I called 1 week in advance to set up my appointment with a gentleman and explained to him that I needed some U-joints replaced and possibly some seals and hub assemblies (I had done this exact repair 3 years prior so I knew what risks and parts were involved). We made the appointment for a Monday and I told him that I needed my truck to be ready by Thursday to haul a trailer from Arkansas to Vermont and he assured me that it would be complete.
Monday- I dropped my truck off early on the day of the appointment and didn't hear back from them the rest of the day. I did drive by near the end of the day and could see my truck sitting on the lot and thought that maybe they had already finished working on it and it was too late in the day to call me. I called them the next day.
Tuesday- After calling the service department I was told that I was correct in that the U-joints were bad and that they had to order them-they should be in later that day.
Wednesday- my truck was still sitting on the lot during the afternoon hours so I visited the service department where a gentleman looked around the office, found that some parts had been delivered, and showed me my U-joints. He said that they can have my truck ready first thing in the morning so I could be on my way to Vermont.
Thursday- at 1:40pm, I received a phone call that there was bad news: my seals and hub assemblies needed to be replaced and that they would have to order these. I explained that I had previously stated that this would be an issue and questioned why a FORD Service Department wouldn't already know this and asked why the parts weren't ordered with the U-joints. I was told that the parts were expensive and that there was a $30 restocking fee. They told me that if they ordered these parts before 2pm then they might arrive Friday and I could maybe have the truck back.
Friday- I received a call at 4:40pm stating my truck was ready for me.
My takeaway was that if I (not a FORD technician) knew the issues/risks involved then the service department should have too. I don't believe that the employees in the service department began working on my truck on the day of the appointment-otherwise they would have been able to confirm my suspicions that there would be other damaged parts. I believe the lack of communication from the department furthered the delay and prevented a quality/timely service. I also feel that if there was a "$30 restocking fee" on parts that a service department would likely use, then that if the information would have been provided to me I could have told them that I would gladly pay $30/part to ensure I could get to Vermont on time.
I was in town to watch my daughter graduate. This level of unprofessionalism has caused me an unnecessary amount of delays. I lost extra vacation time, 2 days of pay (that could have covered a few $30 restocking fees), 2 extra days of residency in Mountain View, a day of residency that I had paid in advance in Vermont, and has forced me to rush a 24 hour-1350 mile drive which puts my family's safety at risk. I question the integrity involved in my service. read more
