Government Motors Needs Work on Customer Satisfaction

I never look to get something for nothing.  However, if the
opportunity presents itself I will certainly try.  My wife and I both own
Government Motor (GM) vehicles, and to be honest we really like them.  So
my wife was very distraught when the 5 year old GM vehicle with 52,000 miles
had to have its transmission replaced.  Every mechanic that saw the
vehicle or heard of it could not understand why that would happen.  It
just so happens that three months after the warranty lets up we have a major
repair on it.  Needless to say we weren’t happy about it.  We aren’t looking for a full refund, but throw us a bone.

So, when this
happened we called our local GM Repair Center and asked if there was anything
they could do for us because the vehicle was so close to warranty.  As
expected the answer was no, but we can fix it $4,500.  Now why would I do
that, when I know I can get it done for much less? Essentially GM had turned
their backs on me and I took my business elsewhere.  That is the right I
have as a consumer and during tough economic times you would think GM would try
to save customers rather than turn them away.  Especially after the
biggest government bailout kept them in business.
While the car was
being repaired I was coerced into at least trying to see what GM would do for
me, given the colossal failure of the vehicle and the repair center.  I
will be using excerpts of my online chat with a GM representative to show how
much they value customer loyalty.
Me: We just had the transmission rebuilt at 52,000 miles,
a $3,000 expense because our local GM service Center wouldn’t fix it
GM
Rep:
 Where was
this repair done?
Me: I brought it to a local transmission center
GM
Rep:
  because
the vehicle was not repaired at a local GM dealer there’s nothing we will
be
able to further assist you with on this repair.
I
guess I had to drop the extra $1,500 with the hope of GM helping me out this
one.  Getting the door slammed in my face at the GM Service Repair Center,
it was not a gamble I was willing to take.  When I explained this to the
rep I got this.
Me:  so my only recourse was to pay almost double for
the repair and HOPE you guys
would
help out?
Me:  do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?
GM
Rep:
  I am
very sorry for the inconvenience this has caused
They’re
sorry.  I feel absolutely great about myself.  Like I stated earlier,
I don’t look for free stuff but when companies hide behind idiotic policies
like that it infuriates me.  So, now I am aggravated to the point that I
need to let them know that they would not be in business if it wasn’t for the
good old taxpayer and I asked to speak to someone higher up.
Me:
 
is there someone else I
can talk to? I can’t imagine a company that got bailed out by the taxpayers is
treating a customer/taxpayer like this
Me: it’s bad enough you force me to buy specific oil or it
voids my warranty
GM
Rep:
 There is no
one above me here you can speak with I can give you the Customer
Assistance
Phone number if you would like, but because you had the repair done at
a
local independent dealer there is nothing GM can do
There
you have it; I am speaking to the CEO.  Ok, maybe not but when I was the
happy customer explaining my situation I was passed around like a Frisbee.
 Now that I am aggravated there is nobody else I can talk to.  There
is a convenient truth.  For the record GM has a clause in their warranty that
if you don’t use their “dexos” branded oil it could potentially void
your warranty. Nice, huh?
So
after being told they were sorry for the umpteenth time and that because I
chose to save money I thanked the rep for their time and told them I would be
moving this up the food chain.  I had no problem with hearing the answer
no.  They would have gotten further with me had they just hid behind the
expiration of the warranty as the Repair Center did.  But Customer Assistance
or lack thereof, stated that I had to pay extra to fix it with no guarantee
that I would get any further assistance.
Needless
to say, I will continue to voice my complaints. Do I expect any action?  I
do not.  The irony of this, as my wife pointed out, we used our tax return
to pay for the work. But you can never fault a guy for trying.  It gives for good material.
On a
side note, I would like to give a shout out to Brian Greamo and his family from
Port Charlotte, Florida. An old friend and a regular reader of Thinking In 3D,
his oldest son Brian just turned 18 years old.
3D
If
you don’t take it from me, ask my wife.

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