Bad dealer service, am I over-reacting?

This is one of the reasons I service my own vehicles.

 

I just realized yesterday was Friday and now this thread/OP’s reaction make more sense.

 

OP your fine!

When paying for a service on a near 50k item ( I dont care if rich people treat their stuff like shit)
The item shouldn't come back in any other condition as given to them!

I'll bet the members criticizing you have never worked in customer service or are under 30 years old.

 

I would be pissed to you did the right thing op.

 

I’m customer service and we would handle this no issue.
It’s the whining I can’t stand

 

[QUOTE="DingleTower, post: 26469028,

Also....I'll go ahead and mention don't bring up the price of your vehicle. It makes the customer sound petty and that we should have given better service to them than the guy that just brought in his $1000 1993 Corolla. I don't care what the price is...they should all be handled with care. A Tacoma isn't even all that expensive anyway in the grand scheme of things.[/QUOTE]


I like this point. I work in the building trades industry as a service tech to windows and doors.my biggest pet peeve is when the customer is winning about window issues with vinyl windows.i plaid 500 grand for this place and these windows leak water and air.first of all I didn't install them, I wouldn't put a $200 dollar window in a 1/2 million dollar house expecting fuzzy weatherstripping to keep out water and a hollow frame window with an engineered weep system that lets water out and air in not to have an air leak. I can usually slow the water, but the air leaks are part of the product to explain. But in general I do my best to clean up after my work. Sometimes I'll miss a spec that blew half way across the room from the vac exhaust, and the customer calls the company to complain. I never take it personal, just petty. I've had people let their 3 yr old try to get in the way as we take out a 4'x5' broken piece of glass out of the wall and think it's cute when you have limited time to get it in the box to contain it.
Everyone has expectations with work being preformed, in the end it's on the individual doing the work, attitude and training are key and attitude can't be taught. 99.4% of the time I get positive feedback. I expect that higher standard for myself. With some issues there are factors out of my control and can't address. Install, humidity, safety and product choice in that application.

 

Other than chronologically, this thread does not meet the TW Friday criteria:
1) OP wants to be compensated for x with a brand new Pro

 

I also take phone pics of every body panel right before I let anyone work on it, literally takes seconds. Proved valuable a couple years ago when a shop scratched up my Tundra driver door while installing shocks. Showed them the pics before and after...scratch fixed on their dime. It was accidental but still....

 

OP....consider this.....

Do you wear a ring on your left hand? Perhaps a wedding ring. Many times a ring will snag or scratch a leather steering wheel cover. Seems very coincidental the scuff on the steering wheel is in the same position as you hold the wheel.

The other things......just use a rag to wipe off the "globs" and hand prints.

Next dealer service, ask the Service Manager to instruct all the techs working on your truck need to wear white gloves.

Good Luck.

 

I think a letter and being "POAH" is a little bit much as well. But, I also think you have a very valid point. Things like that are or can be an indicator of a shop's or individual's overall demeanor or work ethic. To grab the general manager's attention and walk him around the truck pointing out the issue may help them improve.

To say that this is normal and you are out of line, well that's a bit relaxed. Anyone at Toyota if asked, (Outside of safety) "what is the single most important consideration in the company"? most if not all would answer "QUALITY" and that simply is not it. Now what to expect as a result? A sincere apology, possibly a detail with a promise to do better is more than enough to show concern or remorse.

Good point raised about being willing to give praise as freely as criticism. This is absolutely true, and IMHO should be something we all look forward to the chance to genuinely give or share.

 

To echo or add to what others have said:

This is SO true - people are quick to bitch and slow (or not at all) to praise. Sad state of affairs when it comes to the "General Public."

I think your email was toned down from what you really felt. I get it. Soft criticism can sometimes help those involved to improve. Very harsh criticism puts most folks on the defensive. After 71 years on this planet I have also perfected the art of complaining - but I try to use it only when it's truly justified. I have also tried to heap praise any time I experience evidence of going a (perhaps small) step beyond adequate.

This is so true, and has been exacerbated by COVID.

I can understand this as well. I would probably be offended if I picked up on this.

At my dealership the tech who actually do the work are the LMTPs (low men on the totem pole). Fast efficient accomplishment of the duties is expected and the pay they get doesn't always justify the care that we all expect. It's just the way it is. This is why heaping some praise on them for a job done, perhaps a bit better than acceptable, will perhaps stimulate them to continue with that mindset.

Face-to-face criticism is best and most sincere, and often most effective if done in a calm, factual, and dispassionate manner.

 

I had an oil change, and a noisy pulley changed at my local dealer a few years ago. They got grease stains all over my brand new wet okole seat covers, which weren't cheap. During the previous service, they got grease on the fabric on the inside of my door, so this time, I asked them to please be careful and not get grease on the inside of my truck. The service manager told me absolutely, it wont happen. well, this is what my brand new seat covers (new at the time) looked like when my truck was finished. They also left my engine cover crooked, and didn't bolt it back into place. My oil also still appeared to be dirty, so I wasn't convinced they even changed it. I ended up getting most of my money back. I wouldn't even trust my dealer to put air in my tires now. Luckily, for whatever reason, the wet okole seat covers seem to not stain whatsoever. The grease came right out with wetsuit shampoo, and I have since spilled coffee on them, and that came right out as well. Great product.

 

That steering wheel pic though... All I had to see was nothing there to know the rest is horse hockey nonsense. Perhaps a Prius is in order? Or do your own maintenance so you have no one to blame but yourself.

When my customers point out ridiculously minor imperfections in their hot tub I can barely bite my tongue anymore. I wonder how some people sleep at night when they notice “issues” everywhere. What a tortured existence that must be. The more you own the more you are owned.

 

IMO, it's a fine line between being a Karen and standing up for your hard earned stuff. And to dismiss said concern is just saying that those who are mechanics and customer service actually dgaf about you and your shit.

I agree with the ones that have stated there's a better way to get this taken care of. But again, OP is just asking opinion. How many threads on here asking opinions about lifts and tires? Everyone's all up on that shit with "yeah get that! " no one has yet to say "it's better to stay stock" (that I've read)

 

Another great point. The more this thread keeps going the higher the value of the Tacoma, started out at “45k vehicle” and now it’s “nearly $50k vehicle”.

A paying customer is a paying customer. The guy with a $1000 93 Corolla could also have a business with a $500k fleet of Toyotas.

 

And you won't get one from them here on TW, so there's that

If you don't speak to them about the minor stuff, how can they avoid something else, bigger next time?

If I had paid for a service I wouldn’t be wasting my time writing emails to anonymous costumers, I’d be personally speaking to the service manager because that’s who’s going to make things right for you. If he won’t, there’s usually a general manager or owner who will want to know what’s going on. And then there’s always the other customers who also want to know how well their baby will be treated.

There’s a saying that goes something like “it takes one to know one”. But I’m pretty sure that you must also be a proud member of the AH club.

And just for the record, I’m not a member of either, I’m just a guess now & then. But you? Yeah, full membership!

Enjoy your membership(s)

 

guess or guest???

 

I said this on another thread recently too, but God I would so hate to be a dealership tech these days... Or any type of customer service job. People are shallow and so trivial about everything now, and I think it’s because we’ve led the most cushy life mankind has ever known for decades now, and people can’t deal with even the smallest non-issues without obsessing over them and becoming Karens. Seems like TW is becoming mostly full of people who should have never bought a Tacoma in the 1st place, complaining how awful their 3rd gen is, how it doesn’t drive smooth like the fucking sedan they had before, what a huge inconvenience it is to be bothered by a company trying to do right by its customers by issuing recalls, crying on the internet over a microscopic blemish, etc... We just need an asteroid to hit us so we can start over in a few million years maybe.

 

I’m the same way with my truck. I had one free rotation and that was the last time I went back to the dealer. I’d rather do the work myself if I can.

All that being said I’d take the loss and move on. I doubt you’ll get anything more than additional frustration fighting over any of this.

 

Lol