job last year. I called the dealership at one location and they said they don't take my model of car. Easy cross out. I called another dealership and they said they do but would charge an arm and a leg for the oil change. I crossed that one out too since it way more than the fee and reimbursement. That was less than ten minutes of work but worth the hassle of signing up and cancelling the shop later on.
I've done this shop several times with an off-brand auto . . . taking my Ford Fusion Hybrid to the Chrysler dealership for an oil change in San Diego . . . only once was I asked why I didn't take it to the Ford dealership down the road, and I just looked perplexed and said I had had an unpleasant experience there once and I liked this dealership's customer service better. No problem, got my oil changes, and got paid by the MSC.

I don't agree that you need to stay brand loyal for a simple oil change. If you car is listed in the shop info as an acceptable make/model to take in, go for it. :-)
My point was NOT that you had to stay brand loyal. But it raises questions/suspicions. You handled it well, but some can't think quickly on their feet.

I just don't need to do these shops, so I wouldn't put myself in that situation. But I'm not a full-time shopper trying to make a living doing this, so I can afford to be much more picky about what I take.

It is similar to the people who worry about how they look when they only buy $4 or $5 of gas. Some people can't get past how they feel they are being viewed. So if you don't care...then by all means go ahead. But for those that do worry (unnecessarily), then it's only going to be questioned if you do this (especially in urban areas).

@Izzy wrote:

I've done this shop several times with an off-brand auto . . . taking my Ford Fusion Hybrid to the Chrysler dealership for an oil change in San Diego . . . only once was I asked why I didn't take it to the Ford dealership down the road, and I just looked perplexed and said I had had an unpleasant experience there once and I liked this dealership's customer service better. No problem, got my oil changes, and got paid by the MSC.

I don't agree that you need to stay brand loyal for a simple oil change. If you car is listed in the shop info as an acceptable make/model to take in, go for it. :-)


Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2023 08:37PM by hbbigdaddy.
I do these oil change shops with an off-brand car all the time. There are certain dealerships near me that will do an oil change on my Mazda, and others that won't.

I've also had the experience of scheduling one of these, and then calling the dealership only to find out they would not do a Mazda oil change, even though the shop guidelines said Mazdas were acceptable. After that experience, I always call the dealer in advance to confirm they'll do an oil change on my make and model before accepting the shop.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2023 08:57PM by grrldude.
I used to own a Chrysler and now on a foreign brand. I still use the Chrysler dealership because it's close to the house and they are a cheaper oil change than the Nissan dealership near me.

I travel quite frequently so I don't mind doing oil changes at dealerships in other cities.

I've only once been asked why I was taking my Nissan to a Chrysler dealership I told them they had the cheaper price oil change. I've never been asked again.

I've never been refused an oil change and never had a problem.
I have done only one of these shops. In my area, the shop took over 2 hours through the Quick Oil Change lane. They don't just change the oil here, they also have their people look over your vehicle, do a test drive and then write up an offer on what they will give you on your vehicle if you will buy a new vehicle today (the day of the shop). The shop that is on the board here states we cannot make an appointment, we have to just show up. Also, something to keep in mind, here there is a maximum reimbursement on that oil change and they will not go over that dollar figure, even if the dealership charges more. Makes me think that on these shops, they could be low-balling the reimbursement now. They sit on the job board and rarely get taken here. My advice is call the dealership to find out the price of the oil change through the quickie lane before taking the shop.
A follow up on my situation...after I checked with my local Chrysler dealer many months ago (before I accepted the shop) and found they will not service any brand they do not sell there I contacted the scheduler for the Chrysler shop and warned him. It would be great if there was a warning to shoppers to check to make sure whichever dealer the shop is for does actually accept all the brands listed. My last oil change at a dealer was over $175 and took 4 hours!! Today I finally got my chance at an oil change for my car thru a different msc. It was not at a dealer. I had to do competitor shops between 2 brands using 2 cars. I was miffed to find these brands are charging almost what I paid at the dealer! In any case I now have a long report to do but have 2 cars with a "a hem, free? oil change." except for the reporting time I am spending. Keep looking and you will find another mystery shop or perhaps the next closest Chrysler dealer will take your car as some of them do take other brands.
I have brought my Toyota multiple times to Chrysler across different states and they never questioned me. One of them took hours though. It was such a waste of time. We put 50k miles per year on the car, so I appreciate the savings on the oil changes. It's close to $100 for an oil change now. I remember when it used to be $25 before everything required synthetic.
I received a coupon in the mail from my local Chrysler for an oil change. I called them to verify they would take my Mazda and they explained they would as long as they had my oil in stock, which was verified by the Parts Department. So I was able to get the oil changed, fluids checked and topped off, tires inflated and car rinsed off for $40.
Funny, I take my Honda to the Chrystler shop for oil changes all the time, because i get it for free AND a fee. Never gave a thought to the brand of car, tbh.
@frodosdojo wrote:

I had a shop for today for an oil change which resulted in being told by the msc I would not be able to complete. I set aside today to complete it, I downloaded the forms, I made the required phone call and the dealership said they do not do oil changes for my type of car. The instructions for the assignment list what types of cars and year are eligible and mine was certainly eligible. In addition, when I requested the assignment, I submit what type of car I have. Would you expect some type of nominal payment for attempting to complete the assignment ?

@frodosdojo My guess is the guidelines said to call the dealership to confirm they perform the service before going. It seems that once you called the dealership and they confirmed they DO NOT do oil changes for your type of car, the deal was off, regardless of what the guidelines stated. The next thing was to get in touch with the scheduler and explain that the dealer said they don't do oil changes for your car and have them remove the shop from your log.

Unfortunately in this case it doesn't seem like they should pay you anything.

I don't see an issue with bringing a different brand to a dealership for an oil change. If been tempted to do this type of shop, but I would rather do an oil change on my terms. Since there is such a big unknown with time bringing it to a dealership, I would only do it if I could drop it off.

I've found that the fast lube places charge the same or slightly more than dealerships. The tradeoff is time. If you are driving by one of these places and there is no line and you need the service, you might be in and out in 15 minutes. The other trade off is the fast lube places don't rotate your tires and they will only recommend services where they can make more money on that visit and not check for other things that they can't make money on.
My only dissent with this is that once you confirm an assignment, you have to agree you will complete it on the day assigned. It's a mini contract. If the instructions said, call the dealer to verify they accept the car, then I would agree with you but they do not. The information for the assignment stated cars 2011 are eligible and even states some manufacturers that are ineligible. It is not my job to make sure my car qualifies for their shop.
frodosdojo inquires--Would you expect some type of nominal payment for attempting to complete the assignment ?

Bob replies--No.
That's interesting because I work with a few companies who automatically provide shoppers with an admin fee - this covers the time it takes to call, read the instructions, etc. That's why I'm shocked not all companies consider this payment as part of the job. I think I will stick with companies that value my time, as I do.
Because I already had the experience where the other Chrysler dealership refused my Mazda. Also, this dealership refused their own coupon a year ago.
Actually my instructions say you are to call to see if an appointment is required and to determine if they have your brand's oil filter in stock. That's not quite the same as whether they service your model car.
Strong possibly the dealership turned him down because they are aware of mystery shoppers. In fact when I returned to a Chrysler dealership after already doing several oil changes there, they made me wait forever with a lie about waiting for the delivery of my non Chrysler oil filter. Complete b.s. Mystery shoppers are being flagged and purposely frustrated so you do not return. Eventually these shops will go begging once every shopper has been outed. Am anxious for other oil changes in area but there are none.
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