Christine Strusz

Disgruntled Nissan customer (points at self)

I have almost always driven Nissan. They run well, and for a long time. I had a pathfinder that I bought with 120.000 miles for 5 grand. This was my first actualy car purchase.  Big spender, I know.

I drove it hard to 264.000 miles with under 600 dollars in repairs. My dad then drove it, probably even harder knowing my father and still sold it for a little cash, 500 I think. It was still running, and I am sure close to 300,000 miles by then. It’s probably still running and being used as some mean woods hunting machine.

My mom droves a Nissan Quest to the ground running us kids everywhere.  Between the four of us, I am sure across the states and back in mileage many times.

I then purchased the xterra I am driving today. It has been good to me, especially considering it has reached 179,000 miles with little repair. Again, under 600 dollars. I Bought this one with 50,000 miles already on it. Minus the wipers that were really a wind storms fault, it has been flawless. It seems Nissans typically fall apart around the engine. The interior, and plastic parts on outside go before many repairs become due. My dad and I have a joke that the little storage spot that subs as an arm rest in Nissans ALWAYS breaks soon after purchase.

I wanted to plan ahead and make sure that I had a safer trip gping back home, now that the majority of weather and rain was probably behind me ironically enough. So we called a Nissan dealership a week ago to secure the parts in California while I was here for a few days. They told my grandmother the part went out on most of that make and model, it was common and that they were in stock all the time. A little sceptical, she again explained that it was not just the wipers, but the inside working underneath the hood.  That my, her granddaughter, or “shinning-star” as she calls me had stopped several times to tear the car apart to get inside and reattach the inner pulleys.

She called again to confirm twice more making sure they new it was not just the wipers but the actual lever inside the hood, and that we did not need an appointment as they had previously stated.

They reassured her that they understood and that I could just come by. No appointment necessary and that the parts would be waiting for me.

A little unsure and apprehensive my grandfather and I made they 30 minute trek to Visalia together in my vehicle.

The gentleman tells me immediately that they do not stock those parts, and they are special order. That the man my grandmother spoke to was “new,” and had no business diagnosing the issue. The issue, it turns out, even after my grandmother explained everything about the INSIDE of the hood was miscommunicated yet still and this new guy thought we simply meant the wiper blades.

So this gentleman actually thought that I was tearing apart my my xterra just to replace two very simple wiper blades… Enough said there. I am assuming this man, as many people often do, was simply not listening to the full story.  Or, was answering questions he had no business answering.  It is ok to say “I don’t know.”

The man I spoke to in the store was very apologetic and nice, but irritated me because he kept blaming the issue on the salesman my grandmother had spoke with and was not offering any sort of solution.

As a customer, 3500 miles into a trip away from home, with no wind shield wipers that had intentionally planed ahead with the company that built my car. I was a little frustrated and uninterested in hearing him tell me that all of this is “Eddie’s” fault.

Seriously.

My grandfather and I spend a few hours waiting for them to tell me they could not come up with any solution, but would go ahead and start my forty dollar nissan oil change.

Um, “no.” I think I will skip the oil change with you today.

I am getting ready to leave when the manager stops me, I am unsure if he heard I was disgruntled or if the salesman mentioned it to him.  He repeated all of the phone call steps that had been made, and the confirmed again that he regretted not being able to help me. He was very sorry though for the inconvenience.

Personally, I feel like at this point… maybe he could have offered me something.  A car wash, an oil change.. a safety check on my vehicle.  Really, something would have been nice.

I am getting ready to leave and a mechanic walks buy and says “Mike, I think I have it.”  This very smart gentleman came up with the idea of pulling the parts from the 2003 Xterra they have on the used lot.

Now.. we are talking.. This is what a customer wants to here.  Fix the issue, make an effort to problem solve. Don’t just apologize and tell me you have someone on staff that needs more training. Help assure me a safe trip home!

Another hour passes, and all is well but they need one more part.  This part can be “expedited and will be here in the morning.”

They offered a car for the night so my grandfather and I could drive the half hour home, which was nice.. but not quite enough in my opinion.

Today, they call and have the wipers done at 207, but also want 98 for power steering, 168 for new belts, and 169 for a transmission flush in order to assure that my vehicle is good to go.

No discount on any of these services, not even the wipers…

I should say, that they were all very nice… Especially “Mike,” the final guy that I delt with, however I do not feel like this rectified the situation.

Why doesn’t this sit well with me?  Do I expect to much as a customer?  Should we not get the service we deserve from companies???  I know it is not a new vehicle, but don’t they want me to buy a Nissan next?

Subaru.

I WANT a subaru.  No, I cannot hose the back of it out like the New Xterras, no… it don’t have that rugged back road appeal, but…

Suburu had an entire website dedicated to there customer stories!  These people are fanatics!  They LOVE the,, rely on them and rave about the company.

That is someone I want to give my business to,..