My name is Josh, I am a young professional who set out to buy a new vehicle in pursuit of comfort, reliability and quality. I unfortunately received non of the above. In my experience, I have realized that we as consumers of new automobiles in Canada are at the will of Large Corporations that do not care about their customers and simply "live for the bottom line". I HAVE HAD ENOUGH! It is time for us to stand up and say "NO MORE" and demand North American Automakers take customers seriously! We need to have "Lemon-Laws" throughout all provinces and territories to protect our rights! PLEASE "FRIEND" THIS PAGE AND SEND IT TO AS MANY CONSUMERS AS YOU CAN. GET THE WORD OUT TO FORD AND ALL OTHER MANUFACTURERS THAT THIS WILL NO LONGER BE TOLERATED! Please Read My Story Below: 6 months of "auto-hell" at Alberta’s Oldest Ford Dealership!! During its 96-year history, Maclin Ford has won more than its share of accolades – one of the most rewarding of which is being recognized as a leader in customer service. In fact, in 2007, Maclin Ford ranked higher than any other Ford dealer in Calgary for customer service, measured by customer ratings of new vehicle sales and service satisfaction. This is very impressive being that Ford founder, Henry Ford himself lived on the notion that customer service was of the utmost importance to successful business, famously stating: “It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages.” Recently, the quality of product and service has seriously come into question with regards to the dealership established in 1917 for one customer. I received a brand new 2013 Ford Escape the last week of October 2012. I was greatly satisfied with the sales service that I and my wife received and was very excited to get into my vehicle which was to be a “cut above” the vehicles I had owned in the past and “built for living and engineered to last”. The first month of ownership was a dream; the small-SUV drove great and handled the late-fall chills with ease. In early December the “honeymoon-ownership” turned for the worse, beginning 6 months of “automotive-hell” for myself and family. I, much like 90,000 other Ford Escape and Fusion drivers in Canada received a recall notice under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act of Canada (this was the 5th recall for the Ford Escape during the period of July 2012-December 2012). The problem related to: a risk of “engine overheating which could lead to fluid leaks that may come into contact with the hot exhaust system, resulting in a fire.” (Ford Motor Company December 7, 2012) Drivers were instructed to contact the dealership as soon as possible to make arrangements for alternative transportation. I followed the instructions and brought my car into the dealership. I was instructed that a “fix” was in the works and that it would probably be a “software” adjustment that could take approximately a day in the service department. I was instructed to take my vehicle home as it was “drivable” within the city and made an appointment for the following week to have the issue repaired. When I brought the car in for the recall service on December 27th, I was given a rental vehicle as it was discovered that my Escape had coolant leaking from behind the catayst converter from the block heater. Over my holiday vacation, I drove a Ford F-150 rental, as my vehicle was not ready and back to me until January 11th. I remained optimistic about my vehicle and its reliability and was confident that the small-SUV was now “ready to roll” again. Often new vehicles are recalled for one reason or another, especially newly designed models of lines such as the new 2013 Escape. I fell back in love with my vehicle and enjoyed every minute with it despite one “small” hiccup. Upon delivery of the vehicle following the recall servicing, I noticed that the driver’s side windshield-wiper was malfunctioning slightly. It would skip and leave a vertical streak of water during rain or condensation. I thought it was a minor inconvenience and wished to remain in my vehicle. I called the dealership to make sure and was instructed that it was probably a “WD-40” kind of issue and that it could wait until my regularly scheduled service appointment in April. I decided to wait and live with the “minor inconvenience”. Little did I know that the problem was a foreshadowing of things to come. On April 13th, I brought the vehicle into the Maclin Ford Service department for its first scheduled “Oil/Filter Change and 99 Point Inspection”, and to have my winter tires changed for the upcoming summer months. It was also a time for the “simple-fix” of the windshield-wiper issue from earlier. The “check up”/”Vehicle Report Card”, came back successful except for the windshield-wiper that continued to skip. The service department representative alerted me that the issue was not going to be a “quick-fix”, as previously thought. It was something mechanical that would require a day of servicing. I was quite aware of what that meant and became slightly frustrated but decided to schedule a service appointment for another day. Before the service appointment could even be scheduled, I was driving to work in the Crossover-SUV northbound on Deer Foot Trail (HWY.2). I entered onto the highway and was accelerating from 80-100kmph in the centre lane of three. Suddenly, the car lost all power. I pushed the gas pedal but the vehicle was not responding. Quickly losing speed, another vehicle narrowly missed My SUV and had to swerve into the far-right lane to avoid a collision putting my life and the lives of others in danger. I was able to get the car safely from the middle lane to the right-hand shoulder where the vehicle came to rest (just South of the 32nd Ave. overpass). I tried numerous times to restart the vehicle but it would not turn over. The electrical instruments in the car appeared to be working fine (radio, air conditioning, hazard signals). I used the “My Ford Touch” phone application to call Ford Road-Side Assistance for a tow to the dealership. I also called my place of work and explained that I would need someone to cover the classes I was scheduled to teach as I was once again having car troubles and would not be in on time. I waited at the side of the busy highway for a flatbed. The 5 month-old vehicle with 7991 km on it was lifted from the side of the road and dropped off at a familiar location…The Maclin Ford Service Centre. I was now not only frustrated but also scared of what might have happened during the “break down” but chose to wait and see what was actually determined through the routine diagnostic tests before reacting hastily. The following two days would be an “eye opening” experience for me as I was shuttled to a train station and given a transportation ticket for the C-Train to get to my school (Maclin Ford is located in SE Calgary, my school is located in the deep NE). I was not overly shocked to hear from the Service Representative that the car would need to be in overnight and that I would be contacted when more information was available. I asked about a loaner vehicle and was told that the dealership was applying for assistance from Ford for a rental vehicle. I proceeded to take the train/bus combination to work the following 2 days awaiting word on my “new” vehicle’s condition. I was thrown into disbelief when I heard the results of the diagnostic tests. The SUV was pushed into the shop, as it had no ability to turn over due to lack of compression. There was 0PSI across all the cylinders of the engine and a “scope” showed that all four pistons had damage to the tops of them from valves “hitting them”. My vehicle would require a “long bloc” due to the damage to the pistons and all valves, as they were “bent”. The engine was disassembled to determine the cause of the valve/piston contact. Revealed when the engine mount and timing cover were removed was that the crank was “dead” and that the centre CAMshafts were out approximately two teeth on the timing belt. At this point, Ford Canada approved the “New” Long Block Assembly and granted Maclin Ford the ability to give me a rental vehicle. I remained in the rental vehicle until May 17th when I received the following message from my service department agent: The SUV was ready for pick up and that the following work had been done on my “new” and “reliable” SUV. -Reinstalled the engine mount -Right CV axle and support along with the right tire were removed for a timing check -Flex Plate was taken out and replaced - Damaged Fly Wheel was replaced -Installed a new TSTAT -Installed a new Block Heater, Exhaust and Turbo, all pulleys, wire harness, A/C and alternator -The engine was mated to the transmission -Car was tested for 10 plus KM and successfully ran to the operating temperature The service department agent seemed happy with the progress but there was more bad news to report: The car was ready for pick up BUT the Air Conditioning was no longer functioning. I began to become very frustrated because I remembered, while I was waiting for a flatbed on the side of hwy. 2, the air conditioner was one of the only things in working condition. The agent informed me that he would need to bring in the vehicle again for a day when the A/C line parts were available for installation. I was very frustrated with the fact that I would have no A/C, but in hopes of gaining some confidence in my vehicle, I would pick it up and drive it again without A/C. I dropped off my “adopted” Ford Escape to the rental car company and headed back to the Maclin Ford Service department to pick up my vehicle. I arrived at the Service department and was greeted by my agent. My SUV was pulled into the waiting area and I shook hands with the agent to be on my way home. Upon sitting down in his car, I noticed that there was now a decent-sized “chip” in my windshield that was not present when the vehicle was towed to the service department. I knew not to drive the vehicle off the lot and quickly alerted the service agent of the chip. The agent identified that the chip was indeed not present at the time of tow. I was now seeing “red” as, figuratively speaking; the “final stone” had been cast into my windshield with regards to my satisfaction and confidence in Maclin Ford. What made me extremely angry was that, had I driven off the lot without noticing, the chip would have become my responsibility and I would incur the repair bill. The service agent explained to me that the chip could have taken place during the engine installation or during the test drive. It was decided that the vehicle would once again remain in the hands of the Maclin Ford Service department to fix the windshield. I was granted a loaner vehicle from Maclin Ford that I drove for 10 days while the windshield was repaired and A/C line was fixed. All faith in the vehicle was lost at this point. I bought the Ford Escape with the impression that it would bring reliability, performance and would “Go Further” (stealing the slogan adopted by Ford in January of 2012). What I got was inconvenience, hassle, lack of safety and, some might argue incompetency on the part of my “trusted” dealership, manufacturer and service department. I approached the dealership with regards to help on the matter and explained my frustrations to the “acting sales manager” during the May long weekend. After hearing my story, the “acting sales manager” told me that I should meet with the “head dealership” manager when he was back from vacation. I was told to be at the dealership at 8:30 two days later. I arrived promptly at the dealership with hopes of help. I waited and waited, the manager never did show up to speak with me. Countless times, the receptionist and service agents told me that I could come back. I refused and remained in the service department waiting area. Frustrated and angry, I was finally approached to join the Service Department Manager in his office. I once again explained my situation and pages of service records on the 5-½ month-old vehicle. I expressed that I would like “what I paid for”, a new reliable and safe vehicle. I was told that Ford’s policy was to fix vehicles rather than replace them. I stayed firm to my stance and agreed with the service manager that CAMVAP might be the route necessary to solve my vehicle woes (Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Board). I was frustrated by the fact that Alberta does not have a “Lemon-Law” which is presently in place in many U.S. states to protect consumers from this type of situation. The service manager assured me that my case would be brought to Ford Canada and that he would personally see what could be done to help out. I went home and began to check databases and press releases to see if the promise of “possible help” from Ford Canada would be something I could hang my hat on as hope. I was encouraged by a news story featured on his local (Calgary) CTV affiliate about a gentleman who also owned a 2013 Ford Escape that had transmission problems. The dealership (after 4 unsuccessful attempts) stated that they “wanted to see a happy customer” and granted the gentleman a new vehicle. Link to the article and corresponding news report: (can be seen on the post in my time line below) All I was asking for was the same treatment, customer service and dedication to customer satisfaction that another local Ford Dealership (North Star Ford) had extended for the very similar situation. I was contacted (as promised) a couple of days after meeting with the service manager with regards to what Ford Canada had to offer. I was dumbfounded by the response. Ford would grant me $2,500 in “trade- value” for my vehicle. It was explained to me that I would have to cover the difference between the cost of a “new” version of my exact Ford Escape and the appraisal value of my present SUV. It was also explained that due to depreciation, the difference (minus the Ford “trade value of $2,500) would be $7,000!!! In other words, I would have to pay Ford $7,000 extra dollars for the exact same make and model vehicle that I already had! When I contacted my Service Representative from Ford Canada to discuss my situation AGAIN, I was told that that he could not respond (due to Ford Policy) to the simple question, "After reviewing my service records, would you consider this to be a quality vehicle?" I am enraged by the lack of customer value and appreciation for the “little guy” on behalf of Ford and my local dealership (Maclin Ford). It is unacceptable that consumers are left to stomach inferior product simply at the will of large corporations worried about their bottom line. I remind you once again of the words of Ford Founder, Henry Ford: “A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business”, And “ A business absolutely devoted to service will have only one worry about profits. They will be embarrassingly large.” It appears these words ring hollow today with regards to Ford Canada and Maclin Ford some 110 years later.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 15:20:35 +0000
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