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Why I hate my local Nissan dealership


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Sorry to rant, but I'm fuming right now.

 

I bought a 2009 Altima Coupe in October 2008 at my local dealership. I traded in my 2006 Sentra when I got it. Well when I first got there I told the guy I was trading in a car and looking for a new one. He started showing me used cars older than my trade in and I told him I didn't want a used car. For an unknown reason he got irritated and said "lets see if you qualify for a loan before I show you the new cars". That pissed me off so I told him I was going somewhere else and started walking across to the Ford dealership. On the way over I saw my car I own now and was checking it out when another sales man came up to me. This guy was really cool and didn't try to bull shit me and treated me well. Fast forward and I'm in his office working out a deal, when the first sales man comes over and says I was his customer and the car was his sale. I told him I would not buy the car if he got the sale, so he proceeded to cry to the sales manager about it. Fast forward again, I'm in the in house finance office (they offered me a lower interest rate of 4% instead of 6%). I'm looking over the contract and notice that he wrote the car up for full asking price and put me on an 8 year loan. I told him I want a 5 and a half year loan and that was not the price the sales man and I agreed on. The finance guy called in the sales man and the sales manager and asked them about it. The sales man confirmed the amount i said we agreed upon (5k less), but the sales manager said he did not approve that amount so I would have to pay full price. The sales manager then got pissy when I told him I agreed to buy the car for the price the sales man and I worked out, but I would not pay full price. He started in and gave me the line "you don't go into a grocery store and talk them down in price". I said " obviously not, but you do haggle on car sales and I know what this car cost you to get, what upgrades you did, and how much extra you are charging me. I will not pay 8k over sticker price and 14k over your cost just because you had the cloth replaced with leather". I guess he was embarrassed or mad because he left and I didn't see him again. I had a paper that the sales man and I both signed saying that if I got the car for xxx amount for a 5 and a half year loan I would buy it. The loan officer accepted that (probably because I could have some legal grounds if I wanted to go that route) and I bought the car and all was well.

 

2 years later I still have the car and love it. One day my passenger seat stops sliding and won't budge. I take it to the dealership to have it looked at, and they tell me that if they pull the seat out and its not working because something I did, that I will have to pay for the work. I tell them that's fine and they do their work. Turns out a pen was stuck in the rail, so I pay $110 and go out to the car. I get out there and the seat doesn't slide forward or backward unless I pull up the bar extremely hard. I went back in and show the service manager, and he said the bar was bent when they pulled it out and to fix it I will need a whole new seat, all at my cost. I told him it was not bent when I brought it in and all he says is in SOL. The next morning I get in and notice part of my seat is broken that wasn't broken before. On the side of the seat about shoulder height is a release lever so people in the back can get out. The plastic surround plate is broken and hanging off, so I go back to the dealership and show them. I was pretty pissed and had some harsh words for the service manager, who promised to take care of it right away. He pulls off the broken plate and lever handle and goes inside to get the parts. He comes out and says he will have to order them and they will take a week, so I'm stuck with a 5 inch long, 1 inch wide hole in the side of my seat. 2 weeks pass and no call saying the part is in, so I call to see what's up. The guy I talked to said the part was delivered to the wrong dealership but is on its way. I got swamped at work and before I knew it, 3 months had passed since the part was originally ordered and I had never got a call saying the part is in, so I call again and am told they have it. They tell me they will need the car for a day to fix it, and I told them I don't understand why when it took less than 10 minutes to take the part off. He told me they still need it all day, so I told him I would just come pick them up and do them myself. He told me I can't do that because they are doing it under warranty and they have to install it. So I tell them I will schedule later when I don't need my car for a day.

 

That day ends up being today. I get free oil changes for life that I had written into the contract, so I drop off my car and the service manager says "finally you come in, I've called you about 400 times and emailed you and you have parts taking up shelf space." I told him I have never got a call from him, and he says "well I called the number on your account and spoke to a lady". I told him that was my parents number that I use for everything because it hasn't changed in 30 years, and that I purposely gave him my cell phone number and told him to call that number when my part came in so he could get a hold of me. (I called my mom and she said she never got a call about any part, so I know the guy was full of shit). He's looking at his computer and mentions that I haven't had my big maintenance done. I told him I changed the wipers, in cabin filter, and air filter myself and the only other services are the fluid flushes, which I'm not due for another 50k miles, and even then I will do then myself. He told me my free oil changes are only free if I have them do that maintenance, I had never heard that before from anyone so I told him if that was the case I will just change the oil myself. He then tells me they won't change it because it has only been 3k miles since my last change and they only do it free every 5k. I said that's not right because I have been getting it done 3 years now every 3k miles and have never been told I couldn't. I explained that I will only agree to every 5k miles if they are using a high grade synthetic oil, to which he told me they use conventional oil per manufacturers recommendation. I told him if it is conventional then I want it changed every 3k miles because I don't trust oil longer than that, even though I know its safe, I just like my cars to last a long time. We go back and forth and I ask him to do it this time because I'm going to Arizona friday, so he says ok. I then ask him to look up a part for my Z and he told me he won't look up parts for old cars because they take too much time to find. I found that pretty ridiculous so I left, and now I'm debating never taking my car there again. I can change the oil myself that's no problem, but I don't see why I should when they will do it for free. What would you guys do? I've had too many bad experiences there, but the next closest Nissan dealer is 20 miles further and in the opposite direction.

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sounds to me like they had a change in empolyee's. Call Corp. on them. I didnt know the economy was so good they could give customers a hard time.... Stupid shit like this is another reason I'm glad I got out of the dealers.

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The thing that gets me is that I dropped 27k for this car and they give me petty bullshit like this. When I bought the car it had scratches they said they would remove, but I did them myself dice I know how. They also never gave me my stock wheels that they replaced with after market wheels, even though I paid for both sets.

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Holt shit dude. I am fuckin pissed and it aint even my situation :angry: You need to man up & talk to someone hi enuff that will give a rip. Let them know that you have a computer & you are on car forums & facebook. Its the day & age of instant broad communication & if they dont take care of you & your 27 thousand dollar car that you will let 2 million of your closest friends know what ASSHOLES they sre ;)

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If you are really upset with the customer no-service you've received from this dealership, contact the corporate office:

 

Nissan Consumer Affairs

P.O. Box 685003

Franklin TN 37068-5003

(800) NISSAN-1 (or 800-647-7261)

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.,

Eastern / Central Time / Pacific Time

Monday through Friday

 

Ask for the contact information for the regional manager in your area. When you contact him/her, be short and sweet. And be sure to use the first and last name of the employee(s) that pissed you off.

 

Good Luck! :thumbup:

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see that's why i never take our alti to the dealer for anything

 

a few days after we bought it i only brought i back once for something small, but now i don't even let them change the oil

 

if its worth your time, do complain to corporate because i've heard nissan is trying to bring boost their jd power rating for service & maintenance

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There are good and bad dealerships just like everything in the world. If you had done your research on who you wanted to give your $30k to instead of just what to spend it on, you'd be a lot happier.

 

Nissan recommends oil changes at 3,750 miles, they shouldn't have to do it at 3k but they can't ask you to go over the factory recommended interval.

 

And yes almost every "free lifetime" oil change handed out at every dealership everywhere says you have to do your recommended services or you lose it. Some places stick by that stronger than others

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There are good and bad dealerships just like everything in the world. If you had done your research on who you wanted to give your $30k to instead of just what to spend it on, you'd be a lot happier.

 

Nissan recommends oil changes at 3,750 miles, they shouldn't have to do it at 3k but they can't ask you to go over the factory recommended interval.

 

And yes almost every "free lifetime" oil change handed out at every dealership everywhere says you have to do your recommended services or you lose it. Some places stick by that stronger than others

 

I have had good experiences there. One day I found out I had to drive to Arizona for a family emergency, so I called up the dealership and talked to the old service manager and told him my situation and that I was just about at 3k miles and if possible I wanted it changed before I drove all that way in the desert. The service manager said bring it down, so I drove straight there. He said all his techs were busy, so the guy took his lunch break and changed my oil himself on his break. I felt bad because he used his break to change my oil when I could have done it myself but didn't have the time (i went to pick up things I needed while he did it). That is real customer service, I wrote a letter and sent it to the owner of the dealership saying how much I appreciated the guys help and what he did for me, and I also wrote a letter to the guy thanking him. 2 months later he was promoted, so I'm sure it was worth it to him to do things like that for people.

 

I also bought my Sentra at the same dealer in 05, same free oil changes and I never had them do any of the services. I never had a problem until I bought my Altima. All of their employees either moved to different dealers or were promoted and since then its all gone down hill.

 

I know I probably sound like a cry baby whining about something that's free anyways, but its not about that. It's about the principal of customer service. It seems they have forgotten that a happy customer is a returning customer.

 

I did my research before buying my car. I knew what I wanted before I went, what I wanted to pay, and I chose that dealer because of the good.experiences I had before. Now that my Altima is almost paid off, I have been looking into getting a Titan, Frontier, or Armada, but I won't go to this dealer to buy it because of how they have handled things the last few years.

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I have been looking into getting a Titan, Frontier, or Armada, but I won't go to this dealer to buy it because of how they have handled things the last few years.

 

yeah, you can call the 800 numbers, but money talks, thats the only thing that really works gets through . Then take your new purchase in to your old dealer - go talk to the sales manager (not service) and tell them you just purchased from so and so because of the treatment of the service dept.

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Document your frustrations and bad experiences.

Then before purchasing said new truck, talk to Sales Manager.

Notify him you are a repeat customer, and they can choose to get your purchase of new car or not.

 

When dealing with customer service oriented positions, it's amazing how far people will bend when you notify them you are on forums/blog/facebook. Tell them everyone who reads anything you write will now of your experience. The pen is mightier than the sword.

 

1 satisfied customer will tell 2, maybe 3 people. And it normally ends there.

1 dissatisfied customer will tell 8 people. And those 8 people will tell 5. Those 5 will tell 3.

 

You want all rectified(wheels, oil changes, whatever) to keep your business.

If not...NEXT!

The economy is not that good to be able to turn customer's away, or treat people the way you've been treated.

 

1(800)NISSAN1 Get some. They have the ability to turn a dealer upside down.

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I have a better solution. First, don't go to that dealership anymore. Second, write a letter explaining your experience (not unlike this post, but better and in letter form) and find the highest person you can attached to that dealership. Probably regional sales manager or someone else. Mail them that letter and be sure to inform them that they've lost your business forever despite having bought 3 cars there before.

 

Taking the time to write a well thought out letter will carry more weight with those in charge, and those below will have shit raining on them as their business practices are investigated. From the sounds of it, that dealership needs a good ass-kicking.

 

But yeah, there are good ones and bad ones. I love Jaremko Nissan here in Spokane. Not only do I know Dave Jaremko from autocross, when I go in to get parts, they look it up on microfiche, and their parts guys generally know what they're doing. If I call, sometimes they say they'll look it up and call me back, which is fine, because parts lookup does take longer. Either way, they're always very helpful and let me photocopy pages from the FSM ocassionally. Haven't even bought a car from them yet.

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Should have kept walking to the Ford house.

 

If I could afford a Raptor I would have lol

 

I pick up my car around 5, depending on how they treat me and how thy fixed my seat will determin what I do. If all is well, I will just walk away from the dealer and not go back. I'm not the kind of person to complain because most corporate complaints are ignored or they get a slap on the wrist, plus they did no real harm other than have bad customer service. I will be making a huff about my wheels though, I need to look over my contract and make sure its not written in there that the wheels are excluded. Otherwise I will be getting a nice set of 17 inch wheels with tires, because I paid for that shit.

 

If anything is wrong with my car, I will bring a shit storm their way. If that happens, ill be sure to post a copy of the letter here. I get real Shakespearean and shit when I'm writing a pissed of letter. I had my old landlord convinced I knew what I was talking about when he tried to not return my deposit and I wrote him a legal typed paper signed and notarized informing him of the laws he was breaking and that I would take legal action. It helped that my mother in law is part of the notary and that I know how to use Google :fu:

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ALRIGHT CHECK THIS SHIT OUT.

 

 

 

Pick up my car. I ALWAYS specifically tell them NOT to wash my car, I am a detailer and they put scratches in it every time (its black). Well I get my car back, and it has been washed, and half assed at that. No big deal, its annoying but its just a wash. So I walk inside, the first thing the service manager says is "I am going to find out if we can keep servicing your vehicle if you do not do any of the recommended maintenance with us." He could have let it keep going until corporate said something, it doesnt cost him a thing. I know I will get that call for sure. They dont call for 3 months about a part, but I bet you I will hear from them tomorrow telling me not to bring it in again. So I go to check out my seat they were supposed to fix, and one of the pieces is missing. I ask him about it and he said he ordered the wrong part. 3 FUCKING MONTHS it took him to realize he ordered it for a different car. So now the hole is covered, but now I have a big metal rod sticking out the side of my seat. Heres the kicker, he hands me my copy of the work order, tells me they did an inspection, and hands me a big packet, and without saying a word, turns around and goes inside the service entrance and locks the door.

pooh-fuuuuuuu-edition-19997-1279315379-0.jpg

 

So I get home and am looking at this packet, and thought I would share with you their "recommendations" of things to fix on my car.

 

 

1) Failed task, measure rear tires. Observation, 3/32" or less. Both rear tires worn below minimum specifications. Mount and balance 2 new tires $210.00

You sure about that? The owner of my company is also a manager of a local tire store. Just YESTERDAY he took my car in, rotated and balanced my tires, re aligned, and checked my brakes. Dont you think he would have said something to me if 2 of my tires were "below minimum specifications", especially since the tires have 12,000 miles on them.

 

2) Misc Technician recommendation, intake air duct missing, suggest replace intake air duct $103.50.

No shit! I broke 2 of the mounting points when I was changing my air filter and the duct fell off my car and broke the mounting holes off. I tried to order one through the dealership, but the guy at the computer said they were too hard and expensive to get and my best bet was to get one from a junk yard and refused to look it up. Well guess what, I dont give a fuck about it that much to take my ass all the way to the junk yard to find one, if there even is one. Plus, it kind of sounds cool :P

 

3) Inspect automatic transmission level, inspect engine coolant level. Due my time/mileage $360.95

You sure about that also? AllData specifies changing it at a minimum of 90k miles or 6 years. My car is 3 years old and has 40k miles.

 

4) Inspect air cleaner element, due by time/mileage $32.00

Did that already and told you about it when you recommended me do it. Cost me $12.00 and 5 seconds of my life.

 

5) Inspect cabin air filter, due by time/mileage $106.50

Did that also, and told you about it when you reommended me do it. $15.99 and an hour for me to figure out how to take out the glove box and change it. and you want to charge me $106.50?

fuck_you_My_first_three_memes-s400x405-177513-535.jpg

 

6) Measure brake lining thickness, Front 2mm, Rear 4mm, replace front and rear brake pads $685.00

First, thats fucking insulting that you think I am that dumb. Second, remember how I told you the owner of my company just checked my brakes yesterday? GUESS WHAT. The rears are worn more than the fronts are, even though you say other wise, and I still have at LEAST 15k miles left on them until I need to replace them. Third, I am being charged $100.00 to have then changed when I do. Insulting.

 

7) Estimate Total $1945.66

Fuck. You.

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try out that other nissan place it might be worth the drive. Most of my cars came from craigslist(00 maxima, 93 mitsu and 72 dime) and i do all the maintenance myself, the stuff i cant do i take to my mexican shops. :lol: last time i was at a car dealership was 11 years ago.

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I'm just happy that there are people like you to buy new cars...

 

 

 

...so the rest of us don't have to take that drive-off-the-lot value hit, and can buy slightly used cars for a significant discount :lol:

Ya this is probably the last new car I buy anyways, I'd rather have a used one without the outrageous payments

 

So is this air intake duct missing before or after the MAF sensor?

Before. It's just a plastic tube running from the grill to the air cleaner box. I'm sure I'm sucking in more hot air, but I haven't noticed a decrease in mileage so I don't.really care

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