Worst experience at a stealership
05-23-07, 05:36 AM
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Worst experience at a stealership
To sum it up, this is the letter I sent to the manager. What are your thoughts? Am I over reacting? here you go..
Mr. X:
I just got back from one of the worst dealership customer service experiences in my life and am writing this note in hopes that my experience is not replicated again and that the damage that was caused is compensated for by your dealership.
I am from New Jersey and also purchased my current Lexus, the IS 250, from there. I have driven many luxury vehicles and recently settled on the IS 250 because of the solidity of the brand, the reliability of the vehicle, and the "passionate pursuit of perfection" that Lexus touts in every other ad. I had heard many stories of beautiful Lexus dealerships treating their customers like royalty and creating a remarkable product backed by a remarkable company. My outlook on Lexus as a brand has been rosy to say the least. That is, until today.
I recently purchased a home here in VA and therefore had to find another Lexus dealership to serve my vehicle. My brakes have been squealing excessively as of late in addition to interior rattling and I heard about a TSB on the issue. I took my vehicle in for simply: 1. an oil change and 2. to check the brakes.
I rode with the technician last Friday morning (8 AM) (Name 1) and he indeed confirmed there were two TSB's for the brakes: 1. For excessive brake dust and 2. For the squealing brakes. He told me I had to decide which was most important to me. I opted to eliminate the squealing noise and (Name 1) told me they would put sponge material in the dashboard to eliminate the rattling. Upon (Name 1)'s behest, I left the car over the weekend for the work.
Later on Friday I received a call from (Name 2) (2:00 PM) explaining to me that "no, there actually isn't TSB's for the brakes." This was frustrating as I had heard contradicting comments from different employees and because I knew that if it was a dealership like the Lexus in New Jersey, they would try harder to correct a known issue in the model, when my car only has about 18k miles thus far.
Next issue, I walk up to my vehicle to inspect the wash and was annoyed to find a terrible car wash given. I then immediately noticed a large gash in the side wall of my rear tire. The gash was a huge chunk of tread about 1 /12 - 2 inches just hanging out, revealing the stitching holding the tire pressure. I immediately informed (Name 2) of this problem, who called the technician.
You have to understand, I am _extremely_ meticulous about my vehicles, along with everything else in my life. I am an "OCD" person and my vehicle is routinely inspected, especially before leaving it somewhere foreign. This gash was not there. What confirmed it for me was the fact that when (Name 2) called the technician who had worked on the vehicle and asked if it had been there before (as name 2 obviously didn't want to believe that the gash was pre-existing) and the technician said he _HAD_ seen it there before. My question is: isn't something wrong about this scenario? The technician knew about this gash and didn't tell me or anyone else? If I had driven that tire on the highway, the tire could have exploded and I could have wrecked the car because of the technician's complete incompetence. Why in the world would this technician not tell the customer that his tire sidewall is completely destroyed if he noticed it? Could it be because he was trying to cover up the fact that he may have caused it? It's funny how my car "in" mileage and "out" mileage had a difference of nine miles. Nine miles is plenty of mileage to damage a tire. (the nine miles are according to my receipt!).
Moreover, I find out my car was given a tire rotation! When did I say give it a tire rotation? And my car is an all-wheel drive... why would I need a tire rotation? And there is even more assurance the gash on my tire was caused by something awry, otherwise why would a technician not see it or say anything if he's literally picking up and moving each individual tire? And handling tires presents more opportunities to damage them.
I am angry, frustrated, and disappointed. I spent over an hour and fifteen minutes at the dealership with three of my employees (we were on the way to a meeting and I was simply going to "pick up" the car) while we waiting for the tire to be repaired and we find out that the dealership refuses to take responsibility and is forcing me to pay over $300 for a tire that I did not damage.
You've (the dealership) wasted my time, my employee's time, you caused me stress, and you charged me over $300 for a mistake I did not make. This is honestly NOT about the money, it is about the principal. Wasting my time and charging me for mistake that I did NOT cause is what frustrates me.
I would hope that your "passionate pursuit of perfection" would cause you to seriously examine this issue and let me know what can be done to make this right. I am a car enthusiast and a fan of Lexus, but another experience like this at your dealership (or any other Lexus dealership) and it is going to be hard to love and support a brand that treats their customers in that regard.
Okay I know I exaggerated a little bit, okay A LOT. But do you think my email is justified? What are your .02?
Mr. X:
I just got back from one of the worst dealership customer service experiences in my life and am writing this note in hopes that my experience is not replicated again and that the damage that was caused is compensated for by your dealership.
I am from New Jersey and also purchased my current Lexus, the IS 250, from there. I have driven many luxury vehicles and recently settled on the IS 250 because of the solidity of the brand, the reliability of the vehicle, and the "passionate pursuit of perfection" that Lexus touts in every other ad. I had heard many stories of beautiful Lexus dealerships treating their customers like royalty and creating a remarkable product backed by a remarkable company. My outlook on Lexus as a brand has been rosy to say the least. That is, until today.
I recently purchased a home here in VA and therefore had to find another Lexus dealership to serve my vehicle. My brakes have been squealing excessively as of late in addition to interior rattling and I heard about a TSB on the issue. I took my vehicle in for simply: 1. an oil change and 2. to check the brakes.
I rode with the technician last Friday morning (8 AM) (Name 1) and he indeed confirmed there were two TSB's for the brakes: 1. For excessive brake dust and 2. For the squealing brakes. He told me I had to decide which was most important to me. I opted to eliminate the squealing noise and (Name 1) told me they would put sponge material in the dashboard to eliminate the rattling. Upon (Name 1)'s behest, I left the car over the weekend for the work.
Later on Friday I received a call from (Name 2) (2:00 PM) explaining to me that "no, there actually isn't TSB's for the brakes." This was frustrating as I had heard contradicting comments from different employees and because I knew that if it was a dealership like the Lexus in New Jersey, they would try harder to correct a known issue in the model, when my car only has about 18k miles thus far.
Next issue, I walk up to my vehicle to inspect the wash and was annoyed to find a terrible car wash given. I then immediately noticed a large gash in the side wall of my rear tire. The gash was a huge chunk of tread about 1 /12 - 2 inches just hanging out, revealing the stitching holding the tire pressure. I immediately informed (Name 2) of this problem, who called the technician.
You have to understand, I am _extremely_ meticulous about my vehicles, along with everything else in my life. I am an "OCD" person and my vehicle is routinely inspected, especially before leaving it somewhere foreign. This gash was not there. What confirmed it for me was the fact that when (Name 2) called the technician who had worked on the vehicle and asked if it had been there before (as name 2 obviously didn't want to believe that the gash was pre-existing) and the technician said he _HAD_ seen it there before. My question is: isn't something wrong about this scenario? The technician knew about this gash and didn't tell me or anyone else? If I had driven that tire on the highway, the tire could have exploded and I could have wrecked the car because of the technician's complete incompetence. Why in the world would this technician not tell the customer that his tire sidewall is completely destroyed if he noticed it? Could it be because he was trying to cover up the fact that he may have caused it? It's funny how my car "in" mileage and "out" mileage had a difference of nine miles. Nine miles is plenty of mileage to damage a tire. (the nine miles are according to my receipt!).
Moreover, I find out my car was given a tire rotation! When did I say give it a tire rotation? And my car is an all-wheel drive... why would I need a tire rotation? And there is even more assurance the gash on my tire was caused by something awry, otherwise why would a technician not see it or say anything if he's literally picking up and moving each individual tire? And handling tires presents more opportunities to damage them.
I am angry, frustrated, and disappointed. I spent over an hour and fifteen minutes at the dealership with three of my employees (we were on the way to a meeting and I was simply going to "pick up" the car) while we waiting for the tire to be repaired and we find out that the dealership refuses to take responsibility and is forcing me to pay over $300 for a tire that I did not damage.
You've (the dealership) wasted my time, my employee's time, you caused me stress, and you charged me over $300 for a mistake I did not make. This is honestly NOT about the money, it is about the principal. Wasting my time and charging me for mistake that I did NOT cause is what frustrates me.
I would hope that your "passionate pursuit of perfection" would cause you to seriously examine this issue and let me know what can be done to make this right. I am a car enthusiast and a fan of Lexus, but another experience like this at your dealership (or any other Lexus dealership) and it is going to be hard to love and support a brand that treats their customers in that regard.
Okay I know I exaggerated a little bit, okay A LOT. But do you think my email is justified? What are your .02?
05-23-07, 06:06 AM
#2
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I really think that it was too long IMHO.
There were a few things that could have been cut out, but over all pretty good.
I have to say about mid way I was bored.
But that is crazy to me for them to damage your tire and not replace it. And why did the tech ask which one was more important to you? They couldn't do both the TSBs? They do have to drive the car after they put on brakes to make sure everything is fine, they do the same with rattles to make sure they go away. And usually when a car in brought into a Lexus dealership, in my experience, it is inspected first and anything out of the ordinary is documented.
And what is costing you $300? One tire?
There were a few things that could have been cut out, but over all pretty good.
I have to say about mid way I was bored.
But that is crazy to me for them to damage your tire and not replace it. And why did the tech ask which one was more important to you? They couldn't do both the TSBs? They do have to drive the car after they put on brakes to make sure everything is fine, they do the same with rattles to make sure they go away. And usually when a car in brought into a Lexus dealership, in my experience, it is inspected first and anything out of the ordinary is documented.And what is costing you $300? One tire?
05-23-07, 06:31 AM
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Well, this is the exact email I sent to the GM. I just wanted to get all the details to the GM because he was not there at the time.
And yes $300 for 1 tire and the installation. And the oil change was $70 bucks!
And yes $300 for 1 tire and the installation. And the oil change was $70 bucks!
I really think that it was too long IMHO.
There were a few things that could have been cut out, but over all pretty good.
I have to say about mid way I was bored. But that is crazy to me for them to damage your tire and not replace it. And why did the tech ask which one was more important to you? They couldn't do both the TSBs? They do have to drive the car after they put on brakes to make sure everything is fine, they do the same with rattles to make sure they go away. And usually when a car in brought into a Lexus dealership, in my experience, it is inspected first and anything out of the ordinary is documented.
And what is costing you $300? One tire?
There were a few things that could have been cut out, but over all pretty good.
I have to say about mid way I was bored.
But that is crazy to me for them to damage your tire and not replace it. And why did the tech ask which one was more important to you? They couldn't do both the TSBs? They do have to drive the car after they put on brakes to make sure everything is fine, they do the same with rattles to make sure they go away. And usually when a car in brought into a Lexus dealership, in my experience, it is inspected first and anything out of the ordinary is documented.And what is costing you $300? One tire?
05-23-07, 06:36 AM
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Print out the TSB for brake dust and show them. I had my 250 done last week.
Everytime I take in my car, the printout already states, No Car Wash and No Tire Rotation. They still have to put a sign in the window about the wash. They rotated my staggered tires once, but gave me a full detail for free and warrantied the tires if any problems from rubbing from their mistake.
You can be mad about the tire and $300, but it's hard to prove. Show them the TireRack price and tell them that is the price you'll pay (probably a $180 tire), if not to remove it and put your old tire on...
Take your business elsewhere if they don't work with you on it.
Everytime I take in my car, the printout already states, No Car Wash and No Tire Rotation. They still have to put a sign in the window about the wash. They rotated my staggered tires once, but gave me a full detail for free and warrantied the tires if any problems from rubbing from their mistake.
You can be mad about the tire and $300, but it's hard to prove. Show them the TireRack price and tell them that is the price you'll pay (probably a $180 tire), if not to remove it and put your old tire on...
Take your business elsewhere if they don't work with you on it.
05-23-07, 07:29 AM
#5
There is no way I would eat the $300. I would use the complaint process and keep good records. If Lexus does not refund the money I would file a small claims suit naming the mechanic, service manager, owner and anyone else involved. Have a witness for you that will testify the tire was OK before you took it in. It would take a day or two but it would be in the best interest of the stealer to just pay the $300. Like you said, it's not the money, it is the principle!
Koz
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05-23-07, 07:53 AM
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Moreover, I find out my car was given a tire rotation! When did I say give it a tire rotation? And my car is an all-wheel drive... why would I need a tire rotation? And there is even more assurance the gash on my tire was caused by something awry, otherwise why would a technician not see it or say anything if he's literally picking up and moving each individual tire? And handling tires presents more opportunities to damage them.
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05-23-07, 08:10 AM
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what is the name of this dealer? also, they don't give a rats a$$....just tell them u will post the negative comments on forums and disccusion boards.
all of them are afraid and try their best to remedy the problems/issues once u mention that you will post their names and the comments on forums....they will lose much business this way.
goodluck!
all of them are afraid and try their best to remedy the problems/issues once u mention that you will post their names and the comments on forums....they will lose much business this way.
goodluck!
05-23-07, 08:38 AM
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Stealerships
I agree with filing a claim against the dealer. Complete the simple small claims form for your county take it to the stealership and ask if they want you to file or will they issue a refund. I'm betting on a refund.
05-23-07, 08:52 AM
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05-23-07, 08:57 AM
#12
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Unless you have a staggered setup it is customary, and good practice, to rotate your tires every 5,000 miles. It evens out the wear and extends the overall life of the set. I don't think you can blame the dealership for rotating the tires without being asked. It is just normal procedure, especially if they saw some uneven wear on the set. My AWD WRX is pretty easy on tires as they tend to wear evenly, but I still have them rotated every 5,000 to 10,000 miles.
