Advice for escalating within the service department?

M3Master · February 20, 2019

So, in your experience, when/if you have been treated poorly by the service department for a dealer, what is your escalation strategy? Do you have any contacts at GM corporate? I already have the Service Manager and Sales Director contact information...they have both assured me that they "have my back" but don't seem to be involved with the situation anymore.

Little backstory...my 19 LTZ was in a relatively minor accident about 6 weeks ago. It got the fender, bumper, very tiny edge of the hood and very edge of the driver's side grill. The truck is now fixed and looks perfect...the paint is actually better than it was before. The last step in the process is having the forward facing camera system reprogramed(grill removed/replaced).

So, dealer has had the truck for 9 days now. I can tell by the onStar app that it hasn't been moved(GPS location) nor has it been started for any significant amount of time(fuel level). The guy at the body shop calls them EVERY day to find out what the status is. The service advisor tells him, almost as if it's a recorded response, the truck doesn't recognize the grill camera. The staff won't call us back...we have to chase them down and seemingly it's just sitting there. The SA doesn't know if they've tried a new grill or engaged GM engineering(I know these systems can be problematic). He also can't provide any detail at all with respect to troubleshooting they are doing. It seems like they are just letting it sit. My guess is that GM only allocates an hr or two of labor to reprogram that system and the tech is loosing his a$$ on the job...so it's getting de-prioritized.

But geez. Enough is enough. Now I'm in a situation where the body shop just called me and said he's done all he can do with the dealer. He said it's my truck and if I want it fixed, I need to get involved. The at-fault insurance company is also demanding their rental car back at this point because 40 days in the body shop should be PLENTY for a repair this straightforward. So, I'm in a situation where I'm going to get to make my truck payment as normal, but gain the privilege of either paying for a rental car out of pocket...or a Lyft.

I really don't want to be a jerk here but I'm just curious what people in my situation would do here.

tbarn · February 20, 2019

It's the body shops problem. They are paid by the insurance company to fix your tuck.

Joedert · February 20, 2019

I’d try another dealer if they can’t give you anymore info then that.

hollywoodsle · February 20, 2019

22 minutes ago, tbarn said:

It's the body shops problem. They are paid by the insurance company to fix your tuck.

THIS. Also if your point of contact is anyone other than the body shop that's an issue. You also don't know what the dealers work load was before the body shop dumped your truck off to them. It sounds like they're pawning it off. Something else is wrong the body shop should be able to do the calibration. Not trying to sound like I'm defending anyone but this is a pretty regular occurrence, especially with windshields, it's easier to blame the big bad dealership.

Sierra Dan · February 20, 2019

Sounds like the At Fault Insurance company needs to get their problem fixed and fast.

Hopefully you will not have to get an Attorney involved.

M3Master · February 20, 2019

8 minutes ago, hollywoodsle said:

THIS. Also if your point of contact is anyone other than the body shop that's an issue. You also don't know what the dealers work load was before the body shop dumped your truck off to them. It sounds like they're pawning it off. Something else is wrong the body shop should be able to do the calibration. Not trying to sound like I'm defending anyone but this is a pretty regular occurrence, especially with windshields, it's easier to blame the big bad dealership.

Awesome. Thanks. I totally agree that this ~shouldn't~ be my problem. It sounds to me like the truck isn't seeing the grill camera at all and are blaming the body shop for an electrical/wiring problem. Seems obvious for them to try another camera and charge the body shop(who can then warranty the part) for replacement. But again, I think the big issue is lack of communication. So, moral of the story is stay out of it and let the body shop fight the battle...which is what they are being paid to do. Good advice and certainly less stressful on my part. Thanks.

Rocz3cqg · February 20, 2019

As said above, it is the Bodyshop's responsibility to return the vehicle to you as it was before the accident. The Dealership should be working with the Bodyshop to correct the camera operation and alignment. There are a couple of connections and camera to check to ensure proper operation. Alignment also needs to be completed. Warranty wise in this situation, I believe you [Insurance] would be responsible for the entire cost of work done by the Dealership. Ask the Dealership who is covering the cost of the work performed. If the Dealership informs you that it is Warranty work, call Chevrolet Customer Care and explain the problem and answer their questions. They will contact the dealership and a resolution will be forthcoming. If the cost burden falls unto the Bodyshop, ensure the action and monies by the insurance company are covering this camera repair. Normally the Bodyshop and the Insurance Company will have a relationship that states "The Bodyshop material, labor are guaranteed for a length of time." You can let the dealership continue with the repair or take it to another for repair. If this is the dealership you purchased the vehicle from, it seems they would be on top of this. As you have done, talk to the SA and also the mechanic working on the vehicle and find out what the problem is. Explain your situation to the Dealership and ask for the timetable they need for the repair. It is great that the Bodyshop did a great job on your vehicle. I had my bumper, grill, headlight, extension replaced on mine. Being Pearl White, resulted in the fender extension and bumper not matching the rest of the vehicle. They replaced both twice and they finally just took a set off another vehicle that I approved of. This was simple since the Bodyshop and Dealership were operated by the same organization. Good Luck with your situation. Keep us updated please.

Edited February 20, 2019 by Rocz3cqg

Leevon · February 22, 2019

Whatever you do, do NOT let them put you back in the truck un-repaired or talk you out of the rental car. Right now you still have leverage. The body shop should be your advocate with the insurance company. Stay in the rental, trust me they'll be forced to get it done. Send the insurance company a bill for loss of use as well. Say you needed the truck for your job.

Edited February 22, 2019 by Leevon

M3Master · February 22, 2019

Thanks for the advice. Chevrolet dealer finally figured out how to reprogram the camera...it sat there for 10 days. Not sure what they did but I'm going to go by and get the paperwork that has the tech's "story" on it sometime next week.

Still fighting w/ the insurance company on the rental. Enterprise called yesterday and said if they don't get authorization for another week, they are going to bill me $253 today sometime. Yay. As of last night the body shop had provided them the paperwork from the dealer which is what the insurance company had requested to justify the rental extension.

So, hopefully it's all worked out but we'll see.

Thanks again all...

Sierra Dan · February 22, 2019

Personally, I think that GM and all other brands (if not already doing so) should be training and communicating with dealers when new models come out.

Seems like the automakers just wait for customers to have issues then tell the dealers.... " well, figure it out "

tbarn · February 22, 2019

1 hour ago, Sierra Dan said:

Personally, I think that GM and all other brands (if not already doing so) should be training and communicating with dealers when new models come out.

Seems like the automakers just wait for customers to have issues then tell the dealers.... " well, figure it out "

Well, there is a lot of truth there. If it were up to GM big shots all dealer techs would be 100% trained. Problem is that there is a trickle down effect. GM is slow to get new training out. Dealers don't want to pay the tech for time not in the shop and producing. Some techs loose money while in training, depending on their pay structure and how they are paid for schooling. GM does try to enforce training minimums by financial disincentives like not paying extra labor required above the set time for a job if there is an issue while doing the repair or extra diagnosis. There are many other ways they also do it. So it's a cluster f*** basically. As long as the tech is dealer employed and GM sets the labor time nothing will change.

Sierra Dan · February 22, 2019

Ultimately, it is GM's responsibility and duty to make sure dealers succeed. Much like Fast Food franchises.

The trickle down effect starts at the TOP in any business.

Maybe with the Millions in savings from Sedan factory closings, GM can afford to and allocate resources to properly educate their dealer networks of upcoming new vehicles in future.

Daverado · February 23, 2019

20 hours ago, Sierra Dan said:

Ultimately, it is GM's responsibility and duty to make sure dealers succeed. Much like Fast Food franchises.

The trickle down effect starts at the TOP in any business.

Maybe with the Millions in savings from Sedan factory closings, GM can afford to and allocate resources to properly educate their dealer networks of upcoming new vehicles in future.

Meh. When you're talking about executives (GM, dealer, otherwise..) their only responsibility is making money.

The only balance is spending as little as possible to keep some sufficient percentage of customers coming back and new ones coming in.

Leevon · February 23, 2019

Technology is outpacing the ability to train and equip for it and we're losing the capable techs to retirement or they're going elsewhere because it's become increasingly difficult to make a living in the dealership model. Also, OEM's are trying to make it impossible for independent service centers to work on their products. I am truly scared for the future of the industry and what it means to consumers.

Edited February 23, 2019 by Leevon