I went to the Pantops location Wednesday for my state inspection this past Wednesday (which my car did not pass). I dropped my car off at 7:00 am. By 2:30 pm I had not heard from anyone and called to check the status of my inspection only to find that it had not even been looked at yet (7.5 hours later). I returned after 4:30 pm, my car was still not done. When they were finally done, a nice gentleman informed me why my car had not passed, what needed to be fixed and that I had 15 days to do so. I presented back this (Friday) morning again at 7:00 am, and was informed that the inspector would not be in until 8:00 am. I was unable to leave my car, so I left and returned at 8:00 am. Upon arriving, I was informed that I would have to wait as there were 4 other vehicles dropped off and they would be inspected before mine; a detail which I was not informed of at my initial 7:00 am visit. I inquired why it took so long on Wednesday if vehicles are inspected in the order they are received and mine was one of the first and the young man I was speaking to said he was unsure and would get the manager for me. I repeated my question to the manager, Mr. Dale Shiflett, as to why the wait time was so long on Wednesday when my vehicle was one of the first in the lot. I also noted what the previous failed inspection was due to, explained what I had done to remedy the problem, and asked if that could be looked at first, seeing as my vehicle had passed all other aspects of the state inspection check-list 2 days prior, so that we could expedite the process a bit for us both. Mr. Shiflett then held up his hand to me and the following conversation took place:
He said, "First of all, the inspector doesn't even get here until 8, and these cars have been waiting over night!" I informed him that it was after 8:00, he then laughed and said "it is 8:01." I proceeded to ask how exactly they adhere to their "first come first serve" policy, as there were no other vehicles waiting on Wednesday, yet mine was not seen until late in the afternoon, and again today I was being asked to wait after arriving at the same time as the inspectors. Mr. Shiflett began to speak over me, informing me how each vehicle takes approximately one hour for inspection. I did interrupt and said I understood and asked if he was speaking to me in such a demeaning manor because I was a girl, he then raised his voice stating, "You are just going to have to drop it off or wait!" I then shouted back that I would indeed wait.
After this, I was nearly in tears over how rudely and appallingly "management" had treated me. I stepped away from the desk and proceeded to the waiting area. Mr. Shiflett then stepped to the back, where I could clearly hear him mocking me to other employees. I have never experienced anyone treating or speaking to a customer in such a way, and on top of that, to step away and blatantly continue the disrespect as if it were humorous to him.
As a former patron of this business, having never had a problem in the past, I am led to believe that this incident can be traced directly back to Mr. Shiflett; who instead of attempting to explain the situation to me or address my concerns, decided to speak over me, raise his voice, and completely disrespect me as a customer and as a person! This man is a manager - managers are supposed to be leaders and set the tone of the establishment with other employees expected to follow suit. I would be appalled if this is the tone that ownership is looking to portray to their customers.
Needless to say, because my vehicle failed inspection, I have to return to this same location to have it passed. I am now looking to find someone to take my car back for me as I refuse to go there EVER again.