WARNING! - Concerned Car Owner
WARNING!!! Service department scam! I own a 2022 Mazda 3 sedan, around 15k for mileage. Rec'd e-mail advising 'essential maintenance' was due. Took it in, received a call from Service agent saying cabin filter needs replacing ($80 CDN) and Block Heater damaged ($232 CND) and wanted confirmation to do the work. I said NO...it seemed odd that after only 15k, city driving only would need a new cabin filter and I wanted to see the damage to block heater, before they fix it. I went to Stoney Trail Mazda wondering how my block heater got damaged? When I got to the dealership, the service agent showed me that the cord attached to block heater was broken and felt I must have driven off with cord plugged in. I told him, here is the problem with the service departments findings:
1.) I thought when you (service agent) said the block heater was damaged...it was the block heater, not the cord.
2.) The block heater has NEVER been plugged in...the car only goes from inside an attached garage to an underground heated parking lot at my place of work.
It was dark outside when I picked my vehicle up and when I looked at the block heater cord the next morning, the cord was NOT the same cord that was originally on my Mazda! The cord was a beat up old electrical cord that had been wrapped a long time ago with electricians tape.
I contacted the service manager at Stoney Trial Mazda and explained that his department just tried to scam me by telling me work needed to be done. The service manager politely told me there is no advantage to them scamming me and said he would look at the cabin filter and block heater cord. I told the Service Manager him checking after the fact would be a waste of time. I explained to the Service Manager that when I said NO to the work being done, they just changed original cabin filter and block heater cord with a dirty filter and a broken block heater cord. The Service Manager didn't see how THEY (Stoney Trail Mazda) could make money lying about the filter and damaged cord. I slowly explained HOW they probably make money by lying:
1.) Most people would take the service department's work on the work needed to be done and approved the work.
2.) The mechanic does nothing other than the essential maintenance (hopefully) and parks vehicle for pick up.
3.) Customer comes to pick up vehicle, pays the $400+ bill and is none the wiser.
4.) No parts were used by Stoney Trail...mechanics time is zero, but charges for 4 hours of work...with no work needed to be done, parks the car and repeats a scam with next car, which means the Service Department can push through a lot of vehicles in one day...making money!
In the end, the Service Manager said it was probably the Mazda dealership I bought the vehicle from that scammed me. I told the Service Manager i have never taken my Mazda to the dealership I bought it from, because Stoney Trail was more convenient. The Service Manager insisted it was the dealership I bought it from and to contact them.
In SUMMARY, my personal experience with Stoney Trail Mazda, the service department tried to scam me and when I called them on the scam. The mechanic scrambled...replaced original cabin filter with a dirty one they had laying around and replaced original block heater cord with a bad cord laying around.
HAPPY ENDING....FORTUNATELY! I talked with Service Manager at Kramer Mazda where I bought the Vehicle, explained everything to him and KRAMER MAZDA WILL FIX EVERYTHING UP...NO CHARGE!!!!
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