"crazedclay: SBC murderer" (crazedclay)
08/08/2014 at 10:54 • Filed to: None
8
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"crazedclay: SBC murderer" (crazedclay)
08/08/2014 at 10:54 • Filed to: None | 8
| 4 |
A couple summers ago, I had the misfortune of running into a bad shop that for the longest time was a good shop.
By the end of it I had a thousand dollars of goodwill in my pocket in addition to having all my work orders refunded to me in order for it to go away.
The shop GM cornered me and threatened me with violence if I didn't recant with corporate what I had written. He did so by parking my car for pickup out of camera view and accosting me when I came to get it. For that, I took his job and his retirement by continuing the narrative with corporate and providing what evidence I could. The store is no longer run by the assholes I dealt with.
Companies, especially social media aware companies, are very astute at ensuring that they do not fall into negative scrutiny and will often bend over backwards to ensure that they do not fall into that. They will sacrifice their own babies to make sure that the public remains unaware or in a positive view of their organization. Probably wise. The ones who ignore that pressure can often meet with public sanction or a simple bypass with dollars.
The point forms are as follows:
Always gather evidence as you go. Keep dates, facts, and figures close at hand.
Do not presuppose, only give facts that can not be controverted. No hearsay.
Do not bend over for the counter level agents or GM, but ensure that if it can be worked out at that level to your favor then do so but when it doesn't, be prepared to go to Corporate. Corporate will consistently overrule the decisions of the counter staff if presented with good evidence and a reason to save face.
Do not be afraid to mention that you are a member of local automotive groups. But don't say "I am on the facebooks and blogging this lulz". Make it authoritative and give it tangible weight that corporate should consider.
BE CIVIL. The moment you drop an insult, f-bomb, or go Ad Hominem you are fucked. Your credibility is gone, and what you want is more credibility than the guy at the counter. Never swear at your counter rep or raise your voice. Just go right up the chain. As most consumers go off on a counter agent, all the agent has to do is roll his eyes to the boss and say "Another one of those" to which the boss will gravely agree.
EDIT: KNOW YOUR PRODUCT BETTER THAN THEY DO. One off rotors? Year to year changes? Simple maths? All that will help.
Added tip from 1337Mustang:
Take pictures of your car before it goes in. We do this for client vehicles as a regular thing, both for our own liability protection but also for the client's peace of mind.
And most importantly, let them know that your goal is to cost them at least one customer who would spend as much as you did. Because if you do that, you effectively got your money back from their till in terms of keeping another customer away. They have to know that reviews and customers matter.
So here's the letter. Learn from it what you will.
To whom it may concern,
This is coming from the desk of a relatively high-spend and repeat customer. A customer who generally speaking has been trouble free, never complained about timing, and been satisfied, up until now, with the effective and trouble free service received from this Midas location. Up until now.
My last experience has been a lesson in perhaps placing a little too much trust in the process.
On or about May the first, I contacted your assistant manager, Rick, to get a quote for a relatively straightforward rotor and pad swap on my 1991 Chevrolet Sprint Turbo. A vehicle I have been driving for some time, and working on getting roadworthy in conjunction with your location. Some work I have completed on my own, and other work I have had done with Midas. This is not the first vehicle I have brought to your location, but will likely be the last.
The telephone quote for a brake flush and pad/rotor swap with customer supplied parts was roughly 200 dollars.
At the midpoint of the operation, Rick informed me that he had a 'Mitchell problem" and that he quoted me incorrectly, based upon the information available to him. It is at this point that I reference common knowledge on this vehicle and platform. Every Metro/Swift/Sprint/Firefly from inception in 1988 to the end of the brand in roughly 2000 has employed a bearing on rotor design, excepting cabriolet models. While I do not expect immaculate knowledge of every product, I expect a service advisor to do the proper research before issuing a quote, this is not a high end vehicle and they made more of them than loaves of bread in the 90's. Blaming this on Mitchell or Alldata is laughable as Mitchell is a pretty comprehensive suite with very reasonable data. The quote rose from 200 with flush to a completion invoice of over 400 dollars (which I was not informed about until the time came to pay), this along with the line at the midpoint of the operation from Rick "Oh, it should just be a little bit more". Yes, 200 dollars more. Twice the quoted cost without a flush (More on that in the next line) apparently is "A little more". To add insult to injury, the technician called Calipers as well, bumping the invoice cost to over 800 dollars. This from an original quote of 200. More on the calipers to follow.
Upon review of the invoice, which I paid begrudgingly once the caliper lines were removed, additional erroneous line items were present for parts that were not used in the operation. The technician who completed the work indicated that he could not complete the flush due to a bleeder screw being seized, yet I was charged for brake fluid. Upon noting this, Jason, the management trainee, removed the charge and issued a refund. Nonetheless, why was it on there? Who reviewed this before issuing the charges?
None of this comes close to the major source of irritation. I brought my vehicle to your location in a functional condition. The brakes worked quite well, stopped straight and true, but I was concerned that a vented non-drilled rotor and standard pads would have trouble dissipating heat associated with greater stopping loads on a 6.8% larger diameter wheel. Thus, I ordered proper replacement drilled rotors and a better set of pads. Your location installed them.
The tech completed the work, and took the car for a drive before handing it off to me. He indicated *everything* was good except that he had trouble retracting one caliper piston, something I find to be a concern. My brakes worked quite well and the pad material on the ones that came off were equal in wear to the new pads that went on. I repeat, the technician indicated to me that things were good when he handed the vehicle off.
I took the vehicle down Stony Plain Road, north on 163rd to 107 ave, and over to 150st and 105 ave. By the time I got there, my driver's front brake assembly was so hot it was smoking. I burnt my finger on the rotor and melted plastic on it ten minutes after parking. This from a simple low speed drive with minimal driving. My previously healthy caliper is now seized because of the workmanship associated with a simple pad swap. Insult to injury: your technician drove this vehicle and straight faced handed it off to me indicating that things were ok. I was given an unsafe vehicle to drive with no warning.
And, I say healthy in that I experienced no brake fade, never had drag, and had proper float distance. I know that the new rotors and pads are in spec for my vehicle because the passenger front is working fine and not subject to the same drag.
And now I am booked in for another 480 dollar service due to what should have been a simple operation. I am on the hook for replacing calipers that had no issue before the work was completed. Also of note, during previous visits with this vehicle no problems were ever indicated with the braking system. Midas does do checks on every visit, or so I'm told.
Let me reiterate that. I brought a healthy braking system to you, a braking system that up until now had no real issues, was quoted 200 dollars for the work, then told it would be double, and it is now double that because of damage caused during the process of the initial work order that I'm not particularly convinced is the fault of anyone but the person doing the work.
This has utterly soured my opinion of Midas as a chain, your store in particular, and once this work is completed, and the bill paid, this letter will be posted to every local auto forum I am a major member of. Every recommendation I make to friends, family, and those I know in the local car community, will be to avoid not just your store, but the entire chain. You have charged me in total 680 dollars over what this should have been, and I intend to remove that from your pocket and your business by ensuring that less customers arrive at your door.
I feel that as a customer, my trust has been abused, and my intellect insulted. And that is not proper. As a business, I would not be in business if I made this regular practice. You have one opportunity to win your customer and his network back. This is that opportunity, make it right, please. I apologize for the tone of this letter, however I have, on sober thought, realized that this is not how things should have been yesterday, and that is a source of irritation.
Clayton Smith
Projected CC, based on outcome:
Your owner
Google Reviews
Yelp
Geometroforums
BBB
Midas Customer Relations
Your potential customers
Appendices:
From !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
We believe that auto care should be a hassle-free experience. For over 50 years, we have built trusted customer relationships based on Midas reliability and professional service. -Not done
At Midas, we will always do right by you and your car - and help keep you safely on the road. -Not done
This pledge is supported by, among other things, our multi-point Midas Touch Courtesy Check, which includes a visual check — under the hood and under the vehicle — of all major systems and components , as well as tires and fluids. -Not done.
erikgrad
> crazedclay: SBC murderer
08/08/2014 at 11:16 |
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Everyone should print out your points above, and carry them in their wallet at all times. I have followed a similar set of rules, only had to use them a few times. Most important, I have found, is to gather the evidence as much as possible, do not try to provide 'hearsay' to corporate. Chances are, if the manager is that big of a jerk, he/she will provide more story and hearsay to corporate than actual data. Never get angry, though you are emotionally invested in the situation, be all business. (Sorry to just repeat so much of the things you wrote above, just like what you did there)
EDIT: Also, since you had a positive resolution, that makes me more likely to use Midas, despite the initial troubles you went through.
thebigbossyboss
> crazedclay: SBC murderer
08/08/2014 at 11:50 |
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This reminds me I need to get a shop to redo my headlight bracket, because instead of replacing the headlight I am pretty sure they just jimmied the headlight together.
1337HPMustang
> crazedclay: SBC murderer
08/08/2014 at 14:03 |
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haha great letter. I also make sure to take pictures of my cars because shops tend to "test" sports cars a little to enthusiastically and I know a lot of people who got burned with scrapes and dings that they can't prove were caused by the shop.
n54 & s38
> crazedclay: SBC murderer
08/08/2014 at 15:57 |
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Good to know. You in Calgary? Which shop is this? (So that I never bring anything in there?)