Well took the truck to the dealer today to get some warranty work on the auto hubs... after waiting 2 weeks for an appointment.. They were real specific about having it there by 7am.. So got up early with wife so she can give me a ride back... So drop it off at 7am as requested and go on my way.. At 1pm I call and ask how there were doing with the truck.. Service advisor states mechanic is working on it I will find out and get right back to you.. 2:30 I call back and service advisor tells me.. Cant find mechanic but give me 5 minutes and will get back to you.. 330 I decide to head to the dealership(Advisor never called back).. When I get there I see my truck parked in the back...as I walk into the dealership the advisor calls me... And states the mechanic is in the middle of it and It wont be ready today and they have no rentals available(I paid for rental on my Premuimcare warrranty).. As I walk to the counter the advisors head almost exploded when he saw me there.. I then asked why my truck was outside.. He stumbles and says Well we didn't look at it today.. I ask why.. He goes on to tell me that they have had a truck on the lift all day that needed a starter and it had not come in..So I asked couldn't you guys just move the truck off the lift until the starter arrives..the advisors reply was its heavy and its the only lift in the shop that can lift the truck... So I find that odd and ask to speak to the Service manager.. Manager states the same thing that they aren't going to pull a truck off the lift... untill they get the starter tomorrow or Monday... I then asked why they felt it was necessary to lie about the mechanic already tearing into the truck... All the manager said was I dont know... I asked for my keys and took my truck...

I have to ask you dealer techs is this normal...I cant seem to find a good ford dealership in mass for the life of me... Also is there any recourse for these people wasting my time

 

This may sound stupid, but I don't know why they had to have a lift to work on your auto hubs anyway. A floor jack and jack stands are sufficient to get the tires off the ground and get under the truck. I don't think Cheezit even HAS a lift as a LOT of tech's don't.

I can't tell you why people like that do what they do. I guess they think most people will just leave their vehicle and do without. I'd sure make a complaint against the dealership. Your opinion DOES count with Ford, I promise you. Stuff rolls downhill like a freight train these days.

 

I wish we had a spreadsheet of good reliable dealers on here. I have several local dealers here in SW Washington but not sure which one to try if an when I need one.

 

Called ford customer service and even though she sounded apologetic ...she told me dealerships are franchised and that the best they could do is take my complaint and forward it to customer relations at the dealership... This is not my first ford but I can say I don't use ford service department much as I change trucks every few yrs... But I do use a foreign car dealership service department pretty frequently for my car and they always are on there game in both service and courtesy... I don't understand why a ford dealer would be so ham and eggs about customer satisfaction...

 

Call the owner of the dealership. Let him know your experience and also let him know how the service manager handled it.

 

Makes me sick to hear these stories, I have the same experience with the foreign dealerships outstanding service, when will Ford wake up! As always its a shame we throw all the Dealers in the same bucket, because of few bad ones, we should not do it, but what choice do we have. Its the same story, we complain loud. Gosh think how far they would have gotten if they would have been honest!

 

I agree, call the owner. You may need to do a google search of the corporation name with the state to see who the actual owner is. I did that with a Cadillac I had and found the owner to be VERY helpful. His office was at another dealership they owned and was not aware of how this scum bag was treating HIS customers. Needless to say he mad it right...and fast.

 

I have a multi-part reply.

A good dealership knows how to properly schedule work in a way to bring in enough vehicles to keep everyone busy, allow for enough time to complete repairs and complete them in a reasonable amount of time. At my dealership we also request that you try to bring the vehicles in at the start of the business day or the night before. As a foreman who dispatches work I "like" to know what I have coming in as early as possible in order to make work flow in the best possible manner allowing for diagnostics, part availability and time waiting for approval to repair the vehicle. Sometimes big jobs can unexpectedly "tie up" a technician and even service bays. We can usually find ways to work around those issues. Unfortunately there are days when work can back up and it is not uncommon to have one or two trucks that won't be looked at. It is just the way things go in this business.

With that said, I do hope you understand what I am trying to convey and likewise I understand how you, the customer feels. In the real world however not every business is run this way as you have discovered. Most people would not be too upset with this scenario provided they are at the very least contacted and advised of the situation... which brings me to the second part of my response.

What I get from your story is that the service department you brought your truck to failed to properly communicate with you and basically lied to you. THAT is what you should be upset about and THAT is what you need to tell the management at that service department. Since I work only on trucks at my dealership, many of them are commercial trucks owned by very demanding people and rightfully so - these trucks are their business. For the most part, if a truck is delayed getting into the shop most of these customers really don't mind as long as we call them and tell them what is happening.

The point is, that is how a service department should interact with it's customers. Am I right in thinking that if this dealership had at the very least told you that your truck was not in the shop yet and then at a reasonable time of the day called you again to tell you they would not be able to get to your truck "today" you might not be angry with them?

Lastly calling Ford Customer Service is not going to help in these situations. That is not what they are there for. As for recourse you have already settled that matter by taking your truck out of the dealerships possession. The only likely action the manager may have taken would have been to offer you a loaner car or a discount off of any parts and labor charges. Again, this is not a situation where Ford Motor Company has any real power or responsibility to "help" you however they may call the dealership and speak with someone in hopes of resolving the issue. If the service manager was willing to let you (and your business) walk out of his service department then I am sorry to say that any further action on your part is going to be a waste of time however contacting the dealership owner is sage advice.

I wish I could help you. You are simply the victim of one or more people who don't give a damn but I know for a fact that there are plenty of us out there who do. You just need to find us.

Hope this helps.

 

I can deal with scheduling conflicts and what have you. But lie to me about what is going on, that Frosts my cookies real quick.

 

Ford doctor you are correct if they had been truthful it would not have been an issue..But the whole let me find the mechanic He is working on it got me going especialy after the third call...I find out he has been lying... And I have to say the excuse that they are waiting on a starter for a truck thats been on the lift since yesterday... Because its to heavy to move... Didnt seem kosher ... And the truck that was to heavy to move was a F250....

 

Sorry to say, I've had similar experiences with our dealerships here. (yes, plural) Lies, stalling, and poor workmanship. I've grown cynical in my old age...seems like the majority of people don't really care anymore. The worst thing has already been stated...you took your business away and they don't even care or have a clue! If you can't wake them up by taking your money elsewhere, there is absolutely nothing you can do. Ridiculous.

 

man i agree with woodlander, it would be nice if there was a spread sheet we could go to and say which dealerships that have done great jobs.

 

i havent posted i a long time .but i read this thread and had to say something.i spent the last year and a half in ne la. took my truck to monroe to fix a problem and they just came up with ideas that cost me a few bills. i had to find the problem myself .i am not a tech.thats there job.add monroe ford dealer to the dont go list .use winsboro instead

 

I cant even tell you what I just went through with Perry Ford in Poway cause I would use words that would make Andrew Dice Clay shy.

What I can say is that they fed me some BS that they had to tear into my engine before Ford CS would make a call whether or not they would help with the EGR cooler repair. Brought my truck home. They also charged me $200 to to put some water in the coolant system and throw a leak down tester on it. Labor at that rate is like $800 an hour.

 

my dealer is really good and there are signs all over the dealership with the owners picture, phone number and a message to call him directly if you're not happy with the service, sales or anything. He owns 3 dealerships now but used to have 5, I think he buys failing dealerships and turns the business around.