Dealership service writers and warranty denials

[PWMDMD]

I read a bunch of different forums and have over the years read many comments about warranty service being denied by a dealership service departments for ridiculous reasons. Not only ridiculous reasons but reasons that are impossible to prove or clearly there is no requirement to meet. You get the sense that some service writers are not on the side of the customer and they are looking for reasons to deny a warranty claim - and my question is why?

I understand the rate charged for non-warranty work is higher than for warranty work but nothing causes bad blood like telling a customer who has followed all the rules you don't believe them and you're not covering something that is clearly still under warranty. These customers leave and will never use the dealership service again or buy from that dealership again.

I also understand there are obvious and egregious abuses of vehicles that occur and result in denial of warranty work but for all other cases as long as the dealership can justify the repair under warranty to the manufacturer and they get reimbursed for the repair why does the dealership care? All things equal why wouldn't the serviced writer give the customer the benefit of doubt and advocate for the customer to keep them happy? I'm a small business owner myself and there are times where things aren't clear cut and my instructions to employees is to give the customer the benefit of doubt = happy customers who return, leave great reviews which attracts new customers and over time this equals more $$ in my pocket.

I have an idea why some service writers are this way - I have a family member who at the moment works for Honda and his attitude is it's his job to, "Catch people who think he's an idiot". He's is an idiot who can't seem to keep a job for more than a year...he's the kind of person who goes well beyond simply identifying obvious warranty denial issues and probably ends up denying warranty coverage to many legit warranty claims. Outside of mental cases like my cousin who is simply exercising some weird power move to overcome his inferiority complex what is in it for these types of service writers? What is in it for the service manager and GM to allow this to occur?

Any service writers on here willing to chime in?

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I'm am thankfully not a service writer - but I would go right to the Service Manager Office if I'm getting the dirty end of the stick from the writer. If the Manager doesn't move - I say, "We can do this he easy way or the hard way." Then start dialing the state ADA . and start yapping about "Breach of contract".
Usually the SM will take care of you if you go in with a sympathetic case and not like a psycho.

 

[UncleDave]

What you are describing is a downside for the GM.

I did this job as a young guy at a chevy dealership.
Lots of people tend to talk down to service writers, and I understand getting irritated and seeking payback- but not keeping control of your emotions is a sign of immaturity.

I'll follow a good service writer around town, but good ones tend to stay in one place a long time
I been dealing with the same Lexus guy since 06. I ask for him by name and won't write business with any others.


It may be hes bragging about his responses and attitude, but lack of steady employment would suggest he may actually be that crappy to people.


UD

 

[PWMDMD]

Originally Posted by UncleDave
What you are describing is a downside for the GM.

I did this job as a young guy at a chevy dealership.
Lots of people tend to talk down to service writers, and I understand getting irritated and seeking payback- but not keeping control of your emotions is a sign of immaturity.

I'll follow a good service writer around town, but good ones tend to stay in one place a long time
I been dealing with the same Lexus guy since 06. I ask for him by name and won't write business with any others.


It may be hes bragging about his responses and attitude, but lack of steady employment would suggest he may actually be that crappy to people.


UD


Yet his always lands a job somewhere. I agree about the good ones. My Lexus guy has been great but I just happened to read a post on another forum about an experience someone had at the same dealership (not sure who the service writer was) where this guy complained of harsh 1-2 shifts and provided the TSB pdf and the response was they could not reproduce the issue. The guy literally drives 25 miles to another dealership who applies the TSB in 30 mins no questions asked. He had purchased three new vehicles from that first dealership and had all the maintenance done there. The TSB literally involves plugging in a computer and selecting the appropriate check box....why not just do it?

You can bet they lost a few new car sales and many services visits over something stupid.

 

[Danno]

And then there are people that come into a dealership and want 2 new tires paid for that they had put on somewhere. The tires they replaced were 3 years old, with 80% of the tread life left on a used vehicle.
No prior notice, no coming in and asking if the dealership agreed the weather cracking was an issue, just refund me my money.

You get all kinds PWMDMD.

As for not allowing warranty coverage that is valid, not something I see. And the valid bar isn't that high frankly.

I work at a dealership.

 

[PWMDMD]

Originally Posted by Danno
And then there are people that come into a dealership and want 2 new tires paid for that they had put on somewhere. The tires they replaced were 3 years old, with 80% of the tread life left on a used vehicle.
No prior notice, no coming in and asking if the dealership agreed the weather cracking was an issue, just refund me my money.

You get all kinds PWMDMD.

As for not allowing warranty coverage that is valid, not something I see. And the valid bar isn't that high frankly.

I work at a dealership.


I can only imagine, Danno. I should say it's a minority in my estimation and probably more a function of management.

Management 101 - employees pay attention to what managers pay attention to. We all know those dealerships who have terrible reputations for sales and service and obviously management allows them to operate a certain way.

 

[Sunnyinhollister]

Originally Posted by Danno
And then there are people that come into a dealership and want 2 new tires paid for that they had put on somewhere. The tires they replaced were 3 years old, with 80% of the tread life left on a used vehicle.
No prior notice, no coming in and asking if the dealership agreed the weather cracking was an issue, just refund me my money.

You get all kinds PWMDMD.

As for not allowing warranty coverage that is valid, not something I see. And the valid bar isn't that high frankly.

I work at a dealership.


How about the guy that hydrolocked his Jeep while mudding and is screaming on every forum he can find when the warranty is denied? I think dealers get a bad rap a lot of times. They get an earful from the customer because their car that has not had an oil change in 60k miles will need a lot of work which will not be covered by the warranty. Or the guy with a dead engine after a poor tune blew his engine. Then these bozos post their "stealership" experience on every forum they can find.

They also cannot fix design flaws from the factory and are placed in a no win situation because of it. Think of the recent Ford transmission fiasco.

Also aren't their claims reviewed by the are rep?

There are some bad dealers no doubt. My worst experience ever was a VW dealer on a 2005 diesel Jetta. I took it in for a check engine light and a miss at idle on certain conditions. The service writer told me that the car was "backfiring" because I put the car in neutral approaching a stop light. She was also telling me that glow plugs were a maintenance item,,,,,,

There's also some dealers that try to up sell everything when someone comes in for maintenance or repair. If it is needed, I get it, but a lot of it is fluff.

 

[UncleDave]

Originally Posted by PWMDMD


Yet his always lands a job somewhere. I agree about the good ones. My Lexus guy has been great but I just happened to read a post on another forum about an experience someone had at the same dealership (not sure who the service writer was) where this guy complained of harsh 1-2 shifts and provided the TSB pdf and the response was they could not reproduce the issue. The guy literally drives 25 miles to another dealership who applies the TSB in 30 mins no questions asked. He had purchased three new vehicles from that first dealership and had all the maintenance done there. The TSB literally involves plugging in a computer and selecting the appropriate check box....why not just do it?

You can bet they lost a few new car sales and many services visits over something stupid.



I've no doubt he can say the right things and get through an interview, but when ego and attitude cross his bad habits take over.

Most guys hire personality but end up with character.

In hard to fill high turn rate positions often the first guy to fog a mirror gets the role.

Things have changed, my generations avoids job hoppers I look at frequent one year or less turns as failures.

Millennials see frequent job-hopping as a benefit affording oneself a wider range of experiences.



UD

 

[PimTac]

Like anything else, if you don't like the service, vote with your feet and wallet and move on.

I've been in a couple of difficult situations with service managers or writers. Acting calm but firm works much better than making a scene. There is always someone higher to go to if you are not satisfied.

On the flip side, these writers see a lot of gamers and scammers come in trying to take advantage. Nobody wants to promote that kind of behavior. They are in a tough position in those cases.

 

[UncleDave]

Originally Posted by Danno
And then there are people that come into a dealership and want 2 new tires paid for that they had put on somewhere. The tires they replaced were 3 years old, with 80% of the tread life left on a used vehicle.
No prior notice, no coming in and asking if the dealership agreed the weather cracking was an issue, just refund me my money.

You get all kinds PWMDMD.

As for not allowing warranty coverage that is valid, not something I see. And the valid bar isn't that high frankly.

I work at a dealership.



You do and tomfoolery abounds - I saw some but not much of this 0 Chicago is a bt of a tough town and there was less nonsense in my time.

My lexus place/guy always gives you a free car. He told me all kinds of stories like one guy swapped out all the tires once for bald ones, guys removing parts.
Tire comps (when by miracle they occur) only come from the vendor who sold them.

The way to handle utter clowns was to give them to the manager. Time to get out of the office and onto the floor.

It's his job to be the bad guy not the service writer whose job is its to be on the lookout for that kind of stuff.

 

[WhyMe]

i drove my cousin to the airport in his 2012 Honda Pilot. i noticed a pulsation in brakes so decided to help him and do brake job while he was gone. did it and all was well. while under the vehicle i noticed the control arm bushings were leaking. i went online to check on how to replace them. i noticed there was a warranty extension on them and the pilot qualified. i asked my cousin if he knew about the issue. he said he had brought it in a month earlier for airbag and the bushings were listed a bad on the paperwork.

since he was getting close to the end for him to qualify , i drove to the honda dealer to speak to them about it. i spoke to the same writer that help my cousin. i told him about the warranty extension and he said" yeah i know about it". [censored] you knew about , but did not tell my cousin it was a free fix? this job at the dealer is about $700 -1k . its these and other shenanigans from dealers that make me not go to them except for warranty purposes.

 

[MolaKule]

Another Dealership complaint thread that has run its course.