Hey all,
I've finally had enough of dealing with Jeep. Love the Jeep ... hate the service.
Below is a letter I sent to 7 Jeep Dealers and 4 DaimlerChrysler Managers today in the hope that something changes. Not just for me but for all of us Jeep owners who have been through hell and back.
Apologies (it's a bit long)
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I write concerning my ongoing disappointment and frustration experienced both during and after the purchase of my 2006 TJ Jeep Wrangler in September 2006.
I am sending this letter to a number of uninvolved parties in addition to those involved in the hope that they may take my experience and use it to better their own customer service delivery.
In August 2006 I agreed the purchase of a TJ Jeep Wrangler Renegade from Nunawading Jeep.
• Delivery was 2 weeks later than scheduled (5 weeks from original purchase date)
• Upon the Jeep being delivered, I received a phone call from the Sales Person stating that the vehicle had been in an accident and they would have to find me another. I later found out that it had fallen off the delivery truck when being backed off and the chassis had been damaged.
• I waited a further week to take delivery of the new vehicle.
• Upon taking delivery:
o The vehicle had no fuel and the fuel light was on despite the sales mans’ assurances that the vehicle would be delivered with a full tank of fuel. The sales man then took me to a petrol station and filled up the tank apologizing for the delay.
o The decals on the car were for a Sport model instead of a Renegade. A minor detail that the sales man assured me would be rectified at the vehicles first service.
Approximately 1 month later I returned the vehicle to Nunawading Jeep for its first service.
• Upon collecting the vehicle after the service I noticed that the decals had still not been replaced. The service manager indicated that he had received no order for any decals despite the fact that I had reminded him that they were to be changed when I dropped the car off. He advised that the sales man had not told him to replace them so it was not done.
• I was told that I would receive a call in 1 week when the decals arrived.
• 1 Month later, with no contact at all from the sales manager or service manager, I visited Nunawading Jeep to find out what the delay was. The sales manager apologised and insisted that he would have the sales man call me within the week to advise that the decals were in and could be fitted.
• I received no call.
At the time the second service was due, I had booked my vehicle in for a Thursday service. On the Monday prior I noticed a loud squealing noise from the rear drum brakes. On Tuesday I removed the Rear drums to find that the handbrake tensioner on the RHS drum had broken free from its housing and had been wearing away at the drum which had been severely scored. I called Jeep Assist who towed the vehicle to Nunawading Jeep. On Wednesday when the vehicle was being repaired, I called and advised the service manager that the vehicle was also booked in for its second service on the following day (Thursday) and I would be happy to wait until then to pick up the car to ensure the repairs and service were all done at once. I also asked the service manager to wash the car and replace the decals that were still outstanding since the point of sale. The service manager agreed.
• Upon collecting the vehicle at 5pm on the Thursday, the first thing I noticed was that the car had not been washed. Upon asking the service manager why, he replied that due to water restrictions he was unable to wash any vehicles. If this was the case then why did he not tell me that when I asked him to wash the vehicle?
• The decals had again not been replaced. Again I asked the service manager to explain and he stated that he had stock and would arrange another time for me to come back and have them changed despite the fact that I had already gone without the car for two days.
• The Service Manager then gave me the job sheet which only had the repairs listed. I asked if he had a job sheet for the scheduled service and he said “what service?”. I reiterated our previous conversation that morning and he apologized on behalf of the service mechanics stating that they had made a mistake in not performing the service and I would have to wait another day before the vehicle was ready.
• I asked the Service Manager how I was to get home and he asked if I could catch a taxi at my own expense. When I asked him to provide me with a courtesy car he declined 3 times stating that he did not have one. I asked him to then provide me with a demo vehicle to use until I could pick up my car and again he refused.
• I told the Service Manager that I was not leaving the dealership unless he either had my car ready that day or he gave me another car to drive. He then told me that he could give me their courtesy car until 7:30am the next day (although he had previously told me 3 times that they did not have one). I agreed to have it back by then on the proviso that my car service and the decal replacement were completed by then.
• Upon picking up the car 3 days after dropping it off, The service manager informed that as a courtesy to me they would only be charging me trade price for the consumables used during the service with no discount on the labour charge. The only consumable used in the service was the oil which saved me a total of about $20. A miserly saving indeed considering the pain I had to endure.
After I complained through a customer satisfaction survey, I received a call from a Nunawading Jeep customer service representative who offered me a free service on my next visit. I explained that this was a case of too little too late for Nunawading Jeep and I would be taking my service elsewhere in future.
The vehicle is now due for its 3rd service. In addition to the service, there is a water leak from under the dash on the passenger side that is only evident on very rainy drives. This happens with either the hard or soft top and has on a few occasions has left puddles of water 10mm deep above the carpet level. The driver side front fender flare is also peeling clear coat and needs to be replaced.
I called City Jeep and advised them that I had been unhappy with the service from Nunawading Jeep. I had heard good things about Werribee Jeep and since City Jeep are an affiliate, I was prepared to travel the 30kms and pay to have my car serviced there. I booked my car in for 8am and was told that the service centre would be open at 7:30am.
• I arrived at the City Jeep service centre at 07:40am to find two mechanics standing outside with tools but the workshop & showroom were closed.
• I called the 24HR Customer service number in the window and spoke to a gentleman who called the dealer principal and advised that his phone was switched off with no voicemail. When I asked him to take a message he refused stating that he was not in a position to call them back.
• I (and my work colleague who was driving me to work) waited until 08:20am (40mins) and still the premises were not open.
• Due to work commitments we could not afford to wait around any longer. So I left expecting a phone call from the Service Manager at a later stage.
• By 11am I still had not heard from anyone so I called the Service Centre to find out what was happening. I was told that he was held up that morning and I could bring my car in at any time.
• I explained that I (and my work colleague who was driving me to work) had already spent 40mins waiting and could not afford to spend any more traveling to drop my car off. I did ask however that the Service manager arrange someone to come and pick the vehicle up since I was no more than 15 mins away in East Melbourne.
• The Service Manager declined stating that he didn’t have the resources to do that but I was welcome to bring the car back at any time convenient to me.
• I advised the Service Manager that I would look elsewhere to have my car serviced if he wasn’t prepared to go the extra mile. His answer was; “OK”.
At no stage did the City Jeep Service Manager apologise for making me, my colleague and the 4 other Jeep owners standing out the front of the dealership, wait all morning for him to open up.
His blasé attitude was unfortunately representative of my entire Jeep experience. In every instance I have given the people involved, the opportunity to atone for their mistakes by putting into action customer service processes akin to the level of investment I have made with Jeep. Unfortunately every one of your Jeep representatives has failed to make me feel like a valued customer.
I write this letter as a last resort, in the hope that Jeep or Daimler Chrysler do in fact value their customers and will respond with an appropriate level of sincerity and action that will persuade me to continue on with the Jeep brand.
Whilst I may be a lowly TJ Wrangler driver, as a 26yo male who has recently married and planning a family, I would have liked to have seen myself in a 4 door JK at some stage down the track. That is becoming less likely every day I deal with anyone from Jeep as I simply couldn’t fathom having to go through a service experience like this again.
No doubt you understand just how powerful word of mouth can be. As a member of a Jeep club I can attest to the fact that Jeep are building a reputation that I’m sure they would rather not have. A reputation that extends beyond Jeep owners and into the wider 4-wheel-drive community.
Please understand that I am not dissatisfied with the vehicle. All vehicles have problems at times. I am however dissatisfied with the people at Jeep who are employed to build the Jeep brand and have failed miserably.
I hope this letter goes some way toward correcting this for future customers and I look forward to hearing from those at Jeep with a sense of Customer Service.
Sincerely,
Disillusioned Jeep Owner
PS. If you want an example of how a good automotive service centre operates. Visit Ferntree Gully Nissan. My wife has a 1996 Nissan pulsar and she is treated magnificently every single time she has her car in for service. Not only is she treated with respect and dignity as a Nissan owner but they wash the car (legally under water restrictions) and they provide her with a show-bag of little goodies like airfreshners and armour-all wipes.
Sometimes it’s the little things that count.
My Official Letter of Complaint to DaimlerChrysler Jeep
