So I had perhaps the worst experience at a car dealership today. I went in to get my oil change, something I would normally do myself, but I got a $5 off coupon in the mail, making it about the same price for a semi-synthetic oil and filter change ($29-$5). Nothing major. Perfectly routine.
~50 minutes later…
So I’m at the cashier and I ask the service guy about the signs all over the place and on the coupon stating that the oil change “Completed in 29 minutes or less, or your next one is FREE!” Check it out yourself here.
And he makes up something about how since I used a coupon I don’t qualify. I say okay. I understand what’s going on here. So I ask the cashier about this, if she has any documentation concerning the terms and conditions of the 29 minutes or less business. She says she doesn’t know, the service guy would know. In the biz, they call that the “runaround”. Classic move. So I go back to the service guy. And you know what he says this time, “I won’t”. Now I’m a little angry, I’m being treated like a kid. So he goes and gets a manager. The manager acts managerial. And get this, the service guy had the balls to say he told me it would take 40-50 minutes. That little shit said nothing of the sort, he never gave me a time estimate. In the end, the manager begrudgingly gave me a free regular dino oil change. He too said the magic words, “I won’t”. And gave me the advice that in the future, I should let them know that I need the car in 29 minutes when I bring it in. His advice fell on deaf ears, cause I won’t be returning to Don Davis Toyota in the future. Really, any Don Davis, ever. Crumbums.
Vandergriff Toyota, here I come.
3 Comments
No, Vandergriff Toyota here you don’t come. I had an appointment for an oil change at 8am. I thought I was smart to get there early. They said it would take about 30 minutes over the phone. When I get there, there’s a line 10 cars deep of people with appointments. ONE ENTIRE DAY LATER (and a free rental car after a TON of bitching), my car was ready. I will never go to Vandergriff again. They wasted an entire Saturday of my life – and those are precious. It seems that bad service is common among Toyota dealers.
You know why right, they’ve gotten fat. We did this, we turned them into monsters for making the Camry the best selling car in the United States for eight of the last nine years starting in 1997. What is one dissatisfied customer to them when there are plenty waiting to replace them. But what can you do, they have the edge? The RAV4 was the best small SUV on the market at that time. If I was buying today, I would consider the Suzuki Grand Vitara, and I bet a Suzuki dealership wouldn’t have treated me so poorly.
It’s very true. You know, since working in the ghetto, I’ve found that mom and pop shops generally have the best service. Now, I’m only talking about food here but I’m thinking about expanding into other areas.