i'm going to plays devils advocate. i'm going to preface this by saying that i don't believe that this treatment is right nor would i want this to happen to me. As a customer you should receive nothing but a satisfactory service. I don't know you in a personal level nor am i inferring that you are in the wrong in anyway.
The porter's actions and dialog should be looked into and the appropriate discipline should take place.
I currently work at 2 dealerships and can shed some light on this side of the equation. I will admit to you that this does happen in dealerships. a lot of it depends on a few factors.
1. Can the customer complaint be easily duplicated? if no, there's no reason to continue with repairs unless there is some form of compensation (warranty, customer pay, etc)
2. Did you have coverage for component? Are they looking at this for you for free? Techs are paid based on work performed. techs are not going to get to far into a repair if they are not getting paid. Do three of these a day and you potentially lose out on a lot of money.
3. How was your demeanor towards the dealership employees? treating someone with respect goes a long way. Also being a huge A-hole can get this sort of reaction. not saying that happened or that its right but it happens.
my opinion, if you don't like the treatment you received there, don't go back. yes, the adviser shouldn't have make up a story about pulling the door panel and tightening everything. if the dealer wants to make it right, they will. They should! They will most like offer to pull door panel and investigate further. sounds like you may have just had it in a quick lube bay (lube tech is hourly and not qualified, nor do they usually care) and that the adviser came out and tried to duplicate it. unable to duplicate it he decided to give it back to you. in all actuality, it should have gone back to the tech that performed the work as a "comeback" where they should do the due diligence to pull the panel and at least look at all components. No real legality concerns really happened. nothing was stolen, wrecked or manipulated. I don't see monetary compensation like some other posts have mention. the dealer needs to regain your trust. hopefully they work with you and you get the results you are looking for. The dealer is usually the best place to take and service your vehicle. Techs are specialized, trained, and know the product the best.
Being a devil's advocate it completely fine. Let me also mention that I was the floater Service Advisor for a big name dealership I'd go back and forth between the 2 dealerships and helped out a ton of people. I used to also manage a European mechanic shop where I ran the front, as well as performing computer-level diagnostics on BMW, Mercedes, etc. Hence in my signature, that I am also a mobile programmer.
I worked with porters, SM, GM, techs, you name it, I worked with them. So I was calm and was nice throughout the whole transaction. I'm not the one to yell, but I am the one that will back up with evidence/facts for whatever I say.
1. It was duplicated. I had the advisor with me before I gave them the keys. The advisor informed the porter and the advisor admitted it multiple times in the video. Speaker was replaced under warranty and the vehicle is still under warranty.
2. Still have coverage. I know how book time and all that good stuff works. I reviewed the RO and the tech notes. He did put the sticker on the back of the RO with the amount of time it took. So, that tech was getting paid under warranty.
3. Again, I was nice and I greet everyone that I come in contact with. The initial advisor and I talked and joked around. Never said anything rude and I even greeted my advisor that wrote the RO for me the last time I was there. So going back to the tech notes, the tech and the advisor stated that the door panel was opened and tightened, etc.
I mentioned a PCM update in the beginning of the interaction with the initial advisor. I told him I ran a diag on my truck and printed out the sheet. It says there's a PCM update available, hence why he said he'll let the "senior tech" look at it. Told him I can do it myself, but I'd have to pay a subscription fee. Might as well let the tech do it and get paid under warranty to click a few buttons and walk away as the update is being flashed. Tech didn't do the PCM update, as the TSB said there has to be a specific P code for the update to be performed.
