THIEVES...DO NOT COME HERE…read more
SHORT VERSION: Tried to mislead me into a bill for $220 + in "repairs" when the actual fix costed $6, and 90 seconds of the teenaged employee's time at PartSource.
LONG VERSION:
Bought a car privately a few weeks ago and was told I needed to get a few recalls done.
Brought it into this dealer, and also thought I'd mention a couple small problem I'd been having....one of the headlights didn''t work, and the car's USB charger wasn't working for my phone.
After some initial googling, I told them my suspicions of a possible burnt fuse. (A $3 part to replace)....but instead, Ben Koerssen brushed it off, and told me I needed a complete electrical diagnostic. Being that they are a Dodge dealership, I innocently decided to trust them and went ahead with it.
A few hours later, I recieved a call saying that there was nothing wrong with the fuses, and they had tried to install the bulb that I brought in, to no avail. (I bought it on amazon)..,...and they needed to do further diagnostics which costed even more......Reluctantly, I complied, but I had a bad gut feeling and decided to call my car-wise friends. They all told me that something didn't seem to add up.
Realizing that something might have been wrong, I rushed over there and demanded my car back. During my conversation with the service staff, my suspicions were heightened when the service advisor, Ben, claimed no knowledge whatsoever of there being a fuse box. (and this being their flagship sedan)
Sensing disingenuity, I demanded that I get my car back at that moment. Ben Koerssen and later the owner Bill Johnston, tried to present me with a bill totalling $220 for the diagnostic work. I refused to pay and went back and forth with them for some time before they realized that they were never going to see a dime from me.....and gave me my keys and told me to get out......Had I stayed, who knows how high that bill could have been. (The $220 was just for diagnosing it)
I drove it down the street to PartSource where this 19/20-year old kid immediately helped me identify and replace the 2 burnt fuses within.10 mins (Shoutout to Sean from PartSource Upper James)....and BINGO, everything worked PERFECTLY....even the bulb/ballast that was supposedly "defective".
Came back to Johnston Chrysler the next day.... Initially seeking a simple apology, we instead were faced with more outright lies and a lot of condescension.
After being confronted with the evidence of the 2 burnt fuses and the presence of my car-savvy friend, Bill Johnston realized that he could no longer try to bully and lie his way out of this.....and immediately demanded that both me and my friend leave or he would call the police.
I made sure to try to document as much as possible. Attached are pictures of the 2 burnt fuses, the business card for Ben, as well as the fraudulent service bill they tried to present me. (They wouldnt give it to me at first but I was adamant, and they also removed all the prices, which initially totalled $220)
Also, I have a videoclip of an irate Bill dodging questions regarding the bill and instead demanding that we leave his dealership. (as well as trying to prevent me from filming)....which i can post if necessary,
Anyways I cannot speak on the dealership as a whole, but this has just been my experience......I'm sure not everyone is bad, for instance, one of the courtesy drivers, Norm, was very courteous and seemed really down-to-earth and I really enjoyed our conversation.