PDA

View Full Version : North Central Ford



Lyfisin
06-25-2005, 06:07 PM
I'm not sure exactly what to post at the beginning of this. We just picked up our 2002 Ford Explorer from North Central Ford's service department. Everything was all sqare when we left, but I wish it didn't have to be so difficult.

When my wife bought the Explorer, she bought an extended warranty on it. I wouldn't have, but I wasn't there when she got it. She had a problem with the AC vents. It wouldn't blow out of the middle vents no matter which setting the selector was pointed to. The service writer knew it was a warranty job and told her there was a $75.00 deductible and a $30.00 miscellaneous shop fee. She told them ok, hung up and told me and I'm a little upset at the shop fee.

When we pick up the car, I asked that the misc shop fee be explained and the cashier indicates that it's for environmental disposal and a bunch of other junk and basically it's 10% of the labor cost. Sure enough, the labor was $111.60 and the misc shop fee was $11.60.

So she slides the credit card payment slip over to my wife who promptly signs it and I notice it is for $156.00 and some change. So I asked how come it was so much because we were thinking it was only supposed to be $105.00. She looks sincerely upset with herself and says she accidentally charged the whole thing on our card. That's what it says on the front invoice. Behind it is another with the info about the extended warranty. She really did seem sincere.

So she credits the card for the difference between the $105.00 (the amount my wife was told we would pay) and the $156.00 and they say the truck will be brought right out and it was. While we were waiting for it, I looked at the paperwork actually puzzled still about the amount. We look at the bottom and it clearly indicates, customer pays $75.00 + SS. SS was Shop Services or something like that which was the 10% of the labor.

$75.00 + $11.16 = $86.16 and that still doesn't equal $105.00. I took the receipt back inside and asked how we got to $105.00 and the cashier went and found the service writer. About 10 minutes later they had it fixed and only charged me the $75.00. I think the service writer was a little ticked the cashier didn't charge me the $11.16, but the conversation was low and I can't be positive.

The cashier indicated that the misc shop fees were very common and I remember seeing one on a quote from Goodyear on the Integra. Maybe others can chime in on how common they are.

Anyway, that's today's experience with NCF. It wasn't the best experience I've ever had, but they did make it right in the end.

Now I have to go coach my lovely bride of 23 years about blindly accepting and signing off on service. Maybe I should put the $100.00 I just saved and by something nice for the L. :)

BTW, I have no problem paying for good service as long as I know what the costs are up front and they don't change. I wasn't trying to work them on the price. I only wanted them to honor what was right and they did.

Tex Arcana
06-25-2005, 11:57 PM
Which extended warranty do you have, Brook: the *actual*, *real-live* FORD warranty, or the off-brand-half-assed wannabe warranty??

FWIW, the Ford extended warranties are a flat $50 deductible for all warranty work. Their's cost more, but you get more in the end, especially if you are able to stick to your guns and make sure the work is done right (btw, was this work done right?).

It almost sounds to me like they're trying to slip in additional charges just to pad the bottom line, maybe they say y'all coming, and tried it. But, then again, I wouldn't p*ss on North Central Ford if their guts were on fire... :d

98Cobra
06-26-2005, 01:04 AM
Many years ago, I had a 1995 F150 XL. Loved that truck. It got broken into, and on a suggestion from a friend, took it there to have the door fixed where it had been gouged with a screwdriver.

11 business days later, I got it back. Everything seemed ok, but a couple weeks later I noticed a rust spot on my chrome bumper that I had never seen before.

A couple months later, I got a new job. I started talking to another guy in my orientation class, and it turns out he worked for NCF when my truck came in as a service writer. He remembered my truck because of the "No Fear" sticker on the back(that should date this story) and also because they DAMAGED MY TRUCK while they had it and had to fix it without telling me!

Apparently a bumper from another vehicle was in a parking space at the lot, and when they put my truck in the spot, it flipped up and scratched my truck pretty good on one side of the bed and the bumper. The paint color was pretty rare so they had to beg paint from another dealer to fix it quickly. The rust spot on my bumper they couldnt fix, so they left it.

Long story short, I got a new, better bumper, and told them to f off in no uncertain terms.