Back in August of 2014, we purchased a Nissan Sentra from Michael’s Chevrolet. As part of the sales contract, the dealership agreed to install a missing GPS chip into the navigation system, and promised they’d contact us when it arrived (probably 2 or 3 days). What followed was FIVE MONTHS of inactivity on the dealership’s part. Numerous phone calls and emails went unreturned. We stopped by the dealership in person three times, left our phone number, and still were not contacted. Around the same time, a tire pressure warning light started going off, even though the tires were fully inflated. Finally, in December, I wrote a rather terse message to the owner, Mike Rosvold, saying that we considered them to be in breach of contract regarding the chip (and also mentioned the tire pressure light), and we were considering a lawsuit.
This time, I was contacted by Marvin Pedersen, who apologized for the oversight and said he’d take care of it ASAP. I also mentioned the faulty tire pressure warning light over the phone. (Note: this was the FIRST TIME we were contacted by Michael’s Chevrolet by phone, and aside from an automated email after we purchase the vehicle, the first time in five months and many queries on our part that they contacted us, period.) Due to busy schedules, we played phone and email tag for a few days, but managed to schedule for the chip to be installed on Friday afternoon, December 18th. To confirm, we were told over the phone by someone there (didn't leave a name) that the chip would be installed on that day. Mr. Pedersen said he’d be on vacation that day but assured us that everything was set.
Well, when we arrived at the dealership, no one knew what we were talking about, nothing was prepared, and after about twenty minutes of mass confusion that involved us driving our car back and forth to different stations at the dealership, we were eventually told that they had no knowledge of the chip or the tire pressure issue, more research would be required, and we’d have to leave our car there for an indeterminate number of days.
We were a bit frustrated by all this but decided to make the best of it. We repeatedly told them about the tire pressure warning light, as well, but the person we spoke to (I don’t recall his name, but he was the one who filled out the loaner paperwork, so he should be easy to track down) insisted that he’d personally see that the warning light was taken car of. Oddly, when I asked him to note it on the repair form, he said no, he didn’t want to fill out a different sheet, but don’t worry, “I’ll make sure it’s done,” etc. We were nervous about this but decided to trust him.
We got in the loaner vehicle but hadn’t even driven two blocks when we noticed two things: first, the vehicle’s gas tank was on empty (not an eighth or a quarter of a tank, but actually resting on E), and second, we were hitting 4,000 to 5,000 RPMs just going 25 mph (even though we triple-checked to make sure it was in gear, no parking brake on, etc). I wouldn’t put someone I despised in so unreliable a vehicle, let alone a customer. We returned the car to the dealership as quickly as we could, admittedly a bit upset, and were given another loaner. Truth is, though, the bad engine ended up being a good thing because otherwise, we wouldn’t have thought to look down and notice that the gas tank was on empty, meaning our day would have been capped off by the loaner car stalling on a busy Blackstone Avenue a few blocks later.
Unfortunately, things just got worse from there. Chris Gonzalez, a sales manager, contacted us via email the next day. In his short, terse, apology-free email, he said that, no, the chip had never actually been ordered, he had just ordered it, and it would arrive in three to five business days. We wrote back and informed him that since we were leaving for the holidays, this meant we wouldn’t be able to pick up our car until after the New Year. We also reminded him of the tire pressure warning light.
On Tuesday, Dec. 23rd, Marvin Pedersen emailed to say that our car was ready for pick-up. When we arrived, we saw that the chip had been installed, yes, but the tire pressure warning light was still flashing. Ironically, just before I dropped off the loaner, I was thinking to myself that mistakes happen and if they actually fixed everything, I’d give them a favorable review and let bygones be bygones. But not only was the tire pressure warning light not fixed; Marvin Pedersen insisted he had no knowledge of it and said I could check the email threads if I didn’t believe him. On retrospect, I wish I had because in addition to mentioning it in my original complaint, mentioning it over the phone to Marvin Pedersen when he called, and mentioning it in person repeatedly to the person who filled out the loaner paperwork, I’d also mentioned it in my original emailed complaint to the dealership owner (who forwarded it to Marvin Pedersen), AND in an email to Chris Gonzalez.
As I said, I understand that one or two mistakes can happen but when mistakes like this just keep happening, it suggests either incompetence or a deliberate desire to stick it to a customer by not doing one’s job. As frustrated as we’ve become, my fiancé and I are actually pretty accommodating people and were careful to not even raise our voices (that is, until we were put into a car that was running on fumes and acted like it was about to explode). But everyone we dealt with was aloof and seemed irritated to even have to deal with us, as though the fact that we weren’t there to buy ANOTHER car meant we weren’t worth their time. And obviously, nobody at this dealership knows how to communicate with each other.
It’s common wisdom that a car dealer doesn’t just want to sell you one car; if they’re smart, they treat you with courtesy and respect so that they can sell you several cars over the next ten or twenty years. My fiancé and I have both started teaching jobs in Fresno and plan to be here for quite a while, and we’re in a great position to provide helpful word-of-mouth advertisements (or warnings) to countless professional associates, students, etc. Apparently, the gentlemen working at Michael’s Chevrolet don’t understand this basic principle of customer service because from start to finish, their handling of this has been a disaster.
Long story short: I wish we hadn’t done business with them.
Michael Chevrolet Reviews
Back in August of 2014, we purchased a Nissan Sentra from Michael’s Chevrolet. As part of the sales contract, the dealership agreed to install a missing GPS chip into the navigation system, and promised they’d contact us when it arrived (probably 2 or 3 days). What followed was FIVE MONTHS of inactivity on the dealership’s part. Numerous phone calls and emails went unreturned. We stopped by the dealership in person three times, left our phone number, and still were not contacted. Around the same time, a tire pressure warning light started going off, even though the tires were fully inflated. Finally, in December, I wrote a rather terse message to the owner, Mike Rosvold, saying that we considered them to be in breach of contract regarding the chip (and also mentioned the tire pressure light), and we were considering a lawsuit.
This time, I was contacted by Marvin Pedersen, who apologized for the oversight and said he’d take care of it ASAP. I also mentioned the faulty tire pressure warning light over the phone. (Note: this was the FIRST TIME we were contacted by Michael’s Chevrolet by phone, and aside from an automated email after we purchase the vehicle, the first time in five months and many queries on our part that they contacted us, period.) Due to busy schedules, we played phone and email tag for a few days, but managed to schedule for the chip to be installed on Friday afternoon, December 18th. To confirm, we were told over the phone by someone there (didn't leave a name) that the chip would be installed on that day. Mr. Pedersen said he’d be on vacation that day but assured us that everything was set.
Well, when we arrived at the dealership, no one knew what we were talking about, nothing was prepared, and after about twenty minutes of mass confusion that involved us driving our car back and forth to different stations at the dealership, we were eventually told that they had no knowledge of the chip or the tire pressure issue, more research would be required, and we’d have to leave our car there for an indeterminate number of days.
We were a bit frustrated by all this but decided to make the best of it. We repeatedly told them about the tire pressure warning light, as well, but the person we spoke to (I don’t recall his name, but he was the one who filled out the loaner paperwork, so he should be easy to track down) insisted that he’d personally see that the warning light was taken car of. Oddly, when I asked him to note it on the repair form, he said no, he didn’t want to fill out a different sheet, but don’t worry, “I’ll make sure it’s done,” etc. We were nervous about this but decided to trust him.
We got in the loaner vehicle but hadn’t even driven two blocks when we noticed two things: first, the vehicle’s gas tank was on empty (not an eighth or a quarter of a tank, but actually resting on E), and second, we were hitting 4,000 to 5,000 RPMs just going 25 mph (even though we triple-checked to make sure it was in gear, no parking brake on, etc). I wouldn’t put someone I despised in so unreliable a vehicle, let alone a customer. We returned the car to the dealership as quickly as we could, admittedly a bit upset, and were given another loaner. Truth is, though, the bad engine ended up being a good thing because otherwise, we wouldn’t have thought to look down and notice that the gas tank was on empty, meaning our day would have been capped off by the loaner car stalling on a busy Blackstone Avenue a few blocks later.
Unfortunately, things just got worse from there. Chris Gonzalez, a sales manager, contacted us via email the next day. In his short, terse, apology-free email, he said that, no, the chip had never actually been ordered, he had just ordered it, and it would arrive in three to five business days. We wrote back and informed him that since we were leaving for the holidays, this meant we wouldn’t be able to pick up our car until after the New Year. We also reminded him of the tire pressure warning light.
On Tuesday, Dec. 23rd, Marvin Pedersen emailed to say that our car was ready for pick-up. When we arrived, we saw that the chip had been installed, yes, but the tire pressure warning light was still flashing. Ironically, just before I dropped off the loaner, I was thinking to myself that mistakes happen and if they actually fixed everything, I’d give them a favorable review and let bygones be bygones. But not only was the tire pressure warning light not fixed; Marvin Pedersen insisted he had no knowledge of it and said I could check the email threads if I didn’t believe him. On retrospect, I wish I had because in addition to mentioning it in my original complaint, mentioning it over the phone to Marvin Pedersen when he called, and mentioning it in person repeatedly to the person who filled out the loaner paperwork, I’d also mentioned it in my original emailed complaint to the dealership owner (who forwarded it to Marvin Pedersen), AND in an email to Chris Gonzalez.
As I said, I understand that one or two mistakes can happen but when mistakes like this just keep happening, it suggests either incompetence or a deliberate desire to stick it to a customer by not doing one’s job. As frustrated as we’ve become, my fiancé and I are actually pretty accommodating people and were careful to not even raise our voices (that is, until we were put into a car that was running on fumes and acted like it was about to explode). But everyone we dealt with was aloof and seemed irritated to even have to deal with us, as though the fact that we weren’t there to buy ANOTHER car meant we weren’t worth their time. And obviously, nobody at this dealership knows how to communicate with each other.
It’s common wisdom that a car dealer doesn’t just want to sell you one car; if they’re smart, they treat you with courtesy and respect so that they can sell you several cars over the next ten or twenty years. My fiancé and I have both started teaching jobs in Fresno and plan to be here for quite a while, and we’re in a great position to provide helpful word-of-mouth advertisements (or warnings) to countless professional associates, students, etc. Apparently, the gentlemen working at Michael’s Chevrolet don’t understand this basic principle of customer service because from start to finish, their handling of this has been a disaster.
Long story short: I wish we hadn’t done business with them.