First of all, why is it ok to fool the customer? Why didn't they just own up to the plug being stripped and helped them customer understand that the repair is common practice?
I never said nor implied that "it is ok to fool the customer". Obviously it is not okay to fool customers. It is not worth it to play any silly games that can damage customer relationships, as most times this damage is irreparable.
With the OP's recent post in mind, we can not be certain of what went on between the service writer and the technician. I would find this strange, but say it was an inexperienced tech, it is possible he messed up the drain pan threads and just tried forcing the drain plug, crossthreading it. This isn't an overall dealer issue, its a technician issue.
Secondly, how are you so certain your comment is the BEST and the thread should be closed?
Based on the information that is currently available to us, OP bought a new bike, saw a problem, had issue with mechanic, not the sales team, so this quote:
- The dealer never admitted the wrong doing. I'm also not upset that it happened ( we're all human ), but I think the way it was handled by their mechanic was ridiculous. If he would've explained to me e.g. what a helicoil is and how it is installed etc I could've made my peace with it. Maybe he just wanted to save his / a colleagues face for screwing it up in the first place.
- Not mentioning the dealership name here. I'm not out for "internet revenge", just wanted to learn how they could fix it so quickly. Also the sales team was professional about it saying "You're not happy, here is your check".
Third, do you work for the dealership in question here and do you lie to your customers as casually as the OP explained he was lied to?
I do not actually. My first sales job was at a motorcycle dealer a few years back. My last job I worked in a car dealership as a technician, working on the cars. Seeing it from both perspectives, communication is a very critical component of the customer service cycle. When I was selling bikes, techs were very happy with me as I was able to physically communicate with them any customer concerns that were present, as trying to relay the information to service through the desk writer was almost always guaranteed to get lost somehow. I even took the extra effort to help guide my customers with parts and gear recommendations based on my riding experience. And I have never ever lied to any of my customers, I always helped explain what every fee was from on the total price and would always research the bikes we sold as well as the competitors so that I could be accurate with my assistance.
Going from sales into servicing cars was very interesting to experience because the two departments are almost strangers to each other. Even my old general manager told me I was continually praised in their service advisor meetings because I was great at communicating with them when I found issues with customer's cars all the time. I even used to have a coworker that was newer to us but had "experience". This tech was terrible, there would be some cars that would come back because of an oil leak, and we find the drain plug is only finger tight and this guy worked on it last. He's damaged sideskirts with his 2 post lift, would pull and fill brake fluid out of the reservoir until it's clean, which I called him out for. He even got promoted from maintenance to repair, and a comeback happened on a truck brake job, where again, every caliper bolt was finger tight. No matter what we said to the service director, nothing ever happened to this guy. It wasn't until after I left that he got a dui and they had no other choice but to separate him from the company.
So that is why I believe the dealer in question should not be ousted, and that for everyone be thorough inspecting your next vehicle purchase to insure a safe and reliable purchase.
