QuestionRoughly 2 months ago, I purchased a very nice used car from a nice dealership. On the test drive I saw the check engine light on and was informed that the O2 sensor needed to be replaced. They gave me an "we owe" order contract to fix. Well I went back 2 days later and was told to come back when the part comes in. Well this went on for 2 weeks of me driving back and forth. I then got an appointment for a Saturday at 9am. When I arrived to drop car off, there was no one there to take my car. I called the dealer who sold me it and he stated the mechanic should have been there. Set me another appointment for 2 weeks out. Dropped off the car, 7 hours later they said it was done. Got in the car and the light was still on. They said it was the turbo sensor now.
Well I have now been there 13 times, Called them over 20 times. I don't get call backs when i do speak to someone. It is now 60 days since I bought the car.
What can I do to get this fixed. Can I bring it to a Saab Dealership and have them fix it and bill the dealership I purchased it from? Or take them to court?
Answer
car guy
Hi Todd …sorry to hear about the inexcusable conduct you are having to endure from the dealer you bought your car from. Give me just a second to go on a little rant and then I will get to what steps you should take to obtain a satisfactory resolution to this totally avoidable customer service fiasco.
I talk with dealers all over the US almost every day for one reason or another and I belong to a zillion online and real life industry groups and every year the U.S. auto industry spends millions and millions of dollars on every conceivable software application and outside 3rd party service providers, customer satisfaction polling companies, internal business development centers, customer loyalty programs, etc etc . etc . and all stops in between ….all for 1 reason and 1 reason alone! … To make after every single contact they have with their dealerships they are able to say they are completely satisfied after every single contact they have with their dealerships and as a result to build the value of their own local branding and turn every customer …a customer for life! If you only knew how many times I receive emails and phone calls and questions just like yours from angry people who are really fed up with the after sale treatment they receive ensuring that they will never do business with that dealer again. It all boils down to a total lack of professionalism and follow through on the front lines of automotive retailing. In a business that is already inherently wrought with peril or the potential for peril wouldn’t you think that anyone with a working brain would do everything possible to avoid the easy mistakes?
Whew! Thanks ….I needed to get that off my chest. Now regarding the lying, mouth breathing, pond scum who are wasting your time and raising your blood pressure, here is what I would do if I were in your shoes to get your car repairs done to your satisfaction:
1.I would call the dealership and ask the receptionist (or if she isn’t helpful) the office manager or a back office person to give you the owners name and email address. (You didn’t say if you did business with a franchise dealer or an independent dealer? You will have more leverage with a franchise dealer) but either way … I would immediately fire off an email to the “Dealer Principle/Owner” and in that email I would calmly and firmly lay out the experience you have had so far and make sure you name names …it’s OK to voice your frustration but for best results avoid all ad hominems …no reason to give anyone a reason to paint you as anything but the victim of the employees you dealt with. Tell the dealer exactly what you would like to have happen to resolve the issue and let him know that his people are dropping the ball and you would rather be the guy saying good things about his store than bad things. Make sure you give him a time frame you expect to hear back from him by (no more than a day or two) I always wrap letters like that up with something like …”as a businessman I understand that even the best plans can go sour … it’s an unavoidable part of doing business …the hallmark of a good businessman is how they handle things when the inevitable ball gets dropped to make their customers happy”
2.If you bought the car from a little ‘rock lot’ with no service facility of their own or are already dealing with the owner and he is part of the problem then I would drive over to the dealership and walk right in and firmly and politely tell him you are all done wasting any additional time gas or money waiting for his people to get it together so his store can meet it’s contractual obligation to you and ask him what his plan is for making you happy by fixing your car because if he has no plan then you will skip to the next alternative to get it done (implying legal)
3.You can go to the Saab dealer and get it fixed but by doing so you are guaranteeing that the originating dealer will never pay you back for the repair bill short of taking him to small claims… he will use it as his wiggle room by saying “we said we would fix it in our shop and the customer got impatient and aggressive while we were waiting for parts and took it somewhere else” I know what you are thinking… Vomit!
4.The newest “must have” thing we as dealers are spending big money on are reputation management services and software. I would make sure there was no misunderstanding of what your intentions are should you be required to sue him in small claims court … an all out assault on his online reputation by writing about your experiences and posting them everywhere you can (Chamber sites, BBB, and the two silver bullets …craigslist and “ripoff report”. One of the people who had a similar experience as you and a dealer who didn’t ‘get it’ who posted an announcement on craigslist everyday saying “don’t buy a car from so and so they will rip you off “and after 2-3 weeks they fixed it. Please be aware that once you post anything on rip off report it can never be deleted …they won’t do it and have won every single court challenge to their no delete policy they have ever had.
5.Last but not least record everything that has transpired in a spiral notebook and file in small claims court against the dealer and the dealership (not legal advice) … there is no single piece of correspondence you can send a dealer that will generate the same response as a summons… but most of all DONOT LET HIM WEAR YOU DOWN OR GET AWAY WITH IT! PLEASE!
My personal email address is roadloans@gmail.com feel free to ask me any follow up questions you might have or to supply me with additional information because I am with you on this until you are completely satisfied with what I have told you no matter how long it takes so when allexperts sends you a survey you will have no problem giving me all 10’s. Also please let me know when you get the result and the repairs you have been promised.
Roger
PS if they are now saying that it isn’t an O2 sensor and it’s something else more serious and expensive then the we owe telling you they will fix an O2 sensor is also their representation that they re[presented to you that it was the problem and they need to pay to fix whatever it is that’s wrong and throwing those codes
