TD Industries

Berge Ford can't take responsibility for normal wear and mechanical failures just because we drove the vehicle last.  We believe that if Mr. [redacted] never pulled into Berge Ford, the failure would have occurred anyway.  In addition, we have a Certified Used Vehicle appraiser look at the car and not a certified technician; therefore, the car never entered our shop.  Please understand that if Mr. [redacted] does not want to accept our original goodwill gesture offer, we will promptly rescind it.  We do offer the option of him to get a written quote for this specific repair and we will then determine if we will participate in the charges.  Again, this would be strictly a goodwill gesture and is certainly not an admission of responsibility.  This would be our final offer to settle this and it will be rescinded if not accepted within 10 business days.

Customer [redacted] brought her vehicle (2009 Ford Escape
145,064 miles) to Berge Ford on 8/14/2015 and indicated that she had a concern
with her air conditioning. The customer indicated that a family friend added
Freon and system dye (suspecting a leak) and then brought the vehicle to...

Berge.
Our technician performed an initial visual inspection of the
system and also checked the system for freon charge status and pressures. The
technician determined that the a/c system was low on Freon (approx.10oz) verifying
the customer’s suspicion of a leak. Additionally, he determined during his
visual inspection that the a/c compressor had one leak coming from the front
cover behind the compressor clutch (leaking freon) and possibly a second leak
coming from the rear of the compressor (leaking compressor oil). At this point,
the technician was unable to determine any more concerns with the system until
the a/c compressor concern was addressed. He recommended the compressor
replacement based on the visual inspection. The customer declined the repairs
and indicated she would pick up the vehicle. At no time was the compressor
removed, as a visual inspection of the system and pressure readings were all
that was performed. The customer was charged an inspection fee of $99.99 for
the inspection performed and she picked the vehicle up from us.
The customer called us on 8/17/2015 and indicated that she
took the vehicle to another shop and they said we damaged the compressor, and
the customer wants Berge to pay for all the repairs, rental vehicle, etc. We
did indicate that we are not liable for her a/c system operation and subsequent
repair costs, as we only performed an inspection. Strictly as a matter of
customer goodwill, we did issue a refund to her of our inspection fee. The
customer indicated that she was having the vehicle repaired at another repair
shop. We would be willing to discuss this matter and share our inspection
results with the ultimate repairing facility if it would be helpful in this
matter.

This is my response to the AG's office. Let me know if you didn't get the attachment.JimTo:          Office of
the A[redacted]
[redacted]Complaint:          [redacted]Dear Sir or MadamThe following is Berge Ford’s
response to this complaint. I will demonstrate that Berge Ford did not remove
the tensioner bolt.  Also the same will
prove my statement to Mrs.  [redacted] was
correct that we did not remove the Tensioner or bolt.First I want to clear up some
incorrect statements by the [redacted]The term “Engine” is used several
times incorrectly; we did not remove or repair the “Engine”. The Engine has
several components both individual and assemblies. The Cylinder Head is an
assembly that attaches on the top of the Engine Block. It contains cam-shafts,
valves, springs and various other items.The [redacted] make a statement
referencing another Ford Dealer: “We were told by Mark that to get into the
engine to replace  “cylinders” and “heads”
that the tensioner belt and bolt had to be removed to access the inside of the
engine”. The statement is correct except for the removal of the tensioner bolt
statement which I will answer below. This statement does not apply to this
repair. We did not replace “cylinders” only the “Cylinder Head” as required because
of consequential damage caused by components in the recall. I’ve attached the
Ford Dealer Repair process (Ford # 301-01A-Timing Belt) from the Ford Shop
manual.This guide is for removal and re-installation of the Timing
Belt. Under “Removal”( under the list of special tools required)
operations 27-30.Under “installation” (after operation #30) operation #3 shows
the Pin to hold the Tensioner. It clearly shows a process to remove and re-install the belt
WITHOUT REMOVING THE TENSIONER. Berge Ford feels badly that the [redacted] had this occur
however we take no responsibility for the failure.Best Regards,Jim C[redacted]General Manager Berge Ford

Customer [redacted] brought his 2000 Ford F250 to Berge Ford for service on 12/27/2016. The vehicle bad 334,478 miles on it at that time. The customers concern was a fluid  leak and he wanted it checked. The technician inspected the vehicle and found the engine oil cooler cross­ over tubes...

leaking oil and the extemill engine oil cooler in need of replacement. The service advisor obtained authorization for the needed repairs from Mr. [redacted]. While the repairs were in process, and the area of concern partially disassembled, the technician re-inspected the engine oil cooler and decided that it only needed to be resealed, and not replaced. That information was unfortunately not communicated to the service advisor. The repairs were completed, and  the customer received his bill for $1211.40, which also included  some other  unrelated services he wanted completed. The customer examined his bill and brought to our attention that the work was completed, but the oi.l cooler portion was only resealed, and not replaced as stated. Berge Ford recognized this error and offered to re-do the entire job at our expense and replace the engine oil cooler. The customer said he did not want us to work on  his  vehicle,  and  then contacted the Revdex.com shortly thereafter and filed this complaint.In light of the fact that we did not communicate the final repairs properly to the customer, and the customer does not want us to work on the vehicle any further, stnctly as customer goodwill, Berge will refund the customer the full amount of the repair costs associated with the engine oil cooler/cross-over tubes. A credit of $1118.65 will be issued to his credit card, which is the total amount including tax to repair that concern. We would, however, need to have the customer recontact us [redacted] and speak  to AMY and provide us with the needed credit card information, as we do not store or keep customer credit card information on file.We apologize for the unintentional error, and hope that the customer is satisfied with our actions to resolve this matter.

Customer [redacted] made us aware of a potential transmission concern while she was on a trip. She towed the vehicle back to Mesa herself and took it to an independent transmission shop. She contacted us because she felt that we installed the wrong oil in the transmission when we serviced the...

vehicle in late June. We had the vehicle towed to Berge Ford at our expense for evaluation. Upon inspection, the transmission had an internal mechanical failure, and the failure was not related to the quality or type of oil. This vehicle is out of any manufacturer’s warranty (104,306 miles), however, strictly as a matter of goodwill, Berge was able to provide repair assistance with Ford Motor Company’s help. Berge located a transmission assembly out of state, and had it shipped here. Berge replaced the transmission assembly, and the vehicle was delivered back to the customer on July 17th. The customer was not charged for any of the repair costs.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
I appreciate that Berge Ford put in a new transmission for me. A $4000 "goodwill" gesture is absolutely ridiculous!!  On the invoice it says that it was "warranty" work. In their response, it says that the vehicle was not under warranty, which is true,  My vehicle is 5 years old . True, it has mileage on it but was running fine before flush.   I did not go to a "transmission" shop to have my vehicle looked at.  I went to a regular garage and he is the one who looked at the Ford specifications for my vehicle. and it CLEARLY states that you are to use a specific kind of transmission fluid for my vehicle.  They are telling you that they used a "universal" fluid because they do not want to admit their mistake..we are all human and  mistakes are made.  There is no where in the specifications that say "universal" fluid can be used.   If that were the case, then ALL vehicles could use the same fluid.  [redacted], Service Director,  told me I would have a loaner vehicle which I did not.  He did not keep his word.  . He also told me that they would pay for the diagnostic done by [redacted] garage.  They have not. I spoke to the GM of Berge Ford, a Mr. [redacted], and he told me that they would reimburse for charges that incurred with this incident.  They have  not.  I want the $568 dollars that I spent for my expenses getting this vehicle back to them. Thank you and have a nice day!! 
Regards,
[redacted]

[redacted]
[redacted]
[redacted]
Revdex.com #[redacted]Customer [redacted] brought his 2005 Ford Expedition to our Service Department on 5/10/2017. The vehicle at that time had 134,215 miles on it. We performed an oil change service, and per the customer’s specific...

request, replaced his spark plugs. The vehicle also needed a cylinder #7 ignition coil and boot. The customer authorized the repairs and appropriate charges for all of the work.On 5/27/2017, the customer returned to our Service Department indicating that the vehicle had an oil leak. The vehicle then had 136,097 miles on it. We checked the vehicle and determined that the transmission was leaking, completely unrelated to the engine oil change we had performed on the 5/10 visit. The customer also indicated verbally at that time that he thought he had an engine misfire. Our service advisor indicated that there would be a diagnosis fee to determine what the cause of the misfire would be, but also indicated that our work completed on 5/10 has a two year, unlimited mileage parts and labor warranty, in the remote case that one of the parts we installed on that visit would have been prematurely defective, and if that was the case, no diagnostic fee would apply. The customer declined to have the misfire diagnosed. There was no charge on this visit to inform him of the transmission oil leak. We have not seen or inspected this vehicle since this date (5/27/2017).

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/01) */
We are sorry the customer was upset. When we sell a vehicle, it is entered in our Automatic Data Processing database as sold. The specific advertisement may take a few days to be taken off of our website as it did here, and our used car manager...

was on bereavement leave during these two days. Our price quotes include a statement that they are subject to availability; unfortunately the vehicle sold the previous day. The vehicle the customer wanted was no longer available when she came into the store and we apologize that the salesman was not more helpful. We would love to work with her to find another vehicle that is in her price range.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:NEVER did I agree to continue making payments on this. That's not solely my decision to make. When I spoke to [redacted] his options still did not satisfy me. His people dropped the ball and I'm stuck picking up the pieces! I told him that I would speak to my brother and get back to him. When my brother and I were in the car, literally driving to the office, we called to make sure at least one of the people we needed was in the office. We were told [redacted] was not in and that [redacted] was in a meeting. We left a message with 2 separate people and left 2 different names to return calls. We were thinking of selling the car back and cutting ties with the business in this matter or look into getting legal help so I definitely would not have agreed to continue payments in this situation. The whole process with this company has been lies and deceit; from initially buying the car up to now. Ridiculous. We're stuck fixing the problem their employee created. Not fair, nor is it right. Sincerely,
[redacted]

As previously stated, the work that was performed on the customer's vehicle (either customer pay or manufacturer's warranty) did not have provisions for complimentary rental vehicle coverage.  Ultimately, we did assist the customer with paying for 50% of his "out of pocket" costs for the rental vehicle (documents previously provided) that he rented from Enterprise.  Additionally, the repair to correct the "engine light on" concern was in addition to the transmission concern that the customer had explained in the Revdex.com document.  This repair was authorized by the customer and the repairs were completed by Berge Ford.   Having completed the necessary and authorized repairs, and applying our goodwill gesture of paying for half the rental costs, Berge Ford considers this concern CLOSED.

[redacted] visited Berge Ford on July 6th and inquired about purchasing a new or pre-owned vehicle.  After selecting a vehicle, Mr. [redacted] informed us he was interested in using his vehicle as a trade-in towards his new purchase.  It is standard practice for a Berge Ford sales manager...

to test drive and evaluate the vehicle considered for a trade.  Mr. [redacted]' vehicle was test driven less than a quarter of a mile and during that time, none of the windows were either rolled up or down.Mr. [redacted] chose not to purchase a vehicle from Berge Ford and got into his vehicle and drove away from the dealership.  He returned to the dealership accusing Berge  Ford of damaging the driver side window, causing the window glass to slip into the door frame.  Malfunctioning power window clips are very common, especially when a vehicle has OVER 90,000 miles.Berge Ford DID NOT damage Mr. [redacted]' 2001 Chevrolet Cruz and accepts no responsibility for the repair.Berge Ford is a reputable vehicle service facility servicing all makes and modes.  As a gesture of goodwill only, Berge Ford is willing to offer a discounted rate for this one repair if Mr. [redacted] is interested.  We invite Mr. [redacted] to give me a call to receive an estimate.[redacted], General Sales Manager

Thank you for bringing the customer’s concerns to us. We are sorry the customer felt wronged. When the deal was done, as the customer states, Mr. [redacted] explained that the warranty would be part of the deal, and showed Ms. [redacted] that her payment was included in the down payment on the vehicle....

The purchaser signed all documents reflecting the $1,490 as part of the down payment. If Ms. [redacted] would like to cancel the warranty, please have her contact Finance Manager [redacted] at [redacted] and he can assist her in her cancellation to make her satisfied.

On 6/2/2015, customer [redacted] had his vehicle towed to Berge
Ford to have a “hard start concern” addressed. At the time of service write-up,
the Berge service advisor also noted that a Ford Motor Company Recall 13S12
(Risk of Localized Overheating of Engine Cylinder Head), along with three...

other
“open” recalls were discovered, which were performed during this service
visit.  The technician inspected the vehicle and determined that the hard
start concern was related to Recall 13S12. The engine cylinder head was
replaced, along with other necessary gaskets and parts outlined in the recall.
The customer also had an exhaust heat shield replaced during this visit, which
they paid for. The vehicle was completed, road tested, and released back to the
customer on 7/2/2015. During the month of August we received a phone call from
the customer asking us to pay for damages that they claim we caused to their
engine relating to our repair. We contacted the dealer in Missouri which claims
a tensioner bolt broke and had caused internal engine damage. The dealer also
indicated that there were no markings on the bolt, which would indicate that it
was not tampered with or removed by us. After we conducted an internal review
of the matter (which included workshop manual review and a discussion with the
repairing technician) we concluded that we did not remove the bolt in question,
and therefore, were not responsible for the subsequent engine damage. We did
advise the customer, who claims that the vehicle was overheating for an
extended period of time on and off before coming to Berge, to contact Ford
Motor Company for  “after warranty” consideration/assistance. Based on the
customer’s comments, the vehicle had severe concerns and was to several repair
facilities before coming to Berge for repair.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Per the Ford mechanic at [redacted] who replaced the engine, two independent mechanics and the manual describing how to access the engine to replace the heads and cylinders, the bolt holding the tensioner had to be removed and then replaced to complete the work that Berge Ford did. We believe that if Berge Ford completed the work that they documented then they had to have touched the bolt that failed. If they contend that they did not touch the bolt then that indicates that their mechanics did not follow the standard recommended guidelines to complete the work which indicates that they are not providing recognized standards of service. We would ask that Berge Ford provide the manual showing the step by step instructions that they used to access the engine that did not involve removing the bolt in question. Three other mechanics would be interested in reviewing this information because they say it is not possible. The mechanic at [redacted] showed us the bolt and it was destroyed. There was no way to be able to identify any tool marks because the bolt was sheared off and part of it was missing. Since the bolt was destroyed then Berge Ford cannot use it as their "evidence" that they did not touch the bolt. We continue to believe that the action of Berge Ford contributed to the total failure of our vehicle's engine. It is not logical that a 2 year old car that had routine oil changes and maintenance would have a catastrophic failure of an engine. The logical conclusion is that the work completed on the engine by Berge Ford contributed to this failure that then led to the complete failure requiring the engine to be replaced.

Thank you for bringing the customer’s concerns to us. We contacted the customer immediately upon receiving her complaint. Our Sales Manager, [redacted] spoke to the customer about her vehicle payments and explained that we do not refinance as we are not a bank. The customer stated that she is...

going to make her payments to the original finance company. On Saturday, April 22, Mr. [redacted] again spoke to the customer and arranged for her to come in on Monday, April 24th. When she did not come in, on Wednesday, August 26, Mr. [redacted] called the customer back and left a message stating that both he and General Manager [redacted] would be in the store on Thursday. We had not heard anything back from the customer and she did not come in on Thursday. Please have her call [redacted] at 708-[redacted] should she wish to discuss this matter further.

After the customer shared her comments, we have attempted to contact her on several occasions during this past work week, but have not had any return calls from her. Please have the customer contact either [redacted], at [redacted], or [redacted], at ###-###-#### to discuss this matter further. Our hopes are to resolve this matter to the customer's satisfaction, but would like to discuss further first. Thank you

The customer is supposed to come in on Saturday to discuss the matter with General Manager, [redacted] and Sales Manager, [redacted]. They both intend on resolving the customer's issues. Thank you.

Thank you for bringing the customer’s concerns to us. The customer traded in a vehicle and bought a car from us. She was quoted a rate and payment, but wanted a lower payment so she contracted for a longer term. The customer signed all documents for the vehicle purchase. She purchased a new vehicle...

and the deal was funded by a finance company. We are sorry she is not happy with the purchase or the terms, but they were negotiated and agreed to by her. The customer spoke to our Dealer Principal two weeks ago, who explained that we do not allow for new vehicle returns.

Thank you for bringing the customer’s concerns to us. We spoke with the customer about her complaint and offered her a gift card and 2 free oil changes. We trust this resolves her issue and she appeared to be satisfied.