Wheel Balancing - Be Careful!
#1
11-11-2008, 06:42 AM
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Aylmer, Quebec, Canada
Posts: 108
Wheel Balancing - Be Careful!
Was at Donnelly Mitsubishi in Ottawa yesterday. For those in Ottawa, I don't recommend their service. A 2 hour appointment took 5 hours, the service manager is rude and they're somewhat incompetent and they don't know how to make amends for their mistakes. My previous experiences were not so bad, so perhaps I am annoyed right now. However, this one appointment is enough for me to not return.
Work to be done:
Remove summer tires from stock alloys, replace with my winter tires (purchased there last year)
Check 1 summer tire for puncture and slow leak.
Semi annual inspection and oil change
Apply Cold Weather TSB (See this forum, there are posts about this one)
Appointment 11:30
Car in at 12:00
Car is not ready till 3pm
News from Service Manager: TSB applied - Good. Summer tire puncture is on the side of tire, cannot be patched, must purchase new tire. I said I will wait till next year.
Pay for service, drive out, wheels are in terrible balance. Outie shaking like a jack hammer.
Drive back, look inside wheels, no weights taped on inside of wheel. Look under car to view backside of wheel, they've used clip on weights to the back lip. I tell service manager that this is the wrong way to balance alloys they don't have an outside lip as well to counter balance.
Reaction: "Sir, we would have liked to have done a road test, but you didn't have enough fuel in the tank, so it's kind of your fault" WHAT??!! I had 1/5 tank left and what an incredibly rude thing to blame the client.
Take the vechile back in and it comes out at 4:30. Explanation: "We didn't use the right technique to balance your wheels. We should have used weights taped to the inside of wheel" Sound familiar?
Unbelievable. How many times do they balance wheels? Especially in winter season, with everyone swapping tires. Anyway, they're perfectly balanced now. But I spent 5 hours for an appointment that should have been 2. Best the service manager could say was "Sorry" in the end. I would have offered a free oil change or something. But I am not one to ask as good customer service should just do it. My way of dealing with this will be to answer their survey they send out and I will not return for service.
Bonus, I get home, check the summer tire that is supposedly punctured on the side, and it's a simple nail in the tread block. A patch will fix this fine. So, the service manager tried to sell me a tire. Real honest.
My rant! Watch out for the wheel balancing!! Remind them that the stock alloys are balanced with taped weights on the inside. Watch out for Donnelly Mitsubishi in Ottawa if you consider good customer service important.
Work to be done:
Remove summer tires from stock alloys, replace with my winter tires (purchased there last year)
Check 1 summer tire for puncture and slow leak.
Semi annual inspection and oil change
Apply Cold Weather TSB (See this forum, there are posts about this one)
Appointment 11:30
Car in at 12:00
Car is not ready till 3pm
News from Service Manager: TSB applied - Good. Summer tire puncture is on the side of tire, cannot be patched, must purchase new tire. I said I will wait till next year.
Pay for service, drive out, wheels are in terrible balance. Outie shaking like a jack hammer.
Drive back, look inside wheels, no weights taped on inside of wheel. Look under car to view backside of wheel, they've used clip on weights to the back lip. I tell service manager that this is the wrong way to balance alloys they don't have an outside lip as well to counter balance.
Reaction: "Sir, we would have liked to have done a road test, but you didn't have enough fuel in the tank, so it's kind of your fault" WHAT??!! I had 1/5 tank left and what an incredibly rude thing to blame the client.
Take the vechile back in and it comes out at 4:30. Explanation: "We didn't use the right technique to balance your wheels. We should have used weights taped to the inside of wheel" Sound familiar?
Unbelievable. How many times do they balance wheels? Especially in winter season, with everyone swapping tires. Anyway, they're perfectly balanced now. But I spent 5 hours for an appointment that should have been 2. Best the service manager could say was "Sorry" in the end. I would have offered a free oil change or something. But I am not one to ask as good customer service should just do it. My way of dealing with this will be to answer their survey they send out and I will not return for service.
Bonus, I get home, check the summer tire that is supposedly punctured on the side, and it's a simple nail in the tread block. A patch will fix this fine. So, the service manager tried to sell me a tire. Real honest.
My rant! Watch out for the wheel balancing!! Remind them that the stock alloys are balanced with taped weights on the inside. Watch out for Donnelly Mitsubishi in Ottawa if you consider good customer service important.
#2
11-11-2008, 08:07 AM
RE: Wheel Balancing - Be Careful!
Luckily here in Lethbridge our service manager is one of the coolest guys out there in the industryI must say. He managed a tire shop in Lethbridge for a few years and he knows his stuff when it comes to tires. I actually asked him what brand and he showed me a pamphlet from his own briefcase of a tire company i have never heard of who markets tires in some other country but he can order them in. And they are made by Bridgestone or Dunlop one of the two, cant remember. Anyway, they are always awesome to deal with. Never ever have an issue with them.
Perhaps part of the problem is that Mitsubishi has not been in Canada for a very long period of time yet. Maby they need to steal away the talent from some other service shops. Quite remarkablethat a manager would make such a hiteous comment like "you dont have enuf fuel in your vehicle to run a test"
Any idiot knows if your wheels are going to have poor balance you dont need more than a few km's to notice that, and last time i checked the Outie didnt have fuel consumption like a military Humm-vee.
Do you at least have another Mitsu dealer in Ottawa to use instead of this idiot? Or are you stuck driving to Toronto every time you want service?
Perhaps part of the problem is that Mitsubishi has not been in Canada for a very long period of time yet. Maby they need to steal away the talent from some other service shops. Quite remarkablethat a manager would make such a hiteous comment like "you dont have enuf fuel in your vehicle to run a test"
Any idiot knows if your wheels are going to have poor balance you dont need more than a few km's to notice that, and last time i checked the Outie didnt have fuel consumption like a military Humm-vee.
Do you at least have another Mitsu dealer in Ottawa to use instead of this idiot? Or are you stuck driving to Toronto every time you want service?
#3
11-11-2008, 08:21 AM
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Aylmer, Quebec, Canada
Posts: 108
RE: Wheel Balancing - Be Careful!
Nice to hear that there are good guys out there in the dealerships. Actually, there are 3 other dealerhips here in the region. You can bet I will be trying one of them out. Especailly a new one that just opened which claims that they have a new concept in Customer-centric service. It's Rallye Mitsubishi in Gatineau. They claim that their entire approach is to do everything possible to make the client experience better and different from any car dealership.
On top of it all, they offer a library, an internet café, comfortable lounge seating, Plasma screens and broadcast TV, playroom for kids, free shuttles and free car wash. They have an excerise room and showers!
I`ll be checking this out for sure next time.
On top of it all, they offer a library, an internet café, comfortable lounge seating, Plasma screens and broadcast TV, playroom for kids, free shuttles and free car wash. They have an excerise room and showers!
I`ll be checking this out for sure next time.
#6
11-11-2008, 08:43 AM
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Aylmer, Quebec, Canada
Posts: 108
RE: Wheel Balancing - Be Careful!
I was reading about the owner... He's a self made millionaire that started with a small used car dealership. He now owns a hotel, a mega used-car store and Rallye Mitsubishi. He has an MBA and travels through the USA extensively to see how things are done better...
I am sure he has a plan to pay for it all... Hopefully the downturn in the economy doesn't hurt him. On the other hand, it might play well into his hands. If their service is all that it's cracked up to be, he'll steal clients away from the 3 other dealers in the area. That's already an excessive number of dealers for such a small region. Survival of the fittest.
About the Spa (another poster)... I should suggest it! lol
I am sure he has a plan to pay for it all... Hopefully the downturn in the economy doesn't hurt him. On the other hand, it might play well into his hands. If their service is all that it's cracked up to be, he'll steal clients away from the 3 other dealers in the area. That's already an excessive number of dealers for such a small region. Survival of the fittest.
About the Spa (another poster)... I should suggest it! lol
#8
11-12-2008, 09:47 AM
RE: Wheel Balancing - Be Careful!
Took the time to send a note to Maureen Donnelly at the dealership, you might want to confirm my email so she knows we are for real. Enjoy the read...........
Greetings,
Whenever I read about dealer deficiencies I take the time to notify the accused. I have found through experience that indeed more often than not the complaint is accurate 90% of the time. When a customer takes the time to post about poor service on a world wide read Outlander forum it does affect not only the dealership but the whole Mitsubishi organization.
I chose you to bring this matter to light as I suspect your part of the family owned business. I am hopeful you will take the time to satisfy this customer. I am a big fan of Mitsubishi Motors and feel they deserve the respect their vehicles have earned on the road. Bad customer relations does not enhance the Mitsubishi experience.
Below is the original post and the link to the website that this post was entered on. Believe me, there is a "cult" associated with Outlander owners and they have contributed many excellent ideas, recommendations and experiences with their vehicle.
Please do what is necessary to keep the trash dealers off the list as at this time yours one of them.
" Was at Donnelly Mitsubishi in Ottawa yesterday. For those in Ottawa, I don't recommend their service. A 2 hour appointment took 5 hours, the service manager is rude and they're somewhat incompetent and they don't know how to make amends for their mistakes. My previous experiences were not so bad, so perhaps I am annoyed right now. However, this one appointment is enough for me to not return.
Work to be done:
Remove summer tires from stock alloys, replace with my winter tires (purchased there last year)
Check 1 summer tire for puncture and slow leak.
Semi annual inspection and oil change
Apply Cold Weather TSB (See this forum, there are posts about this one)
Appointment 11:30
Car in at 12:00
Car is not ready till 3pm
News from Service Manager: TSB applied - Good. Summer tire puncture is on the side of tire, cannot be patched, must purchase new tire. I said I will wait till next year.
Pay for service, drive out, wheels are in terrible balance. Outie shaking like a jack hammer.
Drive back, look inside wheels, no weights taped on inside of wheel. Look under car to view backside of wheel, they've used clip on weights to the back lip. I tell service manager that this is the wrong way to balance alloys they don't have an outside lip as well to counter balance.
Reaction: "Sir, we would have liked to have done a road test, but you didn't have enough fuel in the tank, so it's kind of your fault" WHAT??!! I had 1/5 tank left and what an incredibly rude thing to blame the client.
Take the vechile back in and it comes out at 4:30. Explanation: "We didn't use the right technique to balance your wheels. We should have used weights taped to the inside of wheel" Sound familiar?
Unbelievable. How many times do they balance wheels? Especially in winter season, with everyone swapping tires. Anyway, they're perfectly balanced now. But I spent 5 hours for an appointment that should have been 2. Best the service manager could say was "Sorry" in the end. I would have offered a free oil change or something. But I am not one to ask as good customer service should just do it. My way of dealing with this will be to answer their survey they send out and I will not return for service.
Bonus, I get home, check the summer tire that is supposedly punctured on the side, and it's a simple nail in the tread block. A patch will fix this fine. So, the service manager tried to sell me a tire. Real honest.
My rant! Watch out for the wheel balancing!! Remind them that the stock alloys are balanced with taped weights on the inside. Watch out for Donnelly Mitsubishi in Ottawa if you consider good customer service important. "
https://mitsubishiforum.com/m_240493/tm.htm
Thank You, Reply requested.
Greetings,
Whenever I read about dealer deficiencies I take the time to notify the accused. I have found through experience that indeed more often than not the complaint is accurate 90% of the time. When a customer takes the time to post about poor service on a world wide read Outlander forum it does affect not only the dealership but the whole Mitsubishi organization.
I chose you to bring this matter to light as I suspect your part of the family owned business. I am hopeful you will take the time to satisfy this customer. I am a big fan of Mitsubishi Motors and feel they deserve the respect their vehicles have earned on the road. Bad customer relations does not enhance the Mitsubishi experience.
Below is the original post and the link to the website that this post was entered on. Believe me, there is a "cult" associated with Outlander owners and they have contributed many excellent ideas, recommendations and experiences with their vehicle.
Please do what is necessary to keep the trash dealers off the list as at this time yours one of them.
" Was at Donnelly Mitsubishi in Ottawa yesterday. For those in Ottawa, I don't recommend their service. A 2 hour appointment took 5 hours, the service manager is rude and they're somewhat incompetent and they don't know how to make amends for their mistakes. My previous experiences were not so bad, so perhaps I am annoyed right now. However, this one appointment is enough for me to not return.
Work to be done:
Remove summer tires from stock alloys, replace with my winter tires (purchased there last year)
Check 1 summer tire for puncture and slow leak.
Semi annual inspection and oil change
Apply Cold Weather TSB (See this forum, there are posts about this one)
Appointment 11:30
Car in at 12:00
Car is not ready till 3pm
News from Service Manager: TSB applied - Good. Summer tire puncture is on the side of tire, cannot be patched, must purchase new tire. I said I will wait till next year.
Pay for service, drive out, wheels are in terrible balance. Outie shaking like a jack hammer.
Drive back, look inside wheels, no weights taped on inside of wheel. Look under car to view backside of wheel, they've used clip on weights to the back lip. I tell service manager that this is the wrong way to balance alloys they don't have an outside lip as well to counter balance.
Reaction: "Sir, we would have liked to have done a road test, but you didn't have enough fuel in the tank, so it's kind of your fault" WHAT??!! I had 1/5 tank left and what an incredibly rude thing to blame the client.
Take the vechile back in and it comes out at 4:30. Explanation: "We didn't use the right technique to balance your wheels. We should have used weights taped to the inside of wheel" Sound familiar?
Unbelievable. How many times do they balance wheels? Especially in winter season, with everyone swapping tires. Anyway, they're perfectly balanced now. But I spent 5 hours for an appointment that should have been 2. Best the service manager could say was "Sorry" in the end. I would have offered a free oil change or something. But I am not one to ask as good customer service should just do it. My way of dealing with this will be to answer their survey they send out and I will not return for service.
Bonus, I get home, check the summer tire that is supposedly punctured on the side, and it's a simple nail in the tread block. A patch will fix this fine. So, the service manager tried to sell me a tire. Real honest.
My rant! Watch out for the wheel balancing!! Remind them that the stock alloys are balanced with taped weights on the inside. Watch out for Donnelly Mitsubishi in Ottawa if you consider good customer service important. "
https://mitsubishiforum.com/m_240493/tm.htm
Thank You, Reply requested.
#9
11-12-2008, 12:52 PM
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Aylmer, Quebec, Canada
Posts: 108
RE: Wheel Balancing - Be Careful!
Thanks for forwarding this on to Maureen Donnelly. In fact, I just discovered that you did because I was referring back to my original post as I waspreparing an email to her myself.
I wasn't just ranting on the forum, I actually planned on contacting Donnelly Mitsubishi.
The posting is 100% accurate. However, I must say, that I have had excellent service from their parts department. The Service Manager is frankly very rude with people. This is what I am most annoyed about. A mistake is a mistake regarding my wheel balancing. His way of dealing with the situation was entirely in his control.
In fact, while I was in the waiting room, a potential new car buyer walked in and as he is oddly the first person you see when you walk in, she approached him for information on buying a new Outlander. Instead of asking her to wait one moment while he paged a salesperson, he looked up from his computer screen breifly, and pointed her to the brochure wall. He then looked back down at his screen and went about his business. As I was there for 5 hours, I observed his smug attititude towards customers as well as staff.
Each time I have been in there, I dealt with him, and he's been smug and arrogant. I usually shake it off as I figure sometimes people are having a bad day. This time was one too many and it confirmed his general demeaner.
He was telling his technicians that we was not paying them for 1.7 hours work, only 1.2 hours for x,y,z reasons on this one job. Whether it was legit or not is irrelevant. He's having those discussions in front of clients. Very bad image this man projects for Mitsubishi and the dealership.
Off to write my letter to Maureen Donnelly.
I wasn't just ranting on the forum, I actually planned on contacting Donnelly Mitsubishi.
The posting is 100% accurate. However, I must say, that I have had excellent service from their parts department. The Service Manager is frankly very rude with people. This is what I am most annoyed about. A mistake is a mistake regarding my wheel balancing. His way of dealing with the situation was entirely in his control.
In fact, while I was in the waiting room, a potential new car buyer walked in and as he is oddly the first person you see when you walk in, she approached him for information on buying a new Outlander. Instead of asking her to wait one moment while he paged a salesperson, he looked up from his computer screen breifly, and pointed her to the brochure wall. He then looked back down at his screen and went about his business. As I was there for 5 hours, I observed his smug attititude towards customers as well as staff.
Each time I have been in there, I dealt with him, and he's been smug and arrogant. I usually shake it off as I figure sometimes people are having a bad day. This time was one too many and it confirmed his general demeaner.
He was telling his technicians that we was not paying them for 1.7 hours work, only 1.2 hours for x,y,z reasons on this one job. Whether it was legit or not is irrelevant. He's having those discussions in front of clients. Very bad image this man projects for Mitsubishi and the dealership.
Off to write my letter to Maureen Donnelly.