Jewels

That's what *I* said! TPM Sister #102

I hate it when Walt posts. It's like passing a car accident. You just have to look, and then you wonder where you're going to get counseling for it after you do! TPM Sister #102

I've started typing three different responses. Turns out, there isn't one! TPM Sister #102

So, um . . . how is it that your brain even WORKS this way??? TPM Sister #102

ROFL! Forget that--buy your own and go for something like a spicy chicken combo with cheese from the Wendy's drive through. (Yes, I'm hungry!

-Wha...? I could get a trip to the store out of that?? And to think...all this time I've been trading for a whole lot less! Like 'you go turn off the lamp; I'm already in bed'. LOL--You need to work on your bartering skills! TPM Sister #102

LOL--I'm good. But no more hijacking. You walked into this thread--whatcha gonna do about it? TPM Sister #102

No, no, no! Some things may be true but it doesn't mean they should be acknowledged. TPM Sister #102

Well if she is out, how could she? Oh, great. It CAN'T be a good sign to think like skydemon2, can it? I had that same thought. Now I'm worried. TPM Sister #102

I think I could have fun with that. I'm at the bar at the airport building up a nice tab. I think if I found a fedex uniform I would just go up to random groups of women and say, "Hi, I'm here with your....package" and commence with a strip routine. Wow. And I'm nowhere NEAR DIA. TPM Sister #102

I think it makes a big difference as to whether this is an ongoing problem or whether it's a fluke. Taking responsibility in general is important and I would look at it differently if this was a monthly occurrence at 11:00 at night, but sometimes things don't go as anticipated and normal plans get derailed. You get points for running inconvenient errands, but I'm surprised that it seems like such a sacrifice to do that in the first place. I think I'm pretty self-sufficient and there would usually be a specific reason that I was asking for someone to run the errand if I did. On the other hand, I don't think it would seem like a big deal to be the errand runner, either--although I don't know if I'd be so good-natured about the midnight burger run for someone else! TPM Sister #102

Safe travels! I'm glad you decided to swing by Colorado while you were here. Same time next year?

EXCELLENT! Can't go wrong at John Holly's! At least we'll know where to find you.

Hope we get to see you at SVCO while you're here!

Nah, I'm a Christian and that doesn't sound like any of our Jesus mumble jumble. There's not one single reference to live chickens. . . . (Just kidding--and I *am* a Christian, so that's not intended as offense to anyone.) I think it just sounds like dementia. TPM Sister #102

Hi, Tony! It's not a lack of empathy for the people who are actually working on my car. I realize people can only be in one place and do one thing at a time. It IS a lot of work to turn around vehicles when you have a busy day and it still needs to be done correctly. However, whether it's a scheduling issue or just a communication issue, it sounds like Lisa's dealership needs to do a better customer relations job so that everyone's expectations are on the same page. In my case, if you can't tell me when you'll get to my car, I'd rather know that so I can take the shuttle or the loaner or make other arrangements and get on with my day. If I have an appointment time, there is no reason that I'm going to assume that's just really a drop-off time. After all, if it's just a drop-off time, why bother scheduling the appointment at all? Anyway, thanks to everyone for the suggestion that I talk to a tech. I DO have the maintenance book and that's the one I'm following. The $1,200 worth of extra work was off of the scheduled maintenance list in the book. That's why it's so frustrating. If I'm doing it by the book and they can still come up with that many other things to do, we have a problem. It's either a horrible car, or they're going over the top in terms of what "needs" to be done. I have no way of knowing which it is, and at the end of the day, if I can't reasonably trust what I'm being told, I'll go elsewhere. Even if everything I'm told is correct, I need to understand why it's outside of the norm and I need to understand priorities. Sounds like the tech can help answer that--but really, as a practical matter, I'm not going to bother talking to a tech if I just feel like I'm being taken for a ride. I might not do things that really should be done. Sometimes, being overly inclusive has a negative effect in the opposite way. TPM Sister #102

I have no problem with preventative maintenance. I appreciate knowing what needs attention. I am NOT saying that every dealership works the way mine has because I've been to others that are more reasonable. What I *am* saying is that when I'm presented with a long list of "to do" items that totals over $1,200 above and beyond the scheduled work, I have no way of determining what's a real priority and what's an extra. I've been diligent about taking my car in for regularly scheduled service and preventative maintenance. I expect to have some costs to keep the car going before a repair is required. But when I get a long, expensive laundry list of things I could do to the car, the result is that I don't trust ANY of what I'm being told. It just becomes another sales pitch. Kudos to all the people who work in auto repair and have a different approach, but I'm not apologizing for my frustrations. Until I get a reasonable discussion about what needs to be done and what the priorities are, a $1,200 list of "extras" on a car that receives ongoing preventative maintenance isn't going to do anything for me except make me skeptical about whether any of it is necessary. Oh--and we expect all sorts of service professions to make and keep appointments. If the repair is a lengthy repair or the the service department doesn't think they can get to it right away, just say so. Other arrangements can be made. It's the frustration of having a scheduled appointment that is ignored that becomes tiring. The thing is, both the issue of preventative maintenance and the scheduling of the appointment itself can be handled in such a way as to keep the customer from hitting the wall of irritation. Prioritize. Make reasonable suggestions about what needs to be done. If someone is frustrated about the wait, do more than shrug your shoulders and walk away. Even a little empathy goes a long way. It's even better if there's an understanding explanation--e.g., sorry, we're short-handed today and we've called someone else in but for now we're still trying to catch up. And it goes one better if it's a very long wait over and above what was quoted and the service department actually tries to come up with a solution. TPM Sister #102

Good luck! Maybe they know someone who knows someone and you can get it taken care of! TPM Sister #102

As long as you're at the dealership with a laptop, you could write a letter directly to the service manager. That might get more attention than an anonymous survey. TPM Sister #102

NICE customer service. They really know how to make a customer feel better about the wait! TPM Sister #102

Go for it! You can ask politely, but it might nudge someone to check on it. At least you can be sure that they realize a customer is waiting in the waiting area for the car, rather than having left so they can get to it "whenever." TPM Sister #102

I don't blame you. I'd be sick of it, too. As you said, all of this could have been spared if he had just been up front with you in the beginning. TPM Sister #102

That's really irritating. Maybe you SHOULD ask how long they anticipate your wait will be and then ask for a loaner. Talk about a waste of a day. TPM Sister #102

Ah, yes. At MY car dealer, you could get the car in fairly close to your appointment time, but you would have to be prepared for them to come back with a list of repairs that you "need," which they would go over with you soberly, and then they would announce that the additional work will cost twice the amount of the work you requested in the first place. So, after politely declining to allow them to flush the whatchamacallit, or to undertake whatever proposed repair of the day, they would march off, complete the authorized work, and return the car to you. About a mile away from the dealer, you would discover what it is that they forgot to reassemble, or what new problem was caused when they did X . . . anything that will be time-consuming, inconvenient and expensive. Oh, and for any car dealers that care, providing a rental car while mine is being fixed yet again does NOT mean that I'm a satisfied customer. I'm really sorry. I hate dealing with the service department. TPM Sister #102

Look at it this way. You may not be content at the moment, but neither do you have an unexamined life. You will get it figured out, but it's okay to be uncertain and to challenge what you think you know in the meantime. Some things are simple; others are harder. Even the down days will lead you forward--just don't give up the quest! TPM Sister #102