# Dealer unable to repair item and damaged my 3 week old car



## wah001 (Oct 17, 2013)

I'm having a bit of trouble with my new Cruise Diesel and especially the Dealer. (Ourisman Chevrolet of Bowie, MD)

About a week after I got the car the blind spot sensor on the passenger side started acting up. It was staying lit and then flashing and flickering. 
I booked a service appointment and too it into the dealers. I said I would leave the car there all day to give them time. 
They shuttled me to work at about 8am.
By 3pm I had not heard from the dealer, I called to arrange to be picked up and was told that they don't pick up in my area at that time due to traffic! 
After a discussion they finally agreed to pick me up. and gave me the cell # of the shuttle driver. I was to call him and sort it out.
I called the driver and he said it would be about 30-45 minutes as he was on his way to pick up another customer.
About an hour later I call to find out where he was and was told he was on his way and what was the address I was at.
To cut this short I was told twice more he was on his way over the next hour and a half. 
I ended up stood on the side of the road for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours waiting for him.

I was told they would need to order the part and it would be about a week. If was told to call them the following week to find out if it was in. 
The following week it was in for its post delivery inspection at which point I asked about the part. 
I was told they would check on it and call me in a hours or so. 
THREE days later I was still waiting for the call. 
After the service I asked for a copy of the invoice showing what had been done for my records. They told me it would be about 10 minutes to print it out.
20 minutes later I again asked for the print out and he said it would be ANOTHER 30 minutes. At this point they said they would mail it and I just walked out.

I am currently still waiting for the invoice..

I decided to call Chevrolet customer service. they opened a ticket and said they would look into it.
Later that day the Delaer caled me asking to bring the car in. They needed to get the part # off the sensor so they hadn't ordered it!

I told them No, I would take it elsewhere to be repaired.
15 minutes later they called me back and said the part would be there Monday and they didn't need me to come it as they found the part #.



I took the car in on Tuesday and left it with them for the day. I also requested a front alignment as the tracking was out and pulling to the right all ready.

I was picked up this time at 3.30. When I got to the dealers they said they were unable to fix the issue and had escalated it with Chevrolet. I asked if the alignment was done and they said no. I told them to do the alignment and I would wait.

About 5pm the car was ready. When I got it back it was covered in dust and dirt. I drove it straight home and started to wash the car.
At this point I was horrified to discover a 6X8 inch dent in the front right fender!




























I immediately called the dealer and got told to bring it back the following day. 


I was at Ourisman of Bowie by 8 am.
I showed them the damage and they admitted one of their employes had been SAT on the car fender while programing the sensor module!

They said they would attempt to have the dent pulled out and put me in a rental car.
Later that day they called to say it didn't pull out and it would have to go through the body shop and would take a few days.


I am still waiting to get the car back.


Can I refuse to accept it back if they have filled the fender with Bondo? 
I really do not want a brand new car with panel damage and full body filler. No matter what they do the car is now worth less than it should be with the body repairs.
Maryland allows you to claim for Diminished Value, is it worth the claim against them?



Any advice would be great.


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

Oh my god what a nightmare. This is the type of stuff GM needs to look into, how frustrating. What has GM Customer service told you? Have you called them again and told them about this stupidity?


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## boraz (Aug 29, 2013)

fuuuu


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## wah001 (Oct 17, 2013)

I spoke to Chevrolet last night and got a very apathetic reply of "We are waiting for the dealer to call us back"
Based on this experience with the dealer calling me I'm not going to hold my breath.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

WOW.

We have another car that I take to an Ourisman dealer in Fairfax, and they have been nothing but great, especially compared to other dealerships around the area.

This is ridiculous...keep on Customer Service to get this taken care of the right way. Unfortunately, you are stuck dealing with that dealer as they caused the damage to your car - once you get this taken care of, I would definitely avoid them.

Good luck. I hope they replace the whole fender and don't just bondo it up for you because it won't look the same.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

File a complaint with your local BBB and the Maryland AG's office. Here's the link for the AG: Maryland Attorney General - File a Consumer Complaint. You may want to consider calling one of your local TV stations about the crappy service you're receiving - be sure to tell them it's the dealership itself. Negative publicity seems to be the only thing that gets some companies off their a$$.


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## diesel (Jun 8, 2013)

obermd said:


> File a complaint with your local BBB and the Maryland AG's office. Here's the link for the AG: Maryland Attorney General - File a Consumer Complaint. You may want to consider calling one of your local TV stations about the crappy service you're receiving - be sure to tell them it's the dealership itself. Negative publicity seems to be the only thing that gets some companies off their a$$.


If you are a squeaky wheel loud enough, you will get the oil. Have you seen this story?

Camaro owner records mechanics abusing car, scheming to get damages paid for (UPDATED)


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

When i threatned to call Media and my Lawyer when nobody wants to take responsibility for not replacing the wiring that fried my ECU, the dealer all of a sudden decided to buy my car. Hint, Hint.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

I saw that video. Frankly I'm getting tired of telling members to find another dealership. From the sheer number of times "find another dealership" or a similar phrase shows up here GM has a major problem on their hands. One that may very well be their undoing down the road.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

I would get the name(s) of the dealership people involved and go straight to the dealership's owner AFTER filing a detailed report with GM Customer Service. The owner should know how you and your car have been treated (and by who) and GM Customer Service should know about your experience with the dealer. I second the motion of going to the BBB.

You're 100% correct to not want a brand new car with body repairs... you just want a brand new car! I'd be tempted to push for a new replacement and tell them to take your current car in at 100% value. Tell them if there's "nothing wrong" with the body shop fix then there would be nothing wrong with THEM taking the car back and using it as a demo model...

These customer service nightmares are all too common and create a bad name for the brand despite it being a dealership only issue (and maybe even just a one or two person issue). I don't know many people who are upset when their car needs to go in for service as long as they are treated properly and in a way that minimises the impact to the customer. What you're going through is BS.


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## GotDiesel? (Sep 9, 2013)

GM Customer service will reach out to you as I had some dealer conundrums, worse then you and did get a resolve . I would push the dealer for a new car.


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## BlueTopazECO12 (Jan 2, 2012)

It's things like this that make me avoid the dealer for anything. That, and I used to a work in a dealership years ago, and the things that happen are ludicrous. 

I got into an accident with a customer car, completely MY fault, and the dealer never told the customer. Instead, they lied and said a part was on backorder and they had to wait another week. The things dealers pull now-a-days is astonishing.



But anyway, I hope your issue gets resolved ASAP and they take care of you PROPERLY, instead of sweeping it under the rug like a lot of them do.. After seeing this, I don't intend on bringing my car into the dealer any time soon..


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Hi wah001,

I am so sorry that you had such a negative experience at your dealership. If you would like for me to call the dealership, file a complaint or assist you in any other way please send me a private message with your name, VIN, mileage and a contact number. I will get to work on this today. I look forward to hearing from you. 

Jackie
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## trevor_geiger (Nov 29, 2012)

That customer service from the dealership is totally unacceptable. Here let me take your money and not give a crap about you. If I were you I would do what the others are saying, file a claim, take it to the media and call them out. I bet the guy who decided to "sit" on your car doesn't even do that to his own, that is just pure disrespect. I hope you really get everything sorted out and hope that everything goes your way 100%. Keep us updated and good luck.


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## iKermit (Dec 13, 2010)

Chevy Customer Care said:


> Hi wah001,
> 
> I am so sorry that you had such a negative experience at your dealership. If you would like for me to call the dealership, file a complaint or assist you in any other way please send me a private message with your name, VIN, mileage and a contact number. I will get to work on this today. I look forward to hearing from you.
> 
> ...


Thanks Jackie, make sure to get GM up their behinds!


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## wah001 (Oct 17, 2013)

Chevy Customer Care said:


> Hi wah001,
> 
> I am so sorry that you had such a negative experience at your dealership. If you would like for me to call the dealership, file a complaint or assist you in any other way please send me a private message with your name, VIN, mileage and a contact number. I will get to work on this today. I look forward to hearing from you.
> 
> ...


Hi Jackie,

What kind of complaint do you mean?

I all ready have an open case with regards to the dealer not responding to me with the warranty parts.
A lady called Angie is/was dealing with it and she is aware of the damage they have caused as I called and left her a message on Tuesday and spoke to her last night but she is waiting for the dealer to call her and I said she was very apathetic.
To be honest she is going to be waiting till dooms day for any kind of reply from Ourisman.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

I can call the dealership and speak with the Service Manager and/or I can submit a dealership complaint that will go directly to the District Manager. This is definitely not the experience that we want our customers to have. if you have a case number from Angie for this issue send it to me and I will look into it and see if I can get you some faster results. This does not have to be a long drawn out process. We are here to try and get your issues resolved quickly and to take care of most of the calls and work for you. I am so sorry about this experience. I am here to assist if you need me. 

Jackie
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## wah001 (Oct 17, 2013)

Many Thanks Jackie,
I sent you a P.M.

I don't have the case number with me at the moment.


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## Scott M. (Apr 23, 2013)

Maybe if they cant fix the blind spot sensor after 3 tries you can get relief from the lemon law. I suspect that body filler and paint will constitute a repair even though that sucks. Good luck. The less time a car spends at the dealer the better. I am tempted to pay for my own oil changes just because the risk is greater than the reward.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

I sent you a message reply. I looked into your case and it looks like you are in good hands. I will stay on top of this for you. I also sent you your case number. 

Jackie
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## NYCruze2012 (Jan 16, 2012)

Yay Jackie! We love you and your team that helps all of us!

Sent from my last surviving brain cell


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## 2013LT (Jul 3, 2013)

That's pretty bad.. I've got a pretty terrible Honda dealership story but I won't threadjack. I really hope things work out for you


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

wah001 said:


> Many Thanks Jackie,
> I sent you a P.M.


Keep us informed as to how this plays out! Good luck!

Thanks Jackie!


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

BlueTopazECO12 said:


> It's things like this that make me avoid the dealer for anything. That, and I used to a work in a dealership years ago, and the things that happen are ludicrous.


Me too. After a few bad experiences (not nearly as bad as this though) I would rather just pay for the parts out of pocket and fix it myself, and I have done just that many times even with a car under warranty as long as the parts are not too expensive. Dealing with dropping the car off with no set appointment time, coming back at the end of the day and then still waiting for them to process paperwork etc. (!) is just not worth the hassle for a sub-$50 part, and then worrying about how the car was treated to top it off.

I once knew a guy who worked at a dealership (which will remain un-named). I went in the back to talk to him and he pointed at a big pile of very large boxes in the corner. They were cylinder heads. Cars coming in with porous head castings and coolant leaks were repaired without telling the customers. Delay tactics were used to buy the time needed. Nuts.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Blue Angel said:


> I once knew a guy who worked at a dealership (which will remain un-named). I went in the back to talk to him and he pointed at a big pile of very large boxes in the corner. They were cylinder heads. Cars coming in with porous head castings and coolant leaks were repaired without telling the customers. Delay tactics were used to buy the time needed. Nuts.


I can understand the repairs without telling customers what the real delays are. In this case the Dealerships are actually protecting the car manufacturer from further problems down the road.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

obermd said:


> In this case the Dealerships are actually protecting the car manufacturer from further problems down the road.


Agree 100%, but it would be nice to have a "more honest" relationship with the customer especially when it inconveniences them beyond what they signed up for.

It's also worth mentioning that these shenanigans take place with just about every car manufacturer/dealer network. I know lots of car people and I've heard tons of stories... a dealership is no better than the staff who operate it and there are lots of bad apples out there.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Blue Angel said:


> Agree 100%, but it would be nice to have a "more honest" relationship with the customer especially when it inconveniences them beyond what they signed up for.
> 
> It's also worth mentioning that these shenanigans take place with just about every car manufacturer/dealer network. I know lots of car people and I've heard tons of stories... a dealership is no better than the staff who operate it and there are lots of bad apples out there.


More transparency here would go a long ways for building trust between dealerships and their customers.


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## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

obermd said:


> ...transparency...


Yes, that's a good word.


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## wah001 (Oct 17, 2013)

*Car was repaired (Sort of)*

Well, The car was supposed to be ready yesterday. 

They didn't call to let me know either way (No great surprise there!) 
So I went down after work. They have "Repaired" the damage. 
*They pulled out the dent, filled it with Bondo then repainted the area.* :$#angry: 

The car was not ready as when they were taking things apart they managed to break some trim and they were waiting for that to arrive so they could fit it. 
I took a very good look over the repair. At this time I really don't want to say what my thoughts are of the repair in a public forum. 

I requested their liability insurance details. When they asked why I was honest and told them that Maryland allows me to claim for diminished value at which point they became extremely defensive and a little belligerent. 
They refused to provide this and told me I would have to talk to the service manager, Who of course, Was not available and in a meeting.... 

Ourisman is supposed to call me this morning to let me know when its complete. 

I'm not going to hold my breath! 

They did manage to fit the sensor that it went in for originally.


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## trevor_geiger (Nov 29, 2012)

Wow they were getting a little defensive over the problems that they caused? I would start talking to the media and tell them that you are talking to the media about how terrible the dealership service is. I would also start bringing a camera with me and record conversations as well. 


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


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## KpaxFAQ (Sep 1, 2013)

As much as I can't stand them, an attorney is the way to go at this point. The sooner the better. You tried to be reasonable and civil, time to break out the heavies.


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## GotDiesel? (Sep 9, 2013)

Reject the car !!! ask for a new one , This will hurt your resale !


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Funny how you put that iKermit. I am definitely here to make sure that you guys have a positive dealership experience and if you don't then I will to try and fix it. Although i am not the main agent on his case I will do what I can to correct this issue. 

Jackie
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## wah001 (Oct 17, 2013)

Jackie,

If the vehicle has had bodywork (i.e A panel repaired or replaced) and paintwork performed by the dealer am I correct to assume that the factory corrosion and paint warranty become null and void on that panel?

Does it affect the warranty on the adjoining panels?

Thanks!


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

The factory warranty should continue in your case - it was an indirect representative of GM who caused the problem. Now if you had been in an accident that would be a different story.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

Ober is correct. The warranty still applies. Especially since the issue occurred at a GM dealership. I am sorry that I am slow to respond to you. Your information is with an agent that is higher up than me. She will have to handle this issue for you. I am staying on top of your issue as much as I can though. I sent her a reminder and notified her that I spoke with you in Cruze Talk. You can still feel free to send me a message if you have any questions or need anything.

Jackie
Chevrolet Customer Care


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## Tomko (Jun 1, 2013)

This is not a good story for that dealership. 

It is emblematic of service expected from 'Joe's Garage' not a professional service agent under contract with GM.


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