Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! - Page 7

TwinsPoppa · #61 04-05-2009, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icer006

Unless you've got $$$ wheels and a $$$ SUV, I don't see why those scratches inside the holes matter.

I understand it might not matter to others but I bet it would matter to BlackE32_SilverE53 and others - like me.

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TaMbALoLoNg · #62 04-05-2009, 01:55 PM

Weasel · #63 04-05-2009, 03:37 PM

That must be your favorite pic to pull out there Tamb...

But don't worry Jose, I get things that piss me off too... Just washed my truck and there is a new door ding complete with white paint 1/2 way between the black door moulding and running board in the drivers door. Bunch of savages in this town.

HuskerX5 · #64 04-05-2009, 07:44 PM

I have hand polished the wheel lips on my M5 so keeping them from being scuffed is a big deal for me. (if interested, you can see them by following the link in my signature below)

When I take any of my wheels in to a tire shop, I apply 2" blue painters tape out 4" wide all around the outer edge of the wheel. I get asked "what is that for?" and I tell them it serves three purposes. One, to remind YOU to be careful and NOT scuff my wheels. Two, to act as the first level of protection should a slight scuff occur. Third, it acts as a "tattle tale" letting me know that if the tape is torn, YOU damaged the wheels, and they didn't come in that way.

At that point, they realize I am serious about the outcome of their job and the condition of my wheels. I also have my digital camera with me to document any damage should it happen...and I ask that I be allowed to stay and observe. I discuss this on the phone ahead of time and if they won't let me, they do not get my business.

The "get over it", "its just a car", "better things to worry about" comments are absolutely ridiculous, in my opinion. This type of attitude is what further nurtures the "half-assed" attitudes of some of these tire stores/technicians. Hold them accountable, let them know you will, and believe me they will take better care. Hey, if its OK to scuff your wheels, who cares if your directional tires are mounted backwards, why not only put most of the lug nuts back on, or only torque a few of them....

Customer service is a huge issue with me, accepting blame when things have gone wrong is part of that. I would go into your meeting with the store manager very calmly, don't make a huge scene, state your case and state that your intent to made whole again. If that is refinishing the wheels back to your standards, then than should be the terms. I do a lot of negotiating and believe me, if you start asking for something that is perceived as unreasonable, such as new wheels, when the finish is what is damaged, you lose credibility instantly. Be firm, diligent and don't show that you will take any less than what you request. Further, bring someone with you so you have another person that hears the conversation. This nips the "he said/he said" BS that can occur.

BTW, that "not responsible for damage" sign you may see doesn't hold any water and is designed to discourage you from pursuing retribution. If they accept money for a service and they damage your property while performing that service, they own that damage. The issue is proving if it was prior damage, or incoming damage, hence the blue tape and digital camera.

If things go badly, I have a few coupons from Wheels America for a free wheel repair and repaint, and another few for $99 repair and paint. All you pay is shipping. Our chapter got them as giveaways for our driving school last year.

I wish you luck with your situation.

mtX5 · #65 04-05-2009, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HuskerX5

I have hand polished the wheel lips on my M5 so keeping them from being scuffed is a big deal for me. (if interested, you can see them by following the link in my signature below)

When I take any of my wheels in to a tire shop, I apply 2" blue painters tape out 4" wide all around the outer edge of the wheel. I get asked "what is that for?" and I tell them it serves three purposes. One, to remind YOU to be careful and NOT scuff my wheels. Two, to act as the first level of protection should a slight scuff occur. Third, it acts as a "tattle tale" letting me know that if the tape is torn, YOU damaged the wheels, and they didn't come in that way.

At that point, they realize I am serious about the outcome of their job and the condition of my wheels. I also have my digital camera with me to document any damage should it happen...and I ask that I be allowed to stay and observe. I discuss this on the phone ahead of time and if they won't let me, they do not get my business.

The "get over it", "its just a car", "better things to worry about" comments are absolutely ridiculous, in my opinion. This type of attitude is what further nurtures the "half-assed" attitudes of some of these tire stores/technicians. Hold them accountable, let them know you will, and believe me they will take better care. Hey, if its OK to scuff your wheels, who cares if your directional tires are mounted backwards, why not only put most of the lug nuts back on, or only torque a few of them....

Customer service is a huge issue with me, accepting blame when things have gone wrong is part of that. I would go into your meeting with the store manager very calmly, don't make a huge scene, state your case and state that your intent to made whole again. If that is refinishing the wheels back to your standards, then than should be the terms. I do a lot of negotiating and believe me, if you start asking for something that is perceived as unreasonable, such as new wheels, when the finish is what is damaged, you lose credibility instantly. Be firm, diligent and don't show that you will take any less than what you request. Further, bring someone with you so you have another person that hears the conversation. This nips the "he said/he said" BS that can occur.

BTW, that "not responsible for damage" sign you may see doesn't hold any water and is designed to discourage you from pursuing retribution. If they accept money for a service and they damage your property while performing that service, they own that damage. The issue is proving if it was prior damage, or incoming damage, hence the blue tape and digital camera.

If things go badly, I have a few coupons from Wheels America for a free wheel repair and repaint, and another few for $99 repair and paint. All you pay is shipping. Our chapter got them as giveaways for our driving school last year.

I wish you luck with your situation.

with just about everything you said. That blue tape idea is an awesome idea... i never even thought about it. Last year i went to NY and had my vehicle parked in a garage for a few days, and I asked they let me park my vehicle to avoid damaging my wheels, and they insisted they do it. I told them my wheels had no scuffs and expected it to come out that way. When I went to get my X out when i was done in NY, guess what! curb rash on one of the wheels. I was given a number for a manager, and called on my way back to VA (didn't have time to stay there). After alot of arguing the manager promised to cover the cost of repairs, but ended up lying. I gave up. But for future reference, insisting on parking your own vehicle and blue tape idea may come in handy..

And to further build on the 'its just a car idea';If YOU take care of YOUR car by never scuffing/scratching/curb rashing your wheel, and park at the end of parking lots and do all that crap to avoid other peoples negligence, why would you let a shop, or anyone, ruin all that hard work for you? Its frustrating.. So ya, it is just a car, but its your car, and if your busy taking care of it, why let all that hard work go away so easily?

JCL · #66 04-05-2009, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HuskerX5

I would go into your meeting with the store manager very calmly, don't make a huge scene, state your case and state that your intent to be made whole again. If that is refinishing the wheels back to your standards, then than should be the terms. I do a lot of negotiating and believe me, if you start asking for something that is perceived as unreasonable, such as new wheels, when the finish is what is damaged, you lose credibility instantly.

Husker: Good post. I think the paragraph above is very important. From my experiences having negotiated with customers (as a service manager, but not at a BMW dealer), unreasonable requests absolutely destroy credibility. I had a problem with the post further up that included asking for new wheels, but didn't say anything. I think this is much more likely to achieve a satisfactory outcome.

Weasel · #67 04-06-2009, 02:09 AM

I usually end up getting the tickets for customers as picky as Husker... I have a few customers that come in for tires and request me as I have no problem letting them watch the whole process from start to finish. I have no problem as a tech with that because it shows how much they care about their car and the level of work it receives, and if you are a good and honest tech you should have no problem with the customer watching the work you do as you will have nothing to hide.

TwinsPoppa · #68 04-06-2009, 03:42 PM

Update:

Well, met with the NTB manager and did not start off good. At first, he wouldn't admit they were damaged by NTB and said it was IMPOSSIBLE to be damaged by their balancing machine. He mentions that if this has to go through corporate that more than likely my uncle would be fired.

Anyways, I explained to him about me not being unreasonable and that if I have to walk away and take care of it myself - fine. I'm not about to get my uncle fired. After more debating he changed his tune.

Eventually, he relented and said to take it to a local wheel repair shop they deal with and he will re-imburse me for the cost.

So, we'll see what happens. I'll update again when I have estimates and something new to add.

Damager · #69 04-06-2009, 04:04 PM

Did your uncle actually do they work? If not, I'm not sure on what he would base firing your uncle. If so, maybe he SHOULD be fired?

Weasel · #70 04-06-2009, 06:39 PM

He said in an earlier post that his uncle did NOT do the work.

And Jose, it wouldn't be the balancer that scratched it. It would be the tire machine used for mounting. If it needed to be done your point could be made by simply asking for you and the manager to watch the machine being used on your rim then you could easily point out where the head contacts the spokes.

But at least he agreed to compensate for the damages through reimbursement. And if they fired your uncle who was in no way involved in that repair except for the referral that brought you there to begin with, he could sue them... they were just trying to shake you away from that.

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