Normally, I am not the complaining type, but I have to say something about what happened to me involving this Chevrolet dealership in the Heart of downtown, Houston, Texas.
In the autumn of I owned a 1998 Chevrolet S-10 pickup with a 5-speed transmission. I had owned the vehicle for about a year when I had noticed that the transmission's first gear and reverse gear were becoming progressively more difficult to engage, although the truck was still drivable.
On the morning of November 13, I had driven my truck to the big post office in downtown Houston to mail some letters. When I came out of the post office, I got into my truck to continue on my way to work. The engine started as usual, but the transmission would not shift into reverse at all, despite repeated tries.
Well, it just so happened that the Knapp Chevrolet dealership was located in the next block, so I walked over and spoke with Mr. Roger Anderson, a service consultant for Knapp. Mr. Anderson wrote up a work order and arranged to have his wrecker service pick up my vehicle. He also contacted a nearby Enterprise Rent-a-car facility so that I would have transportation while my truck was in service.
The problem with my truck involved the clutch. Mr. Anderson kept in touch with me regarding the repairs. When my truck was ready, I returned to Knapp and paid for the repairs with a Capital One card (Big Mistake... I will be filing a separate complaint on them accordingly!)
After I picked up my truck, I did some driving in it. Except for a hollow hissing sound I hadn't noticed before, the truck seemed to operate normally.
Unfortunately, this was not the end of the situation. On Friday, January 3, I got into my truck to drive to work when the transmission would not shift into reverse—the very same problem I'd had at the post office. Well, the repair was still under warranty, so I had the truck towed back to Knapp to find out what was going on. I rented a car again for the day and picked up my truck that night.
A couple of weeks passed. On Friday, January 24, I was driving to work only a few blocks from my home when—you guessed it—the clutch stopped engaging again.By this time, I had run out of patience with Knapp and contacted a rival Chevrolet dealership for a tow and examination of my transmission. I also had to rent a third vehicle to get to work.
The diagnosis was just as I had thought. The head mechanic at the other dealership described Knapp's clutch repair as a "cheap wrench job". He offered to repair it for a cost of about $1,600 (approximately 1/3 of my vehicle's worth). Needless to say, the notion of pouring more money into a vehicle that was becoming undrivable was not very appealing to me. I traded the 1998 pickup in as-is and purchased another Chevy truck that evening.
When I had my vehicle serviced at Knapp, I expected my vehicle to be repaired so that it would be roadworthy again. What I got was a Band-Aid fix that alleviated the problem only temporarily and required repeated applications. I attempted to contact both Mr. Anderson and Mr. Bobby Knapp (President of the Dealership) by phone and by letter to seek compensation for this so-called transmission repair. None of the correspondence was answered.
I am not complaining about the 1998 truck itself. Even with a weak battery, on a 20-degree morning in January that truck started on the first try. I am a Chevy/GMC truck buyer coming and going, but dang that Knapp Chevrolet. Apparently, Mr. Knapp and his employees must think that I am stupid, but I have a brain and a computer (with Internet access, no less).
For those of you who don't live in the greater Houston area, Knapp Chevrolet has been in business since 1939. I don't know how this dealership stays in business when it treats customers in this arrogant manner. Therefore, I am advising anyone in the greater Houston area who owns a Chevrolet (or any other vehicle, for that matter) to not take your vehicle to Knapp Chevrolet's service department.
If the service department is this bad, I can only imagine what a new vehicle sale at this dealership would be like! Perhaps this was a bait-and-switch attempt to get me to buy a new vehicle there. If that was the case, then it didn't work. What's more, this dealership will not get another nickel of business from me.
In summary, Houstonians, do not patronize Knapp Chevrolet or its service department. They do not deserve it.
Bob
Houston, Texas
U.S.A.
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