Hand Controls Needed

To my Family, Friends, FB Friends, My Peeps, and MEINEKE Customers:

My husband and I have taken our vehicles to this specific Meineke Car Service for at least 18 years (2 vehicles) and then our 3 adult kids, once they drove (3 cars). That is a total of 5 cars from my family supporting this business over the years. And we referred many other people there also.

On November 19th, my daughter, Heather went to Meineke Car Service located at Old Courtright Road, Columbus, OH, 43232. She was getting new tires and an oil change. As she always does, she requested to drive her adaptive vehicle into the mechanical bay. She was told that the staff knew how to handle her vehicle and that they didn’t need any instruction on how to drive it. She left her car at the shop to be worked on and then left to do errands. While she was gone, the manager (Fred Frank) called to inform her that THEIR mechanic had broken the spinner knob off of her steering wheel. A spinner knob is a device that is professionally put on the steering wheel for those who drive only with their hands that has several buttons. Her spinner knob had the following buttons on it: windshield wipers, windshield fluid, left and right turn signals, lights, and the horn.

She has filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and the Ohio Attorney General’s office. She has been in contact with a lawyer who believes that this issue could be taken to the Franklin County small claims court, but that Meineke could drag the issue out for several months. She has been having to get rides to work and other forms of transportation to her medical appointments and other weekly commitments. It is very difficult for her to drive her vehicle without her spinner knob. The repairs that need to be done on her vehicle are several thousand dollars and Meineke has been refusing to pay for THEIR damages.

I just find it hard to believe that a company you go to for many, many years and support can do something like this to its customers. I find it REALLY hard to believe that this is the year 2023 and this type of treatment to an individual who has a physical disability is even accepted or tolerated and those that we have contacted don’t have their hands up in the air in total disgust and outrage!

The last month and a half or so have been very challenging for her as she has experienced getting electrocuted at work and is still experiencing long-term effects. She also recently (January 12) had a grease fire in her apartment. We think that 90% of things will be able to be saved/professionally cleaned from the fire.

I know everyone is having a tough time of it right now, but if you are able to donate, it is going to a good cause to get Heather “on the road again”! Thank you for reading about our situation. Please, please say a prayer that she is able to get the spinner knob replaced, that she had no lasting effects from the electrocution and that she can soon move back into her apartment, once everything is professionally cleaned. Thank you! God is good, all the time.