Back in June my husband was involved in a car accident. We picked up the car from the body shop and as we drove off the lot we noticed a loud noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. We circled back to the shop and were told it was a mechanical issue so we needed to take it to the dealer.
We took it to the dealer and they told us that they were only 99% sure that the problem was caused by the accident. Because of their decision - we had to pay for it and then insurance wouldn't cover it. I contacted the dealer because I used to be a representative for a major auto manufacturer and managing these sorts of issues out in the field for customers was my job. The dealer told me to contact Lexus directly, which I did.
Since July, I have been going back and forth with Lexus. You can never speak to the person who is "responsible" for your claim - they have to call you back - which oftentimes takes 4-5 days. And when they call you they won't leave a message and explain the status, rather they just say to call them back. Which you do - and they are busy - so the phone tag continues.
They initially came back and said they would pay for the part (this was a $1200 repair). I explained to them that i felt that they should pay for at least half of the labor. My last call to Lexus was the most frustrating - I called back to see if they had considered paying for half of the labor. I was told by the representative that if I wanted Lexus to pay for half of the labor I needed to send in paperwork. This comment was particularly upsetting to me because
1) I have been speaking to them for four months now - never once has anyone mentioned anything about paperwork
2) I had the work done at their dealer - they have the paperwork!
When I told the representative that no one in four months had mentioned paperwork she became indignant claiming I must have misunderstood the process. To add insult to injury she claimed there was NOTHING in my file to show that I had ever asked them to pay for half the labor. This four months has been beyond frustrating for me. I love our cars but the customer service is just appalling. Making customers wait MONTHS because of phone tag is unacceptable. The final straw was when I received a letter from Joy Gustave from Lexus telling me she hadn't been able to get a hold of me- when I have been trying to get a hold of her!!
In my family, we currently have 6 Lexus vehicles. My husband and I both drive them, both of my parents and my sister and her husband. It is absolutely unacceptable that Lexus treats their customers in this fashion. I am disheartened by their lack of customer service.
Has anyone else had this experience - if so - can you offer any advice?
