Nissan

I went to Nissan Glendale In California today with two goals, to have my car fixed for several issues and to purchase a Versa from Glendale Nissan, where I had purchased my New 2003 Nissan Murano in cash.
The experience I had at this dealership has led me to a radical reassessment both goals.
When arriving at 8am this morning I spoke with, let’s call him Luxxxno Carxxx. I explained to him that I had limited time and that I would be near the dealership until 10:30am, at which time I would call to find out what the status of the car was. I also mentioned that I would need to rent a car by 11am in order to keep other commitments and appointments.
I then mentioned that there was a rattle I had had in my car, for which I had come in twice before. The last time I was told that this model of Nissan had an inherent issue with rattling. But the rattle had gotten worse and worse, so I brought it in this third time and I said that I would not want to pay for a problem that had not been addressed properly the first two times I came in.
I also reported that the sunroof was not working and that there was creaking in the car when it was turned on and when the gas was applied.
I was shuttled to a nearby shopping center where I made time until 10:30, at which time I called. Luxxxno Carxxx did not pick up, his answering mailbox did. I called a second time at 11, he did not answer. He called back at 11:20 with not as much as an apology. My schedule was shot. “I was in a meeting” was his answer. “What happened to my request to know the status of my car by 10:30am?” His answer was that he did not know anything yet. That is not the answer why he could not pick up his phone, honor my clear request to at least get a progress report by 10:30am. This was completely ignored. He could not have cared less about my request or schedule.
Meanwhile I called for shuttle service at 10:30am, they said it would be 20 minutes. At 11:00am I started walking back to the dealership. 11:30 now and I walked into the dealership.
Luxxxno Carxxx, still completely unapopologetic and defiant said that the rattle was caused by Front Axels and loose struts, which he quoted over two thousand dollars for repairs. He guaranteed that this would fix the problem. I asked, again, how is it that now this is the new diagnoses and expense when the previous two times they pointed to other causes and charged me for those. Now the rattle never fully went away, it only got better for a small amount of each time and then progressively worse. Now I don’t claim to know what struts and or axels are but he was very clear that these would fix it. He also stated that it was my ‘opinion’ that this rattle was the same as before.
So you heard the rattle? I asked, the car was taken out? He said that, no it had not!
At this point I asked for the manager, which Luxxxno was very much against but I insisted. I was shown to, let’s call him Mr. Arxxxlo, who proceeded to in his words handle ‘two egos butting heads’. He said he would be acting as the ‘mediator’. I resented this representation of the situation. Luxxxno Carxxx was arrogant, completely unprofessional and completely dismissive of my time restriction needs. This was not about egos, this is not an equaniminous relationship. He works in a service industry, his role is inherent in the title. I, at no time was being unreasonable, I simply had asked for consideration. He did not provide service, period. The Manager, annoyed at my questioning of their mode of operations, at one point said, “we are the experts, you have to trust us” I said that as “experts” they are held to a higher standard and if they are experts where is the expert assessment? This Luxxxno quoted fixes for a problem that was not even assessed by taking the vehicle out and then defiantly questioning whether it was the same rattle as the two times before. Mr. Arxxxlo then explained that he was there to work things out, like when a marriage needs an outside voice. I asked him to quit making comparisons to a meeting of equals. He needs to tell his employees to provide the least modicum of service and not blame the customer for misconduct.

I could go on about Arxxxlo’s questioning the two previous times I had come in for the same rattle. I then described the location, the service rep, his name and the fact that he had a moustache which he no longer had. This was the man that had helped me. Arxxxlo was silent. He realized that I had very clear and obvious knowledge memory of my prior visits. He could not dispute this any longer. He then found the paperwork I had alluded to. No apology for the insinuation of dishonesty. But when you are dishonest all the time, you must assume everyone else is too.

Thus he completely divorced himself from the situation, taking no responsibility for neither his demeanor nor his lack of professionalism - by quoting without justification.
Mr. Arxxxlo finally copped to the fact that this Luxxxno Carxxx has a “macho attitude” This, however, did not address the quote for a problem that had not even been determined to exist. I asked that a mechanic drive the car with me in it.
“Don” came out and we drove the car. He promptly heard the rattle and determined that it was a simple matter of stretching out a break cable. He did the work in 15 minutes or so.
Meanwhile I got a quote for other problems the car was determined to have, including Luxxxno Carxxx’s initial accounting of the struts and axel needing thousands of dollars worth of work. I questioned that if the problem was simply stretching of a cable and the noise is not there anymore why is it that I purportedly still need this other work? He had no logical answer for that.
The quote Luxxxno Carxxx gave me was in a separate blank piece of paper and amounted to $3, 900 and change for everything, including the work that had originally been attested to the rattle problem.
He said that the sunroof was from a weak motor and for $806 dollars that would be replaced. I explained that the motor is working but that the mechanism is faulty, could it be sensors? He explained that had to do with electronics, I asked what that had to do with the motor and so then why have to change the motor? – He had no logical answer.
I asked for him to copy the quote.
Upon receiving the official Nissan estimate, the quotes for the work were a total of a little over $1, 000, not $3, 900. Since this was the official Nissan estimate, magically the quote became “reasonable”. I showed Mr. Arxxxlo this and his answer was, “then yeah, I guess we’ll honor the quotes on the estimate”. I said, “how do you reconcile what was quoted to me in a separate piece of paper versus this official quote?” He said he didn’t know, but offered no desire or interest to investigate. Very clever that Luxxxno Carxxx quoted this incredibly inflated price in a blank piece of paper and then redacted by nearly 4 times less in the official quote. That Arxxxlo was not alarmed by this in the least is incredibly telling.
I find it unconscionable that representatives of Nissan, and one of the largest dealerships of your product would have the audacity to act in this manner.
One thing is the nasty, defiant, completely inconsiderate and juvenile behavior of Luxxxno Carxxx, but the other is his inflating prices by nearly 4 times in one piece of paper for now questionably necessary work and then quoting completely other prices on the official Nissan document. The kicker is the Service Director’s Arxxxlo’s dismissal of this discrepancy, obviously pointing to the fact that this is a common practice. And since at this point it is my word against Luxxxno Carxx, I have a distinct feeling that nothing will be done.
What kind of a dealership is this? If you do not take action what kind of a company are you?
From this defiant behavior not only did you lose this scandalous original quote of $3, 900 for questionably necessary work, but you have lost the sale of a Versa for the first of my sons reaching driving age. Who knows how many more cars you have now kept from selling given the future needs of my three other children and my desire to WARN all of my friends about this kind of fraudulent behavior.
The brashness and easy dismissal of all of these facts brought up to the two men named herein makes me wonder how many people they have quoted ridiculous prices to and gotten away with it, how many have been recommended work that was not necessary.
I will make an educated guess that these two men have their salaries based on how much work they bill per month?
This is not about hiking up prices, this is not just gouging. This is fraud.
You have lost a customer for life, with me, my family and my childrens’.

Horrified by this behavior.

Signed,

Former Nissan Customer