First, to repeat myself, contact an attorney NOW, at the beginning of the problem, not in the middle or at the end.

• Good deal on contacting Nissan.

• Remember, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT, DOCUMENT everything. Every call, every person’s name, every time!

• It’s not too early to think about your local TV station’s “Call for Action”, “Consumer’s Line”, or what every they call it where you live. And be sure to tell the dealership you are thinking of calling them. Negative publicity is what they’ll want to avoid at all cost. They do not want to see themselves on the 6 & 10 Newscast screwing a customer.

Good Luck.

 

Anyone know any good lawyers in Oregon? I guess it wouldn't hurt to at least be ready to go in that sense. I can't see raising that issue with the dealership yet as they have not, aside from wasting my time, lying, being confrontational and rude, done anything wrong YET .

 

BTW, this thread is an attempt at documentation. This way I have a detailed account of what happened, when, and who was involved.

 

He doesn't need an attorney until he is certain that they haven't fixed the problem. They don't even have the car yet! Any good attorney will tell him to wait and see what they plan on doing. You can go after someone BEFORE they wrong you. Give them a chance to make it right and if they don't THEN get the attorney.

 

So since Chip cannot seem to find the name and number of the tow company used yet, I tried to get ahold of Jay. He was not available at any of the three places I was told to try. I left a message for him saying that I would like to know who, what, where, when the tow truck was coming. I took my wife to lunch (no, not a nice guy, she was simply stranded at work since I have her car today ) She asked if I had talked to a more senior manager yet. I told her that Rasheed, the Sales Manager was the very first person at the dealership I spoke with. She told me to call him now. I did and spoke with him briefly. He seemed shocked and very dissappointed at the way the situation was being handled, including additional amazement that they had proposed repairing the fuel tank at a radiator shop. I told him I would like to see them just authorize the local dealer to perform the new tank installation instead. He said he'd see what he could do. He took my name and phone number and said he'd call me back. A few minutes later, he called and told me that he went to Service to check on this and Chip told him, "I'm on it" and that he was tracking the tow truck with the company right then. I asked Rasheed to have Chip call me with the tow truck ETA and their name and phone number. Chip called a while later telling me that "for some reason" the tow truck had not left until just after noon (it was now 1:15pm) instead of first thing this morning like he was told and that they should be there within the hour. I asked again for the tow truck company and phone number and Chip said that actually Jay had talked with them and had asked Chip to call me for him. He said he didn't think to ask for their name or number. The conversation ended there. I updated the local dealer and asked again to be contacted when the truck shows up. So here we are.

 

And its now 3:35PM and still no tow truck. I just checked the traffic report and Interstate 5 is still intact, no giant, tow-truck-eating sinkholes reported at this point. I called Rasheed, but was told he is with a customer. I left my name and number for him with a message that I need to speak with him and only him.

 

4:00 and Rasheed just called me back. I told him I feel like he is the only one I've talked to there with an integrity whatsoever. He thanked me for that. I told him there was still no tow truck. He said that he had checked with Chip and was told he was checking into it (wonder where Chip found that phone number? ) and that I should expect a call any time now. I tell him flat out that I do not believe Chip or Jay or the things they are saying. Rasheed tells me that he's sorry he cannot be of any real help to me and that it sort of falls outside of his area because he is the New Car Manager. The General Manager is in England on vacation and the Owner is in Florida. I asked him, "at what point do we decide that this is not happening and give the local dealership the green light to start the repair?" He tells me, "when it is not happening". I ask him when that is exactly. He tells me if the truck is not there by 4 or 5pm today. I clarified that if the tow truck was not at the local dealer by 5pm then I should call back for authorization. He indicated yes. I thanked him and the conversation ended.

 

I called Rasheed at 5:00pm and informed him that there was still no tow truck. "You're kidding," he said. He says he'd like me to talk to Chip. Chip picks up and tells me that he had called the local dealer at 4pm and that no tow truck had arrived yet. Yep, old news. I again told Chip about how inconvenient this is for me and my job. I let him know that this is now the 2nd completely wasted day now where nothing had been accomplished. I told him that the only people that had made any right decisions in this mess were the ones at the local dealership. I asked him to just authorize them to fix it. I retallied his costs for his half-assed repair and the cost the local dealership had quoted to do it right. Its within $300 and that's a VERY conservative estimate. He said he couldn't do it. Having dealt with Chip plenty at this point, I realized this was going nowhere and asked to be transferred back to Rasheed. I was placed on hold for 5 minutes with no response. I hung up and called the dealership back, asking for Rasheed. He picked up and he told me that he had been standing there when I was talking to Chip. Why had Chip said he would page him? Why was I on hold? I said, "well chalk that up to another one". Rasheed seems like a very upstanding, genuine person who is concerned about the customer for all the right reasons. We have a lengthy conversation in which I recap the costs of this in terms of my lost productivity, time, etc. I tell him that I am riding with my wife right now in our 2003 Pathfinder, my 2003 350Z is in pieces, within the next year or two at least one of those will likely be traded for another Nissan and my mother-in-law will be looking for a new vehicle before the end of the year and I have been looking forward to showing her the new Frontier. I recap the cost difference for him between the two repair figures. I tell him that I've seriously considered paying the local dealer out of my own pocket and suing the selling dealership to recover the costs I've incurred. To each of these things, I can tell he is genuinely bothered that Jay and Chip have handled things so poorly. He asks me if Chip has at least arranged a rental car for me. I let him know that Chip has done nothing in the realm of decision making and that he has consistently deferred all such issues to Jay, who has not returned any of my phone calls today (and there've been a few), saying that he cannot authorize anything. Rasheed lets me know that that is not the case. Chip, as the Service Manager can, in fact, authorize a rental car for me. I share my feelings about Jay and Chip with him. I don't doubt that he feels the same way. He thanks me for keeping my composure, saying that he is not sure how I'm able. He feels genuinely bad. He places me on hold, saying he is going to make a phone call. He comes back and tells me that he was going to authorize a rental car for me, but was told that if he did it would come out of his paycheck. He said he is embarassed to even tell me that, but it is what he was told. He tells me that he will leave a message for Jay and he knows that I will be calling in the morning and to please talk to him and share the results of what happened. Our conversation ends.

 

I called the local dealership at 5:50 (they close at 6pm) to let them know that I would appreciate it if they would pull the car into the shop tonight when they leave. I have nightmare visions of some backwoods, filthy idiot towtruck driver (stereotype or truth?) coming after they're closed and hitching the car up w/o even having the keys to take off the brake or put the car in neutral and destroying it. Ken says he absolutely understands and was planning on doing just that before he leaves. I thank him and we end our conversation. Minutes later, eight to be exact, Ken calls back to let me know that the towtruck driver showed up. I ask him, "what does he look like?" Ken tells me that he is a young guy and clean for a towtruck driver. He has a flatbed. I ask him for the Tow Company's name and number as well as when they were first contacted to come and get the car. Ken places me on hold and when he comes back, he tells me, Division Towing at (503) 774-8524 and that the driver says he was notified at 2pm and the disbatch received a call at 12pm. I thank Ken and hang up.

 

I get a call from one of the salespeople, Mike Will at the local dealership telling me that I should inspect the underside of the car because the towtruck driver has hitched the car up and is dragging it all over the place trying to get it on the truck. I ask him if anyone there has a cameraphone or digital camera and could take a picture. He says he'll try. He calls back minutes later to say that he was too late and the car was already loaded. Still, it looked like there may be some scrapes on the underside. He says the towtruck driver seems nervous because so many people are standing around watching him like hawks. I thank him for the call and tell him, laughingly, that I'll be by in the morning with a Notary Public to take statements.

 

My wife cannot handle not getting involved. I am able to keep her from screaming at anyone, but she does call and speak to Rasheed. She thanks him for his behavior through this. She then tells him that I just got a call about possible damage during the towtruck loading process. He expresses horror. He thanks her for the call and tells her that he is grateful that we are keeping him informed. He expresses amazement that nobody has flipped out yet. He asks us to please talk to him when we call in the morning. She tells him that I will be calling in the morning.

 

Jesus Christ man. You need to lose your cool with these people. They are impressed that you are keeping your cool because as long as you are calm, they feel safe in continue to **** you around. The saying, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" applies with these types of a-holes. You need to start squeaking......LOUDLY.....to the point where they will bend over backwards to help you just to make you go away.

Don't buy that crap about "such and so is on vacation, and so and so is out of town". Somebody has the authority to act in their stead, I guarantee it. Demand to speak to that person and refuse to speak with the incompetent service people unless he/she is present or on the call. The dealer's phone system has a conference function, I'm sure.

Man this is so typical of the automotive service industry today......

 

Only one word can desribe this: un****inbelievable

 

I assure you I've been quite the squeaky wheel. Keep in mind I'm 120 miles away and there's only so much that can be done at this time. I am staying very on top of this. I have not yelled at anyone yet.

First, I don't believe that I am being misled as to the absence of the GM or Owner. I've asked enough independent people at the dealership, including random ones like the receptionist, a few salespeople, etc. just to make sure it was consistent. And second, I am not speaking to anyone without "Manager" in his title. Service Manager, Used Car Manager, NEW Car Manager. I believe, of these people, there are two that have the authority to act here and unfortunately they're the two retarded a$$holes I've talked so much about. Again, only so much that can be done with so much distance between us over the phone. I can't help but think of someone's signature on another web forum I visit, "Your internet words are hurting my internet feelings". I WILL be there in person to give everyone involved in this fiasco the full brunt of my feelings on the matter. Until then, document, document, document.

A real shame they don't have the will to end the perpetuation of their stereotypical image.

 

Okay, my take (so far) on this soap opera….

· These clowns are giving you a first class runaround.

· The part about “no one in charge” is great. (GM out of country & Owner out of state –that is ROFLMAO good!) I’m just curious how they are even able to sell cars—no one home minding the store. LOL!

· IMHO, Chip & Rasheed are playing “good cop – bad cop” routine on you. To reiterate what others have posted, don’t trust anyone there. My friend, both are “bad cops”. The BS is getting deep with this one Oh please, stop it; you have me on the floor laughing with that one. Stop it, too funny.

· Dude, unleash your wife; I say, go, babe, go. First, it doesn’t hurt to double team them. And secondly, and more importantly, hell hath no fury like a pissed woman. Unleash that woman, brother, and stand back! LOL!

· Ditto everything kcobean said.

· And finally; Agreed, but the “stereotype” of auto dealers is, unfortunately, 90% accurate. I was a salesman years ago and speaking from experience, everything you’ve heard, imagined, or thought about car dealers is true.

Again, good luck & keep us posted.

 

Maybe you're right. Maybe. But I don't think so. I've got to say that Jay is either the biggest idiot in the world or very practiced at being a liar. Rasheed, on the other hand, is not "playing a part". If he were, he should be a stage actor on broadway and getting paid 10X what he is. I involved Rasheed. Nobody else. For you conspiracy nuts:

www.infowars.com
www.prisonplanet.com

I am quite sure I've gotten a royal runaround from Chip and Jay. No doubt about it. No excuse for it.

 

We like to be called Patriots.

and everyone should DL "911 The Road To Trerany" but moving on.....................

This senario continues to play out that exact path that other car dealer related horrors play out. I told you something bad would happen with the tow truck ordeal......This is only begining I'm affraid.

 

best advice might be cut your ties with the original dealer take it back to the 1st one since they seemed to be on the up and up.. then try to recoup the costs.. remember 1st thing to do when in a hole STOP digging.. not saying this is the less costly (money wise) but in the long term the best solution.. had a dealer add some "racing stripes" to my HREs during an alignment.. best thing I did was to never let them touch it again and recouped some of my costs after getting things straighten out..

 

At this point, I'm using this thread to provide myself with a detailed account of the commitments, events, times, names, etc. of everything involved in the situation from the beginning. At first I began the thread to ensure my bases were covered from a safety standpoint regarding the spilled/spilling fuel from the car. From then on it has merely served me as a recording tool with times and dates as a matter of "public record" so to speak. I'm sure for the other almost 1000 viewers (at this point) it has provided some entertainment at least. Should things end on a sour note, I will provide this saga to the local Nissan-buying community as a matter of "steer-clear" but until then I am reserving that option. I appreciate everyone's concern and welcome all the comments this thread has/will received. At this point, I have considered many options and believe the best course of action right now is to see where this one leads. There is plenty of time and opportunity for the selling dealer to do the right thing in the end and that is what matters most to me. I recognize, as I have pointed out in this thread, that I may pay the local dealer and sue to recoup costs. I recognize that I could call the BBB or consumer affairs organizations or approach local media. I realize I could retain legal cousel. I won't say at this point whether or not these options have been pursued; that is for time to tell. Again, thank you for your interest and keep the comments coming if you wish. I am comfortable with my take on the situation and my capability to run the course.

 

Called Chip at 7:30 this morning asking for a status report. "The car is here," he says. I ask him to be a bit more detailed. He tells me that he walked around it briefly like he does with any car the take in and everything looked fine with the exception of a few rock chips and bird poop in the front. Hold on, rock chips? I wash this car at least twice per week and there are no rock chips in the front (certainly none you'd see in a whimsical walkaround). "Well, I didn't look too close, maybe they're just dirt or more bird poop," he replies. I ask him when they are going to get started on it and get approval from Jay. He replies around 9am. The mechanic doesn't arrive until 8am. I let him know I'll call at 9am to check back. He tells me that he has 35 cars coming in this morning and that it should be around 9am. Here he is again telling me that he has X number of customers waiting for service. Jacka$$, I am a customer too. And I should be your most important customer right now. In my head I'm thinking this means before 10am. And...................I wait........................................................ ......................................