[vegasbaby]

My service guy noticed these huge scratches on the bottom of my front bumper today when I went in to get my fog lights installed today. He said it looked like it was when it was transported to the dealer. He said I was supposed to tell the salesperson to take care of that. When I did, the salesperson said they had to talk to the dealer manager and then they would get back to me. Since it was not noted in the initial walkaround of the dealer, when I took delivery. Am I now responsible? Need input. Thanks...

 

[supamann]

[quote:5f01271f65="vegasbaby"]My service guy noticed these huge scratches on the bottom of my front bumper today when I went in to get my fog lights installed today. He said it looked like it was when it was transported to the dealer. He said I was supposed to tell the salesperson to take care of that. When I did, the salesperson said they had to talk to the dealer manager and then they would get back to me. Since it was not noted in the initial walkaround of the dealer, when I took delivery. Am I now responsible? Need input. Thanks...[/quote:5f01271f65]

Depends on the dealer more than likely. Our dealership requires our salepeople to do a very extensive walkaround to prevent problems such as is. Also, when the vehicle comes off the transport we have a checklist that is completed before accepting the vehicle. This isn't to say vehicles never get "lot damage" or missed in the process. Our policy is usually to fix the problem, whether or not we believe the damage was there or not when the customer took delivery. It usually isn't worth the hassle to argue about who's fault it is, and we view each customer as a client for life. We know that we are sometimes taken advantage of because of this policy, but in the end we win out.

Finally, a big smile and understanding goes a very long way in getting what you need from your dealer. If the salesperson says he can't help you and you really don't think you could have done this damage yourself, then ask to talk to the decision maker. Explain what the service guy told you and ask if they can help you out. Hopefully, it will never get to that point and your sales guy will call you up and say, good news! Good luck.

 

[vegasbaby]

My salesperson just called me and said since it wasn't detected at the time of delivery. It must be my fault. I don't know what to do... You can clearly see that the gashes are left to right. Not up and down like a rock or something.

 

[vegasbaby]

By the way, I'm going there today to see if I can get a better answer. I don't think I should take NO for an answer. Does anyone have an address to American Honda? Just in Case... :x

 

[misfit]

http://www.hondacars.com/info/customer_relations.asp... here you go... :mrgreen:

 

[supamann]

When you visit the dealer, I would recommend that you tell the General Manager about your visit to service. Not sure how long after you took delivery before you and the service guy noticed the scratches, but that will also be important. If it is on the lower part of the front bumper, it could have easily been done, without your knowledge by parking too close to a sidewalk, bumper stop or something like that. We see this all the time with Civic's because they are low to the ground. Many people, including myself pull up too close at the grocery store and scrape the bumpers. So you might also retrace any possible places that you might have done the damage. If you are certain it couldn't have been done by yourself, then explain this to the GM. It is very possible that the transport driver did the damage when loading/unloading and the dealership missed it when they took delivery. Many possibilities. Anyway, if the dealership feels that they have no responsibility whatsoever, then maybe they can at least help you get the repair done in an inexpensive manner.

I don't want to bash the other dealer without knowledge of the whole situation, but I know what kind of "heat" our dealership would be under for telling a customer "sorry, you're on your own." That would last only long enough until you reached our GM or owner, and then they would both want to know why we were arguing with a customer of OURS over a $100-$200 problem that we could easily have been responsible for.

 

[vegasbaby]

I wish I lived in Texas! That was exactly what they told me " You're on your own" Since it wasn't noted when I took delivery, Sorry, not our problem. I'm taking pics and sending them to American Honda. Maybe they can pull some strings. The thing that gets me is I gave them all 5's, the morning before this all started. Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks...

 

[misfit]

>>>>a big smile and understanding goes a very long way in getting what you need from your dealer.<<<<<
:quote from supamann:....

don't let your anger take control of the situation... be pleasant but firm, if that doesn't work, show a little leg... well, works for my girlfriend... :mrgreen:

 

[Element]

Vegas i kinda had a similar problem like yourself. I went to the dealer to install my fog lights, alarm system and keyless entry and they totally gouged the hell out of my bumper < also the inside of the dash in 2 different dash pieces >. I told the customer service manager that i want the whole thing replaced and she only agreed on the bumper. I was furious and told her that she need to replace the inside dash also. She agreed on 1 piece of the dash and i had to bitc* about the 2nd piece. She agreed at the end..... FINALLY. I don't understand if her tech's gouged everything, she should replace everything!


< breath in and out, in and out >

 

[supamann]

Wow, I am sorry to hear the dealer has taken ZERO responsibility. I am afraid I don't know what else to tell you at this point. Bring up the great survey you just gave them and your service business as well as future business and maybe that will give you some leverage. The dealer may truly feel that this damage was done by you. That dealership might have been taken advantage of many times before and put the foot down now saying no more. It is too hard to say. I wish you the best.

 

[vegasbaby]

Thanks for the help. You are probably right on that. I'll keep on trying.

 

[E-lated]

[quote:d76dc69bf4="Element"]Vegas i kinda had a similar problem like yourself. I went to the dealer to install my fog lights, alarm system and keyless entry and they totally gouged the hell out of my bumper < also the inside of the dash in 2 different dash pieces >. I told the customer service manager that i want the whole thing replaced and she only agreed on the bumper. I was furious and told her that she need to replace the inside dash also. She agreed on 1 piece of the dash and i had to bitc* about the 2nd piece. She agreed at the end..... FINALLY. I don't understand if her tech's gouged everything, she should replace everything!


< breath in and out, in and out > [/quote:d76dc69bf4]
:idea:
This might be a good lesson for all of us when it comes to dealer responsibility. Maybe as in the rental car business we should have the dealer/service writer do a walkaround before handing them the keys. I certainly have found problems in the past on other cars that I know were dealer induced but had no way to prove it. What about a inspection form the dealer initials and you keep prior to the service call? Is this over the top? Maybe too much time on my hands :roll:

 

[supamann]

Well, for the most part, the dealer's responsibility CAN end upon delivery of your new vehicle (driving off the lot). They could tell you to go chase rocks if they wanted to. That doesn't mean the dealer's accountability ends there also. This is where the blame game begins. Who's fault is it? Who's responsibility is it?

I didn't always believe in my current GM's philosophy: the good guys always win, but after 3 years of working for him, I am a believer. In that 3 years I have seen it all. I have seen customers that I know without a shadow of a doubt, caused damage to their vehicle and blamed it on us. Then have that same customer come in, raising holy heck, ranting and raving about what we are going to do about it, and have my GM say......take care of it. WHAT? This guy? Are you serious? Those used to be some of my replies. I was trained to say NO, NO, NO for almost anything from the dealer I first started in this business with, so this was all new to me. So, having lived both sides of the coin, I could not be happier to be working for a dealer that has the RIGHT philosophy. This isn't to say that the dealer you are dealing with is in the WRONG, but I would think they could handle it differently if they chose to. Sorry for the rant

 

[vegasbaby]

I believe in the philosophy. The customer is always right. If you solve their problem, They'll be back again and again. Great Customer Service is the only way to run a business.

 

[supamann]

Well Vegas, how was the outcome?

 

[vegasbaby]

Basically they told me it was my fault for not noticing it when I took delivery of the vehicle. Tough Luck. They said they would introduce me to the body shop guy. Whoppee! I think I can kinda get rid of the scratches on my own though. My dealer sucks, but I guess I'm stuck with them for now. Thanks for asking. I have yet to draw up a letter to American Honda, but I'm thinking about it. It can't hurt.

 

[supamann]

Write a letter to Honda and the owner of the dealership. I am guessing you got to speak to the "decision maker" and that is where you got the final "we can't help you." The squeaky wheel usually gets greased eventually. If you have his/her name, I would also include the service advisor's name, who first brought up the scratches.

If nothing ever comes out of it and you can get the scratches removed fairly easily and inexpensively, then don't let it spoil your whole buying experience. Hard to do, I know, but hey your driving an Element and that's what counts. Hopefully, the dealer can learn from the whole experience too and at least your situation might prevent the same thing from happening to someone else down the road.