Reviewed : 09/03/2025
Comment : Review for Riggins Automotive
Yesterday my husband and I decided to take a day trip to Cape May from 3 hours away since we didn't get a day off all summer. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we realized we had a flat tire. While it wasn’t completely flat, we carefully drove 1.5 miles to the only gas station in the area, which happened to be Riggins Automotive, 1331 Washington Street, Cape May, New Jersey. By the time we got there, the tire was completely flat.
We went inside to ask for assistance, but were barely acknowledged. A heavy set woman named Alicia was behind the desk, and she didn’t even make eye contact with us. We waited close to 20 minutes before anyone asked what we needed. When we explained about the flat tire, someone eventually looked at it and told us the tire was no good.
Since our spare (a donut) didn’t have the lug bolts that should have come with it when we purchased the vehicle, we were stuck relying on Riggins and the woman behind the desk who snarled at us when we arrived. We asked if they could possibly obtain the correct tire, and after some time Alicia told us it would be a few hours before it arrived. Since it was still early (around 11:30 a.m.), we decided to make the best of the situation and went for lunch.
When we came back at 3:15, the tire still hadn’t arrived. About 20 minutes later, a delivery came with a tire—but it sat untouched. When I asked Alicia if another mechanic was available to install it, she very curtly told me “you’ll just have to wait.” Outside, I spoke with Danielle, the gas attendant, who was kind enough to check with the mechanic as I was concerned if the mechanic was on a long time job. Alicia actually ran over to intervene since apparently she did not want the mechanic to even help us. She followed through with coming to the front where we were waiting and scolded both my husband and myself for not being “patient.” She even went so far as to say she was choosing not to help us—one of the most unprofessional responses I’ve ever encountered.
Finally, the mechanic compared the delivered tire to ours and realized Alicia had ordered the wrong one. At this point it was nearly 4:00 p.m., and with closing time approaching, we were left stranded. We had to call AAA, get towed, and then take an Uber to Rio Grande, NJ to check multiple tire shops—none of which had the exact model we needed. Unfortunately we had to leave our car there and now we will have to make another 6-hour round trip to drop off the rental car and pick up our car and return home.
The most disappointing part of the entire ordeal was Alicia’s complete lack of professionalism, empathy, or even basic courtesy. She literally left the premises while we were still stuck there. As promised Alicia did not help us any further. She took her drink at minutes before 4:00 got in her car and left. The only bright spots were Danielle, who genuinely tried to help, and Jason from AAA, who went above and beyond getting us to Dave of Mr. Tire who stayed late to order the tire at 100.00 less than what Riggins quoted us. Dave was indeed fabulous to work with.
If you find yourself in Cape May and in need of help, I strongly recommend you avoid Riggins Automotive. Based on our experience, they are not reliable, responsive, or customer-oriented when it truly matters. I'm certain karma will prevail.