LC
Leonel Cervantes
4 days ago
Very Disappointing Experience – Same Problem Keeps Happening
I am extremely disappointed with my experience at this Nissan dealership. My vehicle has continued to have the same oil leak issue, even after bringing it in for service. This is frustrating enough, but what made the situation even worse was how the dealership handled the loaner vehicle.
I was promised a loaner car while my vehicle was being serviced. Today, when I showed up as instructed to pick up the loaner, I was simply told that they did not have one available. There was no proper communication beforehand, no alternative offered, and I was essentially left to deal with the situation on my own.
I understand that unexpected situations can happen, but if a dealership makes a commitment to a customer, I expect that commitment to be honored or, at minimum, that the customer be notified in advance if circumstances change.
The fact that my vehicle continues to have the same oil leak problem, and now I cannot even rely on the dealership's promises regarding transportation, is extremely frustrating. I expected much better customer service and accountability from Nissan.
My advice to anyone who is promised a loaner vehicle while their car is being serviced: verify directly with management that a loaner is actually reserved and available before taking time off work or making other arrangements. Otherwise, you may end up missing a day of work for nothing, as I did.
I hope management takes this seriously and addresses both the recurring repair issue and the way customers are being treated.
This Saturday morning, I went to Nissan of Torrance because they were offering a $39.99 oil change coupon. At first, I was happy to be there because there was only one customer in front of me, and several service advisors appeared to be available. It didn’t take long before it was my turn.
Rene Cruz was helping the customer in front of me, while Marcell Saavedra was assisting other customers. After Rene finished with his customer, he called me over and asked the reason for my visit. I told him I was there for a regular oil change.
He then asked whether I had an appointment. I said no. He explained that Saturdays are always busy and that the wait would generally be 3 to 3.5 hours without an appointment, compared with 2 to 2.5 hours with an appointment. He asked whether I still wanted to have the service done. Since I was already there, I said yes.
I then asked, “What if I make an appointment now?” Before coming to the dealership, I had checked their online appointment system and saw many openings starting around 11:00 a.m. today. However, Rene didn’t even check the system before telling me that they were completely booked and that I would have to wait until Monday.
Instead of helping me get the service started, Rene asked me to have a seat in the back so he could help the customer behind me, an elderly woman using a walker. I had no problem with that and assumed he simply wanted to help her first.
However, after he finished helping her, he started going through papers on his desk, made a phone call, and then went back to his paperwork. I was the only person waiting in line. When I looked at him, he gestured to indicate that he would be with me soon. I nodded and continued waiting patiently.
After another 5 or 10 minutes—or possibly longer, since I wasn’t keeping track—I started to feel like Rene was ignoring me. There were several moments when he didn’t appear to be speaking on the phone, yet I was still sitting there waiting.
While I waited, I went online and made an appointment myself for 12:00 p.m. today. There were still many appointment times available after noon, just as I had remembered. This directly contradicted what Rene had told me about being completely booked until Monday.
At that point, Marcell Saavedra noticed me and, while assisting another customer, asked whether I had been helped. I pointed toward Rene and said, “I’m waiting for him.” Marcell nodded and continued helping his customer.
After Marcell finished, he asked me why I was there. I told him I just needed an oil change and that, while waiting, I had made a 12:00 p.m. appointment online myself.
Marcell immediately stepped in to help me and provided excellent customer service. He was attentive, professional, and actually made an effort to take care of me.
While Marcell was helping me, I asked Rene for his name since he was standing nearby. I told Rene directly that I felt I had been mistreated by him. His response was that I could talk to his supervisor and that he was busy.
After Marcell finished helping me, I spoke with the Service Manager, Christopher Figueredo, and explained what had happened. I told him how poorly I felt Rene had treated me, but I also made sure to tell him what a great job Marcell had done. Christopher listened to my concerns, apologized, and said he would speak with Rene about the situation.
I also told Marcell that he had saved the dealership’s reputation in my eyes, and we shook hands.
Thank you, Marcell, for stepping in and treating me with respect, and thank you, Christopher, for listening and taking my complaint seriously. Unfortunately, my experience with Rene was the complete opposite. I came in simply expecting a routine oil change, and no customer should be made to feel ignored or misled.
Great job, Marcell and Christopher, and thank you both for taking care of the situation.