Poor service

[malagabob]

Booked my car for a diagnostic fault check in to my local Ford dealer a week ago for this morning. I specifically asked was it and could I wait for the car whilst it was checked. Yes I was told you are the first booking of the day.
Arrived 15 minutes early than the time I was told to arrive, only to be told I had to leave it and come back late afternoon.
After complaining that all that had to be done was a plug in diagnostic and read the fault code which would only take an hour at most, and I had been told I could wait, I was given a load of flannel, and I could book it in for next week and it would be first to be looked at. Thats what I was told a week ago I said.But I had to rebook as as I had other commitments that morning that required the car.
A wasted morning a 20 mile round trip using petrol.

[woofgang]

I stopped owning one make of car and bought a different one, almost solely based on the lousy customer service of the first garage and the excellent customer service of the second garage. The first garage has now gone out of the dealership and the new dealer is contacting people begging for their return.

[ubasses]

We always have Ford cars and fortunately live halfway between two dealerships.
We always use the one with bad service to buy the car, using all their errors etc to get a bit more money off or extras added with threats to cancel. Then for everything else we go to the other dealership with excellent service.

[TWR]

Contact Customer Services at Fords.

[chas2008]

Out of interest what were you going to do with the fault code/diagnosis ??
in there defence tying up a technician to check fault codes to diagnose a problem which they know the customer will possibly go elsewhere or try to rectify themselves wouldnt be a priority to them. If the vehicle had been booked in to diagnose & rectify (depending on costs) you may have got a more positive response.
I know people on here will argue the hourly rate of a main dealer against an independant but you need to see it from their point of view.

[mjwman]

Why use a main dealer anyway? Any garage can read a code. Even that will cost more than a code reader off eBay!

[Hopkirk]

How about a polite letter of complaint to the General Manager.

[malagabob]

Chas2008. Yes, if it was possible to repair myself thats what i would have done.
The same as thousands of people. If I was deemed low priority because all I wanted done was a fault check, then that is wrong.I was willing to pay the £90+ pounds for the service. And I had an appointment for an agreed time.

[mjwman]

£90!!
On eBay I have found:
http://www.ebay.co.uk...t&hash=item5887a87313

or

http://www.ebay.co.uk...t&hash=item3376f6c836

I bought one after paying £45 to an independent to turn off the management light on Mrs MJWman's Matiz.(they also said it needed a new catalytic converter but a bottle of cataclean sorted it!)

Nothing to lose. If you need service after, then you will be forewarned.