Very disappointed and frustrated with Kingsway Ericksen Nissan (Edmonton)

[Purdee]

First of all, I decided to bring my 2004 Nissan sentra into a Nissan dealership because I trusted them to be a professional and reliable business that offers quality services. So I called and asked for a quote. I was willing to pay for their services so I scheduled an appointment for Nov 27th (saturday) for a winter tune up and replacement of 4 spark plugs. My husband and I took the car in on Nov 27th; we decided to wait and started to wander into the show room to check out some other cars. We were planning to buy another car in the new year. We had a pleasant conversation with one of the salemen there about the new car. About 1 hr into our actual appointment, we were told that the car needs new valve covers and that they absolute cannot fix it. They said there's no point to change the spark plugs if we do not change the valve covers. So we took their suggestion and had the winter tune up. We also had to pay for the new valve cover which was about $360 up front so they can order it from Calgary. They told us the new valve cover should be in on Wed (dec 1st).

Later in the week, we got a call that the part is in so we schedule another appointment for Monday, Dec 6th. I took some time off work to bring the car in. I was told it would take about 1.5 hrs so I decided to wait. About 1/2 into the appointment they told me that the part came in wrong but they will order the correct part and it should be in the next day. I thought ok, no problem, i'll bring the car in tomorrow. So I had to take more time off work to come in the next day, Tuesday, Dec 7th. I dropped off the car at 8am; I asked about getting a new cord for the block heater and to call me on the price. The person I asked said he will let me know. So I was shuttled to work. A little after 2pm I got a call from the same person I dealt with in the morning and he told me that the car is done, the part came in the wrong box this time and they couldn't ask me to come back the 3rd time so they went ahead and fixed the valve cover and replace the spark plugs, and replaced the block heater cord. He told me that since the part came in wrong and they couldn't use it they will credit me the money, but I still have to pay for the labour, the 4 spark plugs and the new cord. The labour just happened to be about the same amount as the cost of the new valve ($360). I still had to pay $208 extra for the spark plugs and the new cord. I was really upset that they can't get the right part in after 2 tries, initially they insisted that they cannot fix the valve cover and that we have to pay for a whole new one and now all of a sudden they were able to fix it? Apparently, they used some kind of sealant on the valve!!! Sound like a quick fix to me.
I was also quoted $145/hr for labour to replace the spark plugs and it should take about 1 hr. I really believe I should not be charged for labour for the time they TRIED to replace the valve that was never there!!!

My husband spoke to the manager over the phone and asked him the same question about why they said at the beginning that they could not fix the valve and now they could. The manager said that the mechanic has done this before (sealing the valve with a sealant) and basically told my husband that they decided what was best and went with it. Umm, excuse me, it's my car and I decide what is best for it!!! In the end, nothing was done by speaking to the manager.

I was taken to a different till to pay and the same person I've been dealing with told me that he did call me about the parts. I told yes you did but you called me AFTER everything was done!! I didn't have a say in it.

We even got the "GO card" membership on our first visit hoping to use their services in the future too. I was able to get some point on the "GO" card and when I went to redeem it to pay for some of the cost it was a hassle too!!! It didn't seem like anyone knew how to redeem the points. In the end, it took 3 of them to figure it out. Oh and the attitude they gave me.

I was frustrated and angry. Took my key and walked out. When I started the engine I noticed the service engine light was on. Whoever drove the car out from the shop to the parking lot didn't see the freaking service engine light??? Argggg, so I had to go inside and told them the problem. They took the car back inside to check it out. After another half an hour it was fixed. I just couldn't wait to get out of that place.

When I finally got home, my husband decided to call the saleman that we were dealing with for the brand new car and told him that we decided not to buy a new car from them. My husband was about to explain the reason why the guy hung up on him. So my husband thought maybe it was an accident that the saleman hung up because he seemed nice when we first met. My husband called him back but he never picked up the phone. We decided to call the manager of sales to let them know how we really feel about them and their business.

Overall, this was a horrible and unpleasant experience. We put our trust in them. Now we feel cheated, ripped off and are very disappointed and angry. Whatever happened to customer satisfaction guaranteed? We definitely will NEVER return to this location. We are still going to buy a new car but we will not buy it from this particular location.

It is past midnight and I couldn't go to bed because i'm still upset about this so I emailed the following:
BBB
AMVIC (Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council)
Global TV - trouble shooter

I'm hoping they can help me resolve this problem.

[Dee09]

Oh man, that does sound so slimy. Hope you get some satisfaction, that's terrible customer service.

[Purple_Everything]

Crappy!! Why don't you send the email to head office as well!! Hope it all gets sorted.

[mp4bj6ivian]

complain to media is always a good choice only when they do notice your email. so yes, talk to their head office as well, and tell them you're planning to write to a newspaper

[Kelkens]

I suggest you go up the food chain and complain to Nissan Canada laying out what happened. In these tight times I am sure the head company would be interested in what happened.

If you are still interested in a Nissan I suggest you go to Sherwood Park Nissan..it has been rated as one of the top dealerships in Canada and we know the parts manager..

[Purdee]

Thank you for your inputs. I got an email from AMVIC this morning asking for the invoices on the works that were done. I scanned the invoices and emailed them to AMVIC. I did not think about emailing head office but I definitely will.

[mhk]

Good gosh! What a terrible thing to have happened!! I am glad you reported them to the BBB as well. Hopefully a black mark against them will hurt them. I wonder who the owner is? Are these not franchises? I wonder if you should talk to the owner as well. grr - the new car salesman is also a nasty fellow IMO!

Take care purdee!

[munazza]

that's really a terrible customer service

[Dee09]

I will definitely stay away from Kingsway Ericksen Nissan when I start looking for a new car. Purdee, if you ever have contact with them again you can tell them they've lost 2 customers...

[carmelon]

Thanks for posting.

[Pennywise]

Totally go straight to the top - that was completely unacceptable!

[300605]

good luck with everything and tell us what happens!!
try west side nissan next time?