I am a wife, mother, daughter and sister.
I love my family wholeheartedly.
I do not compare, covet or value my life more than someone else.
I live by the golden rules but do not preach my morals on others.
I teach my children right from wrong and am raising them to be decent human beings.
I continue to pay my debts to society and try to live life to it's fullest.
In my years on this earth, I have experienced some of life's greatest joys as well as life's greatest heartbreaks. With that being said... It has taken me awhile to get around to writing today's blog. I have had to really "get in touch" with how I wanted to express and not stand on my soapbox for hours on end.
On Thursday, I went to latch my seat belt into place. This was the first time I couldn't get it to latch. Mind you my car is only 2 years old. We purchased it brand new. Finally after five minutes I got it to lock. I called Mr. BBH for the number of our dealership so that I could make an appointment to get it replaced. I left a message for the service person (SP) and finally got a phone call back a few hours later. This is how our conversation went...
Me: I need to make an appointment to get my car serviced also, please send someone to tow my vehicle.
SP: What is wrong with you vehicle?
Me: The driver's seat belt latch is broken.
SP: I am sorry ma'am but we only send trucks for your car to be towed if it is inoperable.
Me: But sir, I can't drive my car, the seat belt is broken and I have airbags all over my car.
SP: You live about five minutes away, Right?
Me: No sir, I live 13.5 miles away.
SP: Well, that's only about 10 minutes away, you'll be fine. I have people drive their cars in here all the time with broken seat belts.
Me: Does the NTSB know that (brand of car) is having problems with broken seat belts?
SP: ***DUMBFOUNDED*** We are not having a problem with broken seat belts.
Me: Well is the dealership going to pay for the ticket I may get on my way there?
SP: No.
Me: Is the dealership going to pay for my car to be fixed or replaced if I get into an accident on the way there?
SP: No.
Me: What if I die? Is the dealership going to...well sir, you get my point.
SP: Ma'am I can send you a tow truck but that will be on your dime, so I suggest you drive you car in, again you will be FINE. I can fix it in the morning. How early can you be here?
Me: I am going to have to talk to my husband and call you back sir.
Why. Well, firstly, yes I know that I could have driven my car in. I had 2 ways. The first, down a 8 lane divided highway onto a 8 lane divided street for 13.5 miles with cars traveling 70 mph. The second, down a winding rural 2 lane road onto another rural 2 lane road, onto an 8 lane divided street. Both having my children in the car. Did I want to have to explain to the police man why I was not wearing my seat belt in the car with children? No. Did I want my children to see their mother possibly die in front of their eyes? No. See my point, but the man at the dealership didn't have a problem with this. The value of my life and my children's future weren't valid enough for sending tow truck.
Maybe it is just the way I am with letting the slippery slope effect affect my judgement, but safety first. On Mr. BBH's way home, he called his father. A former paramedic, fire fighter and currently Sgt. Det. of the Crime Scene Unit of the Sheriff's office who has been pulling bodies out of cars for ummm about 40 years...for some wisdom. His conclusion...DON'T GET IN THAT CAR! If the airbags implode you are dead.
So Friday morning, Mr. BBH called AAA to come and tow the car to the dealership. He waited to make sure the car was delivered before he went down there to give the SP a piece of his mind. Here is how his conversation went.
BBH: Hello, my car was just towed in.
SP: Yes, it is here. Let's go out to it, because the seat belt is working just fine.
BBH: I can guarantee you it has been failing not only on my wife but on me as well.
It did fail on Mr. BBH earlier that week.
SP: See sir, it is latching. I can't have it fixed if I can't duplicate the problem. For all I know a crumb or an M&M from your kids could have gotten in there an caused it to malfunction.
BBH: I am sorry, but I don't care if you can't duplicate the problem. It is a safety issue with the car and covered under warranty. Can you please have someone look at it to see if that is the issue and needs to be cleaned out then?
SP: It can't be taken apart.
BBH: Then it needs to be replaced.
SP: We don't just take your word for it that is malfunctioning. They just won't let us replace it, but you can pay for it. I can have them put some lube in it.
BBH: I want a new one.
SP: When cars are brought in for broken seat belts, they are clearly broken and just don't fail sometimes. I have to have something broken to replace it.
BBH: I can make that happen then. You told my wife to drive this car in and frankly, I wouldn't drive the car and am not going to until this is fixed. My father has been pulling bodies out of cars for over 40 years for the stupidity of people not wearing their seat belt or for their malfunctioning. I have been reporting on these issues for over 10. Plus, seat belts have been standard in cars for over 30 for safety.
SP: Well I have been fixing them for 20 years and it isn't broken.
At this time, I said excuse me, got behind the wheel and proceeded to latch and unlatch the seat belt. Counting how many times it wouldn't latch. 7. 7 times.
BBH: You really want to compare notes with me or my father? Smart. I brought it here to be fixed. If we go by what you are saying because you can't duplicate the problem I could leave my children with out a father or a mother. I won't accept that.
SP: Did you buy the car here?
BBH: No we bought it in South Carolina
SP: Well take it back to that dealership if you want it fixed or just don't drive it.
BBH: Awesome, great service. Just don't drive it? So you're telling me the warranty is worthless.
Me: Ok, it has malfunctioned 7 times, how many more times do you need me to show you? Look the button isn't even coming back up when it should.
SP: Ok ma'am that's enough. I'll have some one look at it.
US: Thank-you. We again, just need it replaced or if it does have something in it, to be taken out so that we are safe.
SP: I don't have time to argue with you anymore. I have all these other people here with something actually wrong with their car waiting for me. I told you I'll have someone look at it.
So, drive it here, I can't duplicate it...so you must be leading the scam of the century for a new seat belt latch, pay for it but don't drive it, and I don't care if you potentially die so take it back to the state where you bought it from if you want a new seat belt and your concerns aren't valid enough compared to someone else's spark plugs.
Dude, it's under warranty and it doesn't take anything from you to have it replaced. A decent human being wouldn't have their own loved ones let alone themselves be put in that position, nor would they want to experience the tribulations of the BS hoops just to drive safely.
So I have decided to try a little experiment. Over the course of the next week, I am going to take account as to how we are treated by the people in the service industry. In the current economic crisis, you should consider yourself fortunate to have a job, but does having that job have to come at the cost of losing your decency as a human being?
I love my family wholeheartedly.
I do not compare, covet or value my life more than someone else.
I live by the golden rules but do not preach my morals on others.
I teach my children right from wrong and am raising them to be decent human beings.
I continue to pay my debts to society and try to live life to it's fullest.
In my years on this earth, I have experienced some of life's greatest joys as well as life's greatest heartbreaks. With that being said... It has taken me awhile to get around to writing today's blog. I have had to really "get in touch" with how I wanted to express and not stand on my soapbox for hours on end.
On Thursday, I went to latch my seat belt into place. This was the first time I couldn't get it to latch. Mind you my car is only 2 years old. We purchased it brand new. Finally after five minutes I got it to lock. I called Mr. BBH for the number of our dealership so that I could make an appointment to get it replaced. I left a message for the service person (SP) and finally got a phone call back a few hours later. This is how our conversation went...
Me: I need to make an appointment to get my car serviced also, please send someone to tow my vehicle.
SP: What is wrong with you vehicle?
Me: The driver's seat belt latch is broken.
SP: I am sorry ma'am but we only send trucks for your car to be towed if it is inoperable.
Me: But sir, I can't drive my car, the seat belt is broken and I have airbags all over my car.
SP: You live about five minutes away, Right?
Me: No sir, I live 13.5 miles away.
SP: Well, that's only about 10 minutes away, you'll be fine. I have people drive their cars in here all the time with broken seat belts.
Me: Does the NTSB know that (brand of car) is having problems with broken seat belts?
SP: ***DUMBFOUNDED*** We are not having a problem with broken seat belts.
Me: Well is the dealership going to pay for the ticket I may get on my way there?
SP: No.
Me: Is the dealership going to pay for my car to be fixed or replaced if I get into an accident on the way there?
SP: No.
Me: What if I die? Is the dealership going to...well sir, you get my point.
SP: Ma'am I can send you a tow truck but that will be on your dime, so I suggest you drive you car in, again you will be FINE. I can fix it in the morning. How early can you be here?
Me: I am going to have to talk to my husband and call you back sir.
Why. Well, firstly, yes I know that I could have driven my car in. I had 2 ways. The first, down a 8 lane divided highway onto a 8 lane divided street for 13.5 miles with cars traveling 70 mph. The second, down a winding rural 2 lane road onto another rural 2 lane road, onto an 8 lane divided street. Both having my children in the car. Did I want to have to explain to the police man why I was not wearing my seat belt in the car with children? No. Did I want my children to see their mother possibly die in front of their eyes? No. See my point, but the man at the dealership didn't have a problem with this. The value of my life and my children's future weren't valid enough for sending tow truck.
Maybe it is just the way I am with letting the slippery slope effect affect my judgement, but safety first. On Mr. BBH's way home, he called his father. A former paramedic, fire fighter and currently Sgt. Det. of the Crime Scene Unit of the Sheriff's office who has been pulling bodies out of cars for ummm about 40 years...for some wisdom. His conclusion...DON'T GET IN THAT CAR! If the airbags implode you are dead.
So Friday morning, Mr. BBH called AAA to come and tow the car to the dealership. He waited to make sure the car was delivered before he went down there to give the SP a piece of his mind. Here is how his conversation went.
BBH: Hello, my car was just towed in.
SP: Yes, it is here. Let's go out to it, because the seat belt is working just fine.
BBH: I can guarantee you it has been failing not only on my wife but on me as well.
It did fail on Mr. BBH earlier that week.
SP: See sir, it is latching. I can't have it fixed if I can't duplicate the problem. For all I know a crumb or an M&M from your kids could have gotten in there an caused it to malfunction.
BBH: I am sorry, but I don't care if you can't duplicate the problem. It is a safety issue with the car and covered under warranty. Can you please have someone look at it to see if that is the issue and needs to be cleaned out then?
SP: It can't be taken apart.
BBH: Then it needs to be replaced.
SP: We don't just take your word for it that is malfunctioning. They just won't let us replace it, but you can pay for it. I can have them put some lube in it.
BBH: I want a new one.
SP: When cars are brought in for broken seat belts, they are clearly broken and just don't fail sometimes. I have to have something broken to replace it.
BBH: I can make that happen then. You told my wife to drive this car in and frankly, I wouldn't drive the car and am not going to until this is fixed. My father has been pulling bodies out of cars for over 40 years for the stupidity of people not wearing their seat belt or for their malfunctioning. I have been reporting on these issues for over 10. Plus, seat belts have been standard in cars for over 30 for safety.
SP: Well I have been fixing them for 20 years and it isn't broken.
At this time, I said excuse me, got behind the wheel and proceeded to latch and unlatch the seat belt. Counting how many times it wouldn't latch. 7. 7 times.
BBH: You really want to compare notes with me or my father? Smart. I brought it here to be fixed. If we go by what you are saying because you can't duplicate the problem I could leave my children with out a father or a mother. I won't accept that.
SP: Did you buy the car here?
BBH: No we bought it in South Carolina
SP: Well take it back to that dealership if you want it fixed or just don't drive it.
BBH: Awesome, great service. Just don't drive it? So you're telling me the warranty is worthless.
Me: Ok, it has malfunctioned 7 times, how many more times do you need me to show you? Look the button isn't even coming back up when it should.
SP: Ok ma'am that's enough. I'll have some one look at it.
US: Thank-you. We again, just need it replaced or if it does have something in it, to be taken out so that we are safe.
SP: I don't have time to argue with you anymore. I have all these other people here with something actually wrong with their car waiting for me. I told you I'll have someone look at it.
So, drive it here, I can't duplicate it...so you must be leading the scam of the century for a new seat belt latch, pay for it but don't drive it, and I don't care if you potentially die so take it back to the state where you bought it from if you want a new seat belt and your concerns aren't valid enough compared to someone else's spark plugs.
Dude, it's under warranty and it doesn't take anything from you to have it replaced. A decent human being wouldn't have their own loved ones let alone themselves be put in that position, nor would they want to experience the tribulations of the BS hoops just to drive safely.
So I have decided to try a little experiment. Over the course of the next week, I am going to take account as to how we are treated by the people in the service industry. In the current economic crisis, you should consider yourself fortunate to have a job, but does having that job have to come at the cost of losing your decency as a human being?
This makes me FURIOUS! Did you speak to the Service Manager? The dealership GM?. I believe that this should be brought to both's attention as well as that of the Manufacturer if you don't receive an immediate apology. Even without the current economic crisis, with so much competition out there in every market, the only thing that most business's have to distinguish themselves from each other is SUPERB Customer Service. This SP needs an attitude adjustment or a kick in the pants, quickly.
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