My Truck Story
6/13/2005 – 3:47 pmNow its time for the story I’ve been waiting to type. Just had to take care of a few things first.
Last Sunday on the drive home from east Texas, I noticed that my transmission was starting to slip when shifting from first to second (its an automatic). So Monday morning I decided to take it down to the local dealership, Huffines of Lewisville to have them check it out. Now I’ve done a lot of business with these guys over the last year and have always been happy with the service. First up they tell me there is a diagnostic fee and they will call me and let me know whats going on. I was fine with that.
They called later in the day and said, yep its slipping alright. I had 3 options with them, 1) I could go ahead and buy a new transmission 2) I could get my rebuild, which is only $100 less than a new one 3) They could take mine out and take a look at it and see if its something minor. Well option 3 was the way I went, not having any other problems with the transmission and it not slipping the day I took it in, I figured it was minor.
A few ours later they call and tell me it can’t be fixed, just rebuilt or replaced. So I asked if the cost of them taking it out (pretty expensive) would be applied to the rebuild or the replacement, since it was already out of the truck. He said no, I was a little upset about that, and it didn’t make sense, it was already out, so that part was done. I asked him if they just put it back together how long did he think it would last, he said it could be 1 week or 1 year, fair enough. So I just said put it back like you found it and I’ll come pick it up. A little later he called back and said that it was going to cost $1500 to put it back together. That really pissed me off, now I understand that there are new gaskets, fluid and such that need to go back in it. But upfront they never, not even remotely, stated that there would be additional cost if I decided not to have it rebuilt or replaced. The cost thus far was already approaching $1000, and I still didn’t have a drivable truck. So I told him I wouldn’t pay that. He said they would just put everything in the back of the truck then. Now those who know me, know that I rarely get pissed off about much, but I was very pissed off at this point.
I called the manager, not to get anything out of these guys, just to point out the fact that I thought they should tell the customer these things up front. I started very nicely and calmly, then the guy wanted to be a smart ass. Thats when I got pissed in over drive. I really couldn’t believe how poorly that treated me as a customer.
I had been looking at new trucks on there lot for a couple of weeks, that morning I had found a truck I wanted to buy. But not after all that, I took my business else where. If thats they way they wanted to treat people then screw them. They lost a customer and a truck sale on top of that. In addition, if anybody reads this that plans on doing business with them, I hope you don’t and they loss more customers.
Let me just make it clear, it wasn’t about the cost, I know the work is expensive, its about the deception and feeling of getting deceived that pissed me off. I’m a working man, I get paid and I pay for what I get, but I don’t like dealing with people or companies like this.
4 Responses to “My Truck Story”
OK, the fact that they never told you up front on the costs is dishonest. They didn’t lie to you, but they didn’t disclose it — and that’s just downright dishonest.
If you replace the transmission, they have to take it out of the truck to put the new one in. So when they took your old one out, they wouldn’t credit you the money that you had already spent to have them take it out? Not even some portion? That’s insane. You just spent the money — with them — and it’s going to save them the equivalent time & labor. That’s like saying they charge $2 to cut down a tree, but only $3 to cut down a tree & chop it up. Once you paid to cut it down, they should only charge you $1 to chop it up (or at least offer you a freakin discount.)
For the service manager to be a smart ass to you, that’s just piss poor service. (Gee, why am I not surprised.) Truth be told, you could afford to have any of the three service options they offered done – without question. (Sorry that I’m saying that, but you can afford it, Gates.) You chose the least expensive option because YOU WERE GOING TO BUY A NEW TRUCK. Then the guy is a smart ass to you for even pointing out that they ought to disclose the pricing up front. You caught them being dishonest and the guy didn’t want to fess up – I get that, but they know you’ve already spent a couple thousand with them this year in service! If anything, you’re the one guy they should kiss ass too!
I have to say, you’re one person who I have rarely — maybe never — seen get upset. I’ve definitely never seen you pissed off, but I don’t know how you managed not to burn the whole place down.
By Kevin Donahue on Jun 13, 2005
Just a quick follow-up. Remember that taking the transmission out of the vehicle is going to be the easy part. However, just taking the transmission out of the vehicle still does not determine the failures inside. The case has to be opened, and the transmission has to be disassembled into umpteen-hundred pieces to determine the failed parts and the condition of the remaining pieces. What I’m sure was not going to be applied was the cost of disassembling the transmission and diagnosing the failures inside of it. (To borrow Kevin’s analogy, the tree is now fallen and chopped up, but now the tree has to be toted to the other side of the yard, stacked, and then taken back across the yard and loaded into a truck)
As far as the quote on ‘just slapping it back together’. if you were to put all of the pieces back together on an already failing transmission, you can be almost assured that it won’t even drive out of the shop. Speaking from personal experience on the matter, as an ASE certified technician, I’ve been there before. You would have to rebuild it before it would be driveable.
Regarding the service at Huffines, I just happened to drop my personal truck off for routine maintenance with the service department on Tuesday, and then walked up front to pick up the new Duramax Diesel that we bought for the company (Thanks GM for the employee discount!!!) Just remember that there are two sides to every story, and try to be fair before you go off blasting a company on the internet. I’m sure that somewhere in your life before you’ve pissed someone off, and they didn’t go slandering your company or name across the print media.
I certainly look forward to your challenge.
tm
By Tim on Jul 7, 2005
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By Jared Davis on Oct 2, 2005