September 19, 2012

Nissan owner reports deceptive pricing practices at Crown Nissan in Birmingham

Nicole Cross, a Nissan Altima owner, emailed in the story below.  This particular story interested me because like I have previously reported, I personally have had a rep in a Nissan dealership parts department quote me a different price, a lower price, than a rep in the service department.  I reached out to Bob Cruthirds, General Sales Manager of Crown Nissan for comment, but he never responded to my inquiry.

Read her complaint:

——————
Date: Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 9:47 AM
Subject: CONSUMER ALERT
To: bobcruthirds@crown-nissan.com, bjscales@shopcrown.com
Cc: info@centralalabama.bbb.org, Catherine.Perez@nissan-usa.com, tammy.sheets@nissan-usa.com, carla.bailo@nissan-usa.com, vicki.sosa@nissan-usa.com, melissa.ortiz@nissan-usa.com, anna.naraeva@nissan-usa.com, mary.baumgartner@nissan-usa.com, melody.benedict@nissan-usa.com, Kisha.Benedict@nissan-usa.com, dontbuynissansentra@gmail.com

Good Morning,

I purchased a Nissan Altima from Crown Nissan in Birmingham, Alabama in October of 2011. The purchasing experience was pleasant and professional. I have since recommended many friends, family and co-workers to this dealership to purchase their vehicles.

I have had trouble in the past with shoddy repair shops so anytime I have a problem I prefer to go straight to the dealership mechanics to have my issues corrected. Most recently, I realized there was a problem with one of my tires as it appeared low and I was frustrated when I was unable to pump any air into the tire. I called the parts and services departments on Friday, August 3, 2012 to ask questions about the issues I was having and to get an estimate on the costs for repair and time it would take to complete the job. I believe I spoke with a man named John from parts, who told me that I did not need an appointment that day and that I could come right in. He also gave me a price to replace the part he thought I needed from my description of the problem (air valve $118 + tax) along with the price to reprogram the sensor ($98). I specifically asked if there were any additional charges for things like balancing and remounting the tire, which he answered NO.

Upon my arrival to this shop I was shocked when another service representative, I do not remember his name, told me that I would most likely have to wait at least two hours before he could look at my car. Then he went on to quote a price for the repair that was twice what John told me on the phone earlier that morning and included charges for mounting and balancing. This representative also stated that the labor cost was $100 per hour and that it would most likely take at least one hour to complete. Of course I told him what was quoted to me earlier that morning and that I specifically asked if I needed to make an appointment for service and was told to “come right in”. I even gave him the name of the person I spoke with. This representative told me he had no idea who I could have talked to on the phone and that the quote given was incorrect and the waiting time was extensive for that day. I was extremely distraught over the obvious disregard for my concern over the discrepancies between what was told over the phone and what was said at the shop. This service representative never even bothered to look at the tire to make sure the issue I explained was even the problem. I asked to speak with John but the representative would not tell me who he was or if he was even there. I saw another man standing behind the service desk watching as I spoke who never said a word or even offered any assistance. The service representative I spoke with was not helpful, rude and showed a total indifference to my needs or the potential dangers I could face being forced to drive elsewhere on this faulty tire. Roadways in Birmingham, Alabama consist of many hills, bumpy roads and extreme temperatures all causing additional stress and ware of the tires.

Even though it was raining and I was extremely nervous about driving any further I managed to make it to another repair shop. I was shocked to find out that the part I needed replaced costs less than $10 and took less than 20 minutes to install! It is a shame that these mechanics can be deceptive, predators of loyal customers. I am insulted at the blatant attempt to take advantage of me, assuming women motorists do not know better. This unfortunate experience has severely damaged my impression of the services received at this dealership and Nissan as a whole for employing these types of individuals. Needless to say, I will no longer be boasting over the great team and service provided. This needs to investigated further and I intend to use every influence in my power to ensure that something is done to prevent other women from falling victim to these repair scams hidden behind the false since of security provided by a national brand.

Nicole Cross

—————————————-

This is why you:

DON’T BUY NISSAN

BUY THE COMPETITION

——

Changing the world one post at a time.  Dedicated to providing current Nissan owners with information to help them, and to all consumers to provide research in order to help them learn that you: Don’t Buy Nissan, Buy the Competition.

My aim is to give a truthful, accurate account of the four year nightmare of owning my Nissan Sentra and the stress, exhaustion, and anger I experienced dealing with Nissan Corp. and the three dealerships. If anyone I mention here or elsewhere on my blog wishes to email me with any comments on anything I say, or wishes to contradict or challenge anything I say, I will be more than happy to review any comments, to post your comments and then comment on them myself, or remove anything that I find out to be inaccurate.

THIS IS THE THE TRUTH ABOUT NISSAN AND HOW NISSAN CORP. AND THE DEALERSHIPS TREAT THEIR CAR OWNERS.