So prior to purchasing the Golf R I was told by the owner and the sales person that they were going to treat Golf R owners a bit differently (as well as their Touareg owners). Saying that we could request a loaner vehicle while ours was in for service. This isn't such a big deal to me as I don't mind using shuttle and trying to get parking downtown after 8am is a crap shoot. I also talked to the owner about how we were unimpressed with the service we got from Hyundai Fredericton. He assured me that Fredericton VW was a cut above the rest (they all say this of course).
So expectations are highish based on discussions I had with the owner and other staff.
So I make the appointment to get my winter tires put on a couple of weeks ago. Told them then that I'd drop it off when they open and pick it up after work.
There's a couple of things that I wanted done that I wouldn't trust them to do on their own. One was to label my summer tires so in the spring they can be rotated accordingly. The other was to make sure the rims don't rub on any of my brake calipers, as I was going from a 19" to 17" and from speaking with people on the forums not all 17's will fit right. Now with these being VW rims I figured I should be fine but I wanted to make sure before driving on them, plus if they did rub I'd be asking for a different set of rims and tires. The tech made a note on my work order and I told him I would be back at around 4 to pick up the vehicle and to call me if there are any issues.
So the day goes by and no telephone call so figured everything must be good. Called them at around 3:30 to set up a pickup time for shuttle service and also to check on my car. The tech tells me that they haven't looked at my vehicle yet but that it was the next one up. I asked him why it hasn't been done yet when he knew I was coming at get it at 4. He tells me that they were backed up from the day before or some BS, and apologizes for it not being done yet. So I tell him to get the shuttle to come pick me up at 3:50 so I can be at the dealer for 4.
Now Fredericton VW has a deal right now that if you get your tires rotated or change over during month of October you get a complementary wash and alignment check, as well as a free VW toque.
So I get there at 4, I see my car just coming down from the lift. I go in and asked the tech if they labeled my summer tires and checked the clearance. He assured me that it was done. I paid for the service and asked for my free toque. He couldn't close the account until the tech made the notes in the system. It was 4:20 before I got my keys in hand. The car wasn't washed, but the counter guy gave me an automated car wash from the gas station across the street. The receipt for the car was expired but he told me if I told them I got it from the VW dealer they'd issue a new one. Oh and I highly doubt they had enough time to check my alignment. I was able to get the free car wash, which I used on the Santa Fe as the Golf needed to be scrubbed a bit harder in order to get the little bit of under coating off the side of the vehicle. After getting home I inspected my brake calipers to make sure there wasn't any rubbing, which there wasn't thank goodness. I also checked to make sure the summers were labeled, which they were.
The whole point of me picking up the vehicle at 4 was to avoid downtown traffic. In the end it cost me an extra half hour of my time, plus another 20 minutes the next day for the car wash.
I hate having to call the dealer at different times during the day to make sure my vehicle was being looked at. It's something we always had to do with Hyundai and it bugs the shat out of me. I shouldn't have to baby sit the service department in order to get my car done on time.
The dealer is big on surveys and I have one in my inbox to be completed with regards to the service I experienced. My question for you guys is should I send the owner a email explaining my experience. I'm not trying to get anyone in trouble, but I don't want to have to deal with this every time I get something done there either. Am I over reacting, should I lower my expectations, or should I inform the owner of my experience (you should also note that I can't talk to my sales person as she's gone on to another job)?
