Near Miss and Broken Trust: UPDATE

[Jeffrey]

Glad to hear it was found before catastrophe.

Fill me in, what are the spacers for? I don't think I have any ('07 SMB 4x4 RB-50).

[Ford_6L_E350]

Originally Posted by Jeffrey

Glad to hear it was found before catastrophe.

Fill me in, what are the spacers for? I don't think I have any ('07 SMB 4x4 RB-50).

The spacers do one or both of these two things:

- Space the rear wheels out to match the fronts

- On a van with an F350 front axle the spacer changes the rear axle bolt pattern to match the new front axle.

Mike

[BMWBILO]

Originally Posted by IheartDieselVans

Someone definitely needs to teach them a lesson. I hope you're very polite though, an angry hostile stranger at my house, no matter how justified their claim, would be met with pepper spray at best, .40cal hollow points at worst. And the cops would be called immediately. Like your zero tolerance for safety issues (which I agree with), some people (like me) have zero tolerance for angry strangers on their property. Good luck!

You seem to be kind of a pussy. Pepper spray or .40 cal hollow points?
WTF?

[IheartDieselVans]

Originally Posted by BMWBILO

You seem to be kind of a pussy. Pepper spray or .40 cal hollow points?
WTF?

I'm a complete coward and of no significance to you. I just didn't want the poor fellow to get shot, showing up angry on some strangers front porch. I mean, we are talking about Mississippi after all.

[twogone]

Here is the final outcome of the near miss. I looked at Ford's website and found their recommended process for dealing with this type of thing. They ask that you start w/service advisor and mechanic, if that fails, see service manager and upward within the dealership. If not satisfied, contact Ford on their 800#.

I called the d'ship at opening this a.m. and asked to speak with the owner in an attempt to get an appointment (I wanted to get the whole roster of involved people all at once). He was out of state, but his clerical people, to whom I didn't describe specifics of the events, knew this was important. They got in touch with him... more to follow.

I waited 1 hour, and after not hearing back from owner, I went to the d'ship. I got the service advisor and the mechanic and we met privately. I laid out what had happened on my end. Both of these fella's were visibly shaken by the potential.

Y'all remember, I've had a long and trusting relationship w/this shop. The mechanic (35 years old vs, my prior guess of about mid-twenties) and though new to me, had been in that shop for 17 years and I later found that, true to my instincts, he was in fact inveterate and has a very clean history. All the people there are all gaga over the van, and clearly wished no bad outcomes for me, the van, or the general public. I did not ask to speak w/the service manager, instead requested that these two guys go to him themselves, lay out what happened, and have the SM call me when he understood the whole thing. I explained that I was not mad, only nauseous @ the potential, and I sought nothing from them except to talk it up around the shop vs. denial/hiding, and then get a final call from the SM, at which time I would delete my video and go back about my bidness.

The mechanic was totally involved in seeking the root of all this, couldn't remember any interruption/distraction that could have led to the fail, and was seriously moved. He said nothing like this had ever happened in his experience. He asked intelligent and thoughtful questions and self-examined throughout. He offered to breakdown the wheel and inspect/replace anything that might be suspect. I explained that Ray had done all this for me, the service advisor knows Ray and was satisfied with his exam. All-in-all, they were as great about this as one could imagine.

While I was at the d'ship, the owner called my house, so upon return, I called him back and told him the story. He was also genuinely appalled, no bullsh!t whatsover. He told me the mechanic is one of the top three they have, thorough and attentive to a fault, and his file is without blemish. He said he would give the mechanic a written reprimand via the SM. I explained that the mechanic couldn't be more "punished" than he is already, and except for company policy required documentation, further action was of no benefit to him or me. I also told him of my Sunday visit to his gate, and he said that would be no problem, asked me to keep his cellphone# and feel free to call 24/7. He was pretty great about it all.

After leaving the d'ship but before getting home the SM called my house and left word to call him. I missed him over the lunch hour, but will be in touch with him in the next hour or so. I suspect our interaction will follow the same experience. I'll let y'all know if it isn't just right.

I will continue using this shop and will request the offending mechanic in the future. I'm pretty sure I'll get above average attention from him.

I have lost a total of a full day of work and paid Ray a little for his time/trouble, but I see a payback a'comin from the shop. I'm just glad nobody got hurt and I didn't skin up my purty little Tonka toy.

[Jeffrey]

Good outcome, especially saving the relationship. I maintain a very good one with my local Ford folks, and when I pull in, they jump all over my every need.

[Gnarvan]

I've always felt the mark of quality customer service is how a company deals with problems. It sounds like the dealership handled the problem in a honest and sincere way with the end result of making it right with the customer. It's good to hear your outcome. I guess there is hope for dealerships out there.

And hats off to you Marc for not being the irate arse that some people with problems transform into.

[daveb]

Originally Posted by Gnarvan

I've always felt the mark of quality customer service is how a company deals with problems. It sounds like the dealership handled the problem in a honest and sincere way with the end result of making it right with the customer. It's good to hear your outcome. I guess there is hope for dealerships out there.

And hats off to you Marc for not being the irate arse that some people with problems transform into.

I have to agree there. Better to use honey than vinegar. Even though material things can be replaced, it is hard not to loose your cool when you or your family has been put in harms way.

[twogone]

I'm pretty sure that the "irate arse" card was visible to anyone paying attention. The clericals could tell that I was holding that card, without even asking, when I called for an appointment with the owner. The mechanic and service advisor saw it when I told them (didn't ask them) that we would meet in private... off the shop floor. D'ship owner is wise and experienced enough to pick up the vibe even before he called me back. The Service Manager (whom I spoke with after posting last) was clearly in the loop.

Fierce determination is visible from behind brick walls. No threats, no fury. People just know when they have the choice and responsibility to do what is right.

[IheartDieselVans]

Sounds like you turned it on just the right amount, well done. A perfect example of how both parties benefit when they both do the right thing. Very impressive!