In October, I scheduled my 2003 Chevy Malibu for its ignition switch recall.
When I arrived on Friday, October 17th, I was told that I would be required to pay for the recall because I did not have the original keys to my car. I agreed because it was a small domination of money, but felt frustrated (maybe tricked) because I had explicitly asked the customer service representative on the phone about this. I had explicitly asked about all fees and charges associated with the repair. He assured me it was all "free." It took them three hours, but eventually they replaced my keys.
Phil told me that he had difficulties turning-over my car, he couldn't get the keys to work. In the three hours he had my vehicle, he was never able to successfully start it; therefore he matched the keys from the parking lot.
I watched him bang around the ignition, and it was true, he really couldn't get it to turn-over.
I had never had this problem before. I thought it was weird that he was experiencing difficulties. On my first attempt, I was able to start my vehicle. I laughed and said: "oh, maybe she only drives for me."
Fast forward a few weeks:
My car suddenly began having problems starting. The battery would get electricity but no fuel would enter the system. When it would turn-over, it would randomly, and without notice, shut-off. Imagine driving 40 mph on Aurora, when suddenly the dashboard illuminates, the power steering turns-off, and the car dies. This is incredibly dangerous and scary -- especially on a busy thoroughfare. There are something like eight reported deaths as from this exact Chevy problem.
I did some simple googling and learned that this is a systemic issue the recall was intended to fix.
My car had never had any problems starting, or staying on, until I had that "free" recall.
I called Chevy.
Cliff over at Chevy confirmed for me that they would take care of the issue at no expense of my own. He said, verbatim: "it sounds like something we must've done while we were fixing your recall. Bring it in, we'll take care of it." He confirmed numerous times that I would not I incur any cost for them to fix this problem.
When I arrived, however, I was told that I would be required to pay a $120 diagnosis fee. *If* Chevy determined that the issue was their fault, then I would not be required to pay the fee, but I still may be responsible for the cost of the replacement parts, or labor.
This was 100-percent, the absolute opposite of what was communicated to me via the phone.
I asked for the supervisor. Eventually, he came to the desk, but he did not make eye contact with me, nor did he speak to me. The supervisor immediately began speaking quietly to Cliff. Whatever was happening, I know this, it wasn't customer service. It smelled a lot like protecting the short-term, poorly-prioritized interests of the company.
I politely expressed to the supervisor that I was told my car repairs would be covered under the recall, and I wanted him to confirm that this was going to be honored before I gave them permission to take my car.
He was discernibly bothered to be speaking about this with me. He scoffed at me. He told me that I probably misunderstood what was told me, or "[I] probably only heard what [I] wanted to hear."
I explained to him that I did not appreciate being lured into business, and they misrepresented their services to me.
It was around this point that the the supervisor looked me in the eye and told me that I should: "take my car to another dealership for free repairs."
In no uncertain terms, I have been lied to by this dealership.
In no uncertain terms, the costs, fees, and expenses have changed both times I have arrived for my appointment.
In no uncertain terms, I have been been treated with disrespect -- my time has been disrespected, my intelligence has been mocked, and and my integrity has been questioned -- accusing me of mooching for free services.
In no uncertain terms, my car developed severe issues after receiving services from them -- and they want to be absolved from any liability or consequence.
I took my vehicle to two separate mechanics, both of whom I trust. Independently and without my prompting, both mechanics have said it is likely Chevy is responsible for the new issue. Both mechanics associate the intermittent turn-over issue with the new key, or whatever happened while the mechanic was attempting to get the key to work.
Both mechanics laughed at Chevy's failure to take responsibility for their negligence.
A fun little final detail: Chevy did perform a diagnosis on my car. They did not charge me the $120 fee. However, they did give me an estimate of repairs nearing $500 which included a new ignition switch.
I took my car to my trusted mechanic. He replaced just the electrical portion of the ignition switch, a repair that cost me about $200 -- including his $88 diagnosis fee. read more
