Check my review history: two decades on Google, exactly one review, and it’s positive. So when I post one star, understand the weight of it. This isn’t about a single bad day. It’s two years of frustration, which is why I’m bothering to write it at all.
This is Hawaii, so options are limited. I’ve been forced to bring two vehicles here. First a warranty-covered eco diesel Jeep, now a leased Dodge. And to be clear, the staff are nice and apologetic. That’s not the problem. Being nice and saying sorry doesn’t fix the problems they cause, or give you back your time and money. That’s the problem.
Not one appointment I’ve made was done on time, or anywhere close to the estimate. I don’t mean an extra 30 minutes. I mean days, and in one case weeks. Appointment times are apparently meaningless here. Every front desk person tells me they’ve been chronically understaffed for two years. But instead of adjusting the timeframes they quote you, they just apologize and say they’re “very busy today.” With a monopoly on this island, they know you have no choice but to come to them.
Example: a warranty job quoted at 2-3 days took 3 weeks. The reason? One overloaded, unsupported diesel mechanic. And it happened every single time I brought the Jeep in, a couple days always becoming a week minimum. I have one vehicle, so I rented each time.
The Jeep died, so we leased a brand new Dodge. Brought it in for an oil change. A Dodge, to a Dodge dealership, leased from that same dealership. Booked over a week in advance. You’d think they’d know exactly what a routine oil change needs. Boy was I wrong.
10am appointment. I told them it’s our only vehicle, that I needed it back ASAP, and I’d be within walking distance to grab it the second it was done. They said 1-1.5 hours. I came back at almost two hours later. Not ready. Turns out they were out of the type of oil it needs. Fine, it happens. They knew at 1030 and ordered more from what they called “the DoorDash for car parts,” but didn’t bother telling me until I came back and asked. Then it was “just 30 more minutes.” A hour later, still nothing, and they admit the 30 minutes was made up. They have no idea when the oil will arrive. “Not their fault, it’s the delivery company.” Uber gives an actual arrival time. But ok.
Three hours in now. I had an appointment I could not miss (an ultrasound with my wife, a follow-up after IVF, and the military does not forgive showing up hours late). So fine. Just give me my car back and call me when the oil arrives. Except the mechanic had already drained the oil before checking they had any to put back in. So the car won’t run and I can’t take it. according to the technician “completely unavoidable, not their fault.”
So I ask: can I get a loaner for a couple hours? It’s a dealership, look at all the cars. No, they don’t do that. Reimburse my Uber? No. Pay for a rental? No. Why? “It’s not our fault. It’s out of our control. It’s the delivery company.” I’m not kidding.
I used second-grade logic on them: you didn’t know what a routine oil change needs, didn’t check if you had the parts, and drained the car before confirming you could refill it. The technician just kept insisting none of it was their fault. The mechanic “didn’t make a mistake.” The mental gymnastics to dodge blame would make Simone Biles look like an amateur.
And I wasn’t the only one. There were half a dozen other people in that waiting room getting the same “super busy day” story.
Don’t bring your vehicle here, or to any Cutter dealership. They don’t respect you, your money, or your time. Find a smaller shop that understands customer service is more than a polite apology while your car sits for 10x as long as promised, and it’s somehow never their fault.
To be fair, I have zero issues with their actual maintenance. My vehicle was always serviced properly, no concerns there. This is entirely about their disrespect for customers’ time and money, their utter failure at proper communication, and their inability to admit their shortcomings and adjust their staffing or business model.