Below I have taken the time to summarize for you exactly what happened in this matter. The situation is detailed in chronological order and following the summary of events I provide you with my position on the matter. I also provide you with the option to settle this matter in a fair and equitable manner. (Please note that all dates are approximate and any variance in time frames does not void the negligence or fraud committed on the part of Jerome Duncan Ford)
April 8- The Ford 150 is delivered to Jerome Duncan service center because it has been throwing the serpentine belt. Diagnosis is a worn Idler pulley it is replaced and vehicle is returned April 9.
April 9- While driving the truck home the vehicle throws the belt again but it can not be returned to the dealership until Monday April 12 because the service center has closed.
April 12- Truck is dropped off Monday with no further contact from Jerome Duncan.
April 13- Tuesday I have to call to find out the problem (no one calls me to tell me the problem). Diagnosis is Mr. Williams we missed the play in the crank. I am told how the play in the crank is caused by the thrust bearing being worn. I am also told that the engine has good oil pressure and no rod knocks so really only the bearing should be replaced and the cost should be about $1300 or I can replace the whole engine for $5000. After asking a couple of questions about my options and making my decision to just replace the bearing based on the tone and presentation of the dealer representative I am told the job would take 9 working hours and begin ASAP.
April 16- Late Friday afternoon (32 working hours later) I once again have to call Jerome Duncan service to inquire about the status of the vehicle because no one has called me to let me know what is going on. After being put on hold for a long period of time I am told sorry Mr. Williams but the crank is now also bad because of the thrust bearing and you do not want to just replace the bearing because it will be ruined again by the bad crank.
I am told now that the cost of the job is $2400 versus the $1300 I was quoted earlier. I questioned the representative as to why I was not called earlier and why they did not find this when they originally diagnosed the problem and he could offer me no answers. He simply reassures me that the $2400 should take care of the job and that I should have the truck back by Thursday afternoon (meaning April 22).
Begrudgingly I authorize the additional work and explain to the representative that I need my vehicle back ASAP because I need it to go to work, but based on the choice of words and tone of the representative I accept the fact that the final repair cost will be $2400 and I will finally get my truck back next week.
April 22- Having not heard from the dealership in a nearly a week I call late that afternoon to inquire about the status of my vehicle. Again after a long period on hold the representative comes on the line and says Sorry Mr. Williams we have found metal shavings in the oil pan from the block and we believe the whole engine is bad. Unlike before the representative does not offer me any alternatives, he just says looks like it is going to cost you $4200. I ask him why they did not call me to tell me this sooner and I get an apology for not calling me. I lose it at this point, I tell him to keep the truck and I hang up. Dealer calls back in an hour and says he can discount the cost of the parts required to rebuild the engine and the new cost is going to be $3585. I figure I already have $2400 sunk into the truck and I need something to drive so I authorize the repairs. I am told one week for the repairs to be completed.
April 29- A week passes and I have heard nothing, because I am very upset I ask my wife Catherine to call the dealership. I get a call from her while I am work saying that the dealership says some of the parts were not exchangeable between your motor and the new motor and we need to authorize another $400 to complete the job. I confer with my wife and she agrees at this point we are trapped. We need the vehicle back and both of us just want the ordeal to be over, so she calls back and authorizes the additional $400 bringing our quoted total to $3985. She is then told it would be another week before the vehicle is completed.
May 8- Saturday I go to the dealership to pick up the vehicle. I am given a bill for $4630.40, which is $645.30 more than what I was quoted on the various phone calls. I inquire as to the difference in the billing and the cashier tells me I have no idea. Because it is Saturday she says the people who could help me are not in and I would need to call back Monday. However, I need the truck today so I pay the total bill of $4630.40 and take possession of the truck. Less than a mile from the dealership the front end of the truck starts making noise. Prior to the vehicle being at the dealership for 2 weeks I had experienced no problems with the front end.
May 10- Monday I take the truck back to Jerome Duncan and tell the representative about the front end noise. I leave the vehicle and hear nothing from them the rest of the day.
May 11- Tuesday I call back to inquire as to the problem with the front end. I am told that I need new front hubs, universals and ball joints. I am quoted $1651.00 for the repairs and I lose it again with the guy on the phone and I tell him to kiss my a* I am broke and I hang up. I later go back that day and pick up the vehicle without any repairs being made by Jerome Duncan.
After the ordeal I began to do some research and I have found from several credible sources that the way this repair was handled was not only unprofessional but also illegal.
Richard Miller served various Ford Motor dealerships as a front end repair and heavy mechanic for 20 years and says I have never seen a repair handled so poorly. He speculates that the repair technician may have been inexperienced or overworked because clearly the metal shavings in the oil pan should have been discovered April 13 because the technician would have been required to drop the pan in order to properly inspect the thrust bearing. I contacted an engineer (who wished to remain nameless) and he also confirmed that the pan would have been dropped on the 13th to diagnose the bearing problem.
Another issue I have is that I was only offered 1 time to inspect the problems for myself. When I was first notified of the thrust bearing problem I was offered an inspection, but from that point forward I was never offered any confirmation that the diagnosis being made was accurate. Also I never received any parts back from the dealership.
I was contacted by Ford Quality Control a week or so following the return of the vehicle as part of a random service quality survey. The woman I spoke with said she notated the problems and told me that she would have the service manager contact me right away. She then apologized and told me that the service manager would help me rectify the situation.
After not hearing from the service manager for days, I contacted Ford Motor directly and was told by the woman there that the service manager would have the complaint on his desk within 1 hour and that I should be by the phone to resolve the issue. Needless to say I have not been contacted by anyone from Jerome Duncan or Ford Motor since.
It is my position that their actions have violated a number of Michigan laws. Taken from the Michigan Department of State web site (http://www.michigan. Gov/sos/0,1607, 7-127-1631_8850_8873-28761—, 00.html)
UNFAIR AND DECEPTIVE PRACTICES
Requirement. The Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Act provides that a motor vehicle repair facility or mechanic cannot engage or attempt to engage in a method, act or practice which is unfair or deceptive (MCL 257.1307).
Prohibited Practices. Every repair facility owner or manager should be familiar with the entire "Unfair and Deceptive Practices" portion of the Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Act and the Administrative Rules. These laws require repair facilities to be fair and honest with customers. Copies of the Administrative Rules are available by contacting the Michigan Department of State's Repair Program Section at (517) 373-9063.
Some of the unfair and deceptive practices identified in the Rules are:
Make, either written or orally, an untrue or misleading statement of a material fact;
Fail to reveal a material fact, the omission of which tends to mislead or deceive the customer and which fact could not reasonably be known by the customer;
Attempt to avoid or evade the law through a contract or any provision thereof;
Allow a customer to sign a blank document relating to the repair of a motor vehicle;
Fail to give the customer a copy of a document at the time it signed by the customer;
Charge for repairs not performed;
Misrepresent the need for repairs;
Perform an unnecessary repair;
Exaggerate the seriousness of a malfunction;
Perform unauthorized repairs;
Fail to perform repairs in the time promised or in a reasonable time period; and
Fail to honor a warranty or to disclose in writing what is warranted, the extent of the warranty, and limitations or conditions of the warranty.
I have contacted the State of Michigan's Bureau of Regulatory Service. I have received the Consumer's Automotive Information & Complaint Kit. Per the kit's instructions I am to contact the manager to resolve the issue and if I do not receive a satasifactory resolution them I am to file the complaint. The complaint is ready to be mailed and will be sent if you do not meet the terms requested at the end of this letter.
I have been a loyal Jerome Duncan customer since I purchased a 1988 Ford Bronco II from the dealership. Since then I also purchased a 96' Aerostar from the dealership and used the service department for those two vehicles and two other Fords I have owned (93' Aerostar and 95' F150). I have spent tens of thousands of dollars with Jerome Duncan and up to this point the service has been very good.
However, I am no longer a satisfied Jerome Duncan customer. This matter has motivated me to exercise all my options in order to recover the funds that have been stolen by Jerome Duncan.
Don
Sterling Heights, Michigan
U.S.A.
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