No, I didn’t go in there blazing mad or ready to scream and shout. I arrived at the dealership and walk to the plexi-glass window which separates the customers from the office staff. I even manage a cheerful smile.
“Hello, I would like to speak with your CEO, President.”
Happy, smiling blonde girl: “Can I tell him what this is regards to?”
“It is regarding a sale.”
“Can I tell him who is calling on him?”
“Yes, ….MommasWorld.”
All six of the girls seated behind the plexi-glass gasp. I hear whispers of “that’s the lady.” I almost let out a laugh. Wow, they are all afraid of me? Weird.
Blonde girl’s smile and cheerful attitude quickly vanished. “I’m sorry but he is in a meeting and we have no idea how long he will be. You can wait right here in the sitting area until he is finished. Well, if you really must speak to him.”
Great, I am getting the brush off. Just what I needed on top of everything else. I sit for a few minutes but with each passing minute my anger grows. I decide to walk around a bit and get rid of some of this energy building up inside.
Before I knew it I was walking around cars in the show room. Sean (my sales guy) comes up all smiling and super cheerful “Hey! How’s it going?” That is all it took.
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN HOW’S IT GOING?
I BOUGHT A CAR FROM YOU GUYS AND I CANNOT DRIVE IT!
THE REGISTRATION EXPIRES TODAY!
THE TAGS EXPIRE TODAY!
THE WARRANTY I PAID FOR NEVER WENT INTO EFFECT!
THIS DEALERSHIP POCKETED THE TWO-THOUSAND-THREE-HUNDRED-FOURTY-FOUR DOLLARS AND DECIDED NOT TO TELL ME!
YOU SOLD ME A CAR WITHOUT A TITLE!”
As I take a moment to catch my breath I look around me and wonder…where did everybody go? All of the customers ran out of there. The only people left in the show room were sales people.
I think Andrea heard me way back in her office behind the plexi-glass. She comes out to the show room and says this…exactly this
“Because you think you are too good to drive on expired tags. {pause for her eye-rolling} We are going to give you a dealer tag.”
Oh. No. She didn’t!
“Me? I think I am too good?! Too good?! HOW ABOUT IT’S FREAKEN ILLEGAL! IL-LE-GAL!”
Every muscle in my body constricted and I was to the point of actually standing on my tip toes while yelling. I have seen this in movies but never in my whole life experienced anger to this extreme.
A quiet voice from beside me says “Um, you can’t tell her to do that. It IS illegal.” That was Sean, my sales guy. He couldn’t believe what Andrea had just said either.
Some where near the back of the show room a young salesman says to the guy next to him “I think she is Italian. Doesn’t she look Italian?”
“NO! I AM NOT ITALLIAN! IRISH! YOU’VE GOT MY IRISH UP!”
“Dude, she heard me.” And then he runs off to hide in the back with the vending machines.
Ok, now I am really starting to scare people and that is frightening for me. A few of the sales guys and I walk outside. Some are holding on to my hands and some just have their hand on my back for support all the while saying things like… “Don’t let them work you up like this.” “This dealership brings on it’s own problems” “I can’t believe how they so royally screwed you. That is just messed up.”
I walk around the dealership lot and eventually calm down enough to go back in the waiting room to wait for the President.
I am trying to relax my muscles but they are not cooperating. My stomach feels like something exploded inside and then was set on fire. Is this what people mean when they say “bust a gut”? After an hour and no change in my muscles or stomach I decide to run out for Pepto-Bismol. Tony says he will put the dealer tag on for me right away.
Out of nowhere here comes the President. He immediately starts shaking my hand and saying something to the effect of ‘Sorry to keep you waiting and oh, you are on your way out. Maybe we can chat next time.’
Not so fast buster. “No, I am not leaving. I have time for you.”
He reluctantly lead me to his office where he explained everything they have done up to this point is “Normal.” “Nine times out of ten this is how things work out.” Yes, I met the king of stupid. He even backed up his employees saying they were right to tell me to drive on expired tags and registration. “I don’t understand why you think it is such a big deal. This is a minor problem which we are already helping you with.” Yeah, as if I was the one who caused the problems!
I listen to him try to put the best spit and shine on this whole situation and I see that he clearly admits they messed up ALL of my paper work. He also refuses to apologize or make it sound like they were in the wrong…for any thing.
He keeps talking and I keep listening. He looks at me quizzically from time to time. I imagine the thought going through his head was “Why isn’t she smiling and thanking me profusely yet?”
Finally, I have had enough. As I am leaving the President explains that the title and tags are in their name just for a little while. During which time their insurance covers the car. I give up on educating the office staff about the law and how to apologize.
Around 9PM my body is finally back to normal. My stomach is no longer on fire and my muscles have stopped trying to squeeze me to death.
Showing posts with label stupidity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stupidity. Show all posts
Friday, September 28, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Tomorrow I Start My Criminal Life?
Yesterday, I received a letter from the company who administers my vehicle warranty.
Oh my goodness! I have been driving a vehicle for 3 months without a warranty! This needs to be fixed right away.
I call the dealership and speak to the finance department. "Yes, this is the finance department...I am sure they are misinformed. Our warranty guy is out on vacation. Let me call you back. Call me at 5 o'clock if you don't hear from me."
I call Sean, who sold me the car and he says "Gee Wiz! I worked so hard on this deal and everyone else is screwing things up. Let me talk to the finance and title people and call you back. If you don't hear from me by 5 o'clock call me."
Why the title office? I also explained I have a temporary tag and registration which expires TOMORROW! I have not received the permanent tag or registration yet.
Well, 5 o'clock rolls around and no one called me back so I call the dealership and guess what? They close at 5 o'clock! Every. Single. Day.
This morning, I sent an email to the dealership CEO, President, all the department heads, and the Sales guy. Lunch time passes and no response. No emails or phone calls from the dealership.
I am a bit fed up so I call and explain to the dealership receptionist that my temporary tag expires tomorrow. She transfers me to Tracey in the Title department.
Tracey pulled up my file (I am guessing on the computer) and said she is aware of the situation. She explained they are having difficulty obtaining the title.
I am completely STUNNED! Speechless! I think to myself…What?! They sold me a car without actually having the freaken title?! How is that possible?! Oh My Gosh, I have been driving this car for 3 months! Three months without a warranty. Three months I have paid for this car and the dealership who sold it to me doesn’t even have the freaken title! Deep breaths. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Come on woman, Breath!
I ask her how soon will she get the title? Her response… “In a couple of weeks. Maybe longer but I really don’t think it will be too much longer than that.”
My registration expires tomorrow. I cannot wait a couple of weeks or longer. I cannot drive the car without proper registration. What if I get pulled over for an expired temporary tag?
“You will be fine. Don’t worry about it. If you do get pulled over have the policeman call us and we will explain everything to him.”
And then...my head explodes.
In a sort of stupor I say “Are you kidding me?”
Tracey: “No, it will be fine. Just have him ask for the title department.”
Me: “Who should he ask to speak with?”
Tracey: “Just have him ask for me, Tracey.”
I can no longer continue this conversation with her. My mind is reeling and I have to find some dark corner to sit in the fetal position and regain normal heart rate and breathing.
After a few minutes I think I am stable enough to call the dealership again.
This time I ask for a manager.
I explained to Bud, my registration expires tomorrow and the first thing he says is “Why have you waited so long to contact us about this?!”
My thoughts were…Um, excuse me? I thought they were doing their job and I would receive the proper documents in time but now it looks like they dropped the ball. Oh silly me I forgot I was in charge of his employees. I should have kept them in line and on task. Wait, I do not work there. I am a customer.
He said he would pull up my transactions and talk with the title clerk. I explained I already spoke with Tracey who told me “You will be fine. Don’t worry about it. If you do get pulled over have the policeman call us and we will explain everything to him.” Imagine if you will a policeman laughing at me and saying “Here is your ticket. This is your fine. Take care of your business lady.”
Bud thought Tracey’s solution was “That is putting a Band-Aid over a difficult situation. This will not solve the problem.” Really? Ya think? Plus what about me being pulled over for something that is not my fault and so out of my hands? The embarrassment of being pulled over with police lights flashing and him finding out someone other than the dealership and myself are the real owners of this car on paper. Yeah, real treat for me. Cannot get enough of it.
I also explained the issue with my warranty and he said “I am hearing all sorts of problems that should never have happened to you.” He was going to talk to the finance/warranty department but I explained to him the man who handles warranties (right there in the same building as you Bud) is on vacation. Mmm, they really do not communicate there do they? Here I am a customer letting a manager know one of their employees is on vacation.
Bud again..."I just don't understand. They had 90 days, 3 months, to handle all of this and on day 89 I am left in the lurch." In my head I am thinking...Yeah, its all you Bud. The customer, me, would have no cause for stressing out at all. Bud interrupts my thinking process ... "I am here until 8 o'clock tonight. I will get to the bottom of this and call you back. If you do not hear back from me by then call me. Um, they close at 5 o'clock so he wants me to wait until three hours after they close to freak out again. Ok, sure Bud. Do what you need to do. I will be there tomorrow at lunch time looking for my free of charge loaner luxury car that will fit 5 Brownies scouts and two adults.
Ten minutes later Andrea, the dealership controller, calls me. In the voice of lawyer dude in commercials who speaks so quickly you might catch every other word....
It must be programmed in all of their employees to say "If you do not hear back from me by 5 o'clock call me." I suppose their thinking is if it is not fixed by close of business they will try again the next business day.
My head is spinning and I want to scream, yell and stomp my feet! But I don't. Instead my mind buzzes and I start to giggle. Yes, giggle. Then I start to laugh. I laugh at the complete stupidity that I have to deal with having bought a car out here in the country.
My plan is to call Andrea at 11:30 AM and check the status. If the registration and title issues have not been resolved I am driving over to the dealership with the phone number of the State Police and Licensing commission at the ready. If she does not produce a compilable vehicle before my lunch hour is over I will call the State Police and the Licensing commission. After which, I might have to borrow ManSon's new mountain bike to get too and from daycare and work. I wonder how Snow White will feel about riding on the handle bars until I find another dealership and vehicle?
I just called the state police who informed me it is against the law for me to drive my car after midnight tomorrow if I do not have the new tag (license plate), registration and tag sticker. The officer told me to go to the local court house and the local State Licensing commission office to receive something in writting explaining the details of all laws, fines, penalties, etc. related to driving with expired tags, registration and tag stickers. If that doesn't work with the dealership to contact my lawyer. The officer seemed to hint that I would most likely require the services of a lawyer.
Dear Mommas World,
We regret to inform you the car dealership has ignored our repeated insistance that they provide us with the correct information on your vehicle. Last month we gave up on them and sent them the $2,344 check you paid for your warranty. I hope you succeed in your next attempt to receive warranty coverage on your vehicle. Yes, this means you have no warranty and the dealership has pocketed your money.
Sincerely,
Ms.
T.Hought Yadwannano
Oh my goodness! I have been driving a vehicle for 3 months without a warranty! This needs to be fixed right away.
I call the dealership and speak to the finance department. "Yes, this is the finance department...I am sure they are misinformed. Our warranty guy is out on vacation. Let me call you back. Call me at 5 o'clock if you don't hear from me."
I call Sean, who sold me the car and he says "Gee Wiz! I worked so hard on this deal and everyone else is screwing things up. Let me talk to the finance and title people and call you back. If you don't hear from me by 5 o'clock call me."
Why the title office? I also explained I have a temporary tag and registration which expires TOMORROW! I have not received the permanent tag or registration yet.
Well, 5 o'clock rolls around and no one called me back so I call the dealership and guess what? They close at 5 o'clock! Every. Single. Day.
This morning, I sent an email to the dealership CEO, President, all the department heads, and the Sales guy. Lunch time passes and no response. No emails or phone calls from the dealership.
I am a bit fed up so I call and explain to the dealership receptionist that my temporary tag expires tomorrow. She transfers me to Tracey in the Title department.
Tracey pulled up my file (I am guessing on the computer) and said she is aware of the situation. She explained they are having difficulty obtaining the title.
I am completely STUNNED! Speechless! I think to myself…What?! They sold me a car without actually having the freaken title?! How is that possible?! Oh My Gosh, I have been driving this car for 3 months! Three months without a warranty. Three months I have paid for this car and the dealership who sold it to me doesn’t even have the freaken title! Deep breaths. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Come on woman, Breath!
I ask her how soon will she get the title? Her response… “In a couple of weeks. Maybe longer but I really don’t think it will be too much longer than that.”
My registration expires tomorrow. I cannot wait a couple of weeks or longer. I cannot drive the car without proper registration. What if I get pulled over for an expired temporary tag?
“You will be fine. Don’t worry about it. If you do get pulled over have the policeman call us and we will explain everything to him.”
And then...my head explodes.
In a sort of stupor I say “Are you kidding me?”
Tracey: “No, it will be fine. Just have him ask for the title department.”
Me: “Who should he ask to speak with?”
Tracey: “Just have him ask for me, Tracey.”
I can no longer continue this conversation with her. My mind is reeling and I have to find some dark corner to sit in the fetal position and regain normal heart rate and breathing.
After a few minutes I think I am stable enough to call the dealership again.
This time I ask for a manager.
I explained to Bud, my registration expires tomorrow and the first thing he says is “Why have you waited so long to contact us about this?!”
My thoughts were…Um, excuse me? I thought they were doing their job and I would receive the proper documents in time but now it looks like they dropped the ball. Oh silly me I forgot I was in charge of his employees. I should have kept them in line and on task. Wait, I do not work there. I am a customer.
He said he would pull up my transactions and talk with the title clerk. I explained I already spoke with Tracey who told me “You will be fine. Don’t worry about it. If you do get pulled over have the policeman call us and we will explain everything to him.” Imagine if you will a policeman laughing at me and saying “Here is your ticket. This is your fine. Take care of your business lady.”
Bud thought Tracey’s solution was “That is putting a Band-Aid over a difficult situation. This will not solve the problem.” Really? Ya think? Plus what about me being pulled over for something that is not my fault and so out of my hands? The embarrassment of being pulled over with police lights flashing and him finding out someone other than the dealership and myself are the real owners of this car on paper. Yeah, real treat for me. Cannot get enough of it.
I also explained the issue with my warranty and he said “I am hearing all sorts of problems that should never have happened to you.” He was going to talk to the finance/warranty department but I explained to him the man who handles warranties (right there in the same building as you Bud) is on vacation. Mmm, they really do not communicate there do they? Here I am a customer letting a manager know one of their employees is on vacation.
Bud again..."I just don't understand. They had 90 days, 3 months, to handle all of this and on day 89 I am left in the lurch." In my head I am thinking...Yeah, its all you Bud. The customer, me, would have no cause for stressing out at all. Bud interrupts my thinking process ... "I am here until 8 o'clock tonight. I will get to the bottom of this and call you back. If you do not hear back from me by then call me. Um, they close at 5 o'clock so he wants me to wait until three hours after they close to freak out again. Ok, sure Bud. Do what you need to do. I will be there tomorrow at lunch time looking for my free of charge loaner luxury car that will fit 5 Brownies scouts and two adults.
Ten minutes later Andrea, the dealership controller, calls me. In the voice of lawyer dude in commercials who speaks so quickly you might catch every other word....
"Bud just updated me on your problematic status. We are working on the issues. Warranty is being corrected. Something on the form was filled in incorrectly. We here will take care of any tickets, fines you might incur in the mean time. No points go against your license for expired registration/tags. Will try to get an extension on the Registration. The state does not normally issue an extension but I will try to cash in a favor. Any questions? I will call you by 5 o'clock tomorrow. If you do not hear back from me by 5 o'clock tomorrow call me."
It must be programmed in all of their employees to say "If you do not hear back from me by 5 o'clock call me." I suppose their thinking is if it is not fixed by close of business they will try again the next business day.
My head is spinning and I want to scream, yell and stomp my feet! But I don't. Instead my mind buzzes and I start to giggle. Yes, giggle. Then I start to laugh. I laugh at the complete stupidity that I have to deal with having bought a car out here in the country.
My plan is to call Andrea at 11:30 AM and check the status. If the registration and title issues have not been resolved I am driving over to the dealership with the phone number of the State Police and Licensing commission at the ready. If she does not produce a compilable vehicle before my lunch hour is over I will call the State Police and the Licensing commission. After which, I might have to borrow ManSon's new mountain bike to get too and from daycare and work. I wonder how Snow White will feel about riding on the handle bars until I find another dealership and vehicle?
I just called the state police who informed me it is against the law for me to drive my car after midnight tomorrow if I do not have the new tag (license plate), registration and tag sticker. The officer told me to go to the local court house and the local State Licensing commission office to receive something in writting explaining the details of all laws, fines, penalties, etc. related to driving with expired tags, registration and tag stickers. If that doesn't work with the dealership to contact my lawyer. The officer seemed to hint that I would most likely require the services of a lawyer.
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