Shell Service

This review is for the lack of customer service and rude man at the Service Station.
I didn’t catch the guy’s name but he carried himself like he was either the manager or owner of the Shell Station. He is the ABSOLUTE RUDEST and ARGUMENTATIVE person ever. NO CUSTOMER SERVICE at all and a TERRIBLE ATTITUDE.
Backstory: I purchased a promo card a year ago which included several «free» services for $ 60. I needed an oil change and a smog check so I called them up and asked how much a smog check would be. The guy (Ryan) quoted me $ 48.25 out the door which included the certificate. The promo card I purchased included a «free» smog certificate valued at $ 8.25 so I thought «perfect!»…$ 48.25 mine the $ 8.25 smog certificate equals $ 40 smog test.
Here is my complaint:
When I went to pay, the total came out to $ 48.25 so I simply asked why that was since I had a «free» smog certificate and I thought the total would be $ 40. The man was so rude and told me that normally the price of an oil change is $ 50 and that there was a coupon/​promo right now that discounted the oil change itself to $ 39.95 which does not include the certificate. He said that I was getting a good deal and that I could not use my promo card because you can’t use 2 coupons at the same time. Fine. I understand that but I just expressed my disappointment because that was not clearly explained to me. Also when I brought my car in and showed them the promo card, they punched out the «free smog certificate» and never mentioned that the price they quoted me was a special and didn’t include the smog test or that if I wanted to use the promo card, the regular price of the smog test would be $ 50 without a certificate.
The man was so rude about it. I was simply expressing that I didn’t feel the information was explained clearly to me. He denied and belittled my statement and said that no place would ever take two coupons. But I wasn’t arguing about that. I was arguing that pricing and promos were NOT explained clearly. I was giving feedback. I wasn’t asking for a refund, I wasn’t refusing to pay. I was expressing how I felt. The man continued to argue with me. I was so angry with his attitude and his dismissal of me. I mean… really!!! He could’ve simply said, sorry for the confusion”. Instead he got all defensive and just shook his head at me and made it clear that he was done with the conversation. I couldn’t believe it. I have never been treated that poorly as a customer. You can bet that I will NEVER return to this service station for anything. Not that they even care. Absolutely ridiculous and unbelievable how they would treat a customer (a returning customer no less as I’ve brought my car in for an oil change a few times because of the promo card I regret purchasing).
Other minor issues:
Took them 4.5 hours to complete the oil change and smog test
Dashboard indicated Oil Life was at 50% AFTER the oil change. They said it was just a matter of re-​setting my light but I question if they even changed the oil given the terrible customer service and attitude I received. SHADY!
Promo card says Appointment Only but it’s really first come, first serve. BTW that is inconsistent too as the first time I went in for an oil change they said I had to make an appointment.
Since I was told I had to make an appointment, I tried to call and schedule an oil change and the phone was disconnected. I tried several times the same day and was not able to reach anyone. Next day I physically went there to make the appointment and the guy (different guy) was rude about how the phone is working just fine. When I told him I had called several times the day before, he said «well yeah… it was disconnected yesterday but it’s fine now». WTF. Why the attitude when he knew it was disconnected?

This place is awesome! Bill has such a great humor to lighten bad moods. I got a flat tire on my way to LAX to pick up a friend. I was in a hurry and not I the greatest mods to converse. All I wanted was to see the damage and get out of there. Bill wasn’t rude at all despite the ambience and he ensured that he was don g everything he could. He lightened the mood with some jokes and it actually reminded me not to be so self-​centered. Bill was doing ME a favor by helping me out despite the Saturday line. Thanks Bill for the jokes and calming me down and for getting me out of there quickly!!! I will definitely go back.

Terrible service. I waited for 15 minutes before someone even acknowledged that I was there. Then when Bill came in he ignored me. I had to ask him if he could help me get in line to get a smog check. He was rude from the time I walked in to when I left. Today they lost a customer!

Just happened. A guy/​sales person from this shell was going around our residential area and advertised their promotions going on. He rang the bell and I opened the door. He showed me the pamphlet that has all promotions so I thought I could keep it and come back later time after looking at the pamphlet more in detail. But he just explained everything really, super fast and requested to pay certain amount (don’t remember). Pay for what??? Pamphlet? Or what? Don’t get it. Not going to visit here and no more soliciting please

This place is the worst. I keep coming here because I get $ 0.20 off with Ralph’s rewards, but compared with the Chevron on Culver around the corner, the rates are about the same.
— really snotty attendants
— gas pumps broken and not taking card two times I’ve been here (had to go inside and stand in line — not efficient obviously)
— randomly closed /​not operating gas pumps during otherwise normal business hours
The one star is generally for how inconsistent and unreliable this location is. When you’re running on a tight schedule, the last thing you need is for a quick gas stop to take up an additional 15 minutes. I need to listen to myself more often…

BEST SQUEEGEES AT A GAS STATION EVER! REAL TALK! too bad the water has no soap in it…
but okay this is real close to my work and is a few cents lower/​higher than my other normal station on jamboree so this will do. never too busy. and is very spacious. there is a speaker that plays music and advertisements which i like so i dont feel so eerie at a silent gas station. this place does the job right and i have had no problems yet so im pleased.
JUST PLEASE AT MORE SOAP SO I CAN CLEAN MY WINDOWS PLEASE!

The owner /​manager has a big problem, they told everyone who wants to use the restroom that it is out of service, I know it’s not, it can’t be out of service for that many months. If you don’t want to open it, then fine, please put a note of «Restrooms is not open to the public, including paying customers.» !

Jeff, the manager of the auto shop in this service station, is amazing. He’s worked on my old car a few times, and never tried to upsell me or recommend things that don’t absolutely need to be done. An honest mechanic is a gem, and he’s one of them!

I had an oil leak and took my truck to this location for an estimate. They took my vehicle for about 45 minutes and was able to give me a rough estimate on the spot, before they could price out parts, etc. They let me leave without paying a dime (the estimate is normally $ 47.50), just based on my word that I would use them for the work.
They called me back a couple of days later, after they had priced everything out. They gave me two options for the repair and gave me quotes on both of them. So I took in my vehicle and they worked on it over the weekend. They had the vehicle ready for me by the promised time.
What really struck me about this repair was that they could have nickle and dime’d me on the repair and used every penny of the estimate (and I would have paid it), but instead the total (with tax) was a fair amount less (~10%) than the the lowest estimate they gave me (and the estimates did not include tax).
In addition, the repair I needed required and oil change that they forgot to include in their estimates. BUT, they didn’t try and figure out how to get any of that money back in the final bill.
I felt that these guys were honest and were not trying to make a ton of extra money off of me. They did the repair in the time they said they would, they charged me less than they said they would and did extra work and didn’t try and recoup any of those costs.
They won me over and I won’t hesitate to take my vehicle here again for needed repairs and smog checks.
For now, I assume the work was quality and will continue to monitor to situation to make sure the oil leak has stopped, but I will update here if the repair did not work.
My experience, although painful (because all vehicle repair work is painful for me, no matter how minor), was a very good experience. Everything went as planned and it cost me less than I was quoted. The people I interacted with (even the mechanic, briefly) were polite and courteous.

The cashier working at 11:20 AM on Tuesday Feb 24^th lacked even the basic customer service skills and has questionable credibility.
After purchasing $ 30 in gas, I asked for the restroom key, to which she replied, «I think someone’s in there.» So I stood in front of the bathroom. After 10 mins, I asked the guy in the little office if he had a key. He walked back into the cashier’s are and grabbed the key.
I hope the «Help Wanted — Cashier» sign in the window is a search for a replacement for the lady that was behind the counter during this visit.
Generally, Shell stations have pretty consistent customer service. Obviously, someone dropped the ball with this hire.

Just tried to get gas here. Pump didn’t work. Asked the cashier if he could help. He held up a 2×4 inch sign that said «Regular 87 only sorry for the inconvenience» and said «Does it have this sign on it?» I said yes and he responded it didn’t work. Okay, went back out and was going to to move my car to a different pump — noticed they all had these tiny signs on them. Went back into the cashier and said «So are they all broken?» He said yes. I asked why he didn’t tell me that the first time and he made a face. Don’t have gas and had to deal with a cashier with some kind of attitude problem and the inability to make signs that make sense and are big enough to read.

We highly recommend Jeff and this Shell station!
My wife and I have been in Irvine for a bit over a year. The Shell station was the closest facility to our home so we brought our car there for the smog test. Jeff, the manager got us in and out quickly. A few weeks later we heard a clicking noise from the left front tire, brought the car in and Jeff, again, was able to quickly diagnose the problem and fix it at minimal cost.
Jeff really came through for us recently and tells you all you need to know about him. My wife called and said the car was jerking around and making a loud noise. I told her to bring it to Jeff immediately. Jeff diagnosed the it as a transmission problem. As we spent the weekend preparing for a multi-​thousand dollar bill, Jeff, on his own called Nissan and found out that the transmission for our car was still under warranty. This kind act of his saved us thousands of dollars!
Having a good auto mechanic is as important as having a good doctor. We have one and highly recommend him!

Got a nail stuck in our tire and needed it patched this week. Read the Unilocal reviews and went to this Shell station on Trabuco — and boy am I glad we did! Went right when they opened at 8:00 A.M. and by a little after 8:30 A.M. we were gone with a fixed tire and a reasonable $ 20 expense as others had reported.
Everybody needs a dependable tire patching service station. If you’re in Irvine, this is the place.

I just have to take time out to thank Jeff Nystrom, the Service Manage for the Shell Station. I have been bringing my vehicles in for service there now for the past 2 years. It is refreshing to deal with a service manger that is actually caring and sympathetic to your problems. He takes the time to explain your vehicle’s problem and how it can be fixed. After talking to him one time you know he is extremely knowledgeable about automotive issues. I don’t know what they pay him there, but I’m sure it’s not enough. He is an asset to that company and the reason I tell everybody about Irvine Shell.

Couple issues: smog check is $ 60! You can get it much cheaper somewhere else.
Second: Jeff the manager has the attitude of a teen. When he asked me a question and I wasn’t too sure he rolled his eyes at me!
EXPENSIVE AND AN ATTITUDE.
Upside: fast service

I just have small problem with my truck and drive in to this station for help. Ask the manager to check my truck and tell me what is the problem I think just need some water .
He look at me from behind his deck and said am busy I have no time, well I will make sure never come to this station and mechanic shop for sure.

Came here for a smog check. Jeff, who is the manager of the auto shop, was really personable and got us going on the smog check. Overall it took about 25 minutes. There are benches and seats inside the office where you can wait. It was quick and easy breezy! So, a couple days later I brought in my fiancé’s car for his smog check!

Just off the 5 and Culver, this station is very convenient for those driving on the 5 north, and a little trickier to find if you are driving on the 5 south. All the cars are supposed to be facing one way at the pump, so getting in and out can be a squeeze when it gets busy and at times you have to wait for others to fill up before you can move forward.
The prices are on par with other places in the neighborhood — usually a little cheaper than Chevron on Culver & Irvine Blvd., and a little more expensive than Chevron on Culver & Walnut.
They sell propane (they’ll fill your tank or sell you a new one) for you grill (pay inside and they’ll fill you up outside). They also sell snacks and necessities inside, but it’s not an actual Kwik-​E-​Mart (head to Chevron at Culver & Irvine Blvd. for that).

I cant begin to explain how my visit here was one id never forget!
I live in san diego and i was heading to universal studious for the holloween event. And on my way some a$$hole threw something on the freeway and it punctured my gas tank. After the fore department came one of the firemen told me to see jeff ASAP! So after getting my car towed to shells. I met with jeff. And i was pretty bummed knowing my plans were probably not going to happen anymore. But man i was wrong. Jeff and his team were one of the best mechanics ive dealt with. After searching for a new fuel tank nothing came up. (Hard to find replacement parts for new new cars) but after some more searching jeff managed to find one miles and miles away. Thankfully his wife picked it up! Long story short we managed to get the part and it only took an hour to install and i was good to go!
I cant explain how much these guys expecially jeff helped me out! He went out of his way to make sure i was in and out as fast as possible. These guys are life savers. I know whenever i take a trip up to LA im always gonns visit these guys. Cant explain how thankfull i am i ended up here at jeff’s!
If you dont think their good mechanics or people for that matter then you must be one twisted person.
The best SHELLs ive been to period.

Review of Gas Station only…
If heading North on the 5 Freeway, use the Culver Dr exit, which actually puts you on Trabuco Road, Turn right and it’s literally right next to the off ramp. If heading South on the 5 freeway, take the Culver Dr exit and turn left. You would want to be on the far right lane when you are on Culver Dr because you’ll be making a right onto Trabuco Rd. Once on Trabuco Rd, it’s on the right side after the first traffic light you come to.
If you are heading North on Trabuco Road, you’ll have to make a U-​turn at the light that leads to the 5 Freeway on-​ramp.
The reason you’d want to do that is because the Shell gas station wants everyone facing the same way (South) at the pumps as indicated by the white painted arrows on the ground.
Be careful when you exit out of this place as it can be a bit confusing like it was for me late one night when I first came to the gas station. When you exit the pumps, make sure you stay to the right side of the tree that’s used as as divider for incoming traffic. From there, you can make a right onto Trabuco Rd on be on your marry way. But if you want to head back to the Freeway or North on Trabuco Rd, you will have to drive straight out of the driveway and cross the street. There will be a small section of road with a stop sign. Stop at the sign and make a right. Freeway on ramp will be to the left at the light.
If you are visiting the gas station at night, please be very careful. The gas station is lit well, but the surface street isn’t. So just be aware of your surroundings and traffic all around.

A very good and dependable gas station. :) The lot is clean too.