Fix Or Repair Daily
Yeah, that seems to be the case as of late. We're not getting the Crossfire. Not because of my fantastic moral support but because the wife didn't like the plan. I guess I don't see myself driving one to work anyway, but it would have been cool for a little while.
I have to share this story mostly because I have to vent. It all started last Friday as you may have read. Saturday when we went and test drove the Crossfire we were near the Ford Dealership that "fixed" the hot wifes Crustang last time so we paid their service department a visit. I know most of you are thinking that I went in guns blazing and threatened to shove a broken Ford in their broken ass. I didn't. I just went in, told them about the problem very calm like. Then they started in "Oh, I didn't write the ticket on that one. We'll have to see it. The part is guaranteed for 12 months. What have you done to it? How many miles are on it? Are you sure you haven't done anything to it? We don't normally get the Mustangs back with that problem a second time."
A SECOND TIME??? It's like they know it's going to happen once but the second one is the shocker here. Are you kidding me? It gets better.
They make us an appointment to bring the car in Monday to get it worked on so since I'm off on Monday I get up early and bring the car in. I show up and they start this mess again "Well, I wasn't here Saturday and the guy that wrote your ticket isn't here yet. I can't do anything about it. You didn't talk to me when you came in last because I wasn't here." Shifting the blame. Bitchin. After a few minutes they notice that I had blocked off the heater core and removed the clamps so it's now puking anti-freeze all over their shop floor. This has somehow gotten their attention because now they have to clean it before anyone else can come in. Then they start the usual runaround again. "Your appointment isn't until Tuesday, but I didn't write the ticket so that is someone else's problem." Either way, the car is there and now they get to deal with it.
Last night I get a call from Gary the service writer. I've actually had several conversations with Gary this week, but this one was the best. They had excuses on why the car hadn't been fixed all week. Last night I get a message from Gary The Service Writer that says "Raul, the uh...Mustang..um...isn't fixed. They...uh...sent us the wrong part....so...uh...the...um...heater core isn't fixed yet...because...um...we have the wrong part....umm...well...that is what it is, I can't do anything about it...so...uh...hopefully tomorrow. I'll let you know." That was no lie his message word for word. It is what it is. IT IS WHAT IT IS? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
This morning Gary The Service Writer calls again. This time the Crustang is fixed. In the back of my mind I think the way they've been acting is because they know they've messed up. I think last time it was serviced instead of replacing the heater core they patched it. I called them on that this morning. "Thanks Gary, glad to know the car is fixed. Any chance I can see the old heater core? I'd like to see where it failed and why before it's discarded." Gary went nuts. It was like he'd been sleeping at his desk going through the motions and I'd just hit him with a 12 volt battery and a set of jumper cables. "Uh...ss-s-sssiir...uh you can't take that with you. We have to send that back to Ford because it was...um..defective...so th-th-the manufacturer HAS to have that back...you can't keep it, we can't keep it. No one keeps it. Ford g-gets it." I said I wasn't interested in keeping it. I wanted to see it for myself and see what the issue is. Silence. Silence so quiet I thought he'd hung up. Then he goes "Well..uh...I think uh...it was put in the bin that goes back to Ford this morning. I'll double check but if it's in the bin to be returned I can't do anything about it. You can't keep it anyway." I've yet to pick the car up but I'll keep you posted on how that goes. Yes Gary The Service Writer...that means Raul is paying you a visit today. You'd better have your best excuses ready.
After the car is back home, I'm sending Ford a letter to let them know how we feel. To me, this is a problem that the big three American manufacturers have to face. Not so much quality, or repairs but service. Any thing that is mass produced is subject to some kind of defect or problem. It's how the company handles the problem that matters. I've in my life had one of each of the three in my family. Personally I'm all Chrysler until I die. All three of these American Manufacturers have screwed us over in some way shape or form. If this had been a Toyota Camry, the service writer would have said he was sorry, fixed the car and never once tried to pass the blame. In those companies that's not acceptable. In American companies, they'd rather spend more time doing that than fixing the fucking problem. They wonder "Why have our sales dropped so much? What is the problem?" Service. The problem is service. That will probably be the end of one of the big three in our lifetime if they don't step up and fix it. Toyota is out for world domination and we're pretty much opening the door to it here. We have to fix this problem and we have to fix it fast. When I get the car today, I'm copying and pasting this exact blog and sending it to Ford Corporate. I'll let everyone know how that goes.
I have to share this story mostly because I have to vent. It all started last Friday as you may have read. Saturday when we went and test drove the Crossfire we were near the Ford Dealership that "fixed" the hot wifes Crustang last time so we paid their service department a visit. I know most of you are thinking that I went in guns blazing and threatened to shove a broken Ford in their broken ass. I didn't. I just went in, told them about the problem very calm like. Then they started in "Oh, I didn't write the ticket on that one. We'll have to see it. The part is guaranteed for 12 months. What have you done to it? How many miles are on it? Are you sure you haven't done anything to it? We don't normally get the Mustangs back with that problem a second time."
A SECOND TIME??? It's like they know it's going to happen once but the second one is the shocker here. Are you kidding me? It gets better.
They make us an appointment to bring the car in Monday to get it worked on so since I'm off on Monday I get up early and bring the car in. I show up and they start this mess again "Well, I wasn't here Saturday and the guy that wrote your ticket isn't here yet. I can't do anything about it. You didn't talk to me when you came in last because I wasn't here." Shifting the blame. Bitchin. After a few minutes they notice that I had blocked off the heater core and removed the clamps so it's now puking anti-freeze all over their shop floor. This has somehow gotten their attention because now they have to clean it before anyone else can come in. Then they start the usual runaround again. "Your appointment isn't until Tuesday, but I didn't write the ticket so that is someone else's problem." Either way, the car is there and now they get to deal with it.
Last night I get a call from Gary the service writer. I've actually had several conversations with Gary this week, but this one was the best. They had excuses on why the car hadn't been fixed all week. Last night I get a message from Gary The Service Writer that says "Raul, the uh...Mustang..um...isn't fixed. They...uh...sent us the wrong part....so...uh...the...um...heater core isn't fixed yet...because...um...we have the wrong part....umm...well...that is what it is, I can't do anything about it...so...uh...hopefully tomorrow. I'll let you know." That was no lie his message word for word. It is what it is. IT IS WHAT IT IS? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
This morning Gary The Service Writer calls again. This time the Crustang is fixed. In the back of my mind I think the way they've been acting is because they know they've messed up. I think last time it was serviced instead of replacing the heater core they patched it. I called them on that this morning. "Thanks Gary, glad to know the car is fixed. Any chance I can see the old heater core? I'd like to see where it failed and why before it's discarded." Gary went nuts. It was like he'd been sleeping at his desk going through the motions and I'd just hit him with a 12 volt battery and a set of jumper cables. "Uh...ss-s-sssiir...uh you can't take that with you. We have to send that back to Ford because it was...um..defective...so th-th-the manufacturer HAS to have that back...you can't keep it, we can't keep it. No one keeps it. Ford g-gets it." I said I wasn't interested in keeping it. I wanted to see it for myself and see what the issue is. Silence. Silence so quiet I thought he'd hung up. Then he goes "Well..uh...I think uh...it was put in the bin that goes back to Ford this morning. I'll double check but if it's in the bin to be returned I can't do anything about it. You can't keep it anyway." I've yet to pick the car up but I'll keep you posted on how that goes. Yes Gary The Service Writer...that means Raul is paying you a visit today. You'd better have your best excuses ready.
After the car is back home, I'm sending Ford a letter to let them know how we feel. To me, this is a problem that the big three American manufacturers have to face. Not so much quality, or repairs but service. Any thing that is mass produced is subject to some kind of defect or problem. It's how the company handles the problem that matters. I've in my life had one of each of the three in my family. Personally I'm all Chrysler until I die. All three of these American Manufacturers have screwed us over in some way shape or form. If this had been a Toyota Camry, the service writer would have said he was sorry, fixed the car and never once tried to pass the blame. In those companies that's not acceptable. In American companies, they'd rather spend more time doing that than fixing the fucking problem. They wonder "Why have our sales dropped so much? What is the problem?" Service. The problem is service. That will probably be the end of one of the big three in our lifetime if they don't step up and fix it. Toyota is out for world domination and we're pretty much opening the door to it here. We have to fix this problem and we have to fix it fast. When I get the car today, I'm copying and pasting this exact blog and sending it to Ford Corporate. I'll let everyone know how that goes.
3 Comments:
Hopefully the wifes car got fixed. I'm curious to know if you ever got to see the part you wanted to see? Still think they just plugged it?
As for the part, no. It was "already sent back to the manufacturer" when I asked to see it. I know they patched it though because this time the dash had come out. I know for sure because they'd beat up the interior of the car pretty bad so there are still things they have to fix.