Definately a learning experience though, I never let anyone do any type of repair or touch my car in any way, not to wash it, move it, change the oil etc that I can't come after if they do it wrong. Your buds may have caused real (and real expensive) damage, and there's nothing you can do to prove they did it.
I dont even trust myself to do it, because if I screw up, then its my !Removed!. If even a gas station screws up, then I can take them to court.
Does it shift right yet? There's any number of things that could have already happened to the tranny.
Look for the transmission dipstick, it's opposite the oil dipstick on mine.