Amber Bass

Review of Carl Black Chevorlet Buick GMC...

On Wednesday evening, my car began to smoke and sm...

On Wednesday evening, my car began to smoke and smell like burning oil. The next morning, I called Carl Black and made an appointment: Friday at 8:00 am. I took it in on Thursday at approximately 9:30 am. Tony (Anthony W. Little), a service advisor, met me. He came outside with me to look at my car and was very condescending as I told him the problem. He poked fun at me, asking if I had even looked under the hood, and when I said that I was not sure what was wrong, but I did not like the smell of the oil, he said something like You don t say in a very condescending manner. It felt like he was trying to make me feel like an idiot.
We went back inside and I gave him my keys and signed some paperwork. I told him that I lived across the city and I would like a courtesy car if they had one available. There was not a car available at that time, which was fine. He assured me he would get me a car by the end of the day and would call me as soon as one became available. At that point I went back to work, waiting for a call back from Tony about a courtesy car. I stayed at work until 8:00 pm that evening because I was waiting for the call about the courtesy car, but it never came. I assumed I would hear back from him the next day. I had to miss work the next day because uber is $30 one way.
I expected a call on Friday morning once my car was assessed. I did not receive a call. At this point I was still being patient and giving them the benefit of the doubt. At 4:00 pm on Saturday I called to hear about what they had found. Tony was away at the moment but a message was left for him to call me back when he returned to his desk. I expected I would get a call back soon but did not hear back from him.
On Sunday, I was getting concerned. I should have heard back at that point and I did not want them to start a large job without letting me know beforehand. I phoned again and found out that service was closed that day. The receptionist said she would leave a message for him, but I told her I had already done that once and I was concerned about my car. She told me she would email the manager with my name and number and he would get back to me.
On Monday morning I called in at 8:32 am, expecting them to tell me the car was finished and I could come pick it up. Once again, Tony was not available to answer my call, and the receptionist said she would leave him a message. I told her that has not worked before so she texted him. Tony called me back at 8:41 am and let me know my car had not been looked at yet. He said that I only had an appointment . I think our definitions of appointment differ. I was not happy with the lack of communication and service and broken promises from Tony, so I called back quickly after and told them I would come pick up my car and take it elsewhere. Within fifteen minutes, Tony called back saying that the car had been looked at and the problem was the gasket, which would cost ~$800 to fix. He told me it would take until 4:00 pm.
I arrived at ~4:30 pm and Tony was not there, but Sean had me pay and sign more paperwork. The price was the same as what he had quoted me: $809.83. Sean was also quite condescending, saying that he added a 20% gratuity for Tony. It was clear he was aware that I was unhappy with my service and he found it quite amusing. On the receipt is a cell titled: PROMISED with the date and time 17:00 06APR18 (Friday).
The main issue with my service was a lack of communication. Not once was I given a call about a courtesy car becoming available, even though he had promised he would get me one. I was not given updates despite my appointment time being overdue. The manager also did not contact me when I requested a call. The definition of appointment at Carl Black differs from my expectations but this was not made clear when I dropped the car off. Perhaps Carl Black should hire a communications specialist. Either way, I will not be returning to Carl Black if my car needs work done again.