I am giving two stars only because, after all the delays and frustration, the vehicle was…read moreultimately repaired. Otherwise, I would have given zero stars.
I scheduled my appointment online two days in advance and brought my vehicle to the Battle Creek location on Tuesday, June 2, at 4:00 p.m. for a water pump replacement. Despite having made an appointment, I was told they could accept the vehicle that day but would not be able to work on it until Wednesday because there was no technician available and only one employee was present.
On Wednesday morning, I received a call saying that another part related to the serpentine belt system needed to be replaced. I approved the additional work and was told the vehicle would be ready that afternoon. Later, I was informed that all the parts had arrived and that the only thing left was to put everything back together. I was then promised that the vehicle would be ready Thursday morning between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m.
When I had not heard anything, I stopped by the shop and was told there was once again no technician available and that the vehicle would be ready by the end of the day. Later that day, I was told it might be ready Friday afternoon, but there were no guarantees.
On Friday, June 5, the vehicle was transferred to the Kalamazoo location because I was told they would be able to finish it that day. Later, I received another call saying that the thermostat had broken during the repair, that the replacement part would arrive Saturday morning, and that the vehicle would be ready before noon and delivered back to Battle Creek.
On Saturday, June 6, I received a call around 10:00 a.m. saying the vehicle was ready, but they could not bring it back because the Kalamazoo technicians were supposedly behind on other jobs. I was told that if I wanted the vehicle delivered, it would not arrive until around 6:00 p.m. Since I had already waited several days and had a trip planned, I drove from Battle Creek to Kalamazoo to pick it up myself.
What I found was very disappointing. There was only one vehicle in the shop, and the two employees who I had been told were too busy and behind on work were sitting in the office, casually talking and joking around.
I appreciate that the repair itself appears to have been done correctly, and that is the reason for the two stars. However, the repeated delays, broken promises, and lack of urgency for a customer paying approximately $2,500 were extremely frustrating.
Customers can understand delays. What they cannot understand are repeated promises that are not kept.