Today I was up before the birds, choked down a fast
breakfast (prepared for me by K) and hit the road. The truck had to be in at
the Ford dealer for a regular check-up. I made the trip to the city in plenty
of time and arrived early at the dealer. Then I sat waiting for the service to
be done.
As I sat waiting I had a feeling of doom settle over me.
Soon I saw the man coming toward me with a pile of papers in his hand. “Ma’am,
there’s a problem.” Saw that one coming. Somehow every time a woman takes a
vehicle to a dealer there’s a problem.
“Tell me.”
“Well, when the technician tried to remove the back wheel to
inspect the brakes, there was a difficulty. He forced the wheels off and found
corroded parts inside, several of which had broken as he forced off the wheel.”
“And?”
“The vehicle will be kept here for a week while parts come
from the USA. The bill will be just under $1000.00.”
“I have an extended warranty.”
“It expired yesterday.”
“You won’t honor that warranty?”
“No, it expired yesterday.”
Okay, so now he’s messed up my day big time, here’s where I
started messing with his. “All right, young man, here’s what is going to
happen. My truck was working fine when I came in. You took it apart and broke
some of the pieces, now you want me to pay? Wrong. Put my vehicle back
together, I am leaving.”
“Ma’am, you don’t understand, it won’t go back together. It’s
broken.”
“Your problem, sonny, not mine. Put it back together now.”
“It won’t be safe to drive.”
“Apparently, none of your products are safe to drive. I may
have to get the brakes fixed, but Ford is not doing the work unless you honor
the warranty.”
“It expired yesterday.”
“So put my truck back together so I can take it elsewhere.”
This conversation went on for a while, but in the end, they
put it back together without back brakes or an emergency brake and I left.
Someone will get paid to fix those brakes, but unless Ford is willing to step
up, it won’t be them.
So, folks, I leave you with this little song called Dear Mr.
Ford. In my humble opinion, it says it all.
So ladies, have you ever had the service man come to you with that look on his face like he going to tell you your car has terminal cancer?
Posts
I took my car in for a tune up once. They told me it would take an hour. My friend and I went to lunch. Three and a half hours later, I was finally able to pick up my car. I swear, they never even popped my hood. A week later, I found myself at the parts store. My plugs were fouled, my air filter clogged, two plug wires were badly cracked, the oil needed changed, the radiator fluid was low, and the fool thing was missing. I changed the oil, gapped and replaced the plugs, changed the plug wires, topped off the radiator, changed the brakes and had my dad pull out his timing gun. One afternoon's work for the little lady who had to figure it all out. That was fifteen years ago. The only time I take my vehicle to the shop now is if I physically can't do the work. The mechanics around town know that I know my cars, so I usually get treated well.
ReplyDeleteYes, I know, such a redneck.
And the world truly needs more of you, Sister.
ReplyDeletemy old roommate had a similar situation, and the car was still under warranty. So she wrote the two page letter to the car company explaining the whole situation, why they should honor her warranty and get the work done. She went into great length and detail into the whole thing. I told her she should break it down to one sentence: "Dear Corporate lacky, fix my freaking car!"
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, Rachel; it was all I could so to hold my temper.
DeleteI really does depend on the dealership, Prudence, though a lot of them will still try crap like this (not just Ford). Did you just drive in or make an appointment? If you made an appointment, you may have a better time pushing the warranty since you could possibly claim they'd placed you outside your warranty period intentionally or had not informed you of it lapsing at least, leading you to believe your repairs would be covered.
ReplyDeleteSorry you had to deal with that. =(
Hi Eden, the original appointment was for the day before the warranty ran out, but the service person suggested they'd be really busy that day so she moved it back two days. Yeah, I smell a rat. All they would say was, "Ford won't pay for it."
DeleteI'll be looking for another place to take the truck, but I'm still out the cost of the repairs for the damage they did. Sucks.
You should write the CEO of Ford a letter or send him an email and tell him your story. Even if you don't get a response, it's good for the top guy to hear these stories. Sometimes it results in a change that's good for the customer.
ReplyDeleteI usually make my husband deal with the vehicle repairs because I've heard so many stories about women being screwed. Needless to say, when I have to handle the repairs myself, I'm very cautious dealing with the mechanics.
Hope it works out better than what you're anticipating, Prudence!
Thanks Sheila, letters have already gone out to the owner and manager of the dealership. Ford Canada is next on the list.
Delete...wow. Just wow. Some people....
ReplyDeleteMy husband was Mr. Goodwrench when I met him, so I know enough that they don't try to BS me. Last time I took my car in was after the battery was inexplicably drained after four days of not driving it. They couldn't find any cause, but at least it's documented.
ReplyDeleteOf course, my husband would tell you to buy a Chevy. :) I'll just say, good luck with your letters - it does help sometimes!
Hmmm, wish we were neighbors. :)
DeleteOh Prudence, you handled that beautifully! Wow, that was their mistake!
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. I've had more trouble bringing in a car to be fixed than my husband. The techs know what they're doing. It's hard to believe that such a sexist attitude still exists! But it does. And you're proof. Please let us know how this plays out. Although it seems there is no justice anymore. Sad.
Take care Pru! :)
Thanks Karen, it looks as though Ford Canada and the dealer are going to ignore this so I will have to get the work done at my expense. Bugger!
ReplyDeleteOh, did you listen to the song?