Farmingdale

Very disappointing and unacceptable experience. I came in for what should have been a routine oil change and pulled directly into a bay upon arrival, as the location was not particularly busy. From that point, the service took nearly 90 minutes to complete. Throughout the visit, there seemed to be very little urgency from the crew despite having at least five employees working on the floor/in the pit. At one point, my vehicle was apparently ready for oil, and I could hear the bottom-side technician calling out that it was ready. Meanwhile, the two technicians who had been servicing my vehicle were inside the waiting room eating pizza and socializing, with seemingly no response to their coworker. Watching my car sit unfinished while this was happening was especially frustrating, especially with an unhappy 4 month old in the back seat. Communication wasn’t much better. I received few meaningful updates about why the service was taking so long. I was told a couple of times that things were progressing, but significant stretches of time passed with no apparent progress being made. What makes this experience particularly frustrating is that I worked at a Valvoline in Kentucky about 15 years ago. As a result, I understand the processes and procedures involved in a Valvoline oil change and know that, under reasonably normal circumstances, a vehicle that is pulled into the bay should not take anywhere close to 90 minutes. A typical service should be completed in roughly 15–20 minutes when there are no unusual complications. If there was a legitimate issue causing the delay, it was never adequately communicated to me. To top it off, a few days later I noticed that the valve stem caps were missing from the tires on one side of my vehicle, presumably after the tire-pressure check performed during the service. It’s a relatively small item, but after an experience like this, it speaks to the overall lack of attention to detail. I understand that shops can have off days, unexpected delays happen, and employees need breaks. But there is a major difference between an unavoidable delay and a lack of urgency, communication, and attention to the customer’s vehicle. Nearly 90 minutes for a routine oil change after pulling directly into an open bay, followed by discovering missing valve stem caps, falls well below the standard I would expect from Valvoline. I hope management takes a serious look at the staffing, workflow, and customer communication at this location, because this experience was simply unacceptable.

Keep up the good work. Don't have to wait in line and very professional