Shouldn't they come pick me up?

[Minnie Pearl]

Update on my 'Shouldn't they come pick me up' question. There's been a lot of feedback on this, Thanks to you all for your time. It's about 50/50 'yes vs. no-don't, expect a ride'. In retrospect a couple of things I should probably add due to comments; I am a '30 # overweight' paraplegic, meaning, I have upper body control and strength, but no legs to stand on making transfers without special equipment difficult, but possible, with a helpful boost here and there as needed. As for why not use the local dealer? They had just left me holding the bag for 10 days, then wanted me to bring it in and leave it for two weeks until they got a 'Round TO-IT'. This dealer made the appointment right away knowing I was 24 miles away. 3rd; Sadly, I do not have local friends or family, I live in an 'assisted living' old folks home, they can take me to a doctor's appointment in town or call an ambulance, but can't leave the city limits. With these details added; the dealership knew when I dropped the truck off, I had no way to get home, or anyway to get back to pick up my truck, and turned down a request for a loaner (I keep portable hand controls in my truck). During negotiations prior to service, I offered to drive my truck home, with their tech riding with me, and was declined. It would have been zero miles & zero gas on them, just the hour labor for their car wash porter. They finally chose to drive me back in a minivan off their used car lot. After 3 days in their shop, I was called early Thursday morning truck was ready, but no driver available, I asked they call me when they had someone. I waited two & a half days, then called to find out my service advisor had gone home for the weekend. On the following Monday, after waiting until 1:30 pm with still no call from either the service writer or service manager ( was I being ignored?), I called and talked to the store manager. I explained who I was, my personal situation, how the truck had been ready since Thursday, w/no driver to pick me up, & no communication from service department, the cost of $60 to $80 for cab fair, the limitations of the assisted living facilities driving service, and my willingness to have the dealership drive my truck to me, and I would drive their technician back. His response was; "That will not be necessary, I can / will be there in 45 minutes, with your truck and a following vehicle, if that is good for you'. (So, it wasn't gas, or miles, or vehicles, or man power was it?)
An hour later my truck was back in my parking lot, the 'punch out list' had not been entered on the service ticket, and half the issues had not been addressed. I had sent an email to the service writer the Monday morning I left the truck, with my list of warranty issues, they had 3 days). Plus, the same road grime I took it in with, was still on it when I got it back (go figure, cause a dripping wet truck was brought to a customer while I was at the service desk dropping it off.) Basicly, they charged the battery again after it failed the first load test, reprogramed the radio with the latest software, reset the sunroof screen and sunroof circuits, and did a state inspection. Nothing about checking the front end components (remember Chevy had those ball joints that failed in 30K miles), the right auto in/out running board door sensor, the Uconnect and key fob remote start malfunctions, or the valve train clatter and low end knock. And as for Darksteel 165's comment to buy a BMW, I am way ahead of you and looking at paying out $25K for a $66,500 Ford 150 (because a BMW doesn't have enough room for my wheelchair, range cubes or hay bales and won't negotiate ranch roads very well.) Thing is, the Ford dealer is only offering $47,000 trade in, on my paid off $72,000 (w grill and headache rack) Ram Laramie Longhorn, 4x4, 4 dr. with 17,300 miles, exactly two years after I drove it off the dealer lot ( and I will have to remove my $18,000 of adaptive equipment and re-install it again @ $4,000).
I think my problem is, I grew up and lived when 'Customer Service was King'. I worked at a Texaco station, pumping gas, changing oil and washing oil field trucks through high school. Worked a Goodyear tire store, busting tires, free mechanical inspections, oil changes and minor service, putting myself through college. Then spent 35 years maintaining a small fleet of vehicles and equipment, several large office buildings, and being on call 24/7 for an array of plant process and product quality analyzers, through various roles in research & development and/or maintenance, for a major global chemical company. Making the customer settle for less than 100% perfection and satisfaction, even on the **** ant stuff, was never an option. I'm just looking for the same respect I gave for 50 years. Which, I guess, is asking too much without passing out $100 bills as I introduce myself. So hey Darksteel, 'It is was it is' & it's your world now buddy, you want to do without, settle, or pay extra for what ought to come with a hand shake, a smile and a Thank you!, , that's on you. I only got a few years left to live and was wondering what to expect, because Yes, Mountain Whiskey, I was the guy that called up your grandpa and asked him when he was gonna be home so he could bring me back to the shop. Again, Thanks to all who responded!

 

[mikeru82]

Update on my 'Shouldn't they come pick me up' question. There's been a lot of feedback on this, Thanks to you all for your time. It's about 50/50 'yes vs. no-don't, expect a ride'. In retrospect a couple of things I should probably add due to comments; I am a '30 # overweight' paraplegic, meaning, I have upper body control and strength, but no legs to stand on making transfers without special equipment difficult, but possible, with a helpful boost here and there as needed.

I don't mean anything personal with this comment. And I applaud your ability to continue driving despite your being a paraplegic. But I don't' think that, or being 30 lbs overweight, ought to have anything to do with whether or not a dealership should or shouldn't offer rides to you, anymore than an able-bodied person who might otherwise be in your same situation (no other options for getting to a dealership). For better or worse, dealerships make that call. And if they're willing to risk losing a customer, that's up to them. I personally think it would be in the dealership's best interest to figure out a way for a customer to take delivery on a vehicle they worked on. It's unfortunate that dealerships don't seem to understand how important customer service is for people. In your specific case, you were wise to elevate it to a higher level. And I'm glad you were able to have arrangements made to accommodate you. I hope you're happy with your new vehicle, and I hope the customer service from your local Ford dealership is better.

 

[jl13]

Customer service all across is not as simplistic as years or decades ago when yes customer was always right and people took pride in service,
these days its a hit or a miss. And more complex.
Management/owners can have a great impact on either direction.
Money also dictates things but what some fail to see is that great customer service can also reward with repeat customers and referrals.
Dealerships are no different than any other small or big business.
They are no competing against not just local dealers but out of state dealers, special orders.
For parts, amazon and hundreds of sites
Service with DIY people
Where before it was expected for customer service to go above and beyond, it is not a given these days and it some times is about talking to the right person or escalading things to the higher ups.
I know I have heard about horror stories with Chevy and others as well, not just Ram.
OP hope either things improve and the remaining Ram issues are work out or you are able to get a better deal to get into that Ford

 

[Malodave]

When I got warranty work on my '08 Bighorn at the local dealer, they Drove me home in a shuttle with other people. (about 3 miles)
The next Day they dropped off my truck at my house.

I purchased a '21 Laramie in another city about 20 minute drive north. I rode the Intercity bus up to a hotel and
the salesman picked me up from there to go back to the dealer to take delivery on it.

Malodave

 

[Minnie Pearl]

Customer service all across is not as simplistic as years or decades ago when yes customer was always right and people took pride in service,
these days its a hit or a miss. And more complex.
Management/owners can have a great impact on either direction.
Money also dictates things but what some fail to see is that great customer service can also reward with repeat customers and referrals.
Dealerships are no different than any other small or big business.
They are no competing against not just local dealers but out of state dealers, special orders.
For parts, amazon and hundreds of sites
Service with DIY people
Where before it was expected for customer service to go above and beyond, it is not a given these days and it some times is about talking to the right person or escalading things to the higher ups.
I know I have heard about horror stories with Chevy and others as well, not just Ram.
OP hope either things improve and the remaining Ram issues are work out or you are able to get a better deal to get into that Ford

jl13, Customer service is not as simplistic as it was in my hay day. Which is exactly what I have been learning from all these great forum comments. Here I am hung up thinking a new dealership, in a town of less than 8,000, located 24 miles from twin cities with combined population of 270,000 and a transient college student population of an additional 70,000 for 8 months of the year, would be chomping at the bit trying to figure out how to get some of the service work, oil changes, tires and of course new car sales away from the local Chrysler dealer who has a two week backlog and a 'who cares' attitude. Sadly, it is becoming apparent almost everyone has a 'who cares, the more customers we have, the harder I have to work' attitude.

 

[Dunga]

jl13, Customer service is not as simplistic as it was in my hay day. Which is exactly what I have been learning from all these great forum comments. Here I am hung up thinking a new dealership, in a town of less than 8,000, located 24 miles from twin cities with combined population of 270,000 and a transient college student population of an additional 70,000 for 8 months of the year, would be chomping at the bit trying to figure out how to get some of the service work, oil changes, tires and of course new car sales away from the local Chrysler dealer who has a two week backlog and a 'who cares' attitude. Sadly, it is becoming apparent almost everyone has a 'who cares, the more customers we have, the harder I have to work' attitude.

I’m sorry you were in this situation. I too have had my frustrations with certain dealerships and have found a brand absolutely makes a difference. I just bought my first Ram truck but have owned several other makes and models. Honda dealers were uniformly bad with me. The Mercedes dealer was that one that would go above and beyond. I used to live 140 miles away each way and they would always make sure I had a loaner ready. One time my wife drove the car in with our infant child in the car seat at the time. They had a mixup with their appointments and my wife found out they had no loaners. Since we live so far away, instead of asking her to reschedule, they actually pulled a brand new vehicle from their inventory, made it a service loaner and got my wife and son out with it. They also have fancy coffee and treats. Of course my Service B was close to $600. So yeah you pay for it. Still, dealership experience is a big part of the ownership experience.

The Audi dealer was a close second. They were doing some custom work I had asked for on my car and were waiting for parts to come from a 3rd party in Germany. It took a month. I had an A6 loaner for the entire time.

I haven’t needed to take my truck in yet in the 2 weeks I’ve owned it but I’m trying to temper my expectations based on everything I’ve read. My truck stickered for $80k. That’s definitely luxury brand range. And with Grand Wagoneers going well into 6 figure territory I think we should expect more. I’ve been stalking the Wagoneer forums and the guys there have had plenty to gripe about with dealerships and loaners.

I’m now wondering how Viper customers get/were treated.

 

[Minnie Pearl]

Thanks for the tag! We'd love to see how we can help with this. Please send us a direct message so we can collect more information.

Callie
Ram Cares

Dear Ram Cares, I think it's time you got involved. My truck is dead in the driveway (Sept 17, 2022) 11 days after I last drove it. I used my personal jump box (rather than calling warranty RAM road service), it started and ran poorly for bout 5 minutes, would not idle up above 1100 RPM, had a miss fire, 'race cam lope', and low end knock, then ultimately died. There was not even enough power to relock the doors. See FCA Customer Care, June 2022, John Leach case # 83263224 for addition details. I also have a post here in 5th Gen, of an email with a long running list of issues. I sent this to the service writer at Sterling in Navasota, Texas about 45 days ago, prior to warranty service. of which he told me, he was only going to work on the radio and navigation screen issues. The service manager is convinced the battery issue is due to my non-OEM equipment. Included in the email is the 0.8 Ma load data from my installer and the Braun manufacture, along with the calculation of 100,000 hours of parasitic draw capacity for the OEM 80 amp hour battery.

Thank you in advance, I look forward to a satisfactory resolution to this long running issue,
John Leach/Minnie Pearl

 

[Minnie Pearl]

Picking up your truck working on it and then returning it back to your home is not basic level customer service.
You really are sounding like a Karen.
I get that you need to get a ride but it's no different then anyone else with 1 car, you are responsible for getting from point A to point B.
If you didn't know if you could get a ride back that's on you not them.

Do you not have any friends or family that would help you out?

Sounds like you should trade in your RAM and go buy a BMW instead.

Darksteel, Sorry, I missed this message when you originally posted it. No, I do not have friends or family who can help me out, my wife is 86 with dementia and Parkinson's. We live in an assisted living facility. Our nearest family (9 adults) are an hour and half away, if they would come. They haven't yet in the 8 months we've been here. Both the service writer, and the service manager knew I lived 24 miles way, had no other transportation, no way to get home, and no-one to help get me back to the dealership, yet they accepted the warranty work. Same as to get me home, one option I offered was to put a tech in my truck, drive it to me, and I would bring the tech back to the dealership. It is a option I have used with other dealerships, and both my other two Chevy's. The original dealership where I bought this truck, was 25 miles from where I used to live. It was a method we used several times. The other RAM dealer in the area was 55 miles away. Texas is a big state, we often do things a little differently here.

 

[RamCares]

Dear Ram Cares, I think it's time you got involved. My truck is dead in the driveway (Sept 17, 2022) 11 days after I last drove it. I used my personal jump box (rather than calling warranty RAM road service), it started and ran poorly for bout 5 minutes, would not idle up above 1100 RPM, had a miss fire, 'race cam lope', and low end knock, then ultimately died. There was not even enough power to relock the doors. See FCA Customer Care, June 2022, John Leach case # 83263224 for addition details. I also have a post here in 5th Gen, of an email with a long running list of issues. I sent this to the service writer at Sterling in Navasota, Texas about 45 days ago, prior to warranty service. of which he told me, he was only going to work on the radio and navigation screen issues. The service manager is convinced the battery issue is due to my non-OEM equipment. Included in the email is the 0.8 Ma load data from my installer and the Braun manufacture, along with the calculation of 100,000 hours of parasitic draw capacity for the OEM 80 amp hour battery.

Thank you in advance, I look forward to a satisfactory resolution to this long running issue,
John Leach/Minnie Pearl

Hey there,

Would you please send us a direct message so that we can dig into this with you? We took a look into your case and have follow up questions and would love to see how we can assist.

Callie
Ram Cares

 

[cevans6318]

Dear Ram Cares, I think it's time you got involved. My truck is dead in the driveway (Sept 17, 2022) 11 days after I last drove it. I used my personal jump box (rather than calling warranty RAM road service), it started and ran poorly for bout 5 minutes, would not idle up above 1100 RPM, had a miss fire, 'race cam lope', and low end knock, then ultimately died. There was not even enough power to relock the doors. See FCA Customer Care, June 2022, John Leach case # 83263224 for addition details. I also have a post here in 5th Gen, of an email with a long running list of issues. I sent this to the service writer at Sterling in Navasota, Texas about 45 days ago, prior to warranty service. of which he told me, he was only going to work on the radio and navigation screen issues. The service manager is convinced the battery issue is due to my non-OEM equipment. Included in the email is the 0.8 Ma load data from my installer and the Braun manufacture, along with the calculation of 100,000 hours of parasitic draw capacity for the OEM 80 amp hour battery.

Thank you in advance, I look forward to a satisfactory resolution to this long running issue,
John Leach/Minnie Pearl

have you disconnected the aftermarket stuff from the vehicle to eliminate that as possibly being the draw?

 

[Vicdog]

Hell I’ll come get you if you need a ride. Gotta be a Saturday, I’m in Georgetown.

 

[oaviking06]

Its gotta be something to do with that. I have a mid 2000s expedition thats been sitting for a month and it cranks up just fine…

 

[bigdodge]

it is hard to keep up with you having TWO threads going at the same time!!

get a new battery!!!