dealership customer service

[ram_man]

So yesterday the pt cruiser had a malfunction. The oil light came on.
We immediately pulled off and checked it. No leaks oil is full and oil is present when removing oil filler cap. So i concluded the pressure was fine and it was probably the Sending unit. I turn the key on/off 3 times and get the p0522 code.
I call the dealer and get treated like I'm stupid. The guy says it's probably the engine light not an oil light. Then I tell him the code and he seemed surprised. And then says well most people mistake the lights and you should make sure the gas cap is tight.....so after 7 mins of getting talked down to on the phone I said it's under warranty it's not my job to figure it out it's yours I'll be there in 20 mins. So i follow my wife there in the truck. When it happened we were already out and about and in separate vehicles. We get there and deal with them for about 30 mins arguing with them about it being under warranty. Then I tell them my wife will need a loaner car. They told us well we don't give used car customers a loaner.......ok well I have my truck i can't fit both kids me and her in the truck. His response was your wife can ride in the bed.....ok now I'm furious and demanded the manager. Finally someone agreed to take her and the kids home. I asked them when it would be done he said we will have it done by lunch well I just called and they just now pulled it in. We have dinner plans tonight so the whole thing is kind of an inconvenience. It's my first dealership car buying experience and so far the experience has been pretty bad. My family used to buy most all there cars from this place well they recently switched hands and the customer service has gone to [censored]. Sorry to rant. But dang it it's annoying .

 

[TrevorS]

Disgraceful.

Call up corporate and check the facts of the loaner car policy with them as well as lodge a complaint.

If you don't get a sympathetic response then at least you know what to expect.

And consider another dealer.

I have to say that my experience with Mercedes dealers has been great and it makes me gravitate towards that brand for future purchases. I don't know why the manufacturers don't understand that the dealership experience is a big factor in the car buying decision.

 

[JHZR2]

Didnt know that you had a PT. That's terrible, especially since youre right.

 

[Benzadmiral]

I called the dealer where I bought the Park Avenue years ago, and who have worked on it from time to time. The Regal's seat heaters have been wonky. They called me back to warn me that the technician who works on that is not scheduled to be in on Saturday mornings for a couple of weeks. They suggested I drop the car off on a weekday -- that they now have a shuttle service that will drop me off and pick me up in the afternoon!

I wish they'd mentioned that when I had the Park Avenue, but maybe they just now started that service. Anyway, it was a pleasant surprise.

Sounds to me, ram_man, that you need a new dealer.

 

[bubbatime]

Dealerships suck, but I think you are asking a bit much. A loaner car for a used PT Cruiser? Its not a Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, etc.

I would be furious if someone had told my wife to ride in the back of a pickup truck. That was poor customer service to be sure.

 

[John_K]

The dumb Ford dealer we take my wife's car to has a shuttle...but it only "runs" 10 am to 3 pm. Real helpful when you work 9-5.

John

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Dealerships suck, but I think you are asking a bit much. A loaner car for a used PT Cruiser? Its not a Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, etc.

I would be furious if someone had told my wife to ride in the back of a pickup truck. That was poor customer service to be sure.

I got a loaner for a couple days getting my Tracker fixed under a recall at my Chevy dealer. Good service is good service, regardless of the brand. It may make them a sale in future, as I won't buy a car from another Chevy dealer I've used once...

 

[99Saturn]

Wasn't the warranty one of the big reasons you ended up getting the Cruiser over other stuff you looked at or am I remembering wrong?

I suppose I should check what happens with the Cruze, though I seem to remember there's a shuttle and nothing more, maybe I'm just blocking it out.

 

[mrsilv04]

When my Silverado was under warranty, my Chevy dealer always fought giving me a loaner.

The answer was automatically "no"... until you told them to look on the computer, that the truck was under warranty, and a loaner was included in the provisions of the warranty. So give me a loaner, and bill GM for it.

Now that it isn't under warranty, I've never been back once. Imagine that...

When the steering gearbox on Andrew's Dodge Mega Cab 4x4 was out, and the dealer couldn't get a new one for over a month, he was out of a vehicle, as the Dodge warranty did not provide for a loaner.

 

[silverrat]

Shouldn't expect a loaner for a used car like yours. You should be ready to rent a car in a spot like that.

 

[rjundi]

Most people who call dealer are car stupid. At the same token the service writers are typically newbies in auto industry and just a liason between customer, mechanic, and warranty.

They did not treat you well but:

1) I recall you got some extended warranty and I remember stating they were hard to collect on. I hope I am wrong.

2) You cannot just show up at a dealer and expect a loaner available and have them to drop the world to cart you off.

That all being said they were rude/unprofessional. That is too bad.

 

[earlyre]

maybe we just have some great dealerships around here, but none of that would fly at all.

the last 3 dealers i've dealt with all have either shuttle service, or will trip over themselves to give you a loaner.
heck,couple years back, dad had his freestyle in to the ford dealer it was going to take a couple hours, and he had errands to run, and all their loaners were out. A salesman(who dad had already bought 2 cars from, and another since, all used) gave dad HIS personal car for the day.

the Honda/Toyota dealer i bought my sable from, has a shuttle van all logo wrapped, that if your car is gonna be a couple hrs, they will take you home, and pick you up, or take you to the mall or some such( your choice) then call you and pick you up when it's ready.(local Chrysler/Dodge/Buick/GMC/Hyundai dealer does same)

the local Chevy/Cadillac dealer will actually come to your workplace with a loaner, trade vehicles with you, and when it's finished bring your car back.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

The Ford/Chrysler dealer my parents use have always given us loaners.

It is ALWAYS a struggle with Chrysler products, it seems. Any time something broke on one of the under-warranty Jeeps it was harder than the rest. I think the only time my parents didn't have to fight was when the CV driveshaft exploded on their 08 Rubicon and it had to be towed in.

However, they brought their 2001 F350 (out of warranty) up to get exhaust manifolds in 2008. The dealer had a loaner ready. Same for when my Taurus (out of warranty)broke it's springs the first and second times. Had a loaner car offered both times, but declined on the spring replacement.

I think for new car dealers they have to conform to what the manufacturer says.

Same dealer ... Chrysler products answer is always "That's normal". Ford product (on the rare occasion we have had problems with new ford products) is always immediate service and fixing of whatever is wrong.

It's a shame that dealer is phasing out selling Ford products.

 

[NHGUY]

PT Cruiser sending units fail frequently.They sometimes leak badly too.

 

[ram_man]

Originally Posted By: NHGUY
PT Cruiser sending units fail frequently.They sometimes leak badly too.


I now the camshaft positioning sensor is common. The oil pressure sending unit is pretty common to?

 

[antiqueshell]

If anything has changed over the past several years it is the declining quality of Ford dealers in general. It is like they feel that because they finally have good products they don't have to make an effort with customer service, their service departments have seemed to really decline in quality of recent times.
If you look over on VWVortex The Car Lounge forums you will find numerous customers that have had nothing but problems when dealing with the service departments and this is on NEW cars under warranty.

 

[TrevorS]

All Ford dealers I have been to have been a disaster, and this was before their resurgence.

Toyota / Lexus dealers have that arrogance you mentioned, at least a few years ago.

Mercedes dealers act as you would expect them to. Unless its because I have something high end rather than a C220.

 

[crinkles]

my local toyota dealer gives me a loaner... for a fee

 

[opus1]

The local Chevy dealer gives me a ride home and back when the car is ready -- and I didn't even buy the car from them. The Hyundai dealer that sold me the Sonata has free loaners and/or shuttle depending on what you want to do. The only "problem" dealer I have is the one that services my Dakota and even that isn't a big deal, and some of it is my fault. The closer dealer is one that's botched something every time I've taken the Dakota in so I don't go there anymore even though they sold me the truck. The next closer one will shuttle you within a 10-mile radius, but I'm outside of that circle so I have to rent a ride to get home. Not a big deal since I trust their work and like my Chevy dealer, they've talked *out* of doing something because it wasn't warranted at the time. They've saved me more money that way than the cost of the rental for a day.

 

[morris]

iam in middle of a "TALK" with my sons VW dealer. i find the trouble is that the KIDS now days think that the computer tells them EVERYTHING they need to know. so i go to MY mech and ask this Q " has a computer EVER told you that you have electrical bad conection?" my mech said "NO". these KIDS cant think out side the box. nuff said.