Back in January I was in the market for a brand new car. I had considered several different makes and models, and had narrowed my list down to 3 choices: 1. A honda Civic 2. Toyota Corrolla 3. Chevrolet Cobalt. Against the better advice of friends and relatives, I purchased a 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt, giving the American car company the benifit of the doubt. I am truly sorry I made that decision! Since I work from home and also own a motorcycle, I seldom drive the car to begin with. To this date, the car has just a little over 25 thousand miles on it. On December 24th Friday afternoon, I was driving the car to my friends house in Auburn to celebrate Christmas Eve. A few blocks away from my destination, my brand new car I had bought less than two years ago, and with less than 26 thousand miles on it, quit shifting into gear, no longer operating. I had to abandon my Chevrolet on the side of the road, as if it were a broken down old peice of junk. Unfortunately, since it was Christmas weekend and most dealerships and customer service stations are closed during the holiday, I had to wait until the following Monday to bring my car into the nearest dealership. After a long & stressfull weekend, Monday finally arrived and I had my car towed to Chevrolet in Auburn, WA. Earlier that morning, I had spoken with Cindy from the service department, who informed me that since it was my clutch that was having issues, it might not be covered by my warranty.in that case, I would have to shell out my own money to fix it! Trying to keep optimistic about the situation, but also extremelly dissapointed in Chevrolet—especially in the quality of their vehicles—I decided it would be wise to at least let them do the suggested diagnostic of the vehicle and find out if it would in fact be covered by my new car warranty or not. After all, with under 26 thousand miles on a brand new car, why wouldn't any major malfunctions be covered? Soon I arrived at the dealership along with the towed car and proceeded to the service department where I asked to speak with Cindy, the lady I had spoken with over the phone earlier. She wasn't available however.instead, I was greeted by a gentlemen named Mike. So far, he seemed like a nice guy. I explained to Mike how my vehicle had broken down that past Friday and the concerns I had as to whether or not the clutch problem would be covered under warranty, since his co-worker Cindy had mentioned over the phone that it might not be covered.in response, Mike assured me with absolute confidence that since there were less than 36,000 miles on my car and it was well under 3 years old, that I had a 'terrific warranty' (his words) on my vehicle and that I shouldn't worry: it would indeed be covered under the warranty. At that point, I felt as though a giant weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I asked him if he was positive, since after speaking with Cindy over the phone I had my doubts, and he assured me once again that any repairs needed would be covered under warranty. As a matter of fact, he also informed me that he would have Cindy call a rental car for me, which would also be covered under this supposed fabulous warranty I have. If only Mike could stick to his own words before getting someones hopes up!
The following day, Tuesday, the nightmare began. I awoke with a cold and as usual it was raining outside. Then I got the voice mail from Cindy, asking me to call her once I got the message. From listening to her voice mail, it sounded like bad news was in store. And it was. When I returned her phone call, she informed me that since my clutch had 'worn down', Chevrolet would not cover the repair under warranty. Whoever heard of a clutch 'wearing down' at only 25,000 miles? When I purchased the vehicle, it came with a so called 3 year / 36,000 mile'bumper to bumper' warranty, which Chevrolet prints out word for word in their new owners manual and on the window stickers of their new cars for sale on thier lots. However, as I've recently discovered, never believe everything you read, even if it's written down word for word. As it turns out, Chevrolet's 'bumper to bumper' new car warranty is a load of garbage! In the eyes of Chevrolet, the words 'bumper to bumper' means everything is covered from onebumper of the car to another—as long as nothing actually breaks down during the first 3 years or 36,000 miles, and if thats the case, then whatever breaks down is not covered! Afterall, if you actually drive the car, even if its just a few thousand miles per year, then shame on you for using your vehicle for its intended purpous! Cindy quoted me $1,000 in order to have the Chevrolet dealership fix my car. I wasn't a happy camper at this point. I expressed my dissapointment in Chevrolet and the quality of their vehicles to Cindy over the phone. At one point, she tried defending Chevrolet by telling me a third party story of some lady who recently had a similar problem to mine (is this type of situation normal for Chevrolet?) I was deeply offended by what I was hearing so I hung up on her. Again, brand new car, barely driven, and to add insult to injury: paid for in cash, not that it matters to Chevrolet, but it matters to me. A few minutes later, Cindy called me back and when I didn't anwswer she left another voice mail stating that 'it looks like we got disconnected'. To my reluctance, I returned her call and this time I informed her of the conversation Mike and I had the previous day. She said she would 'look into it'. Once our conversation ended, I called Chevrolets corporate 1-800 customer service number and got in touch with a representative named Giraldo to file a claim. While on the phone with Giraldo, the Auburn Chevrolet dealership called me at the same time and I let that call ring to voice mail. I gave Giraldo my information and explained the situation in detail. Just like Cindy, he also told me that he would 'look into it'. By this point, I was learning what 'I'll look into it means'. It means butkis. As it turns out, the call I had just gotten was from Mike at Chevrolet, the same Mike I had spoken to in person the day before. From the tone of his voice, he wasn't happy with me. Right away, he started attacking me verbally, stating that I should have known the dealership needed to perform a diagnostic on my vehicle before 'assuming' any warranty coverages. I reminded him that he is the one who not only told me but assured me the problem would be covered by warranty—after I had asked him twice and before any diagnostics had been performed. He then tried to cover his tracks, like most liars and weasels do, by telling me that perhaps it was a 'misunderstanding'. How many times have you heard that excuse? Again, I repeated to Mike the same words he had told me the day before, which upset him further. I suggested that in the future he should not give a customer information, especially when it comes to warranty work, unless he is 100 percent sure of what he is saying. That was the last straw for Mike, however. He then said this to me, and I quote: "So just because I told you that your vehicle would be covered under warranty, doe's that meanwe should just fix it for free?" But wait, it get's even better! Mike, being the champion of customer service that he is, went on to say: "I'll tell you what, I'm also gonna have them install a hyped-up supercharger on the hood while there at it! As a matter of fact, we're gonna just replace all the doors and side panels and provide you with a brand new car!"And what justifies Mike's mistreatment of me over the phone, you ask? Well, according to Mike, I had called Cindy and had spoken to her in an upset voice. Not only had I called her, but I had called her 'over and over again'. For the record, I called Cindy 3 times: call number one was when I first called the dealership on Monday to find out if they could look at my car and she happened to answer. The second time was returning her voice message she had left me on Tuesday. And the 3rd time was on Tuesday returning yet another voice message she had left me that day. Nothing out of the ordinary, but according to Mike, that's justification to bash and ridicule someone. I asked Mike if that's how he treats all of his customers, but by that time he had hung up on me. So I threw on my rain boots and riding jacket and hopped on my motorcycle, headed for Chevrolet in Auburn to speak with theier service manager—in person. I hate riding my bike in the rain, but I made it to the dealership, slightly damp but in one peice fortunately. This time around, Cindy was there and I introduced myself and shook her hand. Mike was there too. He saw me enter and he shuffled away from the area, but not out of ear shot, however. I asked Cindy, loudly enough for Mike to hear, if she recalled me calling her 'over and over' badgering her and hanging up on her multiple times. She looked surprised. "You only hung up on me once", she said, which is true. "Did I call you over and over and harass & yell atyou and hang up on you multiple times", I asked. Again, she looked surprised. "No" she said. "Why do you ask?" "Well because according to Mike over there, " I said "that's what I've been doing all day long. But it sounds like someones lying here then. "And now, Mike decided to approach and join the conversation, condoning me for calling the dealership 'all day long'. Somehow, Mike just cant stand the fact that customers sometimes call the service department more than once in the course of two days. Maybe they should get rid of all their phones and problem solved.instead of debating this ridiculous issue with Mike, I proceeded to tell Cindy what he had told me over the phone, that he was basicly going to provide me with a new car (his words)."Isn't that true, Mike, " I said. "You did say you were going to give me a supercharger and a brand new car over the phone, did you not?" "Oh yeah", he replied, "I said that. And I'm also going to paint the doors for you too. What color would you like." His response blew Cindy (and me) away. Her eyes grew to the size of two big oranges. "You know, I regret ever purchasing a Chevrolet, " I told Mike. "I spent over 16,000 dollars in cash for a brand new car, and this is service I get. Is this how you treat all your customers?" True to his own consistency, Mike replied: "We'll you're not a customer. You didn't buy your car at this dealership, so I can treat you any way I want. I don't have to talk to you." And then he huffed and puffed and walked out the door, but not before issuing me an empty threat for interfering with his day. I accepted his challenge with much enthusiasm, but like I said, empty threat. What else would you expect from a low-life weasel? He was now gone, on his way back to crawl into whatever hole he comes out of each day. Good riddance. At least Cindy was somewhat pleseant to speak with. She informed me that the service manager wasn't there and that he would be available in the morning the next day. And with that, I left, feeling sick to my stomache. Auburn Chevrolet is the worst car dealership I have ever run into and I will definitely never purchase a vehicle from there, nor will I ever purchase another Chevrolet again-period.
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