HOLDEN - CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE

[Rod]

just thought i would vent a little of MY frustration with

HOLDEN - CUSTOMER SERVICE


we purchased 2 Holden Caprice's on the 29th of March this year

the first car arrived at The Holden Dealer but they were unable to deliver it as it had some Electrical Issues, the car sat there for two weeks as the Holden Tech's there were unble to rectify the fault, we were told that Holden sent a tech out but he too was unable to rectify the fault, in the end we sent one of our Auto Electricians to The Holden Dealership & he rectified the fault much to there embarrisment

the second car of witch i call a Billion Dollar Blem has had more faults that i care to even list here

i gave a list of faults to the Salesman that i bought the car from & also to the Service Manager at the Dealership. He took photos of the faults & told me that they would arange for the faults to be repaired - i am still waiting

after having to jump start it several times & my neighbours asking me why i brought a Hybrid Caprice - (they thought it was an Electric Car) i had to eventually take it back to Holden as it had gone into limp mode

I took it back to the selling dealer & after some minor disagreement with the service manager i was told that they dont have the software required to rectify my car but should have it in the next few weeks

as i was not happy with what i had been told buy the Service Manager at the dealership i sort enother Holden Dealer to rectify the issues with my car

i have now been dealing with Holden Customer Service as i belive that the issues with my car have been handled in a very poor manner

the car has now been shoped to 3 different Panel Shops by Holden to have the Body issues rectified - i guess Holden are shopping for Quality as i am sure they wouldnt be shopping it around for price

i belive the service that i have received from Holden Customer Service is Very Poor

i have several Paint issues with my car & one of them is that the Paint is very mottley on the front bar, it appears that the front bar is Black under the Silver top coat as you can see the black through the paint, not to mention the transport Damage to the underside of the front bar

Initially when i first took the car back to the Selling Dealer i was told that it would be rectified & as i wanted to have the clear stick-on plastic paint mask fitted to the front of my car i was told not to do it untill the front bar was repaired as Holden wont cover the cost to reaply the stick-on film if i have it done

now that i have had the run around from Holden for the last 3 Months & the front bar has suffered some sand blasting from road grime they decided in there wisdom that they wouldnt cover it due to it beeing sand blasted after several disagreements with Holden Customer Service they have finally agreed to have the front bar repaired but now they wont give me a loan car for the 10 or so days they need to repair my car

as you can now imagine the glory of my purchase of Holdens "Flagship" there "Billon Dollar Baby" has turned to mud due to the service that i have received from Holden

if you or anybody you know have had similar issues with Holden Customer Service i would be happy to hear of there story

either get them to post it up or they can email me direct at

rodjclark@optusnet.com.au

thanks for letting me vent

[csv8]

Join the club !!! thats FORD customer service also....

[BENT_8]

Did the electrical problem have anything to do with the dash lights/gauges not working for a few minutes after startup?

[Rod]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Did the electrical problem have anything to do with the dash lights/gauges not working for a few minutes after startup?

no that is enother issue

my car has several Electrical issues, the majority of these are to do with the rear entertainment system

my rant above is more to do with the body issues & the service or the lack of service that i have received from Holden & there Customer Service department

do you or somebody you know have issues with the Centre dash display or is the issue that you mention with the Dash or Gauges

regards
rod

[BENT_8]

Iread a piece on another forumabout a few electrical gremlins with the VE gauges not working properly and thought that might be your issue.
Apparently Holden's can't find that problem either even after a software upgrade still no joy.
What is the main body issues, you'd be surprised how many new cars roll off their lines with body/paint imperfections.
I used to work for a company who were next door to a crash shop that did atleast 10 new car repairs per week for Holdens. We detailed them once they were repaired so they looked as if nothing was ever wrong.

Oh and with the bumpers, they always look different on silver coloured cars because the paint reacts different to the plastic, we had some issues with new camrys a few years back on the model after the wide body due to bumper mis-match. mainly on silver and the leaf green cars

[cowboy]

Have had similar problems a few years ago with a new Rodeo. Engine management faults meant that I couldn't get it over 60, and had to fight to get it there. Took it in to the dealer and was told, it's still driveable, bring back in a week or so when we're not so busy. Took it to another dealer and had it fixed very quickly and by friendly staff. (Holden dealer in Rochester Vic - the way all customer service should be). That Rodeo spent more time in the workshops than it did on the road!

Also have a panel beater mate employed full time a holden dealer repairing bad panel gaps, bad paint and transport damage.

[SpoolMan]

I told Rod not to dabble with the dark side I hear his frustration every week..
I was also very surprised to hear today they want his VE Caprice for 8 days and Holden wont supply a loan car, its a joke....this car is only a few months old and if there were frequent dealer visit points he would have plenty...
The paint issues on this car worse than I have seen on any car, 3 or 4 different tones or shades..
I know if he could have his Pursuit back he would take it back....

[Falc'man]

Originally Posted by Rod

just thought i would vent a little of MY frustration with

HOLDEN - CUSTOMER SERVICE

we purchased 2 Holden Caprice's on the 29th of March this year

Thats your problem lol...

Nah, I get your frustration. I guy at work has had similar problems with his VE. For the first 4 months it was at the dealers on a weekly basis.

On one occasion (when it broke down) the NRMA roadside assist mechanic made a very interesting comment which goes something like this... "We have never had as many problems with a new car as we've had with VE"

[SpoolMan]

Hi Falc'man, Rod is my best mate and your correct that is his problem, we couldn't believe it when he said he was buying a Holden.....he has a business partner who is Holden mad, I know one thing when its time to update there lease he wont be influenced by his business partner.
All he wants is service..

[Blue Oval Mopar Man]

Originally Posted by Falc'man

Thats your problem lol...

Nah, I get your frustration. I guy at work has had similar problems with his VE. For the first 4 months it was at the dealers on a weekly basis.

On one occasion (when it broke down) the NRMA roadside assist mechanic made a very interesting comment which goes something like this... "We have never had as many problems with a new car as we've had with VE"

I used to operate a tilt tray and had the contract to one of the large motoring clubs . Most of my contract work (About 80 %) was Commodores and Camrys . More Of the holden product than the toyota , but these are supposed to the best of the best !I have towed many holdens within 24 hours of being purchased NEW for the dealer! Never towed a toyota under those circumstances, but I have towed 1 Territory in that period! I was however surprised that before I had finished loading the Territory . The salesman arrived and gave the customer one of the demo Territorys untill theirs was ready ( About 11 PM this all happened ) .

[Fairlane]

Thats utterly disgraceful. If i bought a new Caprice or LTD for that matter, i would expect the dealer to treat me like GOD. They are a 70,000+ automobile, the flagship and i would expect to have the car perfect before delivery and have any perfections fixed instantly and if not a sincere apology and a courtesy car. People wonder why Australian dont buy Australian built prestige cars and i think its not just badge snobbery but the service. If i buy a Caprice or LTD i do not want to be treated like someone with a 13K Barina.

Despite all the window dressing the servicing in Ford and Holden is a long way from Toyota, Mazda and the like and an absolute world away from lexus.

[cowboy]

My housemate has a Pursuit. It was making strange tranny noises recently. Took it to the dealer here and was told we can't look at it for 12 days. But don't drive it. And no, you can't have a courtesy car. Ha ha, he had to take my XD to work for 2 weeks. So it's not just Holden dealers.

[Falc'man]

Originally Posted by SpoolMan

Hi Falc'man, Rod is my best mate and your correct that is his problem, we couldn't believe it when he said he was buying a Holden.....he has a business partner who is Holden mad, I know one thing when its time to update there lease he wont be influenced by his business partner.
All he wants is service..

Thats the most important thing when you're out and about using the car all the time. The last thing you want is the parked at the dealers.

As for the dash not working, thats happened to two of our company cars... One car had a faulty aircon hose which kept soaking the carpet... the poor guy would park his car at the office with all doors open to air it.

[irsa76]

I'm currently looking at getting a new car through work, although at the other end of the price spectrum. Even though Holden has a car that fits our needs perfectly, Viva wagon, both myself and my wife, a reformed Holden fan, have agreed that no GM car will ever be looked at by us. I used to work for a Holden dealer as the warranty manager in 2000. Iirc about 60% of work through the work shop was warranty related. The only other brands I've ever worked for that generated such a high warranty rate was Daewoo and Saab. Even Mitsubishi, VW and MG-Rover were better in this respect. The difference was Holden would drag out warranty approvals or cancel warranty completely if possible. The Daewoo dealer would do everything it could to help the customer, to the point they wore a couple of claims after Holden got involved. After hearing all the stories of bad service from Ford dealers I haven't even bothered to look at what Ford has to offer, even though the car will be purchased through a very large multi national company.

[Rod]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

What is the main body issues, you'd be surprised how many new cars roll off their lines with body/paint imperfections.

the Main body issues off the top of my head are as follows

Bonnet - has a large crease mid way up on the L/H Side

Front Bar - Transport Damage underneath & has had the Paint touched up in this area with a fenceing brush

Side Skirts - have lines through them, Paint is very thin at best & very Blotchie

Rear Bar - is a total different color & the paint is almost transpearant

Inside R/H/R Door - the door striker has been moved & the paint was touched up with the same fencing brush that was used on the front bar

R/H/F Door - is touching the sill panel on the R/H/F Lower corner

there are several other Paint issues but i am prepared to live with them

how the Dint on the bonnet was missed by Holden & then buy the guys who did the Pre Delivery has me wondering how it was missed

i belive that it was noticed at the Dealership & that is why Both cars were parked in the Workshop for us to collect

the dint is from the inside & pushed outwards, it is approxamitly 3 to 4 inches long although there is no marks in the underbonnet pad

i think some may be forgetting the Main issue here, everybody makes mistakes & i accept that but the that i have had to put up with from Holden Customer Service is unforgiveable

i feel that i have been given the run around more that once, & am not happy with there service, Holden has had this car back 8 times so far to rectify issues & not once have i asked for a loan car

the loan car was mentioned to me by Holden & now due to this issue that i have had with Alan Matecki over the front bar being Sand Blasted he has refused the loan car

to be honest i would have thought the loan car was the least that they could do but with or without the loan car my issue is SERVICE or the lack of

regards
rod

[XAGSV8]

Sounds like two Friday cars to me. Ford and Holden need to pick up their acts as this type of thing is becoming a common story.

[BENT_8]

I wouldn't even bother approaching them any more, write all your complaints in a letter and include photo's of the damage, then send a copy to the dealer where you bought it or to Holdens customer service dept informing them they have a choice either fix it or you will contact consumer affairs.
Send it registered post so they cant deny recieving it.
Consumer affairs will require that you do this before they can act anyway and you will be surprised how fast Holdens change their tune when they hear that involving C.A. will be your next option.
These dealers play the card that they hope if they stuff you around enough you will give up and go away, some people do eventually.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Had a similiar run with Ford eariler this year, they were no better...

[Full Spectrum]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Iread a piece on another forumabout a few electrical gremlins with the VE gauges not working properly and thought that might be your issue.
Apparently Holden's can't find that problem either even after a software upgrade still no joy.
What is the main body issues, you'd be surprised how many new cars roll off their lines with body/paint imperfections.
I used to work for a company who were next door to a crash shop that did atleast 10 new car repairs per week for Holdens. We detailed them once they were repaired so they looked as if nothing was ever wrong.

Oh and with the bumpers, they always look different on silver coloured cars because the paint reacts different to the plastic, we had some issues with new camrys a few years back on the model after the wide body due to bumper mis-match. mainly on silver and the leaf green cars

Are you sure that was the VE?.. VY-VZ has a issue with gauges like petrol gauges not working at times..
With that software uopdate i herd after i had a problem with a Calais.. Driving normal and the trip would read check engine with a lighting bolt, then it would go away.. Or ESP off but it was all working fine and all on?.

Originally Posted by SpoolMan

I told Rod not to dabble with the dark side I hear his frustration every week..
I was also very surprised to hear today they want his VE Caprice for 8 days and Holden wont supply a loan car, its a joke....this car is only a few months old and if there were frequent dealer visit points he would have plenty...
The paint issues on this car worse than I have seen on any car, 3 or 4 different tones or shades..
I know if he could have his Pursuit back he would take it back....

You think thats bad, Try buying a new car with 2km on the clock and having that car with scrap marks faulty gear and a calliper broke, Before you got out the dealers.. Guess that's proton:P But all new cars shouldn't have a page of faults before you drive it away.. there's no lemon laws here.
But you want to see bad paint come see my brothers fairmont.
But this year i was looking at a SS-V open the boot to find paint blots and bubbles looking me in the face. I seen things like that on mums VB.

[irsa76]

Don't buyers of the Calais and up models get premium service? You know, like free loan car, cheap movie tickets and other bribes?

[duaned]

with regard to the obvious paint issues, do most new car buyers actually LOOK over the car before they part with the remainder of the hard earned? I'm thinking due to the excitment of recieving delivery of the new car that perhaps this is overlooked. Jesus I would be checking for every single defect I could find in those moments before handing over the cheque. Screw the dealers here, I would take as much time as I need to perform the once over.

[AU-MUSTD]

amongst all this bad service l thought i'd add some good. The wifes subaru liberty is 11 months out of warranty and had the trip computer in the center consol start playing up. Told service dept about it when service was due expecting fully to pay for a new one but to my surprise when l picked it up they replaced it under warranty for parts and dealer fittted it for free. To top this off they also gave me the hire car for free. This was $380 for parts plus fitting all done in good will. Can highly recomend anyone in dealing with o'connels subaru geelong.

[Full Spectrum]

Originally Posted by ddarby

with regard to the obvious paint issues, do most new car buyers actually LOOK over the car before they part with the remainder of the hard earned? I'm thinking due to the excitment of recieving delivery of the new car that perhaps this is overlooked. Jesus I would be checking for every single defect I could find in those moments before handing over the cheque. Screw the dealers here, I would take as much time as I need to perform the once over.

Nope, I think most just don't, But to be honest if your paying $10,000-$500,000 you would expect a new car to be as perfect as possible, And with these robots that do the painting you don't expect flaws.. Hell when i look at a second hand car i get on my back under it.

[Des]

One of my very good mates is a huge Holden fan, to the point he will never buy anything but. He has repeatedly told me, "Never buy a series 1 of anything. Especially a Calias!"
He knows this from bitter experience. He is extremely suprised at the very minor problems I've had with my 2003 BA (infact, mine was a very early build).


*edit*
Yes I know yours isn't a Calias, but to me a Caprice is like a stretched Calais....

[rodderz]

Jeez Rod, I would of been with Spooly and said to keep the ute!

At least you would of had a drama free car and be using it to tow the Camaro!

Sounds like a shocker of an experience, also sounds like some of the dealerships are either palming it off or hoping that you forget it and leave them alone. It's not something you would expect when buying a "prestige" car such as that, no matter what brand it is.

[Full Spectrum]

Originally Posted by Des

One of my very good mates is a huge Holden fan, to the point he will never buy anything but. He has repeatedly told me, "Never buy a series 1 of anything. Especially a Calias!"
He knows this from bitter experience. He is extremely suprised at the very minor problems I've had with my 2003 BA (infact, mine was a very early build).


*edit*
Yes I know yours isn't a Calias, but to me a Caprice is like a stretched Calais....

I have also herd that with cars in general never buy series 1.. VS was a oil spitter took till VT to really fix that issue. But really today everyone here's story's but you don't here the good ones because there not worth talking about.

[ltd]

Had the same issue with a new BA LTD a few years ago. Was on my way to the airport and it wouldn't start. Rang the dealer and told them and whilst waiting for a cab, the service manager and a tow truck turned up and took the car away. The service manager then dropped me off at the airport and said he would get them to thoroughly go over everything to find any fault. Three days later another employee picked me up from the international terminal and dropped me back to my car. Now that is Ford service with a smile.

[Smoke Pursuit]

Got a VE V8 Calais here that was built last year and it has NOT missed a beat in 7000 kms, its been a fabulous car in comparison to all the Fords we have had over the years...