Yet another case of a business doing the right thing only after their bad behavior becomes public knowledge.

That headline is somewhat deceiving. I thought the dealer refunded what the guy paid for the truck!

The picture related to this article is excellent.

The only mildly surprising aspect of this is that they refunded the towing. They were absolutely not entitled to the money they took for (not) repairing his truck and would (I believe) lost that in a civil court.

@halcyondays:

+1 Right you are!

@halcyondays: I don't know... Someone did work on the truck and hung some parts. Just because they couldn't fix it doesn't mean they were in the wrong.

As the customer, you could maybe expect them to knock off the labor and only charge for parts. So a full refund including towing is above and beyond.

@HiPwr: They probably aren't legally liable. They charge for parts and labor, not repair. No mechanic can guarantee repair.

@Brent Woodle: Sure they can, they do it all the time. They guarantee their work. In this case, they can't guaruntee anything because they didn't accomplish anything. The truck owner paid for a service and got nothing.

@Brent Woodle: Thats how I see this too.

Granted they did not fix the issue, from what I remember reading they did replace a lot of parts and at least spent time and money on attempting the repair. Regardless if they fixed the original issue by replacing other parts they may have been inadvertently been fixing a future issue that may have occurred.

@bigmil87: So if they are hunting down an electrical problem and replace a cam shaft thinking that might fix it, they should be rewarded for that?

@HiPwr: It is best to evaluate things like this on a case by case basis lest we get caught up in a slippery slope fallacy.

@bigmil87:
The guy didn't take the truck in for preventative maintenance for future problems.
He had specific problems. Just because they couldn't fix it doesn't mean he should pay for parts they "willy-nilly" replaced.
Should the truck owner have to pay for a new "computer brain", spark plugs, distributor, or maybe even an entire engine rebuild because all of these may have been the problem, but weren't, and may prevent future problems?
If they put in new parts and it didn't fix anything, they should put the old part back in.
Anyone could open up a repair shop with your theory: just start replacing parts until you find the fault or get tired of it all. Then charge for all those marked up new parts.
Sounds like a good plan.

@bigmil87: This is the worst logic I might have ever seen presented in reference to accepted automotive repair policies.

@Brent Woodle: Given the fact that another shop resolved the man's issue in a matter of minutes, I'd say that if the Dodge dealer replaced a lot of parts, they were replacing things that didn't need replacing and obviously had nothing to do with the original issue. The argument that he should pay to replace the parts that *might* fail and cause some other problem is not a good one.

I have had cars come back from mechanics (and dealers) in worse shape. If I was lucky, the original problem was fixed.

It is so hard to figure out whether it is an honest mistake, a careless mistake, bad luck that was going to happen anyway or just plain old lack of ability.

I thought I was getting screwed because I was shopping by price. Imagine my surprise when the same BS happened despite throwing out the lower priced ones.

Another case where the owner had to be notified before action could be taken. The OP is right, it would be nice if the people at the dealership could have offered some sort of compensation, but atleast the owner made good on his employee's mistake.

I'd even go far as to say he went above and beyond what he should have done. Towing + Labor would have been a damn fine refund, but the Parts as well? That's a great deal for this guy. He has all new parts in his truck and he didn't pay a dime for them now.

@breese524:
Careful, this is getting into slippery slope territory. The dealership not only didn't fix the truck, but they didn't diagnose it either. They just basically took to systematically replacing parts until the problem goes away. An unethical dealership could conceivably keep swapping out parts until they racked up "enough" profit on this job, and yet never have to actually fix anything.

@HiPwr: Every time I've had car repairs done the mechanic calls me and says "We think Gizmo Y is bad, and it will cost about $300 to replace it." At that point you have the option of saying yes or no.

If you say yes, they replace Gizmo Y, and you still have the problem you are liable to pay them. In many cases they will discount your labor, though.

My point is that they don't replace anything without getting authorization from the customer.

@Brent Woodle: I agree with that. If I have a car in the shop that is overheating and I authorize them to replace the gas tank in an effort to remedy the problem, then I am responsible for that service.

@bigmil87: All parts will eventually go bad and need replacing. This does not give a dealership or any other mechanic the right to start replacing parts and then charge you for it and not fix the original problem.

If you took our truck in because the brake lights quit working, do you think that it is reasonable for them to replace the entire fuse box and charge you for it? I mean it is reasonable that the entire fuse box could eventually go bad isn't it? Under your logic, this would be a perfectly acceptable charge even if it did not fix the problem with the brake lights.

@billlnv: Mechanics can't replace anything unless it is authorized by the customer as far as I know.

@JustinSane07: if the dealer owner never knew a simple battery reset fixed it, I'd say he has more reason to not want to refund until he read the Consumerist.

@redkamel: ..in addition to what you said, I mean.

@bigmil87:

I always replace my lightbulbs before they burn out.

It gives me great peace of mind to know that I fixed an issue before it occured.

I wonder if companies will ever decide to cut out the middleman and do the right thing without requiring a shaming on Consumerist first...

@Homerjay. Good and good for you.: Yah. I thought the same thing. Should read something like "Dodge Dealership Refunds Money On Repairs It Couldn't Make"

@vladthepaler: Blasphemy! Plus it cuts into the bottom line...

Heh, repair fees and they didn't fix anything!

@halcyondays: True, but Consumerist isn't exactly overflowing with many of the presumably-numerous cases where a company DID do something right WITHOUT anyone bringing it to the attention of a website or consumer advocacy group.

@bigmil87: 'Regardless if they fixed the original issue by replacing other parts they may have been inadvertently been fixing a future issue that may have occurred."

Or, if the parts they used were cheap knock-offs, and/or if said parts were not installed properly they could be the cause of future issues.

Using your logic why not replace the tires before they have a flat or the tread wears down. Hopefully you get my point.

Is it just me or does the statement about the owner and the dealership, made by the OP, seem out of place, like he was told to say that...maybe in order to get his refund? Was he coerced into saying what he did maybe under the threat of being sued?

That's great and all, but let's use the example of a computer repair shop:
The simplest way for them to figure out if there are problems with a specific part is to A) have experience to know which part is probably bad and B) swap that part out with a known working part to see if it remedies the issue. If the part does not work, they do not say "oh well, you have a new part that does nothing for you," they replace the new part with the old working part and continue to try and solve the problem. That's why you give them a diagnostic fee. That's the money they bill to you in an attempt to figure out the problem. If they can't do it, then oh well, you're out the fee they charge "just to look at it."
This is what every car repair shop I've been to has done to me as well: give us $150 and we'll do a diagnostic of your car and figure out what's wrong, and THEN we'll get down to the parts and labor. If they can only diagnose via computerized equipment, then they should never have agreed to even look at the car.

@JustinSane07: It depends on how much other stuff they botched while putting in the new parts - and they could have botched the new parts too.

@Bogart's Falcon aka Philly Falcon: I would not be surprised if they're threatened with lawsuits all the time - for both crazy customers and incompetence.

I didn't get any action out of Saturn until I showed them that I met the qualifications and had the paperwork completed for a California lemon law claim.

@wagnerism: nevermind... I had to read that a couple of times.

And the BBB says these guys are scammy even after MO supposedly got them to agree to change their marketing:

[stlouis.bizjournals.com]

"A call to Geof Reusch, the company's chief operating officer, was not immediately returned.

But consumers still feel they are being misled, said Michelle Corey, president and CEO of the St. Louis BBB.

"While the intent of the (agreement) may have been noble, it simply does not go far enough in protecting customers and potential customers," she said.

Until last summer, the name Service Protection Direct was registered with the Missouri secretary of state's office as a fictitious business, owned by TXEN Partners. That name was canceled in July, shortly after TXEN Partners and owner Joseph DiMartini registered the name "Protection Direct" with the state."

Another pleased customer Sept. 2008:

[www.complaintsboard.com]

"I again declined immediate purchase and asked who I should call back for. He then continued to be extremely harassing with me, stating that I should not need to discuss anything with my spouse and buy the warranty since its my car and that I should realize the importance of auto coverage. He raised his tone of voice and made sarcastic and harassing remarks about my relunctance to purchase."

I loved the name of this report:

[www.douchebagreport.com]

"That's right. Not only are the scammers at TXEN Partners rude liars, they'll also get you thrown in jail in St. Louis. If you'd like to let these guys know what douchebags they are, feel free to give them a call at 1-877-987-PDGO. Just don't tell them that you're going to burn the place down…"

They have been doing this for 10-11 years under various names:

[www.bizjournals.com]

Consumer Automotive Consultants, incorporated in 1995, sells automotive service contracts to customers. While Automotive Integrated Marketing tries to help dealerships sell cars, Consumer Automotive Consultants provides consumers a hedge against the risk of something happening to their older vehicles through "Premium Care" warranty coverage.