We recently got a warranty extension for the the motor of my power door on my minivan. It has been broken for awhile, so I was excited that they might be able to repair it. When I brought it in, they said that if they took the door apart and the part broken wasn't the part covered under the warranty, it would be $250 for the labor. If the broken part was covered under the warranty extension, the labor portion was free. We decided to risk it and, luckily, the part was covered under warranty. BUT, when they called they said that the part was on backorder and they wouldn't be able to fix it until they got the part. To be fair, the warranty notice said this might be an issue so I wasn't too bothered although they kept my car for over a day before they figured it out. So I went out of town for around a month and when I got back I called to see if the part had arrived. They said it did but they put it in someone else's car and they would order it and it would be here in 5 days. So I went this morning to get my door fixed and they said that the part hadn't come in, in fact had NEVER come in, and they didn't know why the person I spoke to would tell me that it had and have me make an appointment. Oddly, they had no record of who I spoke with (but I did have an appointment on record). I get they have no control over the part, but it is annoying that I took Time Out of my day for this! I feel like the customer service is always questionable when I go to the dealer. Does anyone else have this issue or are car repair shops in general not going to be good when it comes to customer service?
I am in the UK and have owned several models of cars - I have never had an issue until recently with the Ford garage - Oh.my.God - I have never known customer service like it! Not only did they very curtly and rudely tell me that the work I needed doing wasn't covered by my warranty (faulty wipers). I was pretty certain that the job was....but I was SO shocked by the way they spoke to me - I ended up leaving.
Ouch. Awful situation. I used to have such respect for Toyota automobiles, had considered purchasng one. But since all that negative information came out, they have dropped in my eyes, as far as quality is concerned. I had a Honda for many years, did not have any problem until it was out of warranty, so I went to another repair shop.
Wow! I'm actually surprised to hear this about Toyota. Our family has owned about 6 Toyota cars/trucks over the last 3 decades and have never had a problem with getting them serviced. And it's not that it's the same Toyota dealer either because we've lived in different cities. I guess we just got lucky.
I have had trouble with dealerships when it comes to car repairs. When I go to a general mechanic or a chain like Tires Plus or Jiffy Lube, I don't have any problems. I love driving Toyota's, but I won't take it to them for servicing or repairs unless it's under warranty or I absolutely have to (for instance when someone hit me and their insurance paid for it to be repaired at the dealership). It's sad, but I will avoid a free oil change at the dealership because I don't want to be bothered by salesman trying to get me to agree to unnecessary repairs or upgrades. The last time I was there, the guy I talked with actually left his card in my vehicle with my next scheduled appointment and I'm talking about a specific date and time (without asking me). Obviously I missed that appointment! It's just a bother, a hassle, and usually a lot more expensive to go to a dealership for service and repairs.
