Daaaaaang!
I used to be in the auto parts biz, and we knew who the “dirty” shops were. We had a one shop that started buying alot of spray cans of specific engine paints. We later found out they would tell the customer they needed a water pump, take it out, clean it off, paint it, and re-install it, and then charge them for a new pump. This was 20 years ago when alot of pumps were still easy to take out.
But, to see a major chain like this get snagged, wow. Sears got snagged like this about 10 years ago. The undercover folks would remove a wire from the alternator, bring the car in, and Sears sold them a new alternator, but only fixed the lose wire. Their mechanics were commissioned at the time. This happened in NJ – and they snagged several Sears locations.