Extremely poor workmanship and service...

JayD · 18-01-2008, 10:19 AM

I recently was offered a job in Qld, and decided to make the move from Vic. As I will be getting a new company car, we only had the WQ Zetec to get the four of us, and the Labrador to Qld, so decided to have a towbar fitted to hld a dog box and few extras.
Took the car to Harrisson Ford, Melton Vic for the work, and thats when the dramas began.
1st, the towbar was quoted as 500 bucks, over 100 more than anywhere else, but due to the Xmas break was willing to cop this extra expense. We were short on time, with our departure time less than a week away, but had given them over a weeks notice to order the bar, and complete the service in the day. Dropped off the Fez at 8am, told to pick up at 5. Had a phone call at 3pm, saying towbar hadn't arrived, and they needed the car for another day. I agreed, took the car home that night as my wife had to work night shift, and returned it at 7.30 am the following morning. I called around lunchtime to be told the car was ready, and went to pick it up.
Arrived to find towbar fitted with no towball. After discussing this with the salesman, and suggesting that for 500 big ones surely a ball should be included, he spoke with the spares guy who was pretty sure it wasn't included and I would have to pay for it. (on my receipt it says tow pack, including wiring harness and chrome ball!!) Eventually I was handed the tow ball, ( a cheap no name branded one mind you) and left to fit it myself.
When I got home and went to put the ball on, I noticed a heap of scratches on the rear bumper, that certainly weren't there before. It looks to me like the bumper has been thrown on rough concrete. Also noticed the round 7 pin plug had just been self tapper screwed to the plastic bumper, pretty crappy. I rang Harrison ford again, and they asked to bring the car in to have a look. They were adament that their guy couldn't have possibly done it, but out of the goodness of their heart, they would repair it. Oh, how generous, seeing as how they did it!!
They said they would need the car for a day and a half, and, although extremely inconvenient, said it would be ok provided they gave me a replacement vehicle. (wife was still working). They gave me an old EL Fairmont, which stunk of cigarette smoke, had 250,000kms and drank fuel like a kenworth. If this is what a fairmont ends up like after 10 years, I certainly will never be buying a new one!!
Dropped the car off at 5pm, rang after lunch the next day to be told it wouldn't be ready till the following day at lunchtime. I picked the car up, the service guy didn't even leave his desk, and drove home.
Although the scratches had indeed been repaired, the car was covered in white spots. I was informed by my neighbour that it was cutting compound from where they had polished the repair. Upon opening the rear hatch, found the same polish spots on the inside of the door, on the carpet and the roof lining. I went back into Ford (runing short of time, leaving tomorrow) to be told by the service manager, that they had repaired the damage in good faith, he didn't believe they had caused the damage in the first place, and basically I should be happy with what I got. He said he'd take it around the back and have it cleaned, and I told him I didn't want his butchers touching my car again.
I left, fuming, and went home to pack up to leave.
The towbar is rated at 500kg unbraked, with a 50kg ball weight, and I spent quite a bit of time to get the ball weight right using the bathroom scales.
The following morning we left. Had no problems until I took over the driving from my wife, just north of Sydney, at the bottom of the hills on the Newcastle freeway, after my wife had been saying the trailer 'was feeling different' on the car, and seemed to be knocking around more. Upon inspection, I found that one of the two goose neck mount bolts was gone, and the goosneck was at a 45 degree angle to the car! I removed the trailer to find the second mount bolt loose enough to be able to rotate the goose neck left and right around 90 degrees. The only thing stopping the thing from smacking into the bumber was the gouge the tow bar mount was making in the gooseneck! My wife immediately rang the Harrison Ford Service manager to be told they always used the same towbar guy, and he had never had this trouble before. Basically, it's your problem luv. My wife was extremely angry, consiering the roads we had just travelled for the last 100 kays or so, and she realised that if the second bolt had let go it could have been the end!! I managed to find some helpful assistance at BJ Howes Metaland at Charmhaven, who provided replacement bolts, along with the socket and ratchet to fit them...thanks. After tightening them properly, they did not come loose for the rest of the trip.
I'm pretty sure that Harrison For would have needed to remove the gooseneck to remove the rear bumper to complete the repairs on the scratches. I beleive that the person who refitted the gooseneck did not tighten the bolts to the required torque! I know the bolts were tight initially because I checked them when I initially fitted the tow ball. I unfortunately did not re check them after the bumper repair...should I have to???!!

I believe the service and especially the verbal responses from the service manager at Harrisson Ford in Melton, Victoria, are extremely poor, and I'm glad I will no longer be living in the local area and be needing someone to service my Fiesta Zetec. I love the car, and have always loved my Fords, but this sort of experience tends to leave a foul taste in my mouth. I will certainly be looking a little wider when it comes time to purchase my next new car.

Thanks for reading my rant...

Jay D

Kariharnett · 18-01-2008, 07:12 PM

I'm speechless.

FlaminFiesta · 19-01-2008, 12:17 AM

i had the same sort of experience, ford should cut commissions in half for dodgy service centres!!!

Smoke Pursuit · 19-01-2008, 12:27 AM

Have had a bad bad experience with Harrison Ford Melton! We bought a company car off them 3 months ago which was one of the last of this particular car left in the country, it was delivered dirty, with damage and parts missing off it! I couldnt believe it and took it up with the dealer principal, eerything i said he said was BS and that the predelivery staff would have checked the car over and made sure it was 100% before it left!

Dont ever deal with harrison ford melton! or their ****y little branch down the road for that matter.

mik · 19-01-2008, 01:01 AM

thats very unfortunate, i could imagine fitting the towbar being a sod of a job and would be difficult to work on a painted bumper without damaging , but they should own up to damage and the tongue coming loose is very slack, lucky you caught it.

robjh80 · 19-01-2008, 12:36 PM

Sorry to read about your bad experience Jay, that could have ended very nasty indeed.

Just off topic a touch, has anyone got any recomendations for Ford Dealers in Brisbane so that both Jay, myself and anyone else reading can avoid such shoddy work like this?

GRT046 · 19-01-2008, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robjh80

Just off topic a touch, has anyone got any recomendations for Ford Dealers in Brisbane so that both Jay, myself and anyone else reading can avoid such shoddy work like this?

Since my move to Brisbane some 5 years ago I have had my servicing and some other maintenance done at Torque Ford Redcliffe now relocated to North Lakes and have been happy with the service.

Have recently purchased a Mondeo from their Brendale Branch and other than a mixup with expected delivery date all went well

atec77 · 19-01-2008, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayD

I recently was offered a job in Qld, and decided to make the move from Vic. As I will be getting a new company car, we only had the WQ Zetec to get the four of us, and the Labrador to Qld, so decided to have a towbar fitted to hld a dog box and few extras.
Took the car to Harrisson Ford, Melton Vic for the work, and thats when the dramas began.
<SNIPPAGE>
I believe the service and especially the verbal responses from the service manager at Harrisson Ford in Melton, Victoria, are extremely poor, and I'm glad I will no longer be living in the local area and be needing someone to service my Fiesta Zetec. I love the car, and have always loved my Fords, but this sort of experience tends to leave a foul taste in my mouth. I will certainly be looking a little wider when it comes time to purchase my next new car.

Thanks for reading my rant...

Jay D

Accepting this writing as being accurate suggests you should have a long chat to Ford , certainly they have reasons to address your concerns as it's struggle to sell cars and this sort of thing wont be a solitary incident .

Kariharnett · 19-01-2008, 08:45 PM

if you look at the ford website and go to fiesta accessories the tow pack shows in the picture a shiney ball. that soiunds so dodgy i love my ford dealership in townsville they really go out of there way for me.

Fairmont4 · 08-09-2008, 10:50 PM

Jayd , i know where you are coming from and definately call or write to Ford in broadmeadows as i have had a bad experience with another Dealer In bundoora (sterling Ford (formely Costanzo ford)

reece1 · 08-09-2008, 11:09 PM

it seems to be the norm more and more these days.once you pay thats it. i feel your pain.

JayD · 09-09-2008, 08:31 PM

Yeah, it's discraceful as far as I'm concerned. It's a shame, as the little Fez is such a good little car. Apart from the towbar mishap, it hasn't given us any drama's, and its Ford dealer service that is crap, not the vehicles. That said, my new company car is a Suzuki Grand Vitara, and it had a horrible noisy clunk in the front end when changing directions. Long story short, it turned out to be a sway bar bush, but Suzuki kept telling me it was normal. In fact, when I took the mechanic for a drive to show him the noise, and reefed the wheel from left to right, "clunk" he said to me that as it wasn't 'normal' driving, it wasn't a problem. In the end, they found the problem and fixed it, but it took three months for them to sort it out. So I guess most dealers just want your money, then you're just a number. So its not just Ford!!