GREENSBORO, N.C. — The SUV wasn’t in the best shape, but it was reliable and had few mechanical issues. Pam Ateeb let her daughter borrow the car for a road trip up north. The Chevy SUV ran well on the way up north, but before heading back home, Ateeb’s daughter noticed it was due for an oil change.
“She wanted to make sure she did everything right,” Ateeb said. She got an oil change in preparation for coming back this way.”
The SUV was taken to a Walmart for a basic oil change and to have the filter replaced.
“She started to drive, and it started to smoke. It was really bad; there was a lot of smoke,” Ateeb said.
The SUV was taken to a repair shop, where Ateeb said a mechanic told her daughter the engine had too much oil.
“He said there was so much oil it was coming out of the tailpipe,” Ateeb said.
Ateeb immediately contacted Walmart to discuss the matter. She filed a claim within the next couple of days. Ateeb said the mechanic told her the engine was destroyed and needed to be replaced.
After waiting a couple of weeks after filing the claim, Ateeb again contacted Walmart about repairing the SUV.
“(I would) keep calling and calling, nothing, nobody would return my call, even with a claim number, no one would return my call,” Ateeb said.
The SUV was sitting at the repair shop, but Ateeb could not get any answers or a solution from Walmart. Ateeb said she would call regularly but could never get anyone with any authority to do anything. The claim dragged along with no results.
“It was like three months. It was three months,” Ateeb said.
With no resolution in sight, Ateeb was about ready to give up, “I was ranting and raving and I had an epiphany, call WFMY News 2 and that’s exactly what I did,” Ateeb said.
After reaching out to us, we contacted a Walmart representative and explained the case. We provided detailed information about the incident and repair estimates from a repair shop.
Once we got involved, the pace of the claim started to pick up. Within a couple of weeks, the company agreed to pay off the SUV loan and provide Ateeb with enough money to put down on a new SUV. The old SUV was considered a total loss and was salvaged.
“I would like to say thank you so much for caring about us and the community,” Ateeb said.
Walmart issued a statement to WFMY News 2: “We apologize for any inconvenience this mistake caused, and we’ve made this right with Pamela.”
As of now, Ateeb has not purchased a new car or SUV, but she’s thankful we were able to assist her in getting the loan on the SUV paid off and is grateful Walmart gave her enough money to put down a nice downpayment when she finds something she likes.