Bad dealer service, am I over-reacting?

Man, it doesn't matter how much you paid. Take pride in the things you work hard for. I don't think 45K$ is just something to pass off as cheap, kudos to those who can. But i still refuse to pay 30$ for a pair of jeans even though its average price nowdays. Lol.

Yeah, some grease is easily wiped off, but i get it. I get mad when others do my laundry and don't hang my shirts correctly and mess up the collar. But, i do agree that i would just clean things up and not go back and tell others why you're not going back. But i get what you're trying to say, 70$ for an oil change is a lot and you have higher expectations for that kind of money.

 

When I see stuff like that, I go above and beyond to replicate the markings to make your life a living hell.

Trust in the people who are doing your service work, or do it yourself. When we see shit at a dealership from customers expecting to be scammed by us like Jiffy Lube, I really don't want their business anyway. That is challenging our honesty and integrity. Go somewhere else if you're that distrustful.

 

Little extreme to say there’s no customer service anywhere anymore, but point taken. I get it. I don’t think anyone’s reaction to this is inherently wrong except the people at the far ends of the spectrum.

What’s kind of funny about this as I think about it is, I service fishing reels as a paid hobby, I just have a weird enjoyment for it. I take pains to make sure that reel looks pristine after it’s all put back together, and I’m literally wiping it down to get rid of all the grease smudges that are inevitable. Because I take pride in my work and that reel represents me. It’s a very personal thing. Same when I service my vehicle or wash it.

When several people are handling a vehicle in a sort of assembly line kind of way, service writer to tech to tech to wash to service writer #2 etc, I think that personal investment gets diminished. It’s why I love small shops.

 

TL;DR

Get in there and stab the entire service department.

 

Speaking of idiots…it’s lose, not loose.

 

Do you have a legitimate concern? Yes. Are you over-reacting? Also yes.

I'd just clean it up and move on. I could clean that grease faster than I can send an email. Mention it next time you go in for service.

I work as a bike mechanic. So I'm on the tools side and the customer service side. Shit happens. We fuck up too. I'll be the first to admit it. I'll also be the first to go over and above if there is a missed issue.

I'd much rather someone come in to discuss it than send an email. I can make it right if you bring it back to me. 5 minutes and the grease is gone and the steering wheel is fixed. I wouldn't even give a shit if it actually happened to you on the way home and me and the other mechanics knew 110% it was good on the way out. We'd still make it right.

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.

 

Loose lips sink dealerships......?

 

I've brought our shops trucks to a garage for service, seemed every time picking them up there were smudges similar on the doors and grease smudges on the seats, not to mention cigarette smoke stink throughout the interior. We ended up changing shops till finding one that gave up back a clean smelling vehicle. Not everyone are pigs.

 

I’m definitely all about the “small shops” and would only do business with them if I possibly could but ya just can’t for everything but I get what you’re saying, msybe me saying ALL customer service was a bit extreme but these days there is a TON of kissing customer service in business (yes I work in the customer service industry where people expect to be pampered and usually the ones that have the worst behavior) I just personally think it’s sad how the customer is usually the one looked down on as “Bitching” when guess what? Their the ones paying for the service and if it weren’t for the customer than it’d mske it kinda difficult to pay the light bill ya know? But whatever? I shouldn’t had said “Everyone” so my apologies. And btw I used to have a great guy that made his own homemade fishing rods I used to use for ocean fishing and I used to get him a lot of business from friends when most of their rods would snap or fracture and this guys always held up before he passed away so just another example of doing good business kinda like you with wiping down those Reels when the bigger companies just mass produce a lot of crap and throw it in a box with a 3 month manufacture warranty.

 

Pretty sure most of the people wouldn't be happy if they got their vehicle back with grease smeared all over it, especially if you are one that likes to have a clean vehicle.
It shows a couple things, a lack of "give a shit" being the one I would be concerned about most.

 

Which dealership do you work at?

 

I wouldn’t go to a forum and cry about it. customer service requires communication both ways.

 

I don't disagree with that, but by sending an email to the dealership, isn't that communication? His email was polite, and non-inflammatory. He was pointing out his areas of dissatisfaction. He wasn't asking for anything in return.
And for all of those who think its shitty to send an email, entire businesses are run via email. it is a valid form of communication that allows for documentation of what is said. I dont call people at work if i need something addressed. I send an email. If its not documented, it didn't happen.

 

Ya, the car was less than 6 months old and less than 10,000 km (about 6k miles) and a dealer that I had purchased multiple cars from. So generally I'm not a customer they wanted to piss off...

 

But they haven’t even responded.

I would defend a dog groomer in the same scenario.

This is a whiney post that is getting the response it deserves.

 

My 2021 Tacoma is black as well and even just from me driving it and opening/closing the doors it picks up skin oil and looks like what you've posted. Especially with the wife driving it and the lotions she uses on her hands......black is just hard to keep looking clean.....so I wouldn't be too worried about the grease.....as others have said, the scratch on the gas tank door would be what I'd be concerned with the most....our dealership usually walks around the vehicle to take a video of the condition of the car when I drop it off....it keeps both parties honest. As for the steering wheel damage, I can't really see much there.....and again it would be hard to prove unless it was documented to be in perfect condition before you dropped it off. Sorry you had a bad experience. If you have another dealer close to you, start going there if you can't get past this last visit for service. Good luck.

 

I dont see a point that could be taken as crying, its just a dude asking if he over reacted.
Not sure how smearing grease all over your truck is defendable, but ok.

 

But this is the society we live in now. So, forums, yelp,google reviews, Amazon reviews, etc fuel our consumer spending. And with auto franchises not having a good name due to crooked sales depts (not all, but most), service has to make up for that 10 fold. It sucks balls, but seems to be what we have done to ourselves. 10 years in dealership service and sales, i just couldn't take it anymore.

And irony of being on the internet to say about crying on the internet. Lol.

 

I stopped going to the dealer for service because a simple oil change and tire rotation takes 4-5 hours. The service is ok but I simply don’t have the time for that.