No Belts: How Long Drive Time? Answer

[Jim Bonnet]

I have a couple comments that probably are going to piss you off.. But..
Personally, I dont see anything wrong with the was the dealer handled
this.. They have pre-scehduled appointments.. They need to stick to
those as best they can.. Nobody says a car dealer needs to see you first
because you have a couple of busted belts! If they can squeeze you in
and look at it fine, otherwise, schedule and appointment of do the work
yourself.

The pre-scheduled appointments need to get completed as promised because
people have scheduled their day around not having their car. When that
day turns to 2 because they slipped in someones 5k for service thats a
REAL problem. Something nobody likes to experience for sure.

I feel for you and understand where you are comming from..  but I don't
think you have anything to complain about.. The offered to take you in!
and try to get it it.. They probably were going to work on your 5k
inbetween scheduled appointments and thats why it was going to take the
3hrs.

If you went to the doctor and scheduled an appointment for example, and
someone with a hangnail walked in and was take before you Im sure you
would be pissed.

My point- give them the benifit of the doubt if you have never dealt
with this dealer before. They could be trying to provide the best
service to everyone.

end of my $.05
Best Regards and have a nice weekend!
Jim


Christopher Ritchie wrote:
> On a 1988 5KSQ with a new battery, it'll go at least 30 minutes.
>
> Sent this to the dealer today.
>
> Yesterday, on my way to work, 2 accessory belts on my 1988 Audi 5000S
> broke.
>  Fortunately, this occurred when I was near my office off Mall Road in
> Burlington.  Although difficult, I was able to continue to drive the car
> the
> short distance to my office.  However, I realized that the commute home
> that
> night 25 miles down Route 128 in traffic would be more difficult.  Also
> fortunately I felt, was that I was less than 1 mile from an Audi dealership
> who could have the whole day to effect this minor repair.
>
> I called your Service Department around 8 AM and explained my situation to
> the Service Department person.  The service person told me that they were
> booked up that day, but reluctantly offered that I could bring the car in
> for them to look at.  He stated that he could make no promises.  Even
> though
> disappointed in this response, I then asked what time would be
> convenient to
> bring it in because I would wait for them to fix the car.  The service
> person told me I could not wait for the car because it would take 3 hours
> when and if they got to it.  3 hours to replace 2 accessory belts!  And
> that's if they deigned to look at it!
>
> With the battery not charging, I didn't have the margin to drive the car in
> search of a solution.  Where you had all day to replace a fan belt and
> still
> were hesitant, I did not have confidence in your ability or interest in
> solving my problem.  I bought both belts locally for under $25; left work
> early to avoid traffic; and, replaced the belts myself in my driveway in
> less than 1 hour.
>
> There's nothing much wrong with my present Audi, but it's old; I'm a car
> enthusiast; and, I can afford a new one.  I'd like to buy a new A6 or a
> used
> A8, and I'd really like to buy it locally so that service is convenient.
> But as you can see from this experience, it's cheaper and generally more
> convenient for me to avoid the dealer.  You couldn't help me yesterday.
> And
> it was clear from my conversation with your service person that you really
> didn't want to.  So, I can't help but to think:
>
> 7    If this is the response I get as a potential customer, what kind of a
> response could I expect after a sale?  Sort of mocks the Audi Loyalty
> Advantage program, doesn't it?
> 7    If you can't find time in your schedule to fit in this minor but
> emergency
> repair, what could I expect if something major happened to my new car?
> 7    If you think replacing a fan belt takes 3 hours, what kind of repair
> expense costs could I expect after the new car warranty expires?
>
> Yesterday, you lost an opportunity to make a new customer.
>
>
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--
Jim Bonnet
93 //S4 - H&Rs / Koni Sport / Big Reds
84CGT   - intrax / BOGE Turbo Gas / Money pit.. but fun!