Elm Ford - Mercury, Inc.

Review: This week I have encountered disrespect and ignorance the likes of which I would never have expected from a company regularly ranked among the top of the [redacted], let alone one that takes pride in its female employees, exemplified by Rosie the Riveter. You, Ford Motor Company, note on your corporate website that women such as Rosie had changed the American workplace forever, but based off of the attitudes and behaviors of some of your employees, you still have a long way to go. Although I was initially concerned with your lack of customer service with respect to payment, it quickly swelled to consternation and ire over the blatantly disrespectful and misogynistic attitudes and comments I encountered while trying to resolve a relatively small issue. Earlier in the week, while I was driving my 2007 Ford Focus, I noticed that it was making unusual noises but didnt think anything of it until the noises grew progressively louder and more alarming. Initially I thought that I was perhaps in the wrong gear so when I came to a stop light, I put my car in park and turned it off, then back on again. That seemed to alleviate the sounds momentarily and I drove a distance before the sounds started to occur again. As I started to pay more attention to these noises, I noticed that the gas pedal was trembling so I pulled over to the side of the freeway and contacted my uncle, who is a fisherman by trade. He has done a lot of mechanical work on the engines inside of his 32-foot, commercial-sized fishing boat, so I frantically asked him what I should do. He had me do a series of checks including checking the transmission fluid levels, the color, and the odor. I reported to him that the fluid levels seemed adequate and the color normal but there was perhaps a slight burnt smell. The OD is off light was also flashing and so he thought it was most likely a transmission problem but that it could be a belt issue as well. He said that it would be safest to get back into the car and off the freeway, onto surface streets and return home until I was able to take the car into the Ford dealership to check if the transmission could be covered under warranty. He thought it was quite strange that I was having these issues and I was only at 86,000 miles. I cautiously drove the whole way home, not quite sure if I was going to make it back. I then arranged an appointment to have my car serviced by the Ford Dealership and contacted AAA to get the car towed 15 miles to the nearest dealership in Woodland, CA, deeming the car unsafe to drive the distance. Utilizing my Costco membership benefits, I came into the dealership on Monday May 12 ready to use my 15% off coupon with my service transaction but was told upon arrival that I did not need to make the payment until services were complete.On Wednesday May 14, 2014 around 1:10pm, I called the Elm Ford dealership in Woodland, CA to pay for the transmission test they had performed on my 2007 Ford Focus two days prior. I explained to the receptionist, April, that I had attempted to give my payment as well as the 15% all parts and services coupon from Costco to the mechanic, [redacted], at the time I dropped off the vehicle (Monday, May 12 at 9am) but he had assured me that it was not necessary to collect either my payment or the coupon and that I just need to wait until he assessed the car before anything else. Because the coupon had been refused when I tried to offer it, I was surprised when April told me that their policy does not allow for coupons to be used for over-the-phone payments. Even after I explained the situation to her and pointedly mentioned the key fact that I did not have the means to get to the dealership to hand them the coupon in person considering my car, and only means of transportation, was in their possession, she refused to budge. At this point, things began to get more heated as she asked various mechanics about the validity of my statements. Customer service should be solution-oriented, but while she focused on finding ways to prove I was dishonest or trying to cheat the company out of that 15% ($16.50), I found myself in the position of trying to suggest a mutually acceptable compromise. I asked if there was a way in which she could honor the coupon if I sent it in either via e-mail or fax. April immediately and frankly responded with, No, I could lose my job over this, to which I responded that I was sure the Ford dealership would be able to realize the means of the situation at hand and make an accommodation. Soon after, I asked if there was anyone else I could speak to regarding the situation and she gave me a phone number for an official Ford Headquarters Customer Service Line: ###-###-####. This number is not in service, and getting pushed off to an invalid number did nothing to make me feel like a valued customer. I immediately called back with the intention of paying for the transmission service test and lodging a complaint before taking my car elsewhere to get it repaired, so I asked to speak to a manager or a customer service representative. It was at this time that I was passed among four different people. Somewhere in the middle of this, my payment was processed, but I still wanted to address my concerns with customer service. I had to explain and re-explain the situation to each of the people I talked to, and none of them apologized for the person before them, even as each person avoided responsibility and continued to make me feel like I was in the wrong. In fact, when I was placed on the phone again with my mechanic, [redacted], he answered by saying hello. I responded, Hi, how are you doing? He responded with, Good, how are you? When I replied with, Not so good, his immediate response was, Excellent, how I can help you today? I then asked him if he had heard what I said and he said no, so I explained it to him again, asking him how he could think that was excellent and his response was, Well, I guess I wouldnt be too happy if mDesired Settlement: Undisclosed monetary settlement

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted] my name is [redacted] Service Manager of Elm Ford. I have read the complaint and disagree with the interpretation as to the events that happened on Ms. [redacted]'s visit to Elm Ford. As to honoring the 15% coupon from Costco once we figured out what she was trying to redeem, it was quiet simple. The coupon does not work for all dealership's and we are not one of the participating dealership's currently using costo for advertising. When we tried to explain that to Ms. [redacted] she would not accept that and not hear of it. Also that's the reason we have to have the coupon in person to confirm that is the case. My office does not give any coupon discount's to anybody for that reason over the phone. [redacted] my front office cashier was correct in doing what she did with the reason that I just explained. [redacted] is one of the best front cashier personnel we have every had and get a lot of praise on her performance on a daily basis. As to the question of this should be a warranty repair. This vehicle is out of warranty and there is no warranty on this car. The basic warranty on this vehicle is 3 years and 36,000 miles and the powertrain warranty is 5 years 60,000 miles. Both of those warranty come from the factory for free. The customer I'm sure had the opportunity to purchase a extended warranty and chose not to do so. As to the conversation between [redacted] and I [redacted] with [redacted] I don't believe neither of us were disrespectful in trying to explain to Ms. [redacted] her options. Ms. [redacted]'s candor at times I would say was more disrespectful to us just in the manor in which she spoke. We tried to explain as easy and as simple as we could, but sometimes it very simple the truth hurts. I hope she was able to get her car repaired and she is back driving her car. Sincerely [redacted] Elm Ford

Consumer

Response:

I have hand written a response to this (elm ford) as well as the fact that after numerous phone calls I have still be unable to reach the ford representative about my complaint. This is ridiculous.