Stealership service

jellyrug

jellyrug

Donating Member
Registered
DMV inspection my motorcycles go to my Toyota dealership, the charge me $14 a pop which is great.

But then there is the dealership.

DMV inspection on my truck I ask them to replace one of the bulbs in the cargo light.
They tell me it will cost $350 as they have to take the roof trim apart to get to the bulb.
Whaaaat?
Go home take the lens off and the tech broke the bulb base off in the fitting. Took me about 5 minutes to dig it out and a new bulb for $2.

I am back here now they are doing DMV on the Busa.

What would you do?

I feel sorry for joe public who has no technical skills and believes what is told.
 
I'd speak to the service manager. If I didn't get a satisfactory response I'd speak to the general manager. Did they quote you the $350 in writing?
 
Sounds crazy! I try to avoid dealer or shops as much as possible. Unless I really know and trust them.
Ask them to see the labor rate in time for that job. Warranty time is always less than customer pay though. Most mechanics don't like warranty work.
 
Mr Brown said:
I'd speak to the service manager. If I didn't get a satisfactory response I'd speak to the general manager. Did they quote you the $350 in writing?
Click to expand...
Yep I have the quote in writing.
This is really hard to believe, but trust me I am not Bsting.

I spoke to the service advisor who did not really understand how to change a light bulb, so he had difficulty in understanding. So we called the mechanic who was a young arrogant kid. His reply was that he was the one who recommended the work, but he was not the one who attempted to remove the bulb and break the the base off into the light fitting.

Think I am going to leave it there and go speak to the branch manager when I go back with the second bike this afternoon.

My take will basically be: “How do I trust you with selling me two new vehicles, which are overdue, If your service department does not have the necessary skills to change a light bulb?”

Good thing is the parts guy gave me a bulb free, I dug out the old one and replaced it, but Wow, I feel it is my duty to protect the public against these folks.

They say a bad customer just walks away and never returns, a good customer complains and works with the dealer to fix the issue.

I guess I am trying to be a good customer.
 
I think you're handling it correctly, giving them a chance to rectify the situation. I would make sure that upper management are aware of the fact that you have a written quote for an exorbitant amount, and that while you have no plans at this time to make that public, you wouldn't want anyone else to be taken advantage of.
 
If you raise a stink I wouldn’t take your vehicles back to that place.....:crazy:

I have friends who are mechanics and worked in local and national shops. It’s no different than at a restaurant. Don’t think that your food is handled and prepared the same way if you’ve bitched and complained about service or sent it back. Vehicles are no different. Not saying they are gonna cut your brake lines or put sugar in your tank. But...... especially if they got younger techs working on your stuff!!!! Good luck

I recently had an issue with a shop. Been going there for almost a decade. Last year or so management and the lead tech quit. Place went downhill after that. They tried to give me the run around on something they were supposed to do and I wouldn’t accept their bullsh@t. So I took my truck and left. Called corporate and filed a formal complaint. Told em I didn’t want $$$ or coupons etc. just wanted to make them aware of their piss poor establishment. That was nail in the coffin for me I’ll never go back cause I’m sure they’ll be hearing from the Big Wigs and put 2 and 2 together
 
To close this issue I had a long meeting this afternoon with both the General Manager and the Service Manager. The GM said all the right things a good manager would say and was embarrassed.

In my days in the automotive business, we use to pick the best Service techs, teach them people skills, promote them to service managers and service advisors and put them on salary. They use to deal with the customers, manage and train the service techs and test drive the vehicle before it goes back to the customer.

In this instance, the Service Manager has little technical knowledge and Service Advisors have none. That is the problem in my opinion.
 
jellyrug said:
In this instance, the Service Manager has little technical knowledge and Service Advisors have none. That is the problem in my opinion.
Click to expand...
That is definitely an issue, I deal with it everyday at work. My service manager has worked every department we have over the last 20 years and was thrown into his current position and only recently started understanding a little of what us mechanics explain to him which causes all kinds of miscommunication and upset mechanics and customers. And they just let anyone write up our work orders which makes the techs job 3 times as hard. I think you definitely went about it the right way as I probably wouldn't have held my temper and caused a scene over it. Well done sir:bowdown:
 
Took my mother’s car to econo lube for a cheap oil change. They told me the tranny needed work , I said it seemed ok when I brought it in. They said you might not make it home, sure enough it slipped on the way home. Found out they drained it, put in 3 1/2 quarts of fluid and never had any trouble. Told everyone I know to stay away from these crooks. They went out of business.
 
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