BULLYING

In the adult world, we can be bullied too! Today, I was picking up my car for the third time with the same complaint; car is running very rough on idle. It started the day after Hurricane Sandy and has continued. I have borrowed my sister's car on numerous days, she has been extraordinarily generous. I have been afraid of breaking down, particularly at night, with the car since there have been times that I have waited up to 4 hours for a tow truck. When I told the service reps that I did not want to break down, they laughed and said, “well at least we will know that something is wrong with this car.” So I have left my car at the dealer days on end. They say that they cannot replicate it. BUT it happens to me almost every time I take the car out and now the service engine light comes on. YIKES!!!! Doesn't that mean something bad is going to happen? Their response is, “It has over 100,000 miles on it, buy a new car!” Well, maybe I don’t have money for a new car. Maybe, I like this car and want this car for a bit longer. MAYBE I NEED TO KEEP THIS CAR FOR A WHILE LONGER!
In return, what I got was no opportunity to complete a sentence, chastised when I e-mailed the company requesting that my car be fixed and an update. While I am quite intense as a person, I am very careful to state matter of fact. I never use inappropriate language and I never target a specific individual. I always begin with Dear…, try to be very respectful and I always include my name and contact info. I never use all capital letters as I did in this blog.
I did a basic internet search and found something about a blown head gasket being associated with a rough idle. [Let it be known that the prior service rep stated that I had a blown head gasket and it would cost me $475.00 to have it repaired.] I discussed this with the Repair Manager and he just would not let me get in a word edgewise. He said that it would be expensive to test the car for any specific issues but now he thinks that it was electrical. When I called later to get an update, he said that it was not a blown head gasket. He said that he was very generous and would not charge me for the compression test. I told him that I would not mind paying for some diagnostic testing. He spoke over me continuously extolling his virtues and how he was not charging me for some testing. I asked to speak to his supervisor and he refused stating that this company was owned by a corporation and that I would not be able to speak to the owner or his supervisor. Then he hung up. Being the intense person that I am and not taking ‘no’ for an answer, I called the dealer and asked for a manager or the owner of the dealer. When I specifically asked for information on contacting the corporation owning the dealer, I was told that the dealer was privately owned and I could not have that information. The manager began yelling at me, told me to get my car out of the dealership. I don’t yell at anyone. I speak clearly and concisely. I stated that I wanted the car fixed; I did not want to break down with it. It seems that when you say that you are not happy with someone’s service they tell you to leave, talk over you and YES BULLY you. Was this a ploy for me to break down and buy a new car? Was I BULLIED into thinking that it is just time to buy a new car. Well, if I do, it will not be from this dealer and will not be from this company.
If my car breaks down tomorrow, they will get the car back on a tow truck and they will have to fix it. I don’t believe that standing up for yourself is ever wrong, especially when someone is bullying me. I am not sure if I will ever name names, I typically don’t do that. BUT, I will forward this to the company that made my vehicle. I am sure, that in this economy, every repair and every sale counts. I should never be scared to drive my car. As adults, we should all be models of behavior and never demonstrate bullying to a customer on any level. I should be able to say that I am not happy with the results and should have had some resolution because I offered to pay for the diagnostic testing.