and it gets better...

[cellio]

I got up at 6:30 to call VW again. That's, ahem, rather earlier than I think is a civilized hour.

This morning's person was actually helpful; it took her about 15 minutes to find a tow truck that would be there "within 30 minutes". I reminded her that I needed 15 minutes to walk to the car, and where was that truck coming from? She promised to make sure he wouldn't buzz by in 5 minutes, see no one there, and blow me off.

True to the promise, the driver showed up at 7:20 and we were under way quickly. We got to the dealer around 7:45.

Initially, this looked good: the service person said (unprompted) that a new car with such a serious problem would of course be first up when their service department opened at 8, and he'd do everything he could to expedite matters. I said something like "yeah, people have a habit of talking about their new cars, don't they?" and he nodded. He asked if I was going to wait for it and I said "for an engine? I have to get to work today", but he said it might be as simple as a switch or a fuse and could be done in under an hour. I said I could wait an hour.

55 minutes later the fire alarm went off. Ok, that's not their fault (I presume). :-)

After they let us back into the building I found the guy and asked if he could get me an update. He knew that it wasn't a simple fix but didn't know anything more, and he offered to get me a rental car so I could go to work. Fine so far. He said my car might be ready tonight or tomorrow -- and if it is, that's when they stop paying for the rental so I'd need to pick it up then. I said I have to be home tonight before they close (I named a time) and I can't drive there tomorrow and pick it up; he asked why and I said it's the Jewish Sabbath. (They close Saturday at 5, so there's no after-Shabbat option there.)

The next part of the conversation went something like this:

Him: So what does that mean?
Me: It means I'm not allowed to drive or do business. It's a day of rest. I could come Sunday (but you're closed then).
Him: (expression that indicates he clearly doesn't believe me) Well aren't there any exceptions?
Me: For matters of life and death, but this isn't that.
Him: I've never heard of such a thing before, and I've been working here for seven years.
Me: I'll be happy to show you documentation -- or would you rather speak with my rabbi?
Him: Well, you're going to have to pay for the rental then.
Me: The rental to replace the brand new car I bought from you, that through no fault of my own is dead and had to be towed here at considerable inconvenience?
Him: Let me check on the status of that for you. (Exit.)

I'm amazed at how quickly he went from wanting to keep me happy to assuming I was trying to take him for a ride -- because of course I'd rather be driving some rental car around than getting my own car back fit and healthy. Yeah, right. (I wonder, now, how he would have handled it if I'd just said "well, I'm leaving town this afternoon for the holiday weekend and won't be back until Tuesday". Do they tell people to cancel vacations too?)

I'm also surprised, from a business-savvy point of view, that he brought it up at all. For all we knew (and know) they might have to order parts that won't even be there until Tuesday, making the whole question irrelevant. We did not yet need to have that unpleasant customer moment.

Ok, I understand that I may be required to pay for the extra time as a result of following halacha. I will do that before I will violate Shabbat. But dammit, I shouldn't have to do either, not when the cause of my having that rental car in the first place is so clearly not my fault.

He came back and said they might need to order parts but weren't sure. He then called Enterprise, who sent someone over to take me to their shop. They gave me a Corolla (after first trying to get me to take some huge SUV). The rear visibility stinks and I'm nervous driving it because of that, but it will do for a few days. I have no beef with Enterprise; they gave me the best car they had available without a reservation. It's just unfortunate that I couldn't get a hatchback of some flavor.

The VW folks have my office, home, and cell numbers, so I do hope they can give me some information today.

Thanks to everyone for the comments on my earlier entry. People Who Ought To Matter in VW are certainly going to get a letter from me when this is all over. My inclination to buy a VW in the future has been affected by this experience; I am also now a little more likely to trade this car -- for some other manufacturer's vehicle -- when the warranty runs out, rather than driving it into the ground as I did with my previous car.

Comments

[chite.livejournal.com]

My favorite new line, that makes service people jump:

"You may notice that I've been very calm this whole time. That is because when I am angry, I am not the kind of person who yells. I am the kind of person who writes letters."

Best of luck with the car.

[cellio]

"You may notice that I've been very calm this whole time. That is because when I am angry, I am not the kind of person who yells. I am the kind of person who writes letters."

Excellent. Thanks!

(I did not, in fact, yell at all; I was merely firm. But I didn't think to mention letter-writing explicitly.)

[jerusha.livejournal.com]

I *love* it! I may remember that line against the next time I have to deal with a bozo of the customer service variety.

[psu-jedi.livejournal.com]

Heh heh heh!

But I DO yell! AND I write letters!

Ah well... ;-)

[cahwyguy.livejournal.com]

Also do what my wife suggested: Work up the management change. Speak to the owner of the dealership in question: they want to retain your business, and will be more likely to get the extra coverage.

Of course, if you really want to pull and MF on them, call the local Chabad and have them come over with you. Be sure to drop lines such as "Hmmm, a German car, and now the dealership refuses to understand Jewish needs. Bet the press would love to hear about this."

I think I know one thing for the docket in question 6!

[ellipticcurve.livejournal.com]

Chain, chain of management!

WTF is up with never having heard of Shabbat? I've heard of it, and I'm as gentile as a person can get. And WTF is up with outspoken doubt of same?

[cahwyguy.livejournal.com]

And in bleeding Pennsylvania. I might expect that behaviour from a VW dealer in Biloxi or Jackson, but not Pittsburgh!

[cellio]

WTF is up with never having heard of Shabbat?

That surprised me too. I mean, I can understand people not knowing the word; that's why I said "sabbath". But not having heard of the concept? At all?

I was once told that Pittsburgh is so neighborhood-oriented that some people in the south hills think of Squirrel Hill as being a foreign city and vice-versa. Maybe this guy has never visited Squirrel Hill; if he ever did, the fact that we've got a lot of Jews here would be hard to miss.

And WTF is up with outspoken doubt of same?

Yeah, that was just wrong on so many levels. I have no idea why he did that.

[mrpeck.livejournal.com]

I don't think I heard about the practice of it until a few years ago. I had Jewish friends in high school but they never said anything about it.

[cellio]

Speak to the owner of the dealership in question: they want to retain your business, and will be more likely to get the extra coverage.

This is a good point. I can do that when I pick the car up. (I could call, but I think an in-person discussion has more impact.) And, of course, he'll be getting a letter later.

(MF?)

I think revenge and involving the press and stuff are premature; right now one employee has misbehaved and I haven't complained up the chain yet. But if they end up wronging me in this, and complaints up the chain don't get it fixed, I'll certainly be ready to make some noise in the community! I tend toward the approach of not making noise (legal, press, etc) lightly, but darn well finishing what I start.

(Yes, I realize a journal is public, but it's a different kind of public.)

[cahwyguy.livejournal.com]

(MF?)

You obviously have not read The Illuminatus Trilogy (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0440539811/) by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. In it, the concept of the mindf**k is introduced by one Markoff Chaney, a midget, who goes around putting up signs saying "Do Not Spit On The Floor -- The Mgt.", just to play with people's minds.

My point being: If they are obstinate on covering the rental until Monday, just walking into the dealership with a bunch of "black-hatters", and making such a statement, may be enough to get them to change their minds.

Volkswagon == The people's car.

MF

[cellio]

Ah, thanks -- I know the concept and even the phrase, but somehow I didn't parse the abbreviation. (Though you're right that I haven't actually read the books.)

And MFs are fun to fantasize about even if they go nowhere! :-)

The Mgmt.

[laurabee.livejournal.com]

When I was in school, we had problems with power cycling the Sun machines because they couldn't log in to them, without thinking it was they with the problem, not the machine. So, we put up signs reading "If you can't log into these machines, you're in the wrong lab. Thank you, The Mgmt." It seemed to work.

When I went back for a visit last fall (four years after leaving school), the signs were still up. :)

[aliza250.livejournal.com]

I don't remember how new your car is, but most states have a "Lemon Law" that protects consumers whose new cars spend excessive time in for repairs.

It could be worse - you could have gotten "Shabbat? But none of the Jewish people I know do anything like that!"

[cellio]

I bought the car on March 4 of this year, so this happened just under 6 months later. If this is an isolated incident then fine, but it's worth finding out what the time limit is for lemon laws (if we have them) in case it's not isolated. Thanks.