medicff0879

Originally posted this in the regional forum for NE specific. Now, I am posting it here to gather whether this was covered up and is this type of action allowed by Ford? As of today, I have not received any type of Customer Service survey, in which I plan to throw these idiots in service under the bus!! This is a long post, but I felt it needed explained as to where I am coming from, what I was told, and ultimately no resolution in the end.

Bought my truck from these folks on Oct. 21st and a week later I find that the wiring harness on my truck isn't working correctly. For some odd reason the "steady burn" lights aren't running, yet everything else was fine? I call these fine folks up to see about getting this brand new truck in to try and fid out why the wiring harness on the truck is faulty, not working etc. Just FYI, I confirmed it was the harness on the truck with a test light, checked with the ground on the 4 prong to find both turn signals working, 4 ways flashed, brake lights work, but no steady burn when the headlights/tailights on?

They tell me it will be at best, Dec. 1st before they can find time to fit me in. This is where my feelings about this fine est. begin to go downhill!! I buy this truck on Oct. 21st, second week of Nov. there is a problem (approx. Nov. 11th) it will be DEC 1ST before they can get me in to see what's wrong, AND, conviently they have nothing they can let me borrow to drive around.

I call up my salesman as he instructed me to call if I ever have a problem, well, I DID!! He went down to talk to service the following Monday (this was on a Friday) and shortly after I received a phone call that I could come on by and drop it off to just leave with them, just in case they can find time to squeeze it in!! I would have jumped on this as the salesguy said he would find something for me to drive in the mean while. However, after mentioning this to one of my co-workers at the Fire Dept. He stated that he was glad it wasn't just him that received this run around treatment.

Apparently, they had bought a brand new Ambulance a year back, a week later had some sort of problem that took it out of service. They told him the same thing they told me, and 5 WEEKS later it was still sitting there waiting to be fixed!! Apparently, it took someone, who knew someone, that played golf with the Owner of Sunbury Motor Company to make a phone call. According to my co-worker, the idiot in the service dept. actually told him that "if you had bought the chassis from us, we could have gotten you in quicker." So, I opted not to just drop it off and wait until today to go in for my appt.

The day of my appt. I arrive around 1000hrs. I drop the truck off and was asked if I can wait on it, since conviently they once again had nothing to loan to a customer!! I said I would wait and thought it wouldn't be long since I saw them drive it around the side, and out of sight. Two hours later, still waiting and no word?? I decided I had better things to do on my day off and went to talk to my salesman. He was great, promptly found me a ride and I was off to take care of my day off chores.

Around 1345hrs I receive a call that my truck is ready to pickup. When I get to he dealership I return the vehicle and go to the service dept. This is where the REAL S**T HITS THE FAN!! He stated that apparently a fuse had blown and it had to be the trailer I hooked up that caused it? He then slips a bill for $38.50 for a 1/2 labor and tells me this is what they charge for changing A FUSE!!!

At this point I think he must be joking as I never ONCE received any phone call stating this is the problem, we are gonna try to weasle out of warranty coverage and I will be responsible for "X" amount of dollars!! I never authorized ANY work to be done and assumed that if any work were done, it would be warranty coverage!! This smarta** sack of human waste then goes on to tell me that there is no way a blown fuse is covered under warranty, and that he did me a favor by cutting the full HOUR labor half to save me money!! I managed to hold back all explicitives but I know I was as red as the shirt I was wearing!! I told him there was no way I was paying this crap, $40 to change a fuse!! Especially since I never ONCE authorized, or knew the work was going to cost, or even be performed for that matter!!

He told me that is fine and he would have to bill the sales dept. as this is no warranty work and it's now their responsibility. I replied with the fact that I don't give a rat's *** who pays for it, as long as it wasn't me!! My next stop was straight to my salesman and the general manager of the dealership. He apoligized and stated that I should have called him first, and that he could have had their prep guys look at it first, which would have gotten me in sooner? I always assumed a problem with the truck goes to the Service Dept.? Am I wrong?? Either way, he offered apologies and said I didn't owe anything. That was it.

I will be curious as to whether I receive a "Service Satisfactory Survey?" I will rip them a new one up and down the wall, and guarantee I will NEVER set foot in that place for ANY work again!! I spoke to my dad afterwards to vent a little, and he said that if I don't receive a survey, to give Ford a call and ask where it was at? If they try to sweep any type of service work under the rug it could mean BIG TROUBLE with Ford?

Either way, I recommend Sunbury Motor Company in Sunbury, PA to buy a vehicle, as the sales process was excellent. However, I will NEVER take my truck there again for service, oil changes, or even to check the air in my tires!!

Thank you for listening LOL!! I know this may be a rant, but I would like to know if this type of work is acceptable and should I have received a survey from Ford in regards to my service visit?

blyons808

Sounds like a typical dealership move lol. They can't charge u for the work if u didn't authorize it. However, a lot of people don't know that so they end up paying. I never go to the dealership to get anything done. They take forever to do the simplest things and they charge ridiculous amounts. NEVER go there unless u absolutely NEED to!

MT-Ford

I don't think that you will get a survey on every visit. Ford just sends them randomly.

caperJ

As a note the dealership will get a copy of your complaint and will know it was you. I got into a huge agruement with Ford over this and they tell me it is to help the dealership with improving service, I **** on them saying that it should be anonymous,

medicff0879

I'm pretty sure that they are supposed to send them on EVERY service visit? At least that is how GM did it when I had my G8 in the shop for warranty service work. Usually, as someone posted above, they usually press you to lie and tell ford that they blew sunshine and lollipops up your a** before you left and that you are the hap, hap, happiest person to have ever visited their dealership service center.

As far as I am concerned I don't mind burning the bridge those scumbags walk on everyday to voice my complaint over that shoddy load of crap!! To me, that immediately eliminates any form of "trust" I felt I could have in their service practices, morals and business ethics. For that, Ford deserves to know of at least this case where the business practices were "questionable" as God only knows who else they have tried that crap on, and succeeded!!

medicff0879

Yes, I have had that run in with a service manager back home at the GM dealership. They all but called and started belittling me because I wasn't happy that I had to go back THREE times to have the same issue still not resolved!!

medicff0879

I generally never take my vehicle to a dealership either. In this case, wasn't sure if it was a faulty wiring harness, fuse, plug, who knows what? Generally assumed to be some type of warranty issue on a 3 week old truck?

For them to pull this crap and then try to charge me $40 to simply change a fuse is ridiculous in my opinion. Especially after never calling first before performing the work, that led to the charge that I didn't authorize, nor would have!!

mcfarmall

Doesn't a 36 month-36000 mile bumper to bumper warranty mean just that? And no, I didn't get a survey when I had my truck into the dealer for about 4 "nope, we can't duplicate the complaint so there's no problem" issues.

For crying out loud, I get a suvey each and every time I take my old Dodge to the dealer for a $13.95 oil change.

ric_no_k

I got charged 100+tx to change a fuse once when our used vehicle was out of warranty. Our Windstar kept dying on the side of the road but would restart after a minute but no codes. One time when it wouldn't restart had it towed to the dealership. It was a $59 scan fee plus labour and parts to clean the connections replace the fuel pump fuse. Ten miles later same problem. I was irate but they arranged to have it towed back. Turned out that when someone had replaced the fuel pump previously they had not reinstalled the tank properly and it was grounding out on the body. Dealer gave me the option of sucking up the original bill or the one for the tow and dropping of the fuel tank. I never went back.

If a trailer caused the fuse to blow, it is not a warranty issue. If you signed something when you dropped the vehicle off, you authorized it. My Honda dealer does this. I know this because I read before I sign anything. And even if you didn't want them to fix it, the bill still would be at least $30 for the investigation side of the problem.

And ripping them a new one when they 'ate' the bill.....not a good move. They took care of it.

Arctic_Ragtop

The Service Department at this dealership is just trying to run a business. If an issue is brought to them, they pay their service advisors and technicians to diagnose and fix the issue. That is their job. If it isn't warranty, they have to charge someoene. This is how business works. We aren't in a socialist economy where everything is free. The dealership isn't in business to fix everything for free. If it was a warranty related issue, then by all means it shouldn't, and won't cost YOU anything, however when it is something that isn't covered by warranty and they spend their time and money to resolve the issue, why should it be free?

HOWEVER, you DID just buy a new truck, and that is why the General Manager made it better by covering this $38 bill for you, because in the big picture, it is better to eat the $38 and keep you happy and coming back for future service and sales related visits. It is a free world and you can think whatever you want, but the Service Department is just trying to run a business. You seemed to have issues with the service deparment you dealt with at GM as well, probably because you look to get Service for free.

What do you do for work? Do you work for free?

And yes, they should have called you first before charging you. I agree with you on that. And yes, you should receive a survey after each visit. I would recommend taking up your concerns with the General Manager first. Beating them up on the survey will only ensure that they don't help you in the future.