The power of reaching out

[SlavaB]

Hi bitogers.
Wanted to share a story with you.
Some time ago I've asked here if I should be worried about my wife's car battery, but later have found that my previous dealer has replaced it.
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/5028448/
Recently I went back to the dealer to get some other issue resolved and then I've found this note from the technician on the final report
Aftermarket battery installed which has a loose ground connection at the ground cable does not fit the battery
This note little confused me as it was an autonation-branded battery installed at my previous autonation dealer in CA, and my WA dealer is also part of Autonation.
That moment I also realized that the battery itself had a wrong group size - L4 when it has to be H6.
As I've arrived to pick up the car pretty late, my service advisor left for the day and I had a brief talk with the service's dept receptionist. He took couple of minutes to think about it
and then agreed that this doesnt sound right and suggested me to contact directly their service director about this issue.
And that's what I did - I sent him an email with the battery's pictures and asked if Autonation can make it right for me.
The next day I got a call from the service director saying that he's requested details from my previous dealer in CA on what has happened to the original battery and if they'll gonna cover the replacement as this battery is wrong.
2 days later I got an email from my service advisor asking to bring the car in as my previous dealer agreed to cover the brand new OEM battery.
I'll be honest I didn't expect this to go so well, I guess the lesson I've learned is that sometimes a solution to your problem is one email away and you just have to ask?

 

[Kira]

Plus it's all in how you ask....or who's working that day....or who reads the message the first and intones it....or if they had "an extra" battery around....or just got a credit payment from their battery distributor which satisfied them thus resetting their "generosity circuits"....or the weather....

 

[incognito_2u]

Originally Posted by SlavaB
…….I guess the lesson I've learned is that sometimes a solution to your problem is one email away and you just have to ask?


"You catch more flies with honey than vinegar"

Well Done!

 

[MParr]

What a raw deal on what originally happened. I'm glad it was properly taken care of. Sometimes, aftermarket batteries of the right group number will have a slightly smaller positive post than the OE battery. This can cause problems, as well.

 

[DGXR]

This is how all businesses should operate. Try to keep mistakes to a minimum, and when mistakes do occur, fix them promptly.
Somehow, customer experience and satisfaction have gone downhill just to make a quick profit... nowadays it's quantity over quality.
Very happy to hear of your experience, thank you for sharing!

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted by SlavaB
I guess the lesson I've learned is that sometimes a solution to your problem is one email away and you just have to ask?
Vinegar v honey.

 

[Lolvoguy]

Originally Posted by incognito_2u
Originally Posted by SlavaB
…….I guess the lesson I've learned is that sometimes a solution to your problem is one email away and you just have to ask?


"You catch more flies with honey than vinegar"

Well Done!

A couple months ago I had a bit of an "issue" with a rental car.
We rented a 2018 Optima with very low mileage to go skiing, but I chose a place close to my dt office that would be handy for pickups. If all went well I was willing on making them my new go-to.

When I got the car I had a full tank (as my paperwork indicated). But when I went to return the car I could not fill it past 7/8ths of a tank.
I was confused, as the pump at the station kept shutting off as I tried to continue filling.

Anyway considering I was dropping the car off after hours, I left the receipt of my recent fill on the steering wheel hoping they'd see my attempt to fill the tank (would only take 5 bucks).

Sure enough when I called the next day I was informed that I was charged an additional 40 for not filling it when returning.

I tried explaining to the clerk the situation and she stated that the charges were already on my card and that since it was full when I picked it up, I was expected to bring it back the same.
After this I did some research and it seems that since 2010, many KIA optima and Hyundai Sonata owners have complained about this issue on various models. Seems like it's a common issue.
With this info I politely (boy, that took some effort) emailed the manager of the issue I faced, as well as all supporting links of others with the issue.

Against the forewarning of the desk clerk, the manager authorized the refund to my card.

I'll certainly never rent there again, but at least everything was handled fairly

 

[WhizkidTN]

Originally Posted by Lolvoguy
Originally Posted by incognito_2u
Originally Posted by SlavaB
…….I guess the lesson I've learned is that sometimes a solution to your problem is one email away and you just have to ask?


"You catch more flies with honey than vinegar"

Well Done!

A couple months ago I had a bit of an "issue" with a rental car.
We rented a 2018 Optima with very low mileage to go skiing, but I chose a place close to my dt office that would be handy for pickups. If all went well I was willing on making them my new go-to.

When I got the car I had a full tank (as my paperwork indicated). But when I went to return the car I could not fill it past 7/8ths of a tank.
I was confused, as the pump at the station kept shutting off as I tried to continue filling.

Anyway considering I was dropping the car off after hours, I left the receipt of my recent fill on the steering wheel hoping they'd see my attempt to fill the tank (would only take 5 bucks).

Sure enough when I called the next day I was informed that I was charged an additional 40 for not filling it when returning.

I tried explaining to the clerk the situation and she stated that the charges were already on my card and that since it was full when I picked it up, I was expected to bring it back the same.
After this I did some research and it seems that since 2010, many KIA optima and Hyundai Sonata owners have complained about this issue on various models. Seems like it's a common issue.
With this info I politely (boy, that took some effort) emailed the manager of the issue I faced, as well as all supporting links of others with the issue.

Against the forewarning of the desk clerk, the manager authorized the refund to my card.

I'll certainly never rent there again, but at least everything was handled fairly

Very strange. As an owner of a '12 Kia Optima, I've never experienced this issue nor have I heard of it on the Optima/Sonata forums I frequent. Glad it got worked out for you at least.

 

[Lolvoguy]

Originally Posted by WhizkidTN
Very strange. As an owner of a '12 Kia Optima, I've never experienced this issue nor have I heard of it on the Optima/Sonata forums I frequent. Glad it got worked out for you at least.

https://www.hyundai-forums.com/lf-2015-sonata-i45/590129-2015-sonata-fuel-tank-problem.html
https://www.hyundai-forums.com/lf-2...e-has-issues-filling-their-gas-tank.html
https://www.kia-forums.com/1g-2g-2001-2006-magentis-optima/74572-fixed-unable-fill-gas-tank.html
Guess you haven't been on the forums very long

 

[SlavaB]

Originally Posted by Lolvoguy
Originally Posted by WhizkidTN
Very strange. As an owner of a '12 Kia Optima, I've never experienced this issue nor have I heard of it on the Optima/Sonata forums I frequent. Glad it got worked out for you at least.

https://www.hyundai-forums.com/lf-2015-sonata-i45/590129-2015-sonata-fuel-tank-problem.html
https://www.hyundai-forums.com/lf-2...e-has-issues-filling-their-gas-tank.html
https://www.kia-forums.com/1g-2g-2001-2006-magentis-optima/74572-fixed-unable-fill-gas-tank.html
Guess you haven't been on the forums very long

Interesting, well I'm glad it worked out for you. I did rent a 2017 Sonata once but dont remember any problems.

 

[Lolvoguy]

I agree, I've rented Sonata's in the past since the refresh in 2011 and also never had this issue.
I was just glad it was documented by other users often enough that I could use it as supporting documentation to my claim.