PSA: More Irresponsible dealership issues

[tdhyden79]

About 5 months ago I took my Bronco to Auto Nation Ford in Arlington, TX for warranty work. I had a bad experience with them and tried to rectify it myself to no avail. I have attempted to contact Auto Nation corporate, and Ford Customer Service but no one has called me back about my experience. I received an email asking to review my experience on Google. I left an honest review, which was not good, but it was honest. Later I was able to speak to the service manager, he informed me that because I left a bad review, they would not rectify the damage to my Bronco and that I needed to go to another dealership. Below is a copy of my review.

"My Bronco went in for warranty work on the wiper fluid motor. Once I got my vehicle home I noticed that the passenger headlight was no longer working, the wiper cowl was damaged so badly that the hood wouldn't open, the filler neck for the wiper fluid tank was damaged, missing a screw that secures it to the body, and basically flopping around unattached to the fluid tank, there was also a metal panel behind the lower dash assembly that was not reinstalled properly, missing a screw, and rattling around like a sack of tin cans. I will not trust AutoNation with any of my vehicles moving forward.

UPDATE: Michael Camp (Service Manager) returned my call today. He informed me that after consulting with Kelly Farley (General Manager) that because of the negative review I left, they will not repair the damages to my vehicle and they will not allow me back to their dealership. I was asked via email to rate my experience with the service department. I gave an honest review, it was not a good review because my experience was not good, and now I'm being punished for my honesty. I have been a loyal Ford customer since 1998, primarily dealing with Westway Ford in Irving and Grand Prairie Ford. I have never been so disrespected by a service department before. Had Michael tried at all to do any service recovery and offered to repair my vehicle in a timely manner, I would have changed my review. Opinions and reviews can change in most circumstances, my opinion of AutoNation Ford Arlington will not change. This type of behavior is unacceptable and inexcusable."

I have since paid out of pocket to repair the problems. I plan on having my attorney send a demand letter, then file a civil suit against them for the damages I have incurred. This will, of course, cost me even more money in attorney fees but I feel that I have no other choice. I PM'd FoMoCo on here, they told me that there was nothing that they could do but make a case for me for the team to review. If anyone has any input, it would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise, I just wanted to warn my Texas people to stay away from Auto Nation here in Arlington, TX.

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[Bikeric]

Devils advocate here, you did say “ I will not trust AutoNation with any of my vehicles moving forward.”

Maybe they were taking you at your word?

 

[buck_6G]

About 5 months ago I took my Bronco to Auto Nation Ford in Arlington, TX for warranty work. I had a bad experience with them and tried to rectify it myself to no avail. I have attempted to contact Auto Nation corporate, and Ford Customer Service but no one has called me back about my experience. I received an email asking to review my experience on Google. I left an honest review, which was not good, but it was honest. Later I was able to speak to the service manager, he informed me that because I left a bad review, they would not rectify the damage to my Bronco and that I needed to go to another dealership. Below is a copy of my review.

"My Bronco went in for warranty work on the wiper fluid motor. Once I got my vehicle home I noticed that the passenger headlight was no longer working, the wiper cowl was damaged so badly that the hood wouldn't open, the filler neck for the wiper fluid tank was damaged, missing a screw that secures it to the body, and basically flopping around unattached to the fluid tank, there was also a metal panel behind the lower dash assembly that was not reinstalled properly, missing a screw, and rattling around like a sack of tin cans. I will not trust AutoNation with any of my vehicles moving forward.

UPDATE: Michael Camp (Service Manager) returned my call today. He informed me that after consulting with Kelly Farley (General Manager) that because of the negative review I left, they will not repair the damages to my vehicle and they will not allow me back to their dealership. I was asked via email to rate my experience with the service department. I gave an honest review, it was not a good review because my experience was not good, and now I'm being punished for my honesty. I have been a loyal Ford customer since 1998, primarily dealing with Westway Ford in Irving and Grand Prairie Ford. I have never been so disrespected by a service department before. Had Michael tried at all to do any service recovery and offered to repair my vehicle in a timely manner, I would have changed my review. Opinions and reviews can change in most circumstances, my opinion of AutoNation Ford Arlington will not change. This type of behavior is unacceptable and inexcusable."

I since paid out of pocket to repair the problems. I plan on having my attorney send a demand letter, then file a civil suit against them for the damages I have incurred. This will, of course, cost me even more money in attorney fees but I feel that I have no other choice. I PM'd FoMoCo on here, they told me that there was nothing that they could do but make a case for me for the team to review. If anyone has any input, it would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise, I just wanted to warn my Texas people to stay away from Auto Nation here in Arlington, TX.

I had a pretty slimy experience with a Toyota AutoNation in San Antonio when shopping for my Tacoma. They lied about their inventory on their site, even after I called to confirm they had a TRD Pro and not some other trim, at which point I drove 90 miles to see the vehicle that did not exist. When I arrived, they asked to see my trade-in, took over an hour (I walked over to where they were "assessing" my trade and found them standing around doing nothing), only to find they'd lured me down with a nonexistent vehicle, and tried to sell me on a lower trim Tacoma.

AutoNation is a massive nationwide chain. They care about volume, not individuals - I'll never be going near one of their stores again, and wish I could say I was surprised by your experience. Good on you for taking them to task.

 

[tdhyden79]

Devils advocate here, you did say “ I will not trust AutoNation with any of my vehicles moving forward.”

Maybe they were taking you at your word?

You're not wrong! I get it. But, is that the best way to behave in any circumstance, business or not?
I have been a business owner for most of my life. Any time my companies have performed below expectation, I have made an effort to recover the customer and make things right. 99% of the time, I have been able to rectify the problem and have a closer relationship with the customer moving forward. This is how I live my life, with my wife, my kids, my friends, and my customers. If you under perform, expect the worst backlash possible. Make an attempt to make things right, admit your fault or wrong doing, don't do it again.
The expectation that its okay to just walk away from a difficult situation like this is just childish. People should be expected to do better. This is what is wrong with our culture today. Whiney men that are not expected to take responsibility for their actions. Sorry for my long soapbox response. I'm just completely fed up with men not being men these days. Thanks for your response.

 

[BroncoBoy22]

Sorry they did such a horrible job. Then they did an even worse job at making up for it

 

[onestout]

It's Autonation, that is to be expected. I made an appointment to look at a vehicle which they confirmed they had there that morning when I set up the appt. When I got there they said they just sold it and that they could show me something else....I asked what was the point of setting an appt. to look at a specific vehicle? Their reply was we had someone else that wanted it the same day....but they couldn't cancel the appt. then? They are just a shady shithole that should be avoided at all cost.

 

[LOSTXGOLD]

Damn, sorry to hear about your experience.

I am afraid I have the same issue with my wiper fluid motor.

 

[0ne]

Damn, sorry to hear about your experience.

I am afraid I have the same issue with my wiper fluid motor.

What’s going on with wiper fluid motors?

 

[23_Badlands]

I'd be livid if what happened to the OP happened to me. I try my best to never take my vehicle to the dealer unless it's a high-dollar warranty issue. If forced to visit the dealer, I go over the vehicle top to bottom after the repair, before I ever move the vehicle, checking to see 1) if the primary problem has been fixed to my satisfaction and 2) if there's any collateral damage (door dings, dents, interior damage, etc.). Any issues, I resolve/document everything with the SA, SM and/or GM as appropriate before I ever leave the dealership.

Sorry to say, when the OP posted the less-than-positive, albeit honest review, he/she lost a significant amount of leverage with the dealership. IMO a negative review can be appropriate . . . after you've given the GM at the dealership a reasonable amount of time to acknowledge and rectify the problem.

 

[LOSTXGOLD]

What’s going on with wiper fluid motors?

Mine hasn’t worked in 3 months. It doesn’t even make a sound when I try to use the wiper fluid to wash off dead bugs.

 

[MayhemMike]

I have never heard of a company responding to a review like that. In the long run, your review will cost them more then what it would have taken to correct their error. Satisfaction will be yours.

 

[ChrisB351]

Devils advocate here, you did say “ I will not trust AutoNation with any of my vehicles moving forward.”

Maybe they were taking you at your word?

Thats how I took it. That statement gave them full right to refuse service.

 

[Medic2586]

Don’t deal with CROSSROAD FORD either! I bought a 23 Bronco there and got p:/o EC with a certain service advisor… talked with Barry Norman at Conway Ford in Conway SC and they said they would take care of any issues I had. Thanks Conway Ford! I wish I had just gotten my Bronco from them!!! Lesson learned!

 

[NORCALGXP]

You're not wrong! I get it. But, is that the best way to behave in any circumstance, business or not?
I have been a business owner for most of my life. Any time my companies have performed below expectation, I have made an effort to recover the customer and make things right. 99% of the time, I have been able to rectify the problem and have a closer relationship with the customer moving forward. This is how I live my life, with my wife, my kids, my friends, and my customers. If you under perform, expect the worst backlash possible. Make an attempt to make things right, admit your fault or wrong doing, don't do it again.
The expectation that its okay to just walk away from a difficult situation like this is just childish. People should be expected to do better. This is what is wrong with our culture today. Whiney men that are not expected to take responsibility for their actions. Sorry for my long soapbox response. I'm just completely fed up with men not being men these days. Thanks for your response.

Well said excellent could not agree more.

 

[userdude]

Don’t deal with CROSSROAD FORD either! I bought a 23 Bronco there and got p:/o EC with a certain service advisor… talked with Barry Norman at Conway Ford in Conway SC and they said they would take care of any issues I had. Thanks Conway Ford! I wish I had just gotten my Bronco from them!!! Lesson learned!

Well... You were at a crossroad... lol

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