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Just Bring It Back, We’ll Fix It
When consumers start calling to complain that repairs have failed, both dealers and manufacturers tell them to return their vehicles for further repairs. They give the appearance of being extraordinarily helpful. In reality, they don’t have any more reason to believe they can fix it this time than they had the last three times. It’s just more delay, more misdirection. The defect still doesn’t get fixed. Nothing has changed, except that you have wasted more time and acquired more stress.
The "Little Lady" Syndrome
Dealers use this particular obnoxious tactic on all consumers, but for some reason it seems directed primarily to women-hence the name "little lady" syndrome. The service manager at the dealer says, "Honey, are you sure you are using the right kind of gas?" Or the mechanic says, "Oh, that’s the way this model works, dear." |
When the dealership’s people tell you that you don’t know how to drive the car, or to have the oil checked regularly, or even how to tighten the gas cap, what they really mean is, "There’s nothing wrong with our car; there’s something wrong with you." It is patronizing and it is ridiculous.
No Problem Found
This excuse comes up most often when a defect is intermittent; for example, maybe your vehicle stalls only once or twice a month. The problem is real, but the technicians at the dealership might have to do some serious diagnostic work to discover it. As an excuse, it has also been used when the dealer knew exactly what the problem was.
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