Once upon a time I checked our local laws regarding picketing a local business. This was in regards to a local dealer.

I was told as long as I did not block their entrance way and stayed off of their property (stay on the sidewalk) I could picket to my hearts content. Myself and my two daughters made some signs relevant to my issue and "picketed" their business.

2 hours later after the dealership showing their true colors slinging out their vulgar nature I had my problems taken care of by the second in command while the general manager hid. During that two hour span both the police and the media showed up.

I doubt that will ever be necessary again but if I ever needed to I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. It was actually kind of fun.

Nothing wrong with letting them know that that is your intentions if this isn't resolved immediately. May sound a bit over the top but I think people would be amazed how effective taking this route (if you have to, to get satisfaction) can be.

Just a thought. The squeaky wheel does indeed get the grease.

 

Update:
When I spoke with the GM, he referred me to the body shop manager. Thankfully, I was easily able to get in touch with him, and he was very well versed in his field of work. To my amazement, we were able to have a civilized and respectful conversation about what was done at the body shop (that's a huge difference compared to the others at this dealership). He told me that there were no records of what exactly was done. He said that he doubts that they would have removed the bed because of the list of issues, but he wouldn't be able to be 100% certain. The lady (who went off on me) that I worked with initially said that "her technician" went over it with "a fine tooth comb" and that the bed, tailgate, etc. were removed and realigned. That said, she seemed to know the tech very well, and/or it seemed that she had a very direct conversation with him about what exactly he did. Considering that this dealership clearly doesn't have their stuff together.. who knows what went on!

A few moments before telling me that he doesn't see why they'd remove the bed, he mentioned the plastic cones that would need to be removed/modified in order to adjust the bed (I assume these are only accessible by moving/lifting the bed?). Anyway, he wants pictures. He also told me NOT to open up a FMC case. I'm starting to get the feeling that despite how nice the man is being, the GM may have gotten ahold of him before I did. If this is the case, I'm concerned that this is like dealing with an insurance company. Should I just work directly with Ford (who is now essentially my defense)? Or should I be trying to cooperate with the dealership? In most cases where you are attempting to determine fault, the last thing you're supposed to do is give the other party information/pictures before your own defense even has a chance to see it. Not sure at all what to think/do here.

I am absolutely determined to seek proper repairs for my vehicle. I have some days off that, perhaps, would make this a creative thing to look in to. With the way this dealership has treated me, I'd enjoy it, lol.

What I would be concerned about, however, is a lawsuit for defamation. Especially since the only way I can prove their responsibility for the damage is indirect. Reasonable assumptions and proof are two very different items in court. Sadly, in my case, I get the bad end of that double edged sword.

 

Then opening a case with FoMoCo is exactly what you should do. The reason they are asking you not to is because they either have something to hide, are at fault, or think they can just drag this out until you get tired of dealing with it and drop it. If you open a case with FoMoCo it forces their hand to make it right and they do not want that.

 

Good thoughts, I've opted out of sending him pictures. I never like to jump to "conspiracy"-like thoughts, but this really does boil down to determining fault. People hide things. With what I've seen at this dealership, I wouldn't be too surprised.

PS luckily I already had a case open! Lol

 

that shady *** dealer can kick rocks. Keep FOMOCO abreast of the situation and let them drop the hammer when the time comes

 

Not worth all this hassle. Roll it in, bit of touch-up paint and you'll never notice it. Aluminum doesn't rust so it'll be fine.

 

^^ Personally I can't say I agree with that. If it was my truck, regardless of what I paid for it I want it to be right. I bought a new truck, I expect it to be new. I wonder if you'd feel different if it was your truck?? Folks who do shoddy work and think it's okay would love you.

 

Problem is that could be the least of his worries. If they backed into something or took the bed off and dropped it who knows what underlying problems might exist. I would bet that whatever happened to cause that tear likely tweaked something else. Who knows whats out of whack and rubbing against something else that will show up several thousand miles down the road. Metal on metal, wiring harnesses rubbing, brake lines. Who knows. I wouldn't be ok with it and I doubt if it was your truck you wouldn't be pissed too.

 

Yeah, I feel so weird saying these things about a "professional business" operating under a mega brand. Feel like some sort of conspiracy nut. Perhaps they just made a mistake with me but have numerous other happy customers--who knows (google/yelp reviews do not indicate much satisfaction). Either way, at this point they are definitely being shady.

I see your point here, but there's a couple of things.

First, as robbieg and idrive both mentioned, I'm very concerned about this being a brand new truck and having this sort of damage. We've already come to the conclusion that this could not have happened through any customer actions given the location and surroundings of the affected area. If this was some kind of weird issue due to poorly manufactured metal, then FMC needs to step up. If it was the dealership, they need to step up.

Second, I plan on wrapping the vehicle. I did before purchasing, and it was one of the larger reasons for purchasing. No matter what, sharp edges will pose a problem here. Whether it be a gap in the vinyl or what have you, nothing is worth a 1k $$ bed section wrap that ends up needing to be redone or removed for any reason (keeping in mind that a full truck wrap is worth 2k+). I know they make some products that would help keep the vinyl down, but regardless this is not an ideal situation at all to start playing with thousands.

 

Forgot to provide this update... going in to another local dealership tomorrow. They wanted to hold my truck for 4-5 days to get pictures and email them to the digital imaging team. I was later told that this was because they were going to let an "expert" look at it (for 30 seconds mind you) to determine necessary repairs; I negotiated this down by asking the service advisor if he could just take pictures and email them to the digital imaging team on his own.

I own a business in the service industry. Usually when you give someone a time that you will get around to something, it has a bit of wiggle room built in. But 4-5 days just to look at a minor tear and write up an estimate? Lol! I get they're busy, but damn how hard is it to at least give me a day to drop it off and expect it back 6-8 hours after..? I'm getting a bad feeling about the time this dealership will take, but I suppose I at least know they know what they're doing