Up Yours!
I stuck it to the man this weekend - I stuck it to him good. I tilted my head, looked him straight in the eye, and said, "You, sir, are out of line."
Well, it didn't go down quite like that on Saturday, but it felt awful darn close. You see, I've been having problems with my Jeep for the past few weeks, and it got to the point where I had to burn a solid gallon of gas in order to turn her over. Needless to say, Rhonda - that's my Jeeps' name - was sick and needed to see the doctor. Now in the past, I've done all my own wrenchin' - it's a very relaxing and rewarding way to spend an afternoon outdoors - and wouldn't consider a garage. However, given the pressing nature of the problem, coupled with my otherwise busy schedule, I thought I would consult the professionals.
So I dropped her off at a local garage and told them, "Run a diagnostic and let me know if you can pinpoint the problem. Call me before you do any work." A few hours later, they phoned and said my fuel pump and sending unit were not holding pressure, which, in turn, prevented Rhonda from getting the juice she so readily devours. As a compliment to the technicians, they said my entire fuel assembly was covered by a part recall, so any Jeep dealership should fix it for free.
Hooray, a free repair! How excited I was! I must admit, I was astonished that they volunteered this information, let alone didn't discover a "loose belt," "bent ball joint," or any of the other little things that seem to break whenever you take your vehicle in for servicing. They have won my business, but I digress...
After they gave me this wonderful information, I researched the recall online and confirmed that the fuel pump, was, in fact, covered by an official manufacturer's recall. Apparently a few 1997 Jeep Wranglers leaked fuel and caught fire. Ouch. So I then phoned a Jeep dealership (I won't name names), and they told me, "We don't perform recalls without a manufacturer-issued recall notice." I then explained that I was the second owner, I never received any recall notifications, and it's quite possible the original owner still does. This didn't seem to make a difference. Following my fruitless conversation, my inner jerk kicked in, and I thought to research laws on vehicle recalls. And sure enough, vehicle recalls are closely regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
After 20 minutes at the keyboard, I discovered that there is no law requiring a recall notice, and, in fact, dealerships are mandated by law (and a severe fine) to perform any and all pending vehicle recalls, whether or not the owner requests them. This, my friends, was my golden ticket! I called the dealership back and said, "I called earlier regarding a vehicle recall, and I was told that you won't perform a recall without a recall notice. Is that correct?" The man replied, "Yes, that is correct." Being the empowered consumer I was, I responded, "Well, according to the Federal Code of Regulations, you are required to perform recalls free of charge, regardless of the supporting documentation." His response: "Hold, please."
Another man answered the phone, and he began, "Yes, we cannot perform a recall unless you received a notice first." I then rattled off the law verbatim - and asked to speak with someone "who could fire him." Now, in my own defense, I am normally extremely mild-mannered and polite on the phone, but this was too much: they had lied to me twice. It was time to put on a show.
Finally, on the phone with the third man, I informed him of the large penalty for noncompliant dealerships, warned him that I had the documents in hand to file a formal complaint (you can download them from the NHTSA website), and I was more than willing to take the time to fill them out. He politely responded, "I'm so sorry, sir, we can have your vehicle in for service next week." Now this is where my blood got really angry...
He didn't question my statement; not one bit. He completely changed his position and offered to fix my Jeep, which leads me to believe he knew the law full-well, and simply took the risk of playing on people's ignorance. It's hard to believe - or is it? - that someone would conduct business that way. But long story short, I declined the man's offer, stating that his company had already "proven their dishonesty," and I did not trust my vehicle in their hands.
I took my baby elsewhere.
Well, it didn't go down quite like that on Saturday, but it felt awful darn close. You see, I've been having problems with my Jeep for the past few weeks, and it got to the point where I had to burn a solid gallon of gas in order to turn her over. Needless to say, Rhonda - that's my Jeeps' name - was sick and needed to see the doctor. Now in the past, I've done all my own wrenchin' - it's a very relaxing and rewarding way to spend an afternoon outdoors - and wouldn't consider a garage. However, given the pressing nature of the problem, coupled with my otherwise busy schedule, I thought I would consult the professionals.
So I dropped her off at a local garage and told them, "Run a diagnostic and let me know if you can pinpoint the problem. Call me before you do any work." A few hours later, they phoned and said my fuel pump and sending unit were not holding pressure, which, in turn, prevented Rhonda from getting the juice she so readily devours. As a compliment to the technicians, they said my entire fuel assembly was covered by a part recall, so any Jeep dealership should fix it for free.
Hooray, a free repair! How excited I was! I must admit, I was astonished that they volunteered this information, let alone didn't discover a "loose belt," "bent ball joint," or any of the other little things that seem to break whenever you take your vehicle in for servicing. They have won my business, but I digress...
After they gave me this wonderful information, I researched the recall online and confirmed that the fuel pump, was, in fact, covered by an official manufacturer's recall. Apparently a few 1997 Jeep Wranglers leaked fuel and caught fire. Ouch. So I then phoned a Jeep dealership (I won't name names), and they told me, "We don't perform recalls without a manufacturer-issued recall notice." I then explained that I was the second owner, I never received any recall notifications, and it's quite possible the original owner still does. This didn't seem to make a difference. Following my fruitless conversation, my inner jerk kicked in, and I thought to research laws on vehicle recalls. And sure enough, vehicle recalls are closely regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
After 20 minutes at the keyboard, I discovered that there is no law requiring a recall notice, and, in fact, dealerships are mandated by law (and a severe fine) to perform any and all pending vehicle recalls, whether or not the owner requests them. This, my friends, was my golden ticket! I called the dealership back and said, "I called earlier regarding a vehicle recall, and I was told that you won't perform a recall without a recall notice. Is that correct?" The man replied, "Yes, that is correct." Being the empowered consumer I was, I responded, "Well, according to the Federal Code of Regulations, you are required to perform recalls free of charge, regardless of the supporting documentation." His response: "Hold, please."
Another man answered the phone, and he began, "Yes, we cannot perform a recall unless you received a notice first." I then rattled off the law verbatim - and asked to speak with someone "who could fire him." Now, in my own defense, I am normally extremely mild-mannered and polite on the phone, but this was too much: they had lied to me twice. It was time to put on a show.
Finally, on the phone with the third man, I informed him of the large penalty for noncompliant dealerships, warned him that I had the documents in hand to file a formal complaint (you can download them from the NHTSA website), and I was more than willing to take the time to fill them out. He politely responded, "I'm so sorry, sir, we can have your vehicle in for service next week." Now this is where my blood got really angry...
He didn't question my statement; not one bit. He completely changed his position and offered to fix my Jeep, which leads me to believe he knew the law full-well, and simply took the risk of playing on people's ignorance. It's hard to believe - or is it? - that someone would conduct business that way. But long story short, I declined the man's offer, stating that his company had already "proven their dishonesty," and I did not trust my vehicle in their hands.
I took my baby elsewhere.
posted by Dr. Cook at 7:03 PM
1 Comments:
I tip my hat to you good sir
Post a Comment
<< Home