What would you do?

Big Perm

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Both Mark and Roy may have already noticed this, but something really came to light this weekend...I had a somewhat dull spot and thought there was an issue with the paint (not much for body work) that needed to be taken care of under warranty....well, as I was getting a tire repaired this weekend, one of the tire guys asked me where I got the crappy body work...told him I bought the truck new and had never been in an accident.....he pointed at the part of the bed where it was dull, show me some specifics around sanding and stuff, and went on to tell me that the truck was probably damaged during shipping (apparently this is common :dontknow: ), but they did a crappy job of repairs, according to his eye....

Well, since it wasn't disclosed during the sale and I had no idea it had been damaged, I was PISSED....I called the service dept to get help, but they said I needed to bring the truck to the General Sales Manager so he could look at the damage...he was there and I should bring it in today.....I show up, come to the front desk, and they now tell me I need to talk to the General Service Manager, who won't be in until Monday....they wouldn't take a second to take a quick look....wouldn't take my name down....what bull$hit....:mad:

Anyway, I'm prepping to call these guys and get this taken care of.....since I've never dealt with this crap, I would appreciate any advice....

Thanks,

Jason
 
You'll get more done with honey than vinegar

Go in with a good attitude and be firm, if your an ass, there not going to want to help you

Jeff
 
MYuGiOh Motorsports said:
You'll get more done with honey than vinegar

Go in with a good attitude and be firm, if your an ass, there not going to want to help you

Jeff

But after such a shitty weekend (they also didn't include the deal to remove the wheel locks so I had to leave the tire shop, run to another dealer, spend an hour there to find the right one and get it off, and have been running around with 4 lugs since :mad: ) ,which included the tire shop and moving to a new place, I want to be a huge ass :D
 
Sounds like another 'upstanding" dealership. Might want to consider shopping dealers til you find one that seems a little more responsive.

Not sure what gives the others the impression you went in there being an ass, I didn't get that impression.
But obviously you don't want to go into any dealership with both guns blazing.

And if it IS determined there was damage fixed by the other dealer that was not disclosed, pursue it against the selling dealership to the end. That just would not be cool at all.
 
This sounds to me as if it may be a DCX issues that is not up to dealer discretion anyway. ...Not sure.

But I agree that you need to find a dealer who is receptive and customer service oriented. A bad dealer makes it extremely difficult and maddening too.

Is the dealer you mention where you bought your truck?

Anyway, I agree that you need to be diplomatic as long as possible.

SD
 
Interesting --

Here in Arizona there is a law that requires that a dealership disclose any and all damage to a new vehicle that was repaired above a certain limit. I seem to recall the limit was any damage over $100 must be disclosed to buyer. Failure to disclose such damage is grounds for dealer buy back including trade in allowance and fines.

It is true that you get more with sugar than vinegar but if your state has such a law and it was violated and the damage was not disclosed to you upon purchase than I would pursue it fully to the extent the law allows

Personally, I would pursue it anyway in hopes that a reputable dealership will see the goodwill benefit out of taking care of it rather than call a tv channel consumer help advocate that will investigate it. The report it via the 6:00 news to the whole area. That happens from time to time in Phoenix - much to the chagrin of those "found out". I, for one, would not by a vehicle from a dealer that made the 6:00 news for anything.

Good luck and keep up posted

Ciao and stay safe
 
My oldest son sold cars at our local Dodge dealership for a while and he says they had to disclose damage up front, per Chrysler.
 
I bought mine new as well. When my garage door broke and damaged my hood, I took it to a body shop to have the insurance work done on the hood.They have a very keen eye since they pointed out a factory crease caused by a tack weld.It goes to show,just cause its new, dosen't mean its perfect.:(
 
No, I wasn't a dick, but I'm gettin close :D

Called the Service Manager, set up an appointment for 2:30 to have him review......show up at 2:25, calm, kind, and collected.....no Service Manager.....wait patiently, 2:40 and no help.....one of the service guys comes by and says he'd like to help if he can, so I give him a shot....explain the damage, the non-disclosure, the run-around from this weekend....he's a nice guy, understands why I'm frustrated, but he can't do anything.....3pm comes and finally here is the Service Manager back from a meeting :mad:

Show him the damage, explain the issues....he takes some notes and disappears....then he shows up at 3:15.....he's offered no solutions, no help, keeps trying to get my original salesperson.....tell him I need to get back to the office, but I'd like to have that lugnut back on the wheel....he disappears, comes back at 3:30 with nothing.....

I know I had to be red with rage....explained to him that I've bought eight new Dodges, been a good cust, never had any complaints until now, and look how I've been treated....hand him my card and had to leave to make my meeting....I am truly pissed....

If anybody has any good contacts for regional reps at Dodge please let me know....this is bullshit......all they had to do was look at the damage (oh, and in our phone conversation, he read the damage on the file, so it was in the system), say "hey, we'll fix it, make it look brand new, and here's a demo/rental car until it's ready".....but nope, no results, no help.....this is the worst experience I've ever had, and it really fawking pisses me off because I've spent the last 8 years as a Dodge billboard, promoting the Cummins, Hemi, Rubicon, and other products I bought because I believe in them :mad:
 
Don't let this particular person or dealer turn you away from the brand. They aren't representative.

One option is to find out who the dealership owner is and try to speak to him/her /them personally. If the don't care attitude goes THAT far up, you can contact someone in corporate personally, or even talk to your state's attorney general office.
 
Jason, I'm not sure but I think this might be covered under the Florida Lemon Law. Look in your glove box, there will be a brochure from the state that stipulates the process...I think it takes three trips to the dealer, and you have two already...at a minimum it will give you a phone number in Tallahassee to start the process.

I heard of the same issue with Brumos Porsche...but that still has not been resolved...

I also wonder if you can find reference to the fix on Car Facts...if it is in the dealership computer, it may also be on Car Facts...long shot but another possibility...
 
To answer an earlier question, yes, I bought the vehicle there in March......here is the DCX response, they actually advise legal intervention:

"Thank you for contacting the Chrysler Group Customer Assistance Center.

Regarding your sales experience at **** Dodge, as much as we would
like to be of assistance, the circumstances in this matter prevent us
from doing so. DaimlerChrysler Motors dealers are independent
businesses, and as such are responsible for addressing concerns directly
related to their sales departments, including their personnel and any
sales or delivery issues. DaimlerChrysler Motors has no authority to
resolve disputes between an independent dealer and their retail
customer. I would suggest you pursue the matter directly with
dealership management.

You may wish to contact your local State attorneys office to review your
rights per your state's consumer laws. Most states do have disclosure
laws in regards to what has to be reported prior to you taking delivery
of the vehicle. These laws varie from state to state.
Your dissatisfaction is regrettable, and I trust you will understand our
position. I hope this experience will not cause you to misjudge our
products.

Thanks for bringing this matter to our attention. Information received
from customers enables better evaluation of dealers' sales activities.
Your complaint will be retained in the dealer's file."


Wow, a dealer negatively portrays the brand, and they offer no ownership...

:mad:
 
And my response:

Unfortunately, this is consistent with the poor service I have received around this issue up to this moment. Basically, with both your/their lack of response and action, everyone up to this point is saying, "it's not my problem." Poor service, regardless of the dealer legal affiliation, should be your concern, and unless I'm confused, Daimler-Chrysler does have the final say and sets the standards around what is considered "Five Star Service". The exact reason I am voicing these concerns via this medium is to avoid taking legal action. It's my opinion that DC would prefer to handle it's own business, act like a true successful servicing company, and make sure this matter is taken care of to the satisfaction of the end customer.

Honestly, I'm appalled that you would choose to mention legal action instead of managing the concerns of a loyal customer. I would like to respectfully request that this matter be forwarded to your manager and upward as appropriate to get adequate coverage. It's my intention to get reasonable consideration and have this dealer's Five Star designation removed, placing them on probation for a specific period until they can service customers at a higher level.

I appreciate your time and look forward to a response from management,
 
More BS:

Thanks for your additional comments. There is no mechanism in place for
DaimlerChrysler to mediate this dispute.

This is an issue between the independently owned company and their
retail customer. We would recommend you pursue this issue with the
dealer's management team.

I am sorry we could not provide you with a more favorable reply.
 
swell marks
Big Perm said:
Both Mark and Roy may have already noticed this, but something really came to light this weekend...I had a somewhat dull spot and thought there was an issue with the paint (not much for body work)
Big Perm, you have every right to be pissed and you should go ahead with some type of legal action, but let me be of some assistance as I own a body shop and have been in the collision industry for 20 years, if you could post pics of the spots on the bed I might be able to give you an opinion on what happened, here is a couple of senerios; the truck might have been damaged in transport, they do a quickie repair as in they might not have done the metal work properly, if they didn't grind down the damaged area to the metal and then feather it out this could be an issue, you are supposed to straighten the metal as much as possible, then apply a quality filler and finish off with metal glaze, if they just slapped some bondo over the area this will cause the bodywork to swell under the paint, it might have taken some time, so in other words the do the bodywork and at the time of the sale it looks OK but after some time passes it swells up and you can see the sanding scrathes underneath the paint, another is that they might have used a cheap clear or didn't use the right hardner & reducer for the time of year, there are are fast, medium, and slow reducers for the clear, I can buy a gallon of clear w/hardner&reducer for $70 and I can also buy a clear kit for $350, there is a big quailty spectrum for clear, you can make cheap clear look good when applied but it dosen't hold up and after awhile it tends dye down in other words fade and lose its shine, it usually can be brought back by wet sanding and buffing, hope this helps, again if you see sanding scratches underneath the base coat it's in the bodywork and must be redone, if it is that the clear has faded or dyed back you can sand,buff, and polish it and get some of the shine back, if you need any help PM me

Thanks,
sorry I messed up the quote Asher
 
I think the next step is to set up a meeting between yourself and a legal aid with the owner of the dealership where you purchased your vehicle. Be sure to bring any documents necessary as well as service records. This would be the only way to get a problem like this resolved in a timely and effective manner. Unfortunately, there are not enough people who understand the concept of "keep the customer happy" at any cost, especially when the reputation of the dealership is on the line. Good luck with your battle.
 
Drive the truck through their front door, park it in their showroom, put your original sticker back on it, and tell them to give you a refund and you won't sue them.
 

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