Why are most LEAF owners so unpleasant???-

[ztanos]

Why do so many dealers expect close to $200 for the first year annual service?
Why did the dealers say not to use the Wattstation when it was a Nissan issue?
Why do so many dealers give a hassle to charging a car that was not purchased at that location?
Why such a hassle for AZ cars to get some follow up on losing 3 or more capacity bars in the first year?

And don't even get me started on the Ford dealers and Toyota dealers I have visited.
I will just say I always seem to get ripped off, shoddy work, and a dishonest story about what needs to get done.

Not that independents are that much better. A few are good but it is tough out there for consumers.

BTW my local dealer was very pleasent when I went in for service. So far so good.

The 15K annual service includes a HEPA filter ($85.00 installed) and a brake fluid exchange ($100.00). Noone is forcing you to do it.... but if you want someone to work for you, they generally expect to get paid.

Your other questions use terms like "the dealers" and "so many dealers" without any facts so I cannot address them.

The brake fluid exchange is only for Tier 1 drivers, which from what I can tell isn't that many folks on this forum. They all lay in Tier 2 which states that you only need to change it every 2 years per the owners manual. Why am I being told I need to change it when we both know I don't? That is when I get upset, not before.

 

[espo35]

Back in the 60s cars would last 50k-100k miles before needing an engine rebuild.. tires, plugs, points and so on were good for 12k miles at most. Customers visited their dealership service dept often and got to know their mechanics as friends.. things have changed with modern cars and owners get upset if ANYTHING breaks in the first 5 years.. its not supposed to break thats what I bought a new car for!. I suspect a large proportion of Leaf buyers are even worse than the average car buyer regarding that expectation for perfection.. its a damned electric car with just one moving part.. how can it be broken!

Nothing you can do about it, just be professional and polite about it. Talk the dealership owner into installing a fast charger.. free charges for any Leaf with a sticker from your dealership and $10 for anyone else. Supposedly Nissan is coming out with a $10k unit soon.

Agreed. We're happy to give free charges to folks, whether they bought their car here or not. I wonder if that would be the case if people stopped by when they were running low on gasoline in their Altima? Hmmmm......

 

[espo35]

Why do so many dealers expect close to $200 for the first year annual service?
Why did the dealers say not to use the Wattstation when it was a Nissan issue?
Why do so many dealers give a hassle to charging a car that was not purchased at that location?
Why such a hassle for AZ cars to get some follow up on losing 3 or more capacity bars in the first year?

And don't even get me started on the Ford dealers and Toyota dealers I have visited.
I will just say I always seem to get ripped off, shoddy work, and a dishonest story about what needs to get done.

Not that independents are that much better. A few are good but it is tough out there for consumers.

BTW my local dealer was very pleasent when I went in for service. So far so good.

The 15K annual service includes a HEPA filter ($85.00 installed) and a brake fluid exchange ($100.00). Noone is forcing you to do it.... but if you want someone to work for you, they generally expect to get paid.

Your other questions use terms like "the dealers" and "so many dealers" without any facts so I cannot address them.

The brake fluid exchange is only for Tier 1 drivers, which from what I can tell isn't that many folks on this forum. They all lay in Tier 2 which states that you only need to change it every 2 years per the owners manual. Why am I being told I need to change it when we both know I don't? That is when I get upset, not before.

Consider that brake fluid absorbs moisture from the atmosphere. Also, consider the power assist on a LEAF is applied via an electric pump versus vacuum assist as found on a gas powered car. Even you non-engineers must know what water will do to an electric pump.

 

[espo35]

I believe my words are civil enough, sir. Remember, I don't work for Nissan, I merely get paid to sell and service their cars. I'm old enough and experienced enough to be able to express my views without name-calling. Believe me, "unpleasant" was not my first choice of adjetives in choosing this threads' title.

Believe or not, I worked in service jobs before and I have seen a fair share of difficult customers. I'm not trying to compare, and I have an appreciation for your situation. This is one of the reasons, why I try to be extra nice and accommodating.

While it's OK to commiserate, I'm afraid that you won't find the empathy you might be looking for on this forum. This is a new vehicle, which attracts a technical crowd, and we had our own fair share of frustrations with the overall experience. Not looking to dish out any blame, just stating the facts.

I had a really high opinion of Nissan going in. That's changing however, and although my ActiveE has spent an inordinate amount of time in service, I have a much higher regard of BMW now than I had before. My car is a lemon, but they went out of their way to help me, and I value their customer service.

Good post.

 

[kubel]

OP: Are there any specific things that may have sparked their unpleasantness? Like maybe being offering unnecessary and costly service when the LEAF owner knew damn well it was unnecessary (or if necessary, overpriced)?

Keep an eye on 'driver prejudice'- we don't all fit the same mold.

I will be pleasant until I'm given a reason to not be pleasant. If I'm pushed to replace the cabin filter and do a tire rotation for $199, my pleasantness will go away. When service wants to do an annual generator lubricant change for $150, I might get unpleasant.

Don't take it personal. It's only business. Just realize there are quite a few technical LEAF owners that don't feel comfortable in the atmosphere of a dealer service department.

 

[espo35]

OP: Are there any specific things that may have sparked their unpleasantness? Like maybe being offering unnecessary and costly service when the LEAF owner knew damn well it was unnecessary (or if necessary, overpriced)?

Keep an eye on 'driver prejudice'- we don't all fit the same mold.

I will be pleasant until I'm given a reason to not be pleasant. If I'm pushed to replace the cabin filter and do a tire rotation for $199, my pleasantness will go away. When service wants to do an annual generator lubricant change for $150

, I might get unpleasant.

Don't take it personal. It's only business. Just realize there are quite a few technical LEAF owners that don't feel comfortable in the atmosphere of a dealer service department.[/quote]

Another good post! Sure, I get it.
On the maintenance side, we service folks, like you, can only go by Nissans' recommendation. I just don't know the repercussions of NOT doing a "generator lubricant change". If, at 65,000 miles, you are faced with a $3000.00 repair bill for NOT doing it, will you own up and say it's your fault or will you start a nasty thread, accusing LEAF of being a terrible car?

 

[Nubo]

Assuming you are an engineer, whom do you suppose knows more about your LEAF: yourself, or the engineers who designed your LEAF? You know, the ones who recommend your yearly brake fluid flush?

These aren't space shuttles, people...they're cars with electric motors..... the like of which have been around for 100 years.

So, which is it? Do we need the Space-Shuttle-yearly-brake-fluid-flush, or can we treat the LEAF braking system like other cars in this regard?

...my 4 service advisors will walk right by a waiting LEAF owner, just so they don't have to deal with them.

Really.

You really should tell us which Nissan dealership this is. I'm sure it would reduce the number of LEAF owners who darken your doorstep, to the benefit of all.

I think the number of affected owners are limited and normal.
You may call 1800 NO GAS and ask for a case number. :lol:

Thanks to you I have coffee on my screen!! :lol:

 

[KillaWhat]

WE ARE NOT FRICKIN UNPLEASANT, WE WERE JUST PROMISED A JETPAK!!

 

[espo35]

WE ARE NOT FRICKIN UNPLEASANT, WE WERE JUST PROMISED A JETPAK!!

Now THAT"S funny!

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

OP; sorry your job has not gone well. i work in Customer Service and i find it interesting that someone with your level of experience has an attitude towards a segment of their customers normally reserved for people struggling in their first year on the job.

nearly EVERY customer i deal with thinks they know something and all will base it on a Dodge they had in 94 or whatever. I am dealing with a 2012 Ford! what the hell does ANY model of car from the 90's got to do with it?? or they asked me inane questions like "has Ford figured out how to keep transmissions in the 2003 Super Duty from blowing up?" i tell them "No, because it would hurt new car sales"

but that is how people are. they hear something from 20 years ago that was BS 20 years ago and time aint changed a thing but they got it in their mind its right and i have caught myself in that as well. i learn something new every day as anyone in the service industry needs to do.

as far as validity of the post? its the anonymity of the internet. he has no real name or location posted. he could be anyone

 

[espo35]

Like I said, if anyone doubts what I do for a living, PM me your VIN and I'll tell you your name, the day and place you bought your car and where you last took your LEAF for warranty work.

 

[Boomer23]

Like I said, if anyone doubts what I do for a living, PM me your VIN and I'll tell you your name, the day and place you bought your car and where you last took your LEAF for warranty work.

Really, if you think that the subject of your thread is appropriate to post here, you really should have the courage of your convictions to tell us where you work. I'm sure that your GM would be fascinated.

 

[espo35]

Like I said, if anyone doubts what I do for a living, PM me your VIN and I'll tell you your name, the day and place you bought your car and where you last took your LEAF for warranty work.

Really, if you think that the subject of your thread is appropriate to post here, you really should have the courage of your convictions to tell us where you work. I'm sure that your GM would be fascinated.

Sure. You post your VIN, I'll post my dealership.

 

[Nubo]

Like I said, if anyone doubts what I do for a living, PM me your VIN and I'll tell you your name, the day and place you bought your car and where you last took your LEAF for warranty work.

Either you are not a service manager, or are an unprofessional one. No professional service manager would

A) Witness their advisors ignoring waiting customers without putting an immediate end to it. You've obviously created an environment where your entire staff feels entitled to this type of behavior. Based on vehicle type? You gotta be kidding me. If a customer is giving the staff a hard time, it's YOUR job to straighten things out and protect your guys where appropriate. This does NOT include making customers cool their heels because of the type of car they drove in.

B) Publicly state that their service department engages in this behavior.

 

[espo35]

Like I said, if anyone doubts what I do for a living, PM me your VIN and I'll tell you your name, the day and place you bought your car and where you last took your LEAF for warranty work.

Either you are not a service manager, or are an unprofessional one. No professional service manager would

A) Witness their advisors ignoring waiting customers without putting an immediate end to it. You've obviously created an environment where your entire staff feels entitled to this type of behavior. Based on vehicle type? You gotta be kidding me. If a customer is giving the staff a hard time, it's YOUR job to straighten things out and protect your guys where appropriate. This does NOT include making customers cool their heels because of the type of car they drove in.

B) Publicly state that their service department engages in this behavior.

Great....and how long have you been a Service Manager?

Or, does being an all-knowing, all-understanding LEAF owner give you this insight.?


Again, the premise of this thread is proven correct by the response to it.

 

[wsbca]

Like I said, if anyone doubts what I do for a living, PM me your VIN and I'll tell you your name, the day and place you bought your car and where you last took your LEAF for warranty work.

Might you be able to get me a copy of (the consumer printout of) my first battery report? Because my didn't give me anything like that (even though I was super cheerful and polite - frankly I'm not even sure they did it, but I didn't know what I was missing until I saw postings of what the report looks like. Perhaps they had been disgruntled by other unpleasant owners and were taking it out on me, or maybe they just plain didn't know what they were doing. Either way, it didn't lay a good foundation for continuation of my pleasantness!

 

[espo35]

Like I said, if anyone doubts what I do for a living, PM me your VIN and I'll tell you your name, the day and place you bought your car and where you last took your LEAF for warranty work.

Might you be able to get me a copy of (the consumer printout of) my first battery report? Because my didn't give me anything like that (even though I was super cheerful and polite - frankly I'm not even sure they did it, but I didn't know what I was missing until I saw postings of what the report looks like. Perhaps they had been disgruntled by other unpleasant owners and were taking it out on me, or maybe they just plain didn't know what they were doing. Either way, it didn't lay a good foundation for continuation of my pleasantness!

Can't help you there. The print-out should have been printed in duplicate with one copy given to you and the other stapled to the hard copy of the repair order. I bet both of the copies are still stapled there, in your file at the dealership. Next time you go in, ask for it. (Without it, Nissan would not have paid the dealership the whopping .3 of an hour they pay for us to do it!).

 

[espo35]

If you want better treatment at the dealer, remember that when you fill out the service survey, it is about the advisor that helped you.... not your driving range, lack of power ports in the city you live in or promises the salesman made to you when you bought the car. If the advisor treated you well....say so. If he/she didn't....say so.
Giving a low score to people who are really trying to help you will....get you walked past in the service drive.

 

[DesertDenizen]

Wow, I guess I am very lucky. My dealings with my dealer have been delightful, both ways. Best relationship with a dealer I have ever had. Kudos to Jim Click Nissan in Tucson, and Vanessa, the Leaf point person.

 

[LEAFfan]

Consider that brake fluid absorbs moisture from the atmosphere. Also, consider the power assist on a LEAF is applied via an electric pump versus vacuum assist as found on a gas powered car. Even you non-engineers must know what water will do to an electric pump.

Consider that the brake fluid's moisture content can easily be checked with a DMM. If it reads .3 or lower, it doesn't need to be changed. And since the LEAF has regen, that little electric pump will get little use.