Tuesday, April 01, 2008
A bad consumer experience
If you need your car repaired in Waco, I would discourage you from taking it to Freddie Kish's Car Care Center out on Franklin. I had a really disappointing experience there today. Long story short, I admire their clean lobby but doubt their honesty.
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You know, his wife owns a coffee shop on Hewitt Drive that's been closed "for repairs" for almost a year now. They had great gelato, I hear.
that's too bad, that you had a bad experience. I've generally had good an honest service. (where they say things like - you could probably get this cheaper somewhere else - and it came recommended from a buddy who'd had good experiences there as well)
I'm not trying to sell you on Freddie, I just wanted to mention maybe they just had a bad moment with you. (or a bad employee)
I'm not trying to sell you on Freddie, I just wanted to mention maybe they just had a bad moment with you. (or a bad employee)
Is McBride's still around? I always had good experiences with them and know that some of your colleagues take their cars over there, too.
# posted by 
: 8:40 AM
: 8:40 AM
There's a place across Lake Air Drive from Barnes & Noble. I only used them once - as I found a dealership I could actually get my car in for service - but the one time I used them, I was really impressed.
I wonder what happened. I've been going to Freddie's for quite some time (since McBride's closed), and they've been just wonderful.
In fact, the first time I ended up over there was as a result of Bird Kultgen Ford's lying to me rather significantly about a repair. My air conditioner would run, but the air wasn't cooled. Raymond and I figured it just needed to be recharged and set out to do it ourselves until we realized that we would have to get behind the passenger's side front wheel well to do it. Now, I know that the dealer is usually the most expensive place to get a repair done, but since we thought this would be a fairly minor job, I figured why not try the dealer.
Bird Kultgen didn't even get around to looking at my car until two days after they said they would (without contacting me at any point to let me know this), and when they finally did call they listed off several expensive parts that would have to be replaced, including the compressor. Their estimated cost of repair was about $1,400. Oh, yes, I almost forgot: They also said the a/c didn't need recharging at all. On top of that, the service manager I dealt with was excruciatingly condescending to me. Not only did I not appreciate the tone and word choice, but I was really suspicious of their claim that the compressor needed replacing since the a/c system was still blowing air.
Well, to wrap up my overlong story, I asked around, and everyone seemed to love Freddie's, so I decided to try them out. They got back to me about my car the very same day (within three hours of my dropping it off, in fact). Their verdict: a/c needed to be recharged, and some other part (I think it was a valve? Can’t remember) needed to be replaced. Interestingly enough, not only was their repair MUCH cheaper (in the $400-$800 range), but none of the other parts Bird Kultgen wanted to repair and replace had anything wrong with them. Furthermore, the part Freddie’s found to be in need of fixing wasn’t even among those parts that Bird-Kultgen had claimed were broken.
Most of the people there have a serious commitment to good customer service (excepting whoever you dealt with, apparently). If something else turns out to be broken before you leave, they will immediately come try to fix it right there on the lot if possible, free of charge. They always have the same two people deal with me, which means they are already be acquainted with my car and the sorts of things that have gone wrong on it. Many of the people there also keep up with you and remember personal details like what your major is, etc.
In my personal experience, I’ve never suspected them of dishonesty, but if you really want to know for sure that you are being dealt with honestly then ask to deal with Willie Stillman specifically. He is a good friend of a friend who thinks very highly of him. He also participates faithfully and actively in his church’s prison ministry and has done so for quite some time, demonstrating that he is more than likely committed to the Walk and takes its values seriously.
I know this is an awfully long comment, but I hold them in such high regard that I really don’t want one bad experience put someone off them. I recommend giving them another shot and seeing if this one was a fluke.
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In fact, the first time I ended up over there was as a result of Bird Kultgen Ford's lying to me rather significantly about a repair. My air conditioner would run, but the air wasn't cooled. Raymond and I figured it just needed to be recharged and set out to do it ourselves until we realized that we would have to get behind the passenger's side front wheel well to do it. Now, I know that the dealer is usually the most expensive place to get a repair done, but since we thought this would be a fairly minor job, I figured why not try the dealer.
Bird Kultgen didn't even get around to looking at my car until two days after they said they would (without contacting me at any point to let me know this), and when they finally did call they listed off several expensive parts that would have to be replaced, including the compressor. Their estimated cost of repair was about $1,400. Oh, yes, I almost forgot: They also said the a/c didn't need recharging at all. On top of that, the service manager I dealt with was excruciatingly condescending to me. Not only did I not appreciate the tone and word choice, but I was really suspicious of their claim that the compressor needed replacing since the a/c system was still blowing air.
Well, to wrap up my overlong story, I asked around, and everyone seemed to love Freddie's, so I decided to try them out. They got back to me about my car the very same day (within three hours of my dropping it off, in fact). Their verdict: a/c needed to be recharged, and some other part (I think it was a valve? Can’t remember) needed to be replaced. Interestingly enough, not only was their repair MUCH cheaper (in the $400-$800 range), but none of the other parts Bird Kultgen wanted to repair and replace had anything wrong with them. Furthermore, the part Freddie’s found to be in need of fixing wasn’t even among those parts that Bird-Kultgen had claimed were broken.
Most of the people there have a serious commitment to good customer service (excepting whoever you dealt with, apparently). If something else turns out to be broken before you leave, they will immediately come try to fix it right there on the lot if possible, free of charge. They always have the same two people deal with me, which means they are already be acquainted with my car and the sorts of things that have gone wrong on it. Many of the people there also keep up with you and remember personal details like what your major is, etc.
In my personal experience, I’ve never suspected them of dishonesty, but if you really want to know for sure that you are being dealt with honestly then ask to deal with Willie Stillman specifically. He is a good friend of a friend who thinks very highly of him. He also participates faithfully and actively in his church’s prison ministry and has done so for quite some time, demonstrating that he is more than likely committed to the Walk and takes its values seriously.
I know this is an awfully long comment, but I hold them in such high regard that I really don’t want one bad experience put someone off them. I recommend giving them another shot and seeing if this one was a fluke.
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