mazda security and cust serv

[mfreeck]

On another forum, I ran across this post (originally linked, but removed doing to requiring an account) and thought folks might be interested. I've left out most of the issues with customer service, as that is more dealership specific. The dealership was in Canada. The post details how numerous the "small" stuff was. You'd think she'd just about qualify under the lemon laws, but perhaps it is more difficult to prove (or nonexistant) in Canada.

Highlights:

June 10, 2005: Purchased car.
[...] [...] [...] [...] [...]
May 17, 2007: Car is broken into. ipod, fm transmitter, and charger are stolen and there is a large dent in driver’s door. Thief gained access by punching driver’s side door due to defective locking system. When speaking to Mazda, I am informed that they were aware that this was a problem but didn’t notify customers because it is “too difficult to call that many people.” (per Albert in Service at North Hill Mazda.) Police report filed.

I thought the method of entry was interesting and wondered how the lock would have to be defective (not a sturdy enough catch) to just pop open like that? Here's the first bit where I would think there would be at least partial liability on the part of Mazda/dealership.

June 6, 2007: [crappy cust serv issue]
Re: steering issue: “No codes, order power steering pump.” I am told that I will be called when the part arrives and Riaz promises a loaner vehicle for this service as well as a complimentary oil service next time due to the wait. No service completed on steering issue; problem persists.

Please note that this was the second time she had issues with power steering - the first time it was ostensibly fixed, when the car was 6 months old.

June 19, 2007: [car dropped off for power steering fix]
June 22, 2007: Picked up car. Was told that steering pump was replaced and reprogrammed, then car was taken to Red Deer and back (approximately 300 kilometers round-trip) and performed abnormally; secondary problem was then fixed. Car has only approximately 30 kilometres more on the odometer from when I dropped it off. I discuss the blatant lie with Riaz; he discovers that the service tech was supposed to take the car to Red Deer but didn’t and never told anyone.

At this point, I think there should be at least some ass kissing on the part of the dealership and possibly double checking the work. This is the second bit where I think some liability could come into play if she were to get hurt as a result of the power steering going out. Then again, could it be proven?

July 3, 2007: Power steering fails while driving on the highway. In the same drive, the cruise control is set at 115 kph; with cruise on, on level ground, and no feet touching pedals, speed climbs to 125 kph, falls to 110 kph, and returns to 115 kph all while driving on level ground.

July 6, 2007: Current problems include a continually failing power steering system (fails approximately every 200-300 kilometres [about twice a week] while driving at highway speeds; driver’s side door still leaks air; the thunking noise at rear continued through the winter but has ceased in warmer temperatures.

After working closely with the dealership to get cust serv and get everything fixed...

July 23, 2007: I arrive at North Hill Mazda to pick up my car. No work has been done on it as Mazda says they have not experienced any problems with it (with the exception of the leaking door that they refuse to fix.) My car is returned to me covered in dirt, with a ¼ tank of gas (I left it with more than ½ a tank), more than 800 extra kilometers put on the odometer, and with my preset radio stations changed. In pulling my car out of the lot, lot attendant Abdul backs my car into a pole, then proceeds to act like nothing happened and tries to hurry me away without addressing the damage to my bumper. I bring the damage to his attention and am sent inside to deal with service.

Ok, so this bit is about nasty customer service, but it's a perfect capstone to everything else that has gone on. Not being notified a crucial flaw in the locks with a fairly easy fix, significant life-threatening problems being declared non-existant, and a fuck you attitude to make it all go down.

In the end, the person got the problem "fixed" by buying a Toyota Yaris.

Oops, I just realized that folks may not be able to access the above link to the post, so I'd be happy to email or post the account in full detail, if called for.

[Schuyler]

Re: mazda security and cust serv

That Mazda bypass is pretty rough and too well known to not have a full-fledged response at this point.

My girlfriend and I bought a car a few months ago and the dealership were incredibly helpful and reassuring and nice about helping us find exactly what we wanted.

Then it was broken. Broken like crazy, leaking roof, dropping oil pressure, unexplained exhaust issue, etc. etc. and they were suddenly complete dicks. One lady, while yelling at me on the phone (I tend to be very calm and quiet in an argument, myself) explained that her manager had cursed at and hung up on my girlfriend because she hadn't been using her "calm voice."

exact words.

We didn't qualify under the lemon law. Got them put on a couple black out lists, but really didn't have much recourse beyond that.

I think the part that upset us both the most was how caring and nice they acted right up until we actually purchased the car. The issues I mentioned were only the tip of the iceberg.

Anyway, just a "that sucks" and "I can empathize" post.

On the positive end, we found a really wonderful mechanic. So at least we didn't run into negative stereotypes at every turn.

[skroo]

Re: mazda security and cust serv

I thought the method of entry was interesting and wondered how the lock would have to be defective (not a sturdy enough catch) to just pop open like that? Here's the first bit where I would think there would be at least partial liability on the part of Mazda/dealership.

This reminds me of years ago when I had my Land-Rovers: shoulder the door in just the right spot and it would pop off of the latch regardless of whether it was locked or not. Not to mention that they used very few unique key patterns - and after 20-plus years of use, the keys and ignition barrels were so worn that pretty much any Land-Rover key would start 90% of vehicles that hadn't had the barrels replaced. Of course, the chances of anyone wanting to break into or steal a beaten-up diesel Landie that had very obviously spent its entire (very hard) life on a farm were pretty minimal, so the vehicle itself was the theft deterrent...

Stuff like this is more common than most people realise, though. Anyone remember the Unlock Your Car With a Tennis Ball video from a few months ago? By forcing air into the lock itself, it displaced enough air inside of the vacuum lock actuators to pop the locks. Not to mention Opel's 'super-secure' coded tubular keys in the early '90s - unfortunately, a wet lollipop stick in its place was all that was needed to drive off in whatever performance model had been equipped with the system, and did zero damage to the locks.

Please note that this was the second time she had issues with power steering - the first time it was ostensibly fixed, when the car was 6 months old.

At this point, I think there should be at least some ass kissing on the part of the dealership and possibly double checking the work. This is the second bit where I think some liability could come into play if she were to get hurt as a result of the power steering going out. Then again, could it be proven?

There's a reason why I don't do my own brake work beyond changing pads, shoes, and rotors: I want someone else to be liable if the hydraulics fail. Losing power assistance isn't necessarily life-threatening, but it depends highly on the circumstances in which it fails, how extensively it affects the steering, and the driver's skill in coping and recovering from it. For the purposes of getting the dealership to fix it properly, I would most definitely push it as a safety issue. Then again, I would also take the car to a different dealer, have them perform the work, and bill the first dealer for it in addition to demanding a refund for the first job.

In the end, the person got the problem "fixed" by buying a Toyota Yaris.

And hopefully jamming the Mazda into the cakehole of the General Manager...

[sharxbyte]

Re: mazda security and cust serv

this isnt exactly on topic, but dont you hate to call customer service about almost anything and you get somone on the other side of the world who can barely understand you? i find that frustrating...

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: mazda security and cust serv

this isnt exactly on topic, but dont you hate to call customer service about almost anything and you get somone on the other side of the world who can barely understand you? i find that frustrating...

not frustrating so much as sad... i'm often disappointed when folks in New Delhi claim their name is "steve" or "jim" when speaking to me. is the american public so bigoted or xenophobic that we can't handle hearing a foreign name? eh, sadly i suspect the answer is "yes" to that one.

[Thorn]

Re: mazda security and cust serv

not frustrating so much as sad... i'm often disappointed when folks in New Delhi claim their name is "steve" or "jim" when speaking to me. is the american public so bigoted or xenophobic that we can't handle hearing a foreign name? eh, sadly i suspect the answer is "yes" to that one.

It irks me no end that they do that. I recently had to deal with the call center for my satellite service when I went to upgrade some channels. The the man answering spoke excellent English, but told me "My name is, uh -pause-, William." His accent was clearly Indian/Pakistani, and I'm sure that his real name was "Sanjay" or something similar.

He handled the call well, answered my questions and had the upgrade done inside of five minutes. The customer service was excellent, and I didn't really care what his name was except to thank him at the end, but I felt that the company was being patronizing by forcing that kind of obvious lie on the customers and their answering staff.

The problem of call centers isn't just a "foreign" issue. I've also dealt with call centers that appear to be US based, but the regional/ethnic accent of the person on the other end of the phone was so thick as to be unintelligible to my ears.

[astcell]

Re: mazda security and cust serv

I had a Subaru with a defective speedometer and odometer. I would drive about 35mph and the speedometer was at 70mph. I drive 50 and I was pegged at 85. I would think that is funny but it got worse and worse. Eventually driving 15mph had me reading 75mph.

The bad part was that it connected to the odometer. A 1/4 mile drive around the block showed up as a mile. But the faster I drove the worse it was. A drive 60 miles away to the car dealer put 500 miles on the car.

The dealer would do nothing. I was outside my 12,000 mile warranty, according to the odometer. I had not even had my first oil change yet!

Car dealers are like politicians. They love you and care about you and want the world for you, but as soon as they get your vote you are excess baggage.

[goathead]

Re: mazda security and cust serv

When I purchased my Jeep TJ in late 96, the dealership was quick to respond to all issues and complaints that I brought to their attention. The service manager gave me some insight as to why I was getting the primo service. Apparently since this was a new model introduction, there was an emphasis on only receiving positive feedback from the customers. Satisfaction scores were heavily weighted as the population of owners was small. Chrysler/Jeep gave the best vehicle allocations to dealerships with the best customer satisfaction metrics. Anything less than a stellar score could mean that the best selection of vehicles could end up elsewhere within the local area at another dealership.

Once the TJ's became more popular and the population grew, my complaints were within the noise band and I was told to fuck off for even legitimate issues.

It was nice to know that I had them by the balls when I was one of the 20-30 owners of a TJ from that dealership and was fortunate to have them replace many things including a new soft top, new doors uppers/lowers, door seals, and (4) exhaust manifolds (which were entirely my fault by abuse).

[astcell]

Re: mazda security and cust serv

Well goathead the vehicle should have been free if you are their guinea pig. You basically worked for them for free! I have had issues with first year Hondas (CRV, Element, Ridgeline) and will never buy a first year vehicle again.