Talley's Dodge - Unacceptable Service Manager Behavior

[The patriot]

I was getting my service done at Remsen. I got a loaner once. I kind of remember it being a Geo spec or something of about that size.

The truck went in needing a rear pinion seal, and came out needing a steering box. :--) I was pizzed!!

They put a box in and some alignment work (done with a pipe wrench) but it was never the same. #@$%!

Went to Caisulli here in Toms river. (who I think now is USA dodge) They scratched the paint (no fender cover), and damaged a new Michelin tire on the sidewall. They bought the tire after a fight, and after I pointed out to them where it happened. On a lift cleat. But never did anything about the paint.

I dont have to think hard why I do just about everyhting on my truck that I possibly can. They dont take care if it like I do.

Also, you always got to go over the job to check for missing bolts.

Eric

 

[Dodge-Tech]

Freehold Dodge

I have had great service from Manahawkin. I have written this in the past, and will continue to use them. John the tech is Cummins certified, and owns one himself. Kindle in Stone Harbor screwed the recalls up bad, even charged DC for them, but didnt complete. Manahawkin didnt care that I bought from Reedman's, and had me out in record time. I know 2 people in PP that refuse to go (buy) to Tally's-both went to Reedmans. Stay away from Freehold- as far as I know, they send their diesel stuff over to Allied on 33. If you are going to Freehold- just go to Allied (Cummins shop). My . 02-Drew

I know for a fact that all of Freehold's diesel work is done in-house. I've worked there for 3 years now!

 

[dan_gilson]

Please don't feel too bad. We have the same problem here on the west coast too.



If you have not already figured out those surveys are not anonymous. They know exactly what you said and it gets back to the dealers. I also found out that the dealers 5* rating is based on those surveys. They get better treatment and deals from the factory when they are in the 5* program.



What gets me is the number of dealers who think they are doing good service but the surveys says otherwise. People will flock to good dealer service. It is almost a license to print money.



I would even becareful about an oil change. I went into have a shock replaced and they dented the underside of the rear fender. The service manager denied it. He quicly change his toon when I said fine. Lets move the truck back to that bay and see if the teeth marks line up with the floor jack.



I bought the shop manuals and now I am my own warrenty station.

 

[fj40dave]

Don't forget the Better Business Bureau, the local Chamber of Commerce, your state's Attorney's General office too. Letters that are hand written make a statement. Send one to your state representatives..... what the heck..... it's election time

 

[rbattelle]

I bought the shop manuals and now I am my own warrenty station.

Amen, brother.

 

[TGreschuk]

Unfortunately, the lack of quality service extends to other Dodge makes, even in Canada. A friend of mine is having a terrible time with his Dodge van. He is so upset that he went to the trouble to set up a website to outline his frustrations. Have a look... .

Trent



http://www.donotbuydodge.ca/

 

[rbattelle]

Unfortunately, the lack of quality service extends to other Dodge makes, even in Canada. A friend of mine is having a terrible time with his Dodge van. He is so upset that he went to the trouble to set up a website to outline his frustrations. Have a look... .

Trent



http://www.donotbuydodge.ca/

WOW! I just took the time to read that entire detailed history. I feel terrible for that guy, but I'll spread that website around if it'll help! Wow.

 

[KD7GYJ]

There were two things that impressed me that I have known about for years.



First, never purchase a manufactured car by a US company. I learned long ago your best bang for the buck was Japanese. Sorry, I am not trying to insult anyone, just past experiences.



Second, never purchase a vehicle with an funnel on the roof. It just gives the rain and snow another entrance into the living space of the vehicle. Even the Japanese cars haven't got it perfect yet, they're close.



I had a Dodge minivan and it was a heap. Now my son and daughter in law drive it. It was a gift and he thinks it's light years ahead of the Ford escort they were driving.



It (the minivan) is undependable, shakes badly at 35 MPH and wears out tires quickly. I am sorry he has to live with it, but a free car is pretty cheap.

 

[DPKetchum]

The LOANER car issue from BOTH sides is a PAIN IN THE Axxx. I worked dealer service depts 25 years and the last 10 the loaner stuff started being a issue. Not the first 15 years. It just did'nt happen. No one got LOANED any thing. Life was much easier then in the auto service depts and it wasn't that easy to start with. More arguments/cost/damage/less profit after LOANER was implemented into the programs. Spent more time with LOANER issues then fixing them. The dealers I worked for over time also got really burned out over LOANERS. Never returned on time,trashed,wrecked,no fuel left in them,smoked in/not smoked in etc. Claims kicked and on HOLD because of rental/loaner issues. Made paper work a bigger nightmare then it already was. Most got smart and eaither won't LOAN or call a independent rental agency and let them handle it. Of course if not returned on TIME the dealer has to asborb the overage cause D. C. /G. M. /Ford etc wont pay it eaither. NOR will the customer who kept it a extra day or two. Lots more to it then you can imagine. My own opinion is I never expected anyone to EVER put me in rental over work on my auto's/trucks. The dealers I worked for would NOT allow EMPLOYEES to drive them home eaither. Too much money and headache at stake.

 

[DPKetchum]

I worked a G. M. dealer(Pontiac) that MOVED many miles away from the original location. Most employes were NOT going with them so they turned it into a independent G. M. repair center. (ALL G. M. makes)Withen a MONTH or two the negitive surveys about poor quality of work etc. went the opposite! Surveys came back saying the BEST G. M. shop cusomers had ever used! Same products,same employess,same parts. No warranty or recalls etc. The about face in surveys/customer comment cards was amazing. That shop stayed in business almost 20 years until property sold for a MARTA station.

 

[HPagel]

:--) NJT, I have been dealing with Tally,s since '89 and have never had a single problem with sales or service. Then again I never asked for a loaner or filled out a survey. Something you said must have really pushed someones buttons.

I blew a fuel line on my '94 about 2 miles from Freehold Dodge and had it repaired there under warrenty. They were very professional and detailed the truck inside and out to remove the fuel smell. We also had some work vans serviced there and received good service.

I won't use Circle or Buhler (spelling ?) Eatontown because bad sales experiences turned me off to them.

I am surprised at the trouble you are having and don't know what else to say.

 

[Briman]

No NV-5600 fluid? The place ought to be ashammed of that, let alone how they treat people. I had a problem at my dealership's service department and let the GM know. Man, things changed quick for me.

 

[Gauthier]

I've had similar problems with service on my two DC vehicles; both are 2004s. The warranty is really useless, and DC might as well advertise a lifetime warranty because it wouldn't cost them anything. It wouldn't cost DC anything because they don't consider any problem a problem. Every thing is said to be normal.



I've had issues with rear axle noise now for 10 months and they have refused to do anything. I am now going on 8 months waiting for "regional representative" to look at the problem.



I have a jeep that idles like a thirty year car with a dirty carb and they say it's normal. The power steering pump whines in the morning loud enough for my neighbor 75 feet away to hear, and the dealer says this is normal when cold (<operating temperature). The transmission requires three seconds to engage in the morning and this too is normal. This from a vehicle with 14,000 miles.



There is one thing I know for certain; I will never, ever buy, lease or even consider another DC vehicle again.

 

[Bugracing]

I've never had my 2003 Acura 3. 2TL-S in for anything but regular scheduled service (and any recalls that may have come up - these are performed during regular service), but I can either choose to wait 1-2 hours for routine service or get a loaner anytime the car is in the shop. When I get my car back, it's washed, vacuumed, etc. Acura calls it TLC (Total Luxury Care). Maybe Dodge could learn something.



Rusty

Total Luxury Care is a part of the entire Acura "experience". Acura is also a "premium/luxury" brand. It may come as a surprize, but Dodge is neither a premium or luxury brand. Also, you might have noticed that the labor rate at the premium/luxury brand dealerships is "a little higher" than at your local Dodge service department.

That being said, one will not find the $19. 95 oil/filter special at premium/luxury brand dealerships you might see at your local Dodge store.

Service managers are under high levels of pressure from their store owners to run a profitable service operation (keeping costs low and profits high) and from the manufacturer to attain high satisfaction scores on surveys. This last piece of pressure can reach levels that will bring a world of hurt down on the owner of the dealership from the manufacturer, which sometimes results in dispickable behaviors many of you have illustrated here.

Writing a letter to the owner of the dealership is a good thing, but if you really want to affect change you need to find out who the service operations manager for DC in your area is and get him/her directly involved. This will increase the level of pain on the mis-behaving service managers and service advisors.

 

[NDanecker]

:--) NJT, I have been dealing with Tally,s since '89 and have never had a single problem with sales or service. Then again I never asked for a loaner or filled out a survey. Something you said must have really pushed someones buttons.

I heard of a few other people (2 to be exact) that live local with similar issues. Both were long customers of Tally's for years, and now decided to NOT purchase or service their cars from them again.



My survey was filled out honestly. I answered each question truthfully and gave specific examples where applicable. If this constitutes revenge, then why bother having surveys. Everyone should just throw these things out when they receive them.



Bigger issue is how this whole situation was handled. It was hushed and squashed. I left the meeting with the GM feeling like I'm the trouble maker here. I don’t get it? I get treated like crap, try to voice my experiences by filling out a questionnaire and now I'm the bad guy???? WTF?



Bottomline - if I didn't like the Cummins engine so much, and if this truck didn't fill that void in my life like it does, I'd certainly go back to an import. And by that I mean BMW. The last two I owned I was treated like a king at the dealer. The car ran like a clock and had no issues! Free oil changes, loaner car that was better then the car I was bringing in, etc.



I spoke to an individual at the service department at Circle. The person who I had a conflict with at Tally's worked at Circle for 6 months or so before going to Tallys. I briefly explained my dealings with him and he agreed……. . 'he was a tuff guy to deal with at times'. Now, when people he used to work with make statements like this, what does that tell ya?!?!?

 

[KD7GYJ]

Total Luxury Care is a part of the entire Acura "experience". That being said, one will not find the $19. 95 oil/filter special at premium/luxury brand dealerships you might see at your local Dodge store.

TLC and 5 Star ratings are just a gimick to get you into the dealerships for service. I only pay 19. 95 for my oil changes on my Acura RL 3. 5 car at my local Acura dealership. They are the ONLY ones I will allow to work on it. They are the best ones that know that product line.



So is it with Dodge, they are the only ones to repair my Dodge Ram. They know them best, except maybe Cummins for the engine.



It is easier to get what you want with kindness than badgering them from the top down. It's also sad they can't take constructive critisism from their customers.

 

[MichaelWright]

I had a Ford Escort, the wife's car. It had a 60,000 mile extended warranty on it. The transmission (TQ) decided to go at 59,990 miles. The car was still drivable, called Ford dealer, said bring it in. I explained the mileage issue and warranty, he said no problem. Guess what? Sorry dude, you are over your warranty, get lost, or we can fix it for $4000. 00. And I knew these guys! I fought to no avail, 3 trannys later, I gave a guy $50 to get it off of my property with 85,000 miles on the odo. That was my last Ford. I then went to work for Ford, and I will never ever own a Ford after what I saw in their plants!



Sad part is, I grew up around the Detroit area. My father was a car salesmen, and I used to watch him bend over backwards to make things right with a customer. He would even go back into the shop, pick a mechanic to do the work and introduce him to the customer. He would then tell the service manager what was going to happen, and when the customer would need the car. Boy have things changed.



Mike

 

[hammersley]

Sounds typical of many big city and metro area dealerships... I avoid them like the plague!



I think Bill has it - A lot of Big City dealers really don't give a crap - BTW - who isn't a 5 Star Dealer - I'm not sure it means anything to us at all... ...

 

[DPKetchum]

I don't want to get ;ong and boring but you ought to try being a service writer or service manager for a few weeks. Your thoughts on the level of pain to hand out may change. I actualy HIRED a few customers over the years to write service. The longest lasting one was 6 weeks. He could not belive the long hours,pressure,trying to keep up with 25 to 40 autos/trucks a day and the stuff customers dished out. You comment about a service writer with a few folks that you heard say he was a tough one to deal with. I heard these same coments about me some times. The last few years I did write service in a moderate size dealer I wrote&handled $30,000 a week in parts and labor with a high csi rating,98% of the comments thought I did a fine job and a couple every now and then that hated my guts. Ever seen a customer pull in and EVERY writer if they could head for the back or bathroom! I never did. I handled them all or finally would bring this to the customers attention. Had one ask me once why HE always got ME and didn't like it. I told him I felt the same but no body could stand him and I was it or he could try somewhere else. I could tell you some storys about controlling customers and attitudesBefore CSI and SURVEYS we had some(customers)we black balled in a way. Too arogant,never spend a dime,took up ALL your time some had real problems some DIDN'T. I seen cars/trucks traded in,bought back that had HUGE complaints and sold to someone else that I handled on and off for the next 200,000 miles that said best auto they EVER owned etc. I could go on and on. Enough said.

 

[RustyJC]

Total Luxury Care is a part of the entire Acura "experience". Acura is also a "premium/luxury" brand. It may come as a surprize, but Dodge is neither a premium or luxury brand.

Since we're in a sarcastic mood today, here's a shot of reality. I paid more for my Ram than I did for my Acura 3. 2TL-S with nav. So, why should I expect premium TLC service on the Acura and be satisfied with inferior service on the Ram?



Rusty