I just received a call from Enedina, the supervisor. The one that I was told I wouldn't be dealing with anymore. I asked her why I was hearing from her and not her manager and she told me that she was the supervisor and I would ahve to deal with her. She went on to say that Ford would do nothing because the clutch is normally a wear item and not covered by warranty. she called the dealership and said that they had told her that based on their test drive that concluded that this was definitley not a warrantiable repair. All that wihout even taking the thing apart to inspect it. As a result my only option was to have the clutch repaired at my expense and risk voiding the warranty with an aftermarket part. She also mentioned that I had an expensive warranty but it didn't cover things like clutches. If I wanted to repair my car I had to risk going with an aftermarket part that may void my warranty and that Ford will do nothing to help mitiagate the matter. I was also told that her supervisor was "Ford Canada" and if I had a problem that I should take it up with them. Basically she refused to give me the option of going up the ladder.
Ford's customer service is truley the worst I have ever dealt with, anyone reading this should seriously consider this before purchasing a Ford product. I am now resorting to the government mediator that I mentioned in my previous post.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
More phone calls
When I arrived home this afternoon I was suprised to find another message on my answering machine from Enedina, the supervisor. Obviously I called bak, fortunately this time I was connected quickly enough. I had the privilege of speaking with Jennifer (4509) and I asked to speak to Enedina. I was, of course, put on hold only to be told that since it was almost the end of the day that Enedina would not speak with me. Then I asked who Enedina's Supervisor was. Jennifer was quick to point out that Enedina was a supervisor, thank you Jennifer. I reiterated that I wanted to know who Enedina's supervisor was, then she told me that would be the manager. Thank you again, Jennifer. I clarified that I wanted to know the name of Enedina's supervisor. She reluctantly told me that it was Tracey. I asked her how I could contact Tracey, she told me that I would have to call in and ask for her. I took the opportunity to inform her that since I had already called in that I would like to talk to Tracey. Obviously that meant that I was to be put on hold again and later told that I couldn't talk to her either and that she would call me back. I told her that she should use the day time contat information that I provided them with earlier. Obviously she didn't have that either, "sometimes there's a glitch" I was told. I gave them my work and cell numbers again and now look forward to some more blithering incompitence.
Did I mention that I willnever buy another Ford again? Yeah.
You'll all excuse me while I wander off and bang my head against a wall, it'll be far more productive.
Did I mention that I willnever buy another Ford again? Yeah.
You'll all excuse me while I wander off and bang my head against a wall, it'll be far more productive.
Phone calls from Ford
On my way home Monday night I decided to check my messages on my home phone. There was a message from an apologetic Douglas from Ford customer service (the guy who hung up on me) and another message from Enedina the supervisor. It was before 5:00 so I thought that their customer service line would still be open and I called it on the way home. After a 20 minute wait I finally got a CSR and asked to speak with Enedina the supervisor. They interrogated me as to whether or not she was expecting my call, who I was, what it was regarding and then put me on hold. Some time later I was informed that Enedina the supervisor went home already. I told them that at this point I was done dealing with Ford's customer service, that their "service" was abysmal, that they had my daytime contact information and apparently didn't know how to use it and that I was going to deal with the VP of Customer Service from this point onwards. If I cannot get satisfaction this way I will move on to the Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan. More information can be found about it here: http://www.ic.gc.ca/epic/site/oca-bc.nsf/en/ca01510e.html
From the web site:
"Dispute Resolution
The Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan (CAMVAP) provides a neutral third party to resolve disputes between consumers and vehicle manufacturers about alleged manufacturing defects or the implementation of the manufacturer's new vehicle warranty when the vehicle was made in the current or previous four model years. This service is available across the country. You can reach CAMVAP toll free at 1-800-207-0685. "
There is also provincial contact information on that web site.
From the web site:
"Dispute Resolution
The Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan (CAMVAP) provides a neutral third party to resolve disputes between consumers and vehicle manufacturers about alleged manufacturing defects or the implementation of the manufacturer's new vehicle warranty when the vehicle was made in the current or previous four model years. This service is available across the country. You can reach CAMVAP toll free at 1-800-207-0685. "
There is also provincial contact information on that web site.
Dealing with Ford's Customer Service Line
On Thursday, March 13th, 2008 I made the mistake of calling Ford's customer service line, 1-800-565-3673. I spoke with Michelle (employee ID 4523). I explained to her everything that the dealership had told me, about the unavailability of parts until June, shipping them back to Turkey because of quality issues, the dealership not inspecting my car, all of it. I was put on hold several times and then told that they'd call me back, which they did. This was not a short process. After all this I was told that there was nothing that Michelle could do for me and it would have to be escalated to her supervisor but that wouldn't happen on the 13th because it was almost 5:00 and that's quitting time. Not to worry, she assured me that I would be top priority the next morning and that I would be hearing from them.
Ford's Customer service line is available starting at 8:30 am. By 11:00 am on the morning of March 14th, 2008 I decided that I'd call them to find out what had happened. The customer service representative insisted that I'd have to talk with Michelle again but I was assured that she would call me right back. At approximately 1:30 pm I received a call from Michelle (at the work number I had left with them as my day time contact). She informed me that my matter had been escalated but nothing would happen on the 14th either. I would be called on Monday, March 17, 2008. I told Michelle that this was unacceptable and that I wanted to talk to her supervisor. I let her know that my car is almost completely undrivable at this point and that I required it to get to and from work. She told me that her supervisor was too busy to speak with me because she was on the phone with someone else, so I asked her to have her supervisor, Enedina (employee ID 4515), call me as soon as she got off the phone. She told me that she couldn't guarantee anything, all she could do was put in a request to have her supervisor call.
Now let's be clear about what is happeneing here. Ford's customer service is saying, in a very back handed way, that YOU are not allowed to speak to a supervisor until a supervisor is damn good and ready to speak with you. They are taking the blame away from the CSR by having the CSR say "all I can do is put in a request" which equals "all YOU can do is have ME put in a request and then the supervisor will get back to you if and when she is good and ready." Needless to say Enedina, the supervisor did not return my call.
The morning of Monday, March 17th, 2008 I had received no call from anyone at Ford customer service. I decided that the only way I was going to get anywhere was to take matters into my own hands to escalate this situation. I wrote a letter to the V.P., Customer Service. This was listed on the Ford website as being Gilles Contant. I have scanned it and it is available for viewing here: http://www.stopthenuisance.com/Ford.htm
I wanted to fax it as well as mail it so I called the Ford Customer service line again to find the fax number. I spoke with Douglas this time, I didn't get his employee ID number this time though. I asked him for the fax number so that I could send a letter to the V.P. of customer service. He told me that he'd have to see if that was allowable and put me on hold. I was on hold for several minutes before he hung up on me (you can see now why I didn't get his employee ID number.) Under normal circumstances this would be enough to infuriate most people, however in my case it just re-enforced what I already knew about Ford Customer Service, that it is pretty much an oxymoron. I called back to find the fax number and got Michelle (possibly the same one) I told her that I just wanted a fax number to send off my letter and was told that there was no fax number available and that I could mail it. While speaking with Michelle I found a fax number online for Ford Canada (BTW, it's (905) 844-8085). I told Michelle and asked her to verify if it was the correct number, she could not and told me that Ford's head office was large and that if I faxed a letter to the VP there there would be no guarantee that it would reach him. I took her advice to heart and sent a copy of my letter to Ford's head office by priority post, tracking number LT 318 649 837 CA.
Ford's Customer service line is available starting at 8:30 am. By 11:00 am on the morning of March 14th, 2008 I decided that I'd call them to find out what had happened. The customer service representative insisted that I'd have to talk with Michelle again but I was assured that she would call me right back. At approximately 1:30 pm I received a call from Michelle (at the work number I had left with them as my day time contact). She informed me that my matter had been escalated but nothing would happen on the 14th either. I would be called on Monday, March 17, 2008. I told Michelle that this was unacceptable and that I wanted to talk to her supervisor. I let her know that my car is almost completely undrivable at this point and that I required it to get to and from work. She told me that her supervisor was too busy to speak with me because she was on the phone with someone else, so I asked her to have her supervisor, Enedina (employee ID 4515), call me as soon as she got off the phone. She told me that she couldn't guarantee anything, all she could do was put in a request to have her supervisor call.
Now let's be clear about what is happeneing here. Ford's customer service is saying, in a very back handed way, that YOU are not allowed to speak to a supervisor until a supervisor is damn good and ready to speak with you. They are taking the blame away from the CSR by having the CSR say "all I can do is put in a request" which equals "all YOU can do is have ME put in a request and then the supervisor will get back to you if and when she is good and ready." Needless to say Enedina, the supervisor did not return my call.
The morning of Monday, March 17th, 2008 I had received no call from anyone at Ford customer service. I decided that the only way I was going to get anywhere was to take matters into my own hands to escalate this situation. I wrote a letter to the V.P., Customer Service. This was listed on the Ford website as being Gilles Contant. I have scanned it and it is available for viewing here: http://www.stopthenuisance.com/Ford.htm
I wanted to fax it as well as mail it so I called the Ford Customer service line again to find the fax number. I spoke with Douglas this time, I didn't get his employee ID number this time though. I asked him for the fax number so that I could send a letter to the V.P. of customer service. He told me that he'd have to see if that was allowable and put me on hold. I was on hold for several minutes before he hung up on me (you can see now why I didn't get his employee ID number.) Under normal circumstances this would be enough to infuriate most people, however in my case it just re-enforced what I already knew about Ford Customer Service, that it is pretty much an oxymoron. I called back to find the fax number and got Michelle (possibly the same one) I told her that I just wanted a fax number to send off my letter and was told that there was no fax number available and that I could mail it. While speaking with Michelle I found a fax number online for Ford Canada (BTW, it's (905) 844-8085). I told Michelle and asked her to verify if it was the correct number, she could not and told me that Ford's head office was large and that if I faxed a letter to the VP there there would be no guarantee that it would reach him. I took her advice to heart and sent a copy of my letter to Ford's head office by priority post, tracking number LT 318 649 837 CA.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Background
In December of 2007 I bought a 2006 Ford Mustang from Yorkdale Ford in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was a demo model v6 with about 18,000 kms. I had some minor problems with it through the year but for the most part Yorkdale Ford took care of them. At the beginning of this year I started having clutch problems. At about 58,000 kms I brought the car in and asked them to have a look at it. They promised they'd take my car apart and have a look but when I went in they just took it for a quick spin and told me that I had a clutch problem. They informed me that clutches were not covered by warranty because they are "wear items" and that I would have to cover the cost of the replacement myself unless there was some other factor that had caused premature wear on the clutch. I agreed because I was fairly certain that there must be some other mitigating factor causing my clutch to wear. My previous two vehicles didn't require clutch replacement until well over 250,000 kms. My driving habits are almost entirely highway driving which is very easy on a clutch.
The dealership ordered the part and I was told that it'd be a few days before it arrived and that I would be called. When I received no response from the dealership I called again. I was told that the part was still on order and that they'd call me as soon as they got it. after a week and a half with no pert I went in to the dealership. It was at this time I found our that there were no parts available and wouldn't be until June, 2008 because of quality problems with the parts so they had to be shipped back to the point of manufacture, in Turkey. Yes, Turkey the country. At any rate the dealership wouldn't take apart the drivetrain without a replacement part because they can't knowingly re-install a defective part, my guess is that it'd be a safety risk. This means that I can't even get Ford to look at my clutch without voiding the warranty. I was told that my only option left was to contact the Ford Head Office in Oakville Ontario.
The dealership ordered the part and I was told that it'd be a few days before it arrived and that I would be called. When I received no response from the dealership I called again. I was told that the part was still on order and that they'd call me as soon as they got it. after a week and a half with no pert I went in to the dealership. It was at this time I found our that there were no parts available and wouldn't be until June, 2008 because of quality problems with the parts so they had to be shipped back to the point of manufacture, in Turkey. Yes, Turkey the country. At any rate the dealership wouldn't take apart the drivetrain without a replacement part because they can't knowingly re-install a defective part, my guess is that it'd be a safety risk. This means that I can't even get Ford to look at my clutch without voiding the warranty. I was told that my only option left was to contact the Ford Head Office in Oakville Ontario.
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