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Customer Service: The good, the bad and the ugly!
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Actually, the title topic is broad enough to include GOOD stories as well! Does anyone have a tale to relate that demonstrates exemplary "above and beyond the call of duty" customer service? Is that kind of service the norm or are bad and ugly more common?
tidester, host
This ought to be a good. Let's see what our guys will do with this. I know there has to be at least 6 of em.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
I arrived about 10 minutes till 10, parked the car and went inside. The attendant filled out the paper work. I handed him the keys and asked how long it would be. He said it would be about 45 minutes.
I walked to the nearby Target store and to Circuit City to look around and pass some time.
An hour later I walked back to Firestone. My car was parked in the same spot and the old tires were still on it.
I figured they must have run into problems with someones car so I walked to a nearby restaurant and had breakfast. After about a half hour I went back to Firestone and the car was still in the same spot with the same old ratty tires on it.
I went inside and the service manager said "We were just getting ready to bring it in". My reply was "Give me my keys".
2020 Ascent Limited, 2024 Subaru Legacy Sport
If your happy you'll tell 1 or 2 people
If you unhappy or had poor service you'll tell 100 people, write a novel, take out a 30 sec TV spot, rent a billboard... Well you all get the idea.
What's with us nowadays? Are we not happy unless we're complaining?
Uh, um, yeah I want my food hot, my beer cold and I want it delivered to my table in 5 mins ... Those other people here in the restaurant don't matter & I don't care because I AM THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON HERE. And if I don't get my way, I'm gonna complain, make a scene, make a stink and get my meal for FREEEEE!!
That does seem to be the case. Perhaps we can convince someone who is unhappy about not having anything to complain about to jump in and complain about great service!
I can't believe I said that!
tidester, host
I'm really glad to be out of the car. Leasing was a mistake, but given what a mistake the car was, I was happy to get out of it after three years.
i called a firestone shop i had used before and told the guy on the phone i had an idling problem and asked if i could bring the car in.
the guy said "you know the engine in that thing has got fuel injection right?".
i say "right".
he says: "did you just change the battery?"
i say "yes".
he says: "go out to the parking lot, turn the key, let it idle for 15 minutes but don't touch the accelerator... you're all set... it needs to re-learn the proper idle parameters".
i say "ok sure, i'll try that thanks very much".
he says "no problem...if that doesn't work, bring it in anytime".
for subsequent repairs, i brought my car there.
I figured they must have run into problems with someones car so I walked to a nearby restaurant and had breakfast. After about a half hour I went back to Firestone and the car was still in the same spot with the same old ratty tires on it.
The title of your story is "Never gave then a chance... " but from the above I'd say you gave them 2. I would have done the same thing. I guess guys like you and I don't subscribe to the three strikes and you're out policy. The league we play in, two is enough when it comes to these things.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
The thing that I remember is when I spoke to him on the phone he said he didn't take credit cards or checks.... only cash. I thought that quite odd. Well, I go in to pay the guy and retrieve my car. I walk up to the guys desk and am somewhat alarmed to see a large Louisville Slugger baseball bat in the corner. It was taped up pretty good... may have even had some pine tar on it. I didn't get the impression this guy was a baseball player either.
Maybe, he had been passed one bad check to many, had problems with prowlers, or just wanted to send out a "Don't mess with me... I'll mess you up" message. Luckily for me I had no further problems with my transmission.
anyone ever have to go to the trouble to stick a maint. repair shop because their work was bad, and they had to have it redone somewhere else?
I am sure it looked like I beat someone with it every other week and it kept the riff raff from causing trouble.
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Yeah, I guess you're right. I did give them two shots at it.
I wouldn't have minded so much if I didn't have an appointment.....I mean what's the point?
Another Tire shop was happy to receive the 400 clams, and they did all 4 tires in about 15 minutes. That's great service!
(That should have been "Never gave theM a chance" - typo)
2020 Ascent Limited, 2024 Subaru Legacy Sport
I called with an update (needs module, done tomorrow, keep the loaner).
She actually asked 'Is that covered under my warranty?'
Um, yeah. I think so...on your '06 car with 800 miles on it. You're golden on the warranty!
But they didn't know that. From their perspective you dropped your car off, came back and then drove off. That looks like one shot. That is not to say that one shot was inadequate!
tidester, host
Ahhhh...thanks kirstie. jmonroe didn't believe, but I knew you'd come thru for me.
I may have to mark out tidesters name on that t-shirt he sent me a few days ago(unsolicited), i.e "Tidester is My Favorite Edmunds Host", and write in yours.
Here's one: when I was getting married (ages ago, 1994), I found my "dream" wedding dress. As with just about all wedding dresses, it needed altering. However, I couldn't seem to fit properly into any of the dresses in stock no matter what size I chose. Seeing my frustration, the saleslady said she'd call the designer to see if he could help. Turned out that this guy was a young, up and coming designer, and really wanted to get his designs "out there." He invited me to come to his studio (in NYC's garment district)and he custom-made the same dress for me, at no extra cost. I was between sizes, so no amount of normal alterations would have really worked. But thanks to that saleslady, I got a custom fit! I was very grateful - she could have easily tried to sell me a dress that really didn't fit right. It was a longshot for her to call the designer but it paid off.
I think that happens a lot with cars too!
tidester, host
tidester, host
I think it will have VERY SHORT legs again.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
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The subwoofer in my Suzuki GV went bad and the dealer ordered one. Well, after 2 weeks I called and they forgot. When it did come in, they told me to make an appointment. My daughter dropped it off and they told her to pick it up later so she got a ride home. It was barely a 5 minute job. What's the purpose of making an appointment? It would have been easier to drop it off in the morning. Sometimes getting to and from the service department is the hardest part.
There was a TSB on rear brakes squealing so again we dropped it off. I had some nice locking lug nuts and took them off and replaced them with the old ones before the mechanic might do any damage to them. Good thing I went to put back on the nice lug nuts because the mechanic torqued the one side properly but must have had his girlfriend hand tighten the other side. :mad:
Doesn't anyone care anymore?
That's right. New car dealers' current labor rate is between $ 55 and $ 85 an hour, depending on the make of car and the part of the country where you live. "Techs" - at least some of them, are paid a buck or two over the minimum wage, and quite a few doesn't care or doesn't know better. In my last year of working on cars, in 1999, my gross income was less than in 1982, and I mean gross income without even considering inflation. In our part of Southern California there are ads for a $ 85 timing belt change on "most cars", and quite often the car is left parked in the same spot all day long where you parked it in the morning. They take your money, gambling that the original timing belt will last longer than the 30-day warranty you get at such places. Dealerships are forced to compete with the hacks, and the result is they hire teenagers or fresh immigrants who had the $ 500 investment to get some hand tools. Nothing against immigrants, I am one myself, but I came at a time when we had higher standards at the workplace.
Yes, there are hacks and crooked shops.
There are also places that hire substandard help.
And there are techs who get sloppy and careless.
But, these places are the exception. Most dealers and independants care about what they do.
A good mechanic/technician can also make a decent living.
Granted, you are in So. California. I'm from there too and much of what you say is true. It is a snake pit!
Then here's your opportunity to share a good customer service story!
tidester, host
Also, they not once turned off the change oil light.
I know these are not major screw-ups, but it is so aggravating. Our store didn't seem to have much of an employee turnover, so I can't blame it on that.
The Lumina has been sold now, and I expect to use the dealer for my '06 Civic LX. No more Wally World.
I just hope my high expectations for my dealer are not dashed to oblivion.
I wouldn't expect much from Wal Mart!
what did you do in your spare time as a manager, grin....? Sounds like a full time job.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Just getting them trained in basic procedures was a challenge and then making them listen to you was a challenge as well. Less then 10% of the people he hired ended up being any good.
This one time a guy he had just hired probably a week or so before was driving his personal car through the shop after close of business.
Now this was an older shop so we had a full basement and pits along with some lifts. He was driving through the center bay that had a pit and a sicssor lift. With a little experience you can drive through a pit without a guide and be ok. We could all do that because we had done it enough times but this guy was brand new and did not know how.
Instead of waiting for someone to guide him through the shop he started to pull through and was not paying attention. The assistant manager started yelling at him to stop but it was too late. He drove his car right into the pit.
It took me over two hours of working with the lift, various jack stands, floor jacks, tranny jacks and 4x4s to get the car extracted from the pit.
Even after that the guy was not fired. The owner would not let me fire him even after screw up after screw up. We were finaly able to make him quit after a few months.
We did a LOT of work in those days. Back then, we installed rebuilt engines, transmissions, air conditioning, and just about everything else. I had over 40 bays and something like 50 people working for me. It wasn't uncommon for us to knock out fifteen brake jobs and install over 100 batteries. On a busy Saturday, I would have a dozen tire busters working their butts off all day.
Of course we would screw things up once in awhile.
We had split rims (rememnber those?)blow apart. Luckilly the ring missed my guys head and imbedded itself in a wall.
One night an elderly XKE came in for a battery and we installed it backwards. I couldn't blame my installer, how would an 18 year old possibly know that British cars built before 1965 used a positive ground system?
Funny, it started and drove away. Next day I got a call from the Jaguar dealer...I think I signed a check for 1400.00 at that time to fix the damage.
All and all, we turned out a trememdous amount of work with minimal problems, but I can honestly say, I have literally seen it all!
This is a wal-mart story that was relayed to me by one of my customers at my old shop.
He took in his early 1960s dodge pickup to have some tires put on it. Why he took it to Wal-mart I don't know as he never really told me but he always was a cheap SOB so there was probably some 25 dollar tire special or something on.
Anyway on those old dodge trucks you have both left and right hand threads on the wheel studs. This was to help prevent lug nuts from backing themselves off.
Well the people at wal-mart obviously did not know this as they broke off not one, not two but three studs with the impact gun.
You would think after the first one snapped off they would have thought something was up and the second one would have really given them pause.
I had a recall on my Saturn and had to drive 2 hours to Vegas to getrdun. They fixed both taillights in a timely manor and were very nice. Wait! I already replaced 1 taillight at the cost of $125. Well that was before the recall and it was a second request, not the primary. WTF! It's alot longer uglier story than that but they never paid up. :lemon:
Another Saturn dealer in Vegas worked on the trans of the same Saturn while it was under extended warranty. 2 weeks later the front axle came apart. Oh, that happens all the time. Cost me $100 for the deductible and had to go pick it up. Sometimes you get tired of fighting city hall and just give up on the manufacturer. :lemon:
Bought our Honda over a year ago and haven't had the oppurtunity to bring it in for anything.
Sorry tidester, that's the best I can do. :shades:
When I went to Honda factory training a young kid was assigned to install a camshaft and rocker assembly in a cylinder head. He did it all and as he was using a torque wrench on the 8 mm bolts in the head, he broke every single one. Trouble was, the service manual showed the torque in inch-pound and he used a torque wrench calibrated in foot-pounds. This could happen to anyone, but most of us would stop after the first broken bolt - this dude just kept snapping them off, one after the other.
Details, details! Who has time to mess with 'em??
tidester, host
Wow, you really are British, aren't you?
A bloody spanner!
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Also I sell a lot of vehicles to either british citizens living in the US and I spend so much time talking to them that a lot of times I end up picking up the slang and sometimes even the accent.
Just for example our territory includes part of New York and so I have sold a fair number of cars to people that live in New York but I have sold my cars to people from Scotland.
Fast forward a few years, and a different 2WD Dodge Dakota. I went to an independent shop for an advertised oil change special. They told me that they preferred appointments, but they could fit me in anyway. I said no problem, lets make an appointment, and I'll come back when it's convenient for you. No, that wont be nessesary, but in the future, make an appointment. O.K., so after waiting about 45 minutes, nobody has done anything in the shop. My truck is right were I left it, and I've read all the old magazines laying around. I asked how much longer they'd be and the response was that they couldn't just squeeze me in without an appointment, but they should be able to get to it soon. Again, I offered to make an appointment for some other time, but they said no, they can get to me very shortly. Finally, after about an hour & a half, the job is done. When I go to pay, I am reminded again to make an appointment for an oil & filter change. Their ad didn't make any mention of appointments, and there was not a single vehicle in any bay the entire time I was there.
Say what you want about Saturn automobiles, but my mother has a '94 SL1 that she bought from Olathe Saturn and their service has always been first rate. They have never tried to sell her anything she didn't need, and have gone beyond the call of duty to take care of her concerns.
I had a bad and good customer service experience with a grease monkey a few years back. I take my Olds Cutlass Supreme into the local Firestone for a tire rotation. Well, after I get home I notice one of my hubcaps missing and two or the remaining three are not seated properly. I call Firestone and tell the manager I believe the service tech, or grease monkey, didn't secure my hubcaps properly when doing my tire rotation. He takes responsibility and says to bring in a receipt for another hubcap and he will reimburse me. I go to the Hubcap King and get a used hubcap, take it to the dealer, and I am reimbursed in cold hard cash.
Looking back it probably would have been nice for the manager to offer to give me a free oil change to compensate me for my time and trouble in getting a new hubcap. But, at the time I was happy just to be reimbursed without being given a bunch of b.s.
Mine was a 2000 LS2. I was second owner. Fortunately the first owner bought an extended warranty. You wouldn't think it would be needed when you're paying for a car that cost over $25k new.
Between the 2 of us we had a stack of repair orders that probably killed a few trees. The day I bought it, the check engine light came on. Good thing I knew the 1st owner. Cost him over $800 in repairs that weren't covered by warranty, mostly electrical.
Part of that was something in the trans that set off a fault code and that's when a couple weeks later the front axle came apart.
Another time was an antifreeze leak. I looked into it and said it was a water pump. I have to drive 2 hours to the nearest saturn dealer. When I picked the car up, they replaced the intake gasket. It's common, they say. Well, I drive home and the water pump lets go. Now it's just out of warranty by a few hundred miles and they give me a hard time. They did take care of it and detailed the car, oil change etc.
All this happens to a car with less than 60k miles. :lemon:
When I finally try to sell the car, I don't get one phone call. Turns out the 1st year of the L series was quite the :lemon:
I ended up trading the car in and the day I drive to San Diego, the A/C clutch goes bad. I still hate that car.
jipster, you said it!
I brought 3 of my vehicles to the local Big O tire dealer and even gave them a $10 tip to make sure I had the same tech and all my cars were well cared for, no door dings, greasy handles, etc.
All went well except for the Mustang when they beat out the center hubcaps with a rubber mallet. I guess the good part is they didn't use a 5# sledge. Either way they were all ruined. They say, just come back and we'll give you new ones. I should have called after the first time they didn't have them.
Here's the best part. The Mustang had a vibration so they re-balanced the tires. Guess what? Dented everyone of the new hubcaps. :confuse:
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
We have a local quik oil change chain called, "Hippo". Don't have the foggiest as to why...maybe the hippo is the owners favorite zoo animal.