I guess I am just old fashion. My age is showing. I remember the days that if someone could not fix your car you were not charged for it. emoGeezer Some of you all may already know this type of issue but for those of you who do not let me tell you a little story.
My son's truck which we have had for a few months (bought it used) is up in Cookeville where he goes to college, it started smoking and not running well. It had very little power upon pushing the gas. He called me all upset wanting to know what to do. Since I know no one up there who works on cars I told him to just take it to the Ford place and let them take a look at it. They told him right off it would be 89.00 for a service charge just to tell what was wrong with it. emoRolleyes O.K., I can understand that one. I then received a call from them (Karen) explaining that the problem was the #3 cylinder that was the problem however she could go no further until I gave her permission to remove the valve cover. I asked,"Then what?" She told me that this truck had issues with the valve springs and it was probably that. To replace the spring would be close to $500.00.!!!! "O.K." I said..."So if it is not that, what then." She told me then once the valve cover is removed and we have it apart we can then determine what needs fixed and fix it since we will then be able to see what it is. I told her I did not want to pay a whole lot to do this if that was not the issue but that made sense to me so go ahead.
The next day I received a call telling me that the valve cover had been removed but it was not the spring. Several other tests were done and they then discovered that the piston had a hole in it. emoDoh I asked her now that she could see it how much would that be? She informed me she does not fix that kind of problem there. emoScratch She then suggested I replace the engine completely but since it was a 2001 that she did not know if I wanted to sink that much money into that old a truck. emoHoppingmad I asked her for a ball park figure as to the price of an engine and she told me the cost would be about $3,500.00!!!!! I told her there was no way I was going to pay that much to have it fixed and even asked if they did not do ring jobs and piston kits??? Nope, we don't do that here. I told her that I was coming to get it and to not do anything else. I went there to pick up the truck and they charged me $424.11 to pretty much do nothing but tell me they could not fix it!!! emoHoppingmad emoAngry I expressed my dismay of how much I was paying to them just to tell me they could not fix it. That to me is insane.
I got the truck and took it to Hyde's where Allen told me what was wrong with it and he did not even have to do all that. emoRolleyes Stuck some kind of little camera down the spark plug hole and saw the issue.
Now the rest of the story.....
I was pretty upset that the information that they did not do that work there was not told to me up front and the truck was not fixed in any way but yet they charged me $424.11 to just tell me that. I sent a letter to the main Ford company explaining this whole event and they sent back a letter telling me that the Ford Lincoln dealership of Cookeville TN was an independent dealer and they could not control any cost or fees they charge. They then told me they would forward my letter to them. Yesterday I get a customer service letter from Ford in Cookville asking me how satisfied I was with my service and to be expecting a letter from the main office asking for a rating!!!! emoDoh Are you kidding me!!! How satisfied I was that they charged me $424.11 just to tell me they did not fix that there!!!!
There was a number to call if I had issues or concerns on that letter....so I called it. Talked to a Zane Presley who after telling him about everything up above took off trying to justify the price and that they have to charge $88.00 per hour service even if nothing is fixed. I told him if that had been explained that way and if they had said in any way that if there was a problem with the piston or block they do not do that there but would still charge me $424.11 I would have never had them do it. emoMad That was and still is my complaint and issue.
I explained to him I do alarms and if I told someone we would come out and put in an alarm, sent a crew and once we got there found out we could not do it but they still owed me for it what would he think of that? It is pretty much the same thing. We spent labor, sent the crew, had expenses we had to cover. If he was the customer would he pay it? He changed the subject. emoTskTsk He is going to look into the charges and see if any of it could be reduced and refunded. We will see if I hear back from him and what happens.
I say all this just to warn everyone of this kind of junk and how they will charge you and still not fix a thing. Then they try to get you to pay $3,500.00 for an engine and no telling how much labor that would cost to be put in. I will say it again, that is insane. I feel pretty much lied to and misled. If at any time this kind of information had been told to me I would have gone and gotten it which ended up being what I had to do in the end. But I am $424.11 more poor. emoCrazy Jmax
My son's truck which we have had for a few months (bought it used) is up in Cookeville where he goes to college, it started smoking and not running well. It had very little power upon pushing the gas. He called me all upset wanting to know what to do. Since I know no one up there who works on cars I told him to just take it to the Ford place and let them take a look at it. They told him right off it would be 89.00 for a service charge just to tell what was wrong with it. emoRolleyes O.K., I can understand that one. I then received a call from them (Karen) explaining that the problem was the #3 cylinder that was the problem however she could go no further until I gave her permission to remove the valve cover. I asked,"Then what?" She told me that this truck had issues with the valve springs and it was probably that. To replace the spring would be close to $500.00.!!!! "O.K." I said..."So if it is not that, what then." She told me then once the valve cover is removed and we have it apart we can then determine what needs fixed and fix it since we will then be able to see what it is. I told her I did not want to pay a whole lot to do this if that was not the issue but that made sense to me so go ahead.
The next day I received a call telling me that the valve cover had been removed but it was not the spring. Several other tests were done and they then discovered that the piston had a hole in it. emoDoh I asked her now that she could see it how much would that be? She informed me she does not fix that kind of problem there. emoScratch She then suggested I replace the engine completely but since it was a 2001 that she did not know if I wanted to sink that much money into that old a truck. emoHoppingmad I asked her for a ball park figure as to the price of an engine and she told me the cost would be about $3,500.00!!!!! I told her there was no way I was going to pay that much to have it fixed and even asked if they did not do ring jobs and piston kits??? Nope, we don't do that here. I told her that I was coming to get it and to not do anything else. I went there to pick up the truck and they charged me $424.11 to pretty much do nothing but tell me they could not fix it!!! emoHoppingmad emoAngry I expressed my dismay of how much I was paying to them just to tell me they could not fix it. That to me is insane.
I got the truck and took it to Hyde's where Allen told me what was wrong with it and he did not even have to do all that. emoRolleyes Stuck some kind of little camera down the spark plug hole and saw the issue.
Now the rest of the story.....
I was pretty upset that the information that they did not do that work there was not told to me up front and the truck was not fixed in any way but yet they charged me $424.11 to just tell me that. I sent a letter to the main Ford company explaining this whole event and they sent back a letter telling me that the Ford Lincoln dealership of Cookeville TN was an independent dealer and they could not control any cost or fees they charge. They then told me they would forward my letter to them. Yesterday I get a customer service letter from Ford in Cookville asking me how satisfied I was with my service and to be expecting a letter from the main office asking for a rating!!!! emoDoh Are you kidding me!!! How satisfied I was that they charged me $424.11 just to tell me they did not fix that there!!!!
There was a number to call if I had issues or concerns on that letter....so I called it. Talked to a Zane Presley who after telling him about everything up above took off trying to justify the price and that they have to charge $88.00 per hour service even if nothing is fixed. I told him if that had been explained that way and if they had said in any way that if there was a problem with the piston or block they do not do that there but would still charge me $424.11 I would have never had them do it. emoMad That was and still is my complaint and issue.
I explained to him I do alarms and if I told someone we would come out and put in an alarm, sent a crew and once we got there found out we could not do it but they still owed me for it what would he think of that? It is pretty much the same thing. We spent labor, sent the crew, had expenses we had to cover. If he was the customer would he pay it? He changed the subject. emoTskTsk He is going to look into the charges and see if any of it could be reduced and refunded. We will see if I hear back from him and what happens.
I say all this just to warn everyone of this kind of junk and how they will charge you and still not fix a thing. Then they try to get you to pay $3,500.00 for an engine and no telling how much labor that would cost to be put in. I will say it again, that is insane. I feel pretty much lied to and misled. If at any time this kind of information had been told to me I would have gone and gotten it which ended up being what I had to do in the end. But I am $424.11 more poor. emoCrazy Jmax
