Kinda goes with 'spaz's thread a little while ago about crooked mechanics.
Took my wife's Hyundai to a local Hyundai garage to have a recall performed. The Sonata platform is getting the engine cradles replaced in the rust belt. No problem. Take it the first time, the cradle measures too thin in the key areas, so they order me a new cradle. Get the call and take it back.
Now we start running into problems. First, Hyundai pays 3 hours to change the cradle. As someone who's done Hyundai, Ford, and GM warranty work I can say that Hyundai seems to be the most fair when it comes to labor times. I've done a few of these cradles in the past and three hours was more than fair, in my opinion, even with the transfer of parts.
It takes 2 1/2 days. Seems the tech broke some bolts. Not a problem. But when the writer tells me that it's a common problem, now we have a problem. If breaking certain bolts is a common problem, why isn't the tech taking the time to make sure the "common problem" isn't a problem for him? I can see the new bolts, by the way. Those bolts broke off in the old cradle and were replaced in the new one, so it's not like he had to drill and tap anything. So now we have two problems. The tech doesn't know how to work his way around a "common" problem and a bulls*** excuse has now been given.
Problem three occurs when I call the dealership on day two to find out where my car is after I'm told that I will get it back the day I dropped it off. Why am I calling them? If there's an issue, why aren't they calling me?
Problem four occurs when I throw them a bone and authorize work above and beyond the recall. I like to rotate my tires every oil change, simply because tires are pricey and I have directional tires on the Hyundai. I like to re-balance them every other oil change. Well, it's due, and since the shop already has it up in the air, well, it seems like a good time to have it all done. Now mind you, I have friends in shops all over the place who would do this for me for free or at a steep discount. But considering that there are things I can't do, like trans flushes, I want to establish myself as a paying customer to this dealership.
So, now we have problem number five. In talking to the service writer he informs me I need two tires. Seems the right rear is measuring at 3/32 and, as he informs me, "is unsafe for operation." He then informs me that they've called around and can't match the Bridgestones I have on it. So, now, he's taken the time to call around on my behalf to try to find me tires that I don't want. Or need, but I'll get to that in a moment. I tell him to just perform the operation I authorized, as I know the tires are good.
I get the call, telling me the car is done and ready for pick up. I drive 45 minutes to get the car with my father and tell him I'll catch up. When I get there to pay the bill and get my keys I'm told the bill would be $80.00. Umm, why is it twice as much as I was quoted? Problem number 6. The writer tells me, "well, you authorized a toe adjustment." The alignment is part of the recall. A freebie to me. Hyundai is paying the shop to do the alignment. After some discussion between the service writer and the shop manager it's agreed that the alignment is part of the recall and is deducted from my bill.
So, now the fun begins. I climb in the car to find my TCS/ABS lights on. I walk back in to find out why. I'm told they were on when the tech brought it in. Ummm, no they weren't. When I dropped the car off, both lights were off. I find it suspicious that in effing with the suspension I now have an ABS issue. But again I'm told that it's not the shops issue, they were on when the car was brought in. The service writer tells me that it was the first thing the tech mentioned to him.
Now, I'm being called a liar. Sorry, I've been in this business for 20 years. I've had customers try to burn me before, I know what it's like. I wouldn't do it to another technician.
I get no where, of course. But I get the code. "Pump motor." Ummm, okay then. I get in the car and drive home, furious that I've just been called a liar. I get home, pull the car in the garage and start inspecting the work done, going straight to the pump motor. Seems the ECU is unplugged. Anyone who's seen this connection knows that it can't vibrate loose. Even if it had, we already have an established corrosion issue with the car, hence the recall, and this connection would be a nice green mass. Clean.
Why is my HCU/ECU been screwed with when it's no where near the cradle? Could it be that the "tech" has lost his ass on the cradle and is now looking for work to make up for it? In trying so desperately to sell me tires, why didn't the service writer bother to inform me that there were lights on in the car? Before any work was performed why didn't the service writer bother to call me and ask about the lights?
Oh, and as for the tires, I measured those with my own gauge: 5/32, not 3/32. And my repair order has it written up that the tires are inoperable and unsafe. Anyone with a NYSI license knows 2/32 passes inspection, anything under fails, on adjacent tread. In other words, one spot below 2/32 still passes as long as the spot next to it is at or above. But instead of "advising" me that the tires may be getting near that point of the failure for inspection he informs they are already at that point and tries to sell me tires I don't need.
We have now established, by evidence, the service writer is trying to rip me off by selling me something I don't need. By trying to sell me something I don't need and thereby trying to play the safety angle we now have a service writer who is questionable in his tactics, in that I am willing to pay the shop for services, yet he fails to mention the safety aspect of no ABS/TSC and asking if I'm willing to have that scanned and diagnosed, if the lights were on, as he claims, when it was first brought in. We are now looking at a technician who has unplugged my ABS ECU/HCU and has now disabled my traction control, thereby creating a safety issue in slick road conditions. The TSC has an override in the ECU, where if the tires break loose the TSC will automatically kick in. It is winter in upstate NY. We have now established that the "tech" has lost his ass on a three hour job and maybe, just maybe, looking for more work to make up for the time.
I have called the service manager, who basically called me a liar, and told her what I found. She was curious as the to facts of my discovery, but I highly doubt she'll do anything about it since she so vehemhently insinuated that I was lying about the situation. I interviewed with her back in the beginning of summer. She couldn't make up her mind as to rather or not they wanted me as a tech or a service writer. After a couple of weeks of being told this I felt that I didn't want to work there to begin with. In hindsight I think it was a good call, as they really don't know the first thing about handling a customer complaint except to treat the customer as a liar, fishing for free work, all because they didn't handle the situation right from the offset. Except this customer, whom they chose to treat this way, probably knows as much, or more, about the car he dropped off than the guy they had working on it.
If the lights were on to begin with, why wasn't I called to verify and seek approval for additional work? In my experience, a customer who's fishing for free work will be caught off guard if the phone call is made right up front. One who isn't will simply go ahead with the work being called upon. Why spend so much time looking for tires and trying to play the safety issue when the real safety issue is in the failed ABS/TSC system if the lights were on before work began? We also have it established that the service writer is trying to bill a customer for additional recall work.
But I'm the one treated as a liar. Nope, this shop will not be getting any further work from me. As I already have a relationship with a Hyundai shop which is closer to me, yet refuse to go there for my work, it should tell the folks at this one that they had a chance at gaining a customer who might need Hyundai specific work in the future. Guess now I'll have to go an hour in the other direction, after interviewing the shop manager extensively, to take my work there.
Took my wife's Hyundai to a local Hyundai garage to have a recall performed. The Sonata platform is getting the engine cradles replaced in the rust belt. No problem. Take it the first time, the cradle measures too thin in the key areas, so they order me a new cradle. Get the call and take it back.
Now we start running into problems. First, Hyundai pays 3 hours to change the cradle. As someone who's done Hyundai, Ford, and GM warranty work I can say that Hyundai seems to be the most fair when it comes to labor times. I've done a few of these cradles in the past and three hours was more than fair, in my opinion, even with the transfer of parts.
It takes 2 1/2 days. Seems the tech broke some bolts. Not a problem. But when the writer tells me that it's a common problem, now we have a problem. If breaking certain bolts is a common problem, why isn't the tech taking the time to make sure the "common problem" isn't a problem for him? I can see the new bolts, by the way. Those bolts broke off in the old cradle and were replaced in the new one, so it's not like he had to drill and tap anything. So now we have two problems. The tech doesn't know how to work his way around a "common" problem and a bulls*** excuse has now been given.
Problem three occurs when I call the dealership on day two to find out where my car is after I'm told that I will get it back the day I dropped it off. Why am I calling them? If there's an issue, why aren't they calling me?
Problem four occurs when I throw them a bone and authorize work above and beyond the recall. I like to rotate my tires every oil change, simply because tires are pricey and I have directional tires on the Hyundai. I like to re-balance them every other oil change. Well, it's due, and since the shop already has it up in the air, well, it seems like a good time to have it all done. Now mind you, I have friends in shops all over the place who would do this for me for free or at a steep discount. But considering that there are things I can't do, like trans flushes, I want to establish myself as a paying customer to this dealership.
So, now we have problem number five. In talking to the service writer he informs me I need two tires. Seems the right rear is measuring at 3/32 and, as he informs me, "is unsafe for operation." He then informs me that they've called around and can't match the Bridgestones I have on it. So, now, he's taken the time to call around on my behalf to try to find me tires that I don't want. Or need, but I'll get to that in a moment. I tell him to just perform the operation I authorized, as I know the tires are good.
I get the call, telling me the car is done and ready for pick up. I drive 45 minutes to get the car with my father and tell him I'll catch up. When I get there to pay the bill and get my keys I'm told the bill would be $80.00. Umm, why is it twice as much as I was quoted? Problem number 6. The writer tells me, "well, you authorized a toe adjustment." The alignment is part of the recall. A freebie to me. Hyundai is paying the shop to do the alignment. After some discussion between the service writer and the shop manager it's agreed that the alignment is part of the recall and is deducted from my bill.
So, now the fun begins. I climb in the car to find my TCS/ABS lights on. I walk back in to find out why. I'm told they were on when the tech brought it in. Ummm, no they weren't. When I dropped the car off, both lights were off. I find it suspicious that in effing with the suspension I now have an ABS issue. But again I'm told that it's not the shops issue, they were on when the car was brought in. The service writer tells me that it was the first thing the tech mentioned to him.
Now, I'm being called a liar. Sorry, I've been in this business for 20 years. I've had customers try to burn me before, I know what it's like. I wouldn't do it to another technician.
I get no where, of course. But I get the code. "Pump motor." Ummm, okay then. I get in the car and drive home, furious that I've just been called a liar. I get home, pull the car in the garage and start inspecting the work done, going straight to the pump motor. Seems the ECU is unplugged. Anyone who's seen this connection knows that it can't vibrate loose. Even if it had, we already have an established corrosion issue with the car, hence the recall, and this connection would be a nice green mass. Clean.
Why is my HCU/ECU been screwed with when it's no where near the cradle? Could it be that the "tech" has lost his ass on the cradle and is now looking for work to make up for it? In trying so desperately to sell me tires, why didn't the service writer bother to inform me that there were lights on in the car? Before any work was performed why didn't the service writer bother to call me and ask about the lights?
Oh, and as for the tires, I measured those with my own gauge: 5/32, not 3/32. And my repair order has it written up that the tires are inoperable and unsafe. Anyone with a NYSI license knows 2/32 passes inspection, anything under fails, on adjacent tread. In other words, one spot below 2/32 still passes as long as the spot next to it is at or above. But instead of "advising" me that the tires may be getting near that point of the failure for inspection he informs they are already at that point and tries to sell me tires I don't need.
We have now established, by evidence, the service writer is trying to rip me off by selling me something I don't need. By trying to sell me something I don't need and thereby trying to play the safety angle we now have a service writer who is questionable in his tactics, in that I am willing to pay the shop for services, yet he fails to mention the safety aspect of no ABS/TSC and asking if I'm willing to have that scanned and diagnosed, if the lights were on, as he claims, when it was first brought in. We are now looking at a technician who has unplugged my ABS ECU/HCU and has now disabled my traction control, thereby creating a safety issue in slick road conditions. The TSC has an override in the ECU, where if the tires break loose the TSC will automatically kick in. It is winter in upstate NY. We have now established that the "tech" has lost his ass on a three hour job and maybe, just maybe, looking for more work to make up for the time.
I have called the service manager, who basically called me a liar, and told her what I found. She was curious as the to facts of my discovery, but I highly doubt she'll do anything about it since she so vehemhently insinuated that I was lying about the situation. I interviewed with her back in the beginning of summer. She couldn't make up her mind as to rather or not they wanted me as a tech or a service writer. After a couple of weeks of being told this I felt that I didn't want to work there to begin with. In hindsight I think it was a good call, as they really don't know the first thing about handling a customer complaint except to treat the customer as a liar, fishing for free work, all because they didn't handle the situation right from the offset. Except this customer, whom they chose to treat this way, probably knows as much, or more, about the car he dropped off than the guy they had working on it.
If the lights were on to begin with, why wasn't I called to verify and seek approval for additional work? In my experience, a customer who's fishing for free work will be caught off guard if the phone call is made right up front. One who isn't will simply go ahead with the work being called upon. Why spend so much time looking for tires and trying to play the safety issue when the real safety issue is in the failed ABS/TSC system if the lights were on before work began? We also have it established that the service writer is trying to bill a customer for additional recall work.
But I'm the one treated as a liar. Nope, this shop will not be getting any further work from me. As I already have a relationship with a Hyundai shop which is closer to me, yet refuse to go there for my work, it should tell the folks at this one that they had a chance at gaining a customer who might need Hyundai specific work in the future. Guess now I'll have to go an hour in the other direction, after interviewing the shop manager extensively, to take my work there.
