Taylor's Auto Max

Review: I purchased an 07 Chevy HHR with 56K miles from this company in April. The car was advertised in excellent condition and was priced as such. I was told that the vehicle had been through a full inspection and that there were no mechanical issues with it. When I got home with it, the remote start on the key remote didn't work. I let this go - but then a few days later the check engine light came on. Ran the code and it was an emissions leak. Read in the manual that if there is an emissions leak, the remote start wont work. It is obvious that they cleared the code before I test drove it so that I wouldn't see a check engine light while I was driving it (they didn't give me the remote start device until after I had purchased the vehicle). Upon calling the manager and discussing this situation with them (8 days after I purchased the vehicle), they told me that they were not responsible but agreed to let me bring it in after work and they would diagnose the problem and go from there. I told them I would be there at 4:30. It is an 87 mile drive from Hobson, MT to Great Falls, MT. I left work early at 3:30 and it was snowing and there was ice everywhere, and on top of that I encountered a detour due to a road being closed. I called them and informed them that I would be late and asked them to please be patient. I was exactly 25 minutes late and arrived there at 4:55, and they had already sent their mechanics home despite my phone call and despite the dangerous 87 mile drive I just made. They then told me that I was being unreasonable and we were not able to reschedule before a verbal argument erupted in the showroom. They also brought up numerous times that I had "hammered them to death" in negotiating a price for purchasing the vehicle and that was why they were so unwilling to "bend over backwards" for me as they apparently do for other customers that don't negotiate for the best price.Desired Settlement: At this point I have no interest in returning to the premises. I believe that at the very least I am owed a formal apology in writing for the behavior of those persons involved. Since their mechanics do not work on weekends and close so early each day, making it impossible for me to schedule an appointment as a teacher living 87 miles away, I would like a dealer-paid arrangement with an outside auto repair shop of my choosing for a full diagnosis and repair of the problem.

Business

Response:

Revdex.com Complaint ID: 9527388(9178249)

This is in response to the complaint written by [redacted] to the Revdex.com. Mr. [redacted] called his sales representative at Taylor's AutoMax eight days after purchasing the vehicle and described the issue he was having, The vehicle he purchased was sold “AS IS ” as clearly marked on the vehicle and acknowledged by Mr. [redacted] in the sales process. We do not leave the key fobs on the key ring for vehicles on the lot. It is a security issue, as many cars are stolen when the fobs are removed from the key ring when left in vehicles. This is standard practice for vehicle sales lots and in no way is done to hide problems. It is requested by our insurance carrier.

I contacted Mr. [redacted] and in our conversation 1 told him I would, out of good will, pay for the diagnosis. In order for me to accommodate Mr. [redacted], I asked my service department staff to rearrange their scheduling at mid -business day to have an appointment available for Mr. [redacted] at 4:30, The schedule for one of our technicians was rearranged. Our service department is open from 7:30a.m. until 5:00p.m.

Mr. [redacted] did not arrive at our dealership until 5:05 p.m. The technician had been available, and not clocking time on a job while he waited, until the usual closing time. Mr. [redacted] was irate that no one there to look at his vehicle. I explained to him that he missed the appointment that was set up for him and that I would reschedule the diagnosis for another time. Mr. [redacted] made a nasty scene in our showroom and stormed out.

Wc are the largest independent used vehicle sales organization in our state. We have Spent many years being concerned with our customers satisfaction. To that point, we have many loyal, repeat customers that have been very satisfied with our efforts. We have no way to control the weather or the driving conditions on roads in Montana. We did what we could to help Mr. [redacted] in this situation. We are sorry that he feels we were unreasonable. We cannot honor his request for someone else to fix his car.

Sincerely,

[redacted] Taylor’s AutoMax

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID 9527388, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

You keep referring to how loyal your customers are, and how wonderful your customer service seems to be. However, the fact remains that I was on the phone with your receptionist 10 minutes after my scheduled appointment, at which point I informed her that I was running behind due to weather and the road closure. The fact remains that while you knew I was en route, and you had directly spoken to me and knew that I was coming, you decided to go ahead and send your mechanic home rather than have them diffuse the "nasty scene" before it exploded by having them stay an extra 15 or 20 minutes to diagnose the problem with my car. Whether I arrived at 4:30, 4:55 (which I did), or at 5:05 (as you claim) shouldn't matter. If there is an issue 8 days after a purchase exceeding 12 grand, I believe that taking care of it is the right thing to do - even if it takes an extra 15 or 20 minutes!! Sending the mechanic home given everything you knew about the situation, was inexcusable. When I pulled up, [redacted] was the one that opened the service garage door for me. He then approached the employees at the service desk - told them what to tell me, then took off and was out of the service area before I got out of my car. After the employees at the counter regurgitated to me what he had just told them to say (2 minutes), it took another 5 minutes to actually FIND [redacted], who had gone back to the showroom without speaking a word to me. If you have a problem with me making a scene in the show room, then how about coming out to the service area and visiting with me there, or maybe in your office? But you were clearly avoiding me, so I had no choice but to speak to you in the show room, which of course stays open till 6.

I knew that I purchased the car as-is, but I also know how it was pitched, advertised, and sold to me. Everything about this situation is sketchy, and when you made the decision to send the mechanic home, you made it an outright mess. In my opinion, you have not "done everything you could" to help. In fact, you have lied to a customer.

The check engine light was on in my Durango that I traded in. I made no attempt to go to the nearest AutoZone and have the code cleared. I knew what was wrong with it, and that's why I asked for the NADA ROUGH TRADE IN amount for it.