OT: Completely lost it today. Gotta VENT...

[COBALT]

Oh, I'm still angry about this:

My wife goes to leave this morning for work. The battery's dead in the '99 Jetta she drives. Not really a problem, until I push it out of the garage, open the hood, and pull the battery cover. Corroded, leaking, and melting. No charge. None. I could tell it had been slowly corroding itself to death.

Since I just paid a bundle having the 40K mile checkup (like the 60K checkup for other cars) and by looking at the battery I could tell it had NEVER been serviced I called the dealership to find out what is going on (This car is under extended warranty-I'm stuck having the dealership service it-There's a lot to it I wouldn't know anyway). I figured they could at least help me solve the problem, since I was now stuck with a car that needed a new battery, and it was blocking the driveway we share with the neighbors. I at least figured they would be willing to bring out a battery that I would pay for...

I asked them if they could help me out. They told me no way, so I informed them of my displeasure of spending alot of $ and having a bad battery. This is what happened:

The service guy (not a mechanic) starts making excuses: "well...these batteries never last more than 3 years...blah blah blah". I had the 40K service sheet in front of me, and they checked-off the electrical system (last time I checked the battery was apart of that). I asked him if he thought it was reasonable for someone (me) to lay down over $900 to have all of this other crap done (belts, plugs, coolant, thermostat, etc.), but nobody thought of pulling the battery cover and taking a peak to see if the battery was delivering amps, or holding a charge, or NOT MELTING? He gives me arogant attitude like I don't know anything: "Well...I know a little something about cars, sir, and I know that blah blah blah...". Patronizing. More excuses.

He didn'offer to help. He didn't sound concerned. He didn't give a rat's a$$. He didn't offer any solution other than "you can just have it towed over here and maybe we'll take a look at it for you sometime today"...Bullsh!t. I had to get to work!

I simply lost it. I've had so many problems with these idiots they simply had to know how I saw their chicken sh!t operation. I blasted the guy, and when his manager was on the phone I blasted him too. I told them they ought to be kissing my a$$ to get me in there, since I'm paying that kind of $ instead of trying to bully me around and tell me what's best is to simply hand over my money and keep my mouth shut.

These bozos think I don't have a choice, like I can't simply take my service elsewhere! For some reason they don't seem to realize that my happiness is all that's important. I'm a customer. I'm not obligated to take crap from them, and that it's my money, and if I don't want to take the car to them I don't have to.

Sad thing is this: if they were willing to help me to begin with I never would have gotten angry with them. All they had to do was offer some kind of help (to show they considered me a good customer). Instead they forced me to fix the situation myself:

I walked 25 blocks up to the commuter park-n-ride my wife took the truck, went to the store and bought a battery, drove home, and put it in the car. I wasted the entire day, and was forced to take a day off (which I didn't want to do) to get this situation fixed. I had to carry batteries all over the damn place, and figure out how to pull their battery tray, take out the trim, and reconnect everything once I got the new one in (of course a special tool was involved).

If they simply were willing to help me out I could have had it fixed and been at work at 8:00 this morning. But NO-we had to do it the hard way. I told them I'm never stepping foot in their service office again. They didn't seem to care, so I guess everyone's happy.



------------------
'69 3/4 ton C20 2wd w/ 350ci/400THM and a wood bed!
'69 3/4 ton Custom 20 2wd w/ ORIGINAL 350ci/4sp Manual and a wood bed (parts beast).
Seattle, WA.

*See pics of my trucks and project at www.webshots.com!

[Bo]

If it is a VW dealership or a even if it is another dealership e-mail you complaint to their headquarters over and over till you get an answer. Call the headquarters till you get an answer that you want to hear. Take out a spot in your local paper and explain the problem and how they did you wrong(but don't slander;would hate for the A$$holes to sue you for somethiing they did wrong)I work for a large Corp. and we hate to hear that some jackass is not treating our customers right. Simply ***** till you find someone at VW that will do something about it. Just my .02

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'67 Chevy SWB 454/400 under construction covers one city block!

[COBALT]

Thanks. I'm at least going to bug VW about it.

No pun intended.

------------------
'69 3/4 ton C20 2wd w/ 350ci/400THM and a wood bed!
'69 3/4 ton Custom 20 2wd w/ ORIGINAL 350ci/4sp Manual and a wood bed (parts beast).
Seattle, WA.

*See pics of my trucks and project at www.webshots.com!


[This message has been edited by new69owner (edited April 01, 2002).]

[REPO1]

I feel your pain man, my local Chevy dealership is like that. I have actually been almost to the point of going over the counter after the guys there. They had me madder than a ***************!

I hate dealerships, and thus don't think I will buy anything new again.

------------------
Sylvan Lake, Alberta, Canada

1970 Chevy C20 Custom Camper
#s matching 402BB Turbo 400 trans.
Air conditioning, power steering, manual brakes.
73,600 Original Miles!!
(Add on 2000 more from raod trip!)

[Randy70C-10]

Everyone's happy but you. You paid for a service and got crap. Sorry, but I'd be going to the local newspaper if I were you so everyone can hear your side of the story.

------------------
Yeah, that's right. My name is Randy too!
WWW.Randysrods.freeservers.com
1970 Chevy C-10 shortstep
30 Ford Model A Coupe 4 inch chop, 350, GMC 671 blower-Hell yeah it's fast!
87 Harley Sportster(couldnt get a 350 to fit)
Self Propelled Lawn Mower
Built in USA!!!!

Virginia Beach, VA.

[70cst]

See if they have a Regional Manager. Most car companies have people who handle these situations. Call another VW dealership and ask who the contact person is. You might be surprised with the help you will get. You might see some good old fashioned dealership competition.
Good Luck,
Regards,
Dewayne 70cst

[Pont]

I see it everyday. Customer service seems to keep getting worse. I worked retail over 15 years and it never used to be like this. I'm lucky, I used to work in the auto parts industry for about 6 years and know most of the people in parts and service at both of my GM dealers. They always bend over backwards looking up obsolete resto parts for me. These guys are the best!

------------------
67 SWB 4x4 - 396 BB / SM420 4 spd
8" lift / 15x14 Welds & 35X14.5 SSR's
Grants Pass, OR

[nucleus]

to understand this behavior you need to know how auto dealerships work:

sales are so competitive that all the profit is in repairs

the so-called 'mechanics' are on piece work - they get paid by the job rather than by the hour. they get a fixed amount for a certain type of job no matter how long it takes them to do the work

management encourages mechanics to throw parts at the car - the more parts they put on the higher the profit

did you ever hear about the guy who priced a $12,000 car from parts ordered from a dealer? I think it was close to $90,000

finally, if they actually fixed anything, you'd wouldn't have to go back, and they couldn't make any more off you ...

find that little book in the glove box with the corporate HQ and start making calls and writing letters. be sure to mention your 'friend' at the dealership by name

if you are feeling really extreme, paint some slogans on the windows and park it in front of the dealership - that'll get their attention real quick

------------------
: 69 C20
: anything with tits or wheels is nothing but trouble ...

[PanelDeland]

I saw a new Dodge in about 76 that had a sign in the window."----- Dodge didn't properly service my truck and now won't stand behind their work."Bad PR is the worst thing a dealership can have.If you buy a new car from a dealer and have trouble with it in some states there are lemon laws, that will protect the customer.Some cities also have consumer advocates in the media who will help get these type problems straightened out.
I had a new truck in "90 that had a body leak.Since the dealer knew he would only be paid what the manufacturer allowed,they claimed it wasn't covered.This truck had less than 15,000 miles on it.Luckily my buddy is a mechanic at the other dealership and he gave me the name of the district service manager.Seems like all you have to do is ask for the district managers phone number and you become the most important person in the service managers life.

------------------
Deland does Chevys 68Chevy panel(LIZ)
"A man and his truck,it's a beautiful thing"
"I have the body of a god,unfortunately it's Budda"

[Reumster]

Don't feel to bad, I left my 96 Neon at a dealership, and the entire stereo sytem was stoled in the parking lot! About 1000.00 worth. And I had to pull teeth just to get them to pay for the work I had done! Plus they had told me that they would make up the difference in cash but never got a dime.

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1972 2wd Blazer, 350/700R4/3:73 posi/NOS. Power is nothing without control!

[Bo]

A guy a few years ago bought a (I think) 90 Ford Tempo (great choice,not) and only had problems with it and the dealer didn't stand behind the car so the guy took a new car had it painted bright yellow and had a sign made that said I bought this lemon @ so and so dealership. I wish I knew how the story ended anyone know?

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'67 Chevy SWB 454/400 under construction covers one city block!

[Eddie H.]

Believe me, I can understand how you feel.
I have been working for car and truck dealerships for the past 30 years, and they have gotten much worse in recent years. I could write a book about the things I've seen. What's worse is that many of them now are owned by mega corporations ( who might own several hundred dealerships) The only thing they're interested in is bottom line PROFIT. Most service advisors know absolutely nothing about a car, and couldn't care less about you or your car. ( last week they were selling aluminum siding, or vacuum cleaners ) Their only job is to SELL!!!!
which means picking the customer up by the heels and shaking them until every penny falls out. A lot of the service packages they push is just FLUFF. If you read closely, they don't actually do much except maybe an oil change, and tire rotation. Everything else is just "INSPECT" belts,hoses battery, exhaust system, etc. These jobs are usually done by a minimum wage "Lube Goober" who just checks off the checklist without actually looking at anything. All the good experienced techs ,if they actually have any,( we're getting veeerrry scarce) are usually kept busy doing the other high tech stuff.
It's Too bad that in today's world, right and wrong is measured in dollars and cents.

------------------
69 GMC LWB 404/400 daily driver
71 GMC LWB 350/700R4 frame-up restoration in progress

[my new 72]

The guy was right about the Autobahn Batteries that come in the VW's. They are ****, and do eat themselves from the inside out. A very common problem indeed. That may be why he was unconcerned with your problem. I don't know. I have had to call my local VW dealership and ream the service writers ass because he spoke to my wife like she was five years old and told her that she didn't know what she was talking about because she was a woman. When I finished I asked him what the problem was with the car, he said that it was exactly what she said it was. I then gave him her work number and he called and apologized to her and gave her a free oil change. I know her car well because I do all the maintenance on it myself, and when I give her info it is not incorrect. The only reason I did not fix the thermo swith myself was that I had to work. It just goes to show that I should have waited to do it myself. Atleast I know its done right when I do it.

[COBALT]

WOW! What a response. Thanks a ton guys for replying. You've made me feel better just giving me your .02.

Believe me I'm going to write their corp. regional manager. I'm going to keep writing him until he's sick of hearing from me. And when I'm done with that I'm going up.

As for the revenge I believe its all about the amount of time you spend. I honestly believe they revel in wasting as much as the customer's time as possible (considering time = money for a lot of us). Therefore, I'm seriously considering NOT wasting any more. There is a local TV station (KING 5) that revels in consumer alert specials. Screw the paper I'm going to call the TV station.

As for their "customer satisfaction" and consumer ratings that's a whole other story:

When I first took my car into this service dept. about a year and a half ago they actually did a kick-ass job. Next thing I know I get a survey from JD Powers & Assoc. in the mail asking me to give feedback. I actually did fill out the survey, because I went through the same frustrations with the dealership I originally bought the car from and was switching over. Funny thing happened after that. Their tech. service has always been relatively good, but their front-counter guys have gotten worse and worse, but I never got another survey! Even if I did wouldn't I just crumple it up and not wasting any more time with them? They even have the consumer protection associations fooled! It's all a gag.

Then, when I'm telling them their customer service blows they shoot back: "well that's strange! Where one of the highest rated service departments in the country!" I bet if they sent surveys to all of their customers that have taken their vehicles to them at least 5 times they'd get MUCH different results.

Thanks again.

------------------
'69 3/4 ton C20 2wd w/ 350ci/400THM and a wood bed!
'69 3/4 ton Custom 20 2wd w/ ORIGINAL 350ci/4sp Manual and a wood bed (parts beast).
Seattle, WA.

*See pics of my trucks and project at www.webshots.com!

[Alex Hayley]

I have a VW as well. I have also stopped taking it into the VW shop to have work done on it. I have been soooooo unimpressed with their service that I do all the work I can on it myself. Not looking forward to something I can't handle happening. Good luck with your campaign...

[brad2]

Opps I just bought a Volkswagon today. I put my deposit on the new GTI 337. Anyway a call to the regional manager usually will get thier attention. When I sold cars I even had to call the regional manager on my own service dept. It got thier attention.

[ty1295]

my buddy has had great luck with VW also

NOT
www.nielhuffman.com

------------------
Jeff Scott
'70 GMC Stepside, Short box
'67 Camaro
'63 Nova
'92 GMC typhoon

[daveo68]

My brother had a 84 Honda Prelude that got tore up pretty bad in a hailstorm. He didn't have it but 2-3 months, took it back to dealership for body repair. When he went to pick it up the body work and paint was terrible, he told the bodyshop manager he would not accept it. They painted it again,it looked worst than the first time. He went to the owner of the dealership and was told they would get it right. He went to pick it up and it looked brand new the owner had fired the whole bodyshop and manager because they had been getting so many complaints.

------------------
68 C-10 Custom LWB
307 V8
Three-on-the-tree
Lexington,NC
davideowens@lexcominc.net

[Project1970]

That's the only thing that bugs me about German cars, as well-designed as they are, it seems they purposely make some things difficult (like sealing that battery up like that). I mean, if it had an open battery box, you'd have noticed the crappy battery long ago and gotten it replaced.

My dad's Benz (1997 E320) is the same way; an oilchange is an ordeal thanks to the undertray! The battery itself is 1) HUGE and 2) stuffed under the backseat... Brakes take a while, partially thanks to the admittedly-nifty wearsensors (they're not squealers, but sensors that fit in a slot in the pads...when they get exposed/wear, they complete a circuit and trigger an indicator on the dashboard computer)

I know how you feel, too. My mom's had her 1997 Suburban in for a few things lately...things that should've been covered under one of the warranties (we've got a few on it), and yet they "weren't"...I think she's got a few screws loose or something, but she won't show me the dealer record for what they did regarding the brakes (it DID get rid of some nasty vibrations) and she won't tell me why she didn't use her $50 deductible on both the $600 she got hit with out of the $1000 total it cost when the Dex-Crap clogged the radiator up, or on the what I estimate is well over $1000 of 'brake work'...

...grrrr, between those and what she's getting offa my dad in alimony, that's a ZZ4 for my truck I could've and should've had. dammit, now I'm more pissed than when I started this post.

------------------
Project 1970 - soon to be seen at http://milhouse.treylis.org:81/

[O'l Buck]

I've got 3 words for you...Better Buisiness Bureau!!!! threaten them, works every time.

------------------
'72 Chevy 1/2T 4x4 shortbox stepside 350/350auto on '84
ralleys and 31/10.5s

67 Cutlass convertible
330, 3spd stick

90 GMC Jimmy
350/auto
Chad Stephens
Orleans,NE

[True Blue '72]

I have been in the sales/service/repair business for 30 years.

I know how you feel. It seems as though the Service people want to intimidate you into not making such a big deal out of their inadequacies. (Not doing their job)

Scheduling is set by an ignorant person who enjoys being called "Service Manager" and likes to direct partially trained Technicians who are paid flat rate. They skip over things that should be checked. Sometimes they get caught.

At most dealerships "Mediocre" is todays standard.
The good guys (Service Technicians)follow the disciplines of the trade and do not perform as fast as the guys that do not check everything on the checklist.
The good guys wind up with less pay and more ridicule. Go Figure!

[chevy72402]

I worked at a repair shop and a buddy of mine works at a repair facility.... If you don't fix it right the first time you catch heat from the boss, customer and everyone down the line. He apparently thinks that everyone is out to get him (typical liberal attitude) I can vouch that if the mechanic is ASE certified and has done this any amount of times he would be out of a job in no time flat and a shop that is ASE certified that would do this time and time again would loose their certification...
And I am ASE certified in 4 areas only 4 more to go to be a master technician

[blue_69]

i have come to the conclusion that this is a common trend these days. You pay top dollar for services that are often fair at best and you get treated poorly too.. IT DRIVES ME CRAZY maybe this is why i have headaches on a daily basis.

[woodrow59]

check your extended warrenty,,,,,,,,,lots of dealers farm these out to 3rd party companies. You may have to go to that company,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but like everyone else said your best bet is to compain to VW and complain about the dealer and the company owning your extended warrenty.

check out this site

http://www.myvwlemon.com/cgi-bin/ubb...000&LastLogin=

or here,,,,,


http://drivergear.vw.com/customerservice/default.asp

[imdarren]

HERE IS THE PROBLEM!!
It seems like in the old days, dealerships cared about REPEAT BUSINESS!!
NO LONGER!! THOSE DAYS ARE OVER!!!
They sadly only care about one sale. They think we can't remember how the service was, and we will still buy from them at the next purchase time.
THET ARE SADLY MISTAKING!!
I guess there are so many people lined up to buy VW,s that they don't care about your repeat business.

I have an idea.
See how long this thread gets. Then e-mail the thread to a Corporate VW person. Be sure to mention the dealership you delt with, and the Service Manager by name!

There is a saying. Somthing like, a dissatisfied customer will tell MANY MANY people about a bad experience, but a satisfied customer will only tell a few people.
Sooo.... You would think a dealership wouldn't want to piss poeple off!!

Darren