Date: Thu, 1 May 2003 00:42:24 EDT
Reply-To: Oxroad@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jeff Oxroad <Oxroad@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: Dealer repair disaster '89 Westfalia
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
In a message dated 4/30/2003 6:34:30 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
scstrawn@EEE.ORG writes:
<< service manager (who is now calling me "Sweetheart" and
"treating me like a girl", if you get my drift) is beginning to get
defensive and belligerent ... and oh so condescending. >>
Sally--
Shame on me, but I thought it was a male writing the e-mail until I saw your
name at the end. So when I saw the dealer was calling you "sweetheart" I
thought, about the e-mail writer, "whew, this guy has a lot more patience
than me." I suppose it's not better calling a female sweetheart, but for the
service manager the chance of losing teeth is greatly reduced.
I think you are being ripped off and you don't need to be accomodating to the
VW dealer. The fact that they have been through a number of service managers
in the short time you've been serviced by them implies they are lousy
employers as well as lousy mechanics. The problem is I've yet to find a
decent Vanagon mechanic in SoCal. And I'm tired of an atittude from the VW
dealers that they are doing you a favor to work on a Vanagon.
I would suggest you contact the Better Business Bureau and the California
Department of Consumer Affairs. The BBB can give you the number of the Dept.
of Consumer Affairs.
When you talk to the two organizations, take notes. Then when you talk to the
Service Manger quote the organizations. i.e. The Dept. Of Consumer Affiaris
has advised me that I have the legal right to take my vehicle to another
mechanic and have them bill you for the repairs..." Or whatever they advise.
And I'm not suggesting they will advise you to seek another mechanic, just
they they will offer info. on your rights as a consumer.
My dealings with the CA Dept. of Consumer Affairs were quite helpful. They
suggested I find another mechanic to fix the problems caused and sub-standard
work performed by the Fast German mechanic and charge Fast German for the
work the second mechanic performed. The threat of this lead Fast German to
agree to my terms which were more than fair in my opinion. I asked Fast
German to supply the parts needed to repair what they had broken and I would
install the parts--thus saving them paying another mechanic etc.
I do know that any mechanic who does coolant work on a 14 year old Vanagon
and doesn't suggest changing the hoses isn't what I'd call a mechanic. The
result of a busted hose can be financially catastrophic in a Vanagon. Far
more detrimental than a busted hose in a "normal" vehicle. And while the
hoses in the Vanagon have a much longer life-span than a hose in most cars,
14 years is too old in my opinion. Especially if your dealing with an EXPERT
Vanagon mechanic, which is what should be expected of a VW dealer!
And it also appears the service manager is taking advantage of your lack or
expertise in Vanagon mechanics and belittling you for that which is the
behaviour of a bully.
I wouldn't let VWOA off too easily either. I suggest you write a certified
letter, return reciept to the president of VWOA. Make it short and concise
and state you have spoken with the BBB and CA Dept. of Consumer Affairs and
hope you can reach a mutually acceptable solution to avoid having to bring
this to court. Also mention that the VW dealer is obviously having problems
as they have rapid staff turn over, and that you should not pay the price for
their internal problems. VW is a multi-national corporation that benefits
from it's reputation and licenses dealerships to benefit from that
reputation. So the implication that VWOA has no responsibility for what a
dealer does is bunk. And this is the behaviour of fly-by-night hoolagans from
the VW Dealer.
AS for the history, in the letter to the president I would keep it concise in
that you brought it in for head replacement and asked it to be done right
whatever the cost. You were not offered a hose replacement which should be
expected and, byt the current service manager's admission should have been
done. The hose ruptured, all the work you paid for was undone. This hose
rupture was an easily foreseeable outcome by any mechanic, let alone an
EXPERT VW mechanic who VWOA gives license to practice under their banner.
Therefore VW needs to accept responsibility for their employees laziness and
not pass the financial burden on to you.
Finally, and to me the most important part of your problem, is the fact that
the current Service Manager states he would have suggested you change the
hoses illustrates this is normal proceedure. And you dealt with the prior
service manager who did not follow normal proceedure, by the current SM's
admission. Therefore the VW dealer is liable for the mistakes of the previous
SM. It is certainly not your fault that their previous SM was not
completeling jobs properly and was not thorough, and was not the EXPERT you
expected him to be. You did not choose to do business with the prior service
manager, you chose top do business with the VW Dealer, because the VW dealer
carries with it an expectation in you of excellent work. The work they did
was not excellent, and to blame it on the prior SM is not a valid deflection.
Ultimatley the VW dealer is responsible, and the current service manager has
already admitted he would have recommened changing the hoses. Why? Because
that is the correct thing to do to avoid what happened to you, which is
completely undoing all the repairs you already paid for. And it was done by
the prior manager's negligence or laziness.
From my experience with other companies the certified letter to the president
of VWOA will get a response and some help, not from the president, but from
one of his underlings who will be willing to help.
Having said all this I am not an attorney (obviously). And all is offered as
friendly advice.
Please let us know what dealership is giving you trouble. This might also
help in your case as no doubt other listees have had similar experience with
the VW dealer which will bolster you case with the BBB, Dept of Consumer
Affairs, and VWOA.
Again I would say the VW dealer is expected to be an EXPERT, and the work you
got from them was far below that expectation. And the current service manager
has already admitted that.
I would not expect to get off scott free, but they should cut you a great
deal--I would say something like you pay for the new hoses and labor for
their installation (which are expensive by the way) and maybe split the cost
of parts and get the rest of the labor free. I would see if something like
this comes out eventually. Don;t offer them a deal like this up front.
Up front I would say offer to pay for the hoses and the installation and have
them pay for parts and labor to correct the substandard work they did in not
offering to replace the hoses. Any Vanagon mechanic will agree those hoses
needed to be replaced. And my guess is any Judge in small claims court will
hear the hoses were 14 years old, obviously never replaced, and needed to be
dealt with by you chosen EXPERT.
Jeff
83.5 Westy
LA,CA
