Nope, No Dice
Saturn called, and they absolve themselves of responsibility for my car’s engine death.
- They aren’t sure why the rod broke, so they can’t tell if it is their fault. (HUH?)
- We are the second owners of the car, not the first. So basically, we suck in their eyes.
- We didn’t have the oil changes/maintenance done at Saturn. I *told* the woman EXACTLY where our service records are (we have it serviced at the same two places) and that they would be happy to help her. No dice.
I was very civil, calm, yet extremely harsh on the phone about this outcome, and she said she would “document my dissatisfaction”. I even made her speechless for a full 35 seconds (I counted the silence, lol).
I’ll be writing them a followup email tomorrow to completely document my concerns, as well as letting them in on my blog address, just in case they’d like to see one voice in action. They probably won’t care. But it’ll make me feel better. Hey, Saturn, note my RSS numbers and click on my sitemeter. This isn’t just one person talking to an empty room.
At least I tried.
Oh, and the car is now fixed. Heh.
I will never buy another Saturn.
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January 11th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
This sucks, I had high hopes for you (checking lots today for an update) I hope they do see your site and realise how many people have learnt about their car’s problems, through you and how a little goodwill on their part would make a big difference to they way they are viewed. I still think it was worth the call and the follow up letter.
January 11th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
I was hopeful they’d help. I am very disappointed for you. And if Saturn is reading this - I won’t buy one either! Take that!
January 11th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I’ve never owned a Saturn before and don’t plan to now…their products don’t sound too great, and their corporate response to that is very disappointing.
January 11th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
I am very disappointed in their response to your situation. They could have even said they’d help $500, or something, especially since you kept up the maintenance and all. Terrible corporate policy.
I will agree with the other posters - I’ve never had a Saturn, and although I do like their new little sport utility - I won’t be owning one of their products ever.
January 11th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Sounds like you were very prepared. There’s still hope! Especially if you document this, keep on it, etc.
January 11th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
One of my biggest pet peeves in life is poor customer service. I, too, look very poorly on Saturn now. Hopefully they will have a change of heart.
January 11th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
I was hoping they’d help. I, too, will never buy a Saturn.
Really, would it have killed them to throw you even $100?
January 11th, 2008 at 7:17 pm
That’s a bummer. It does feel good to tell the world what horrible service you got though, right? I just wish it would have gone your way.
January 11th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
I am surprised they brushed you off so easily. I would push it, the worse they can say is “No” right? why not take it to the supervisor or higher. I used to work at a Saturn dealership, but it was about 8 years ago before the model you have came out. Generally people loved their Saturns, maybe they are too big for the britches now. Oh well they lost you and probably a good portion of your readers as potential customers when if they even threw you a small bone they could have saved themselves.
(PS I’ve only driven honda’s even though I worked for Saturn!)
January 11th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
That sucks. Try submitting it to consumerist.com. Getting something posted there has helped a lot of people who were being treated badly by companies. The exposure helps, but they also offer advice and post executive contact info if you want to put the pressure on that way (though they suggest that should be a last resort).
January 11th, 2008 at 8:24 pm
I’m sorry they didn’t do something for you. Good job with the followup email. Maybe they will realize you are not just going to go away.
January 11th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
There’s a protocol to follow if you want customer service. The lady told you what it was. Think about it. Saturn requires you to get your car serviced by their own mechanics. They can guarantee their mechanics NOT to where you sent your car for the oil changes.
Everybody wants reasonably priced cars but no one wants to help keep the costs in check. Saturn would be out of business if they fixed problems that were out of carelessness or not following the manufacturers suggested procedures.
So now you know. I am sure Saturn (or other mfg) would stand behind their products if you follow their guidelines.
You took a long trip this holiday to visit relative. i think you said the trip was 14 hrs or so? Did you have a mechanic look at the car before you left? Check the fluids, etc? Do you change your oil every 3000-5000 miles? I think the answer to that is no. But I could be wrong. Sounds like your car broke down after this long trip. Perhaps the long trip did some damage?
Well, anyway, your car is fixed. By Saturn. Let’s see what happens. I think it was great that they offered an interest free repair loan.
January 11th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Taking this point by point…
>They aren’t sure why the rod broke, so they can’t tell if it is their fault. (HUH?)
I’m stumped here as well. If they can’t prove you broke it, it’s a defect.
>We are the second owners of the car, not the first. So basically, we suck in their eyes.
What’s the warranty situation on the car? Most factory warranties transfer to the new owner as long as the vehicle wasn’t used in a fleet.
>We didn’t have the oil changes/maintenance done at Saturn. I *told* the woman EXACTLY where our service records are (we have it serviced at the same two places) and that they would be happy to help her. No dice.
That’s pure BS. The manufacturer cannot require that you have them do oil changes or any other maintenance. As long as you can document that you had oil changes done at the recommended intervals using an oil which meets the manufacturer’s specifications, they can’t deny any warranty claim on the grounds you were quoted. Cite the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act of 1973.
Go to the oil change places and get the documentation yourself. I think this person was blocking you because you were asking her to get documentation that you should be able to provide to her.
Assuming that you’re still covered under a warranty, you’re getting jerked around here (and I hate to suggest this, but since it’s happened to my wife, I’ll say it - they’re probably feeding you crap and hoping you’ll buy it because you’re a woman).
Time to go up the chain of command. Service manager, then dealer management, then regional Saturn/GM reps.
January 11th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Harry -
They didn’t offer an interest-free repair loan. they let us be approved for their branded credit card that has a 90 days same as cash offer on it. Big difference. We have great credit, we can get a credit card. they weren’t doing us any favors.
I was not careless, and I followed procedures. My car was serviced by ASE certified mechanics and the oil was changed at the recommended intervals, and all recommended mileage services were performed. This can all be documented. We only ever took it to two specific places - the dealer I bought the car from, and GoodYear to get new tires and tire rotations. In fact, my manual said 6,000 miles for oil changes, and yet I did it at ~4,000. Do you really think I’d be telling them that their car shouldn’t have died if I wasn’t keeping up the maintenance?
Yes, the car was serviced just before it left for the trip. and then again when it came back. in fact, it had an oil change the DAY BEFORE it committed vehicle-icide.
I’m just curious… do you work for GM? Or Saturn? Tell them I’m mad
Andy - who I talked to was the regional Saturn rep. The car is not under warranty any longer - the warranty is 6 years and 100,000 miles and it is 7 years old. Under 100,000 miles, but it has to be both. I didn’t expect them to pay for the complete repair. But I did expect them to not be so crazy about it. their reasoning made me more mad than the not admitting any culpability.
January 12th, 2008 at 12:05 am
Sorry to hear about that. I’ve never owned a Saturn although I have heard decent things about them (well, at least until GM kind of reabsorbed them in the last few years). I’ve only bought Toyota for quite some time now (although I would consider some other brands) and been very happy with the quality–although I do pay for it.
(Caveat–I am a Toyota stockholder
-
Ryan
http://uncommon-cents.net/
January 12th, 2008 at 12:46 am
@ Harry: the credit card wasn’t even through Saturn, but through the local dealership chain.
January 12th, 2008 at 1:36 am
I am really sorry to hear that they basically blew you off but I can’t say that I am surprised. They weren’t very sympathtic with us either when our transmission died because of THEIR vehicle defect.
I hope that you don’t have another problem like this again. Time to start saving money for a new car, if you haven’t started already. You never know what will happen to it next.
January 12th, 2008 at 9:21 am
I’d call the regional Saturn/GM rep. Get their phone number through your dealer. Ask to meet with them in person the next time they are in the area. Show up prepared, with service records. State your case and ask that Saturn pay for the repair in full.
Don’t make it sound like a threat, but be sure to mention the blog posts on this subject and you number of readers. Good Luck.
January 12th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Sorry, I didn’t realize that WAS the regional rep you spoke with. I guess my advice was worthless.
January 12th, 2008 at 3:40 pm
I will not be buying a Saturn, either!
Unfortunately, Saturn isn’t the only company with bad service. I used to have a credit card with Sunoco. A co-worker had a situation where charges made by another person with the same name were charged to her Sunoco account instead! The worst part of it was that they would not remove the past charges and were not helpful in resolving the situation, despite her many calls and letters.
I called customer service at Sunoco and told them that my co-woker was having trouble, and if her situation was not resolved in a month, I would be calling back to close my account.
Unfortunately, her situation was not resolved in that time, so I wrote to Sunoco explaining the situation and closed my account. Now I keep only credit cards affiliated with my bank, and I top up my car at Marathon stations.
January 12th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
I hope Saturn is reading because I’m one more voice saying that this colors my opinion of the brand.
March 7th, 2008 at 1:50 am
I hadn’t heard good things about Saturn either and this confirms it. BOOO to them.