!!Warning high bitchin content!!
After having my Dakota serviced at a local dealership, I've realized how
dissatisfied I'm becoming with my truck or at least the service I'm getting.
When I bought my truck from the used car section of Keffer Dodge in
Charlotte, NC, I was promised several things in the deal: New tires, a
front end alignment, scratch removal and detailing. I set up an appointment
for the next day at 1:45PM with the understanding that it I would be using
my lunch hour (or so) to get this done. I arrived about 1:30 the next day
and they cheerfully took my keys and told me to have a seat in the waiting
room. About 2 hours and several inquiries later, I saw the tires being
delivered. It's not like they didn't know 24 hours before that they would
be changing the tires, they just waited until I had dropped the truck off to
order the damn things from a local supplier. Another hour (and several more
inquiries) later the truck was pulled out of the service center. Now the
best part, "If you could wait just about another hour we can get those
scratches removed". So after missing about 3 hours of work, they expected
me to wait "just a little while longer". I was out of there and vowed never
to come back again. I never went back and have been driving a scratched
(nothing major) truck for about 8 months now. I don't even want to get into
the part where the salesman assured me there would be no problem returning
my rental car (2 days later).
Now I have this problem with my check engine light. I take it to Craig
Dodge in Gastonia, NC on a day they set to have it checked out. I was there
before 9 AM, they notified me at about 1:30PM that it was the cat and they
didn't have one in stock. We set up another day about a week later to have
it replaced. I call the day before the appointment to check and see if they
have the cat in stock now, they do. I drop the truck off before 8:30AM,
they call me at about 1:30PM to tell me that because of my FloMaster being
welded on, I would have to pay to have another shop cut and re-weld the new
cat in place. I OK that. At 4PM I call to check and see if everythings
done, it's not. They don't know when the truck will be back from the other
shop, "check back at about 5". I work about 1/2 hour away from the
dealership so I leave at about 4:30 and get there shortly after 5. My truck
isn't there, it pulls in after about 5 minutes. The only problem is the
check engine light is still on and the mechanic who's been working on my
truck left at 5 so I'm asked if I can leave it there for the night or drop
it off tomorrow. Now I was told it would take about a day to replace the
cat and have everything all buttoned up nice and neat. Now they want me to
leave and pay for a third day in a rental car for a job that should have
taken one day so I let the Service Department manager know. He informs me
that an appointment doesn't mean they might actually start working on the
truck when it's dropped off. I know that, but I expect something to start
happening before over half the day is gone. Especially after I'd already
had it in the earlier week, it's not like I rolled in off the street with a
problem, I was bringing it in on days they had told ME to come in. Well
I'll be stopping by tomorrow to have the check engine light turned off and
the computer scanned for any other codes. After that, I think I've found
another dealership to mark off my list. The only problem I have is that the
only other dealerships in my area are WAY out of my way, and I can't take a
day off everytime I have to take the truck in for service.
If you've read through this whole thing, thank you and I'm sorry. I just
had to vent.
Mark Campbell
98 V6 auto
"It's purple so it can't be a lemon, right?"
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