Mel Hambelton Ford

Cheap car, extremely terrible customer service This is a long and public post, but everyone should know why they shouldn't go to Mel Hambelton Ford for service. On Tuesday, October 7th 2014 I was This is a long and public post, but everyone should know why they shouldn't go to Mel Hambelton Ford for service. On Tuesday, October 7th 2014 I was driving and was unable to avoid a branch with a 10-inch stump attached to it. The branch bent my rim and a piece of it lodged between the wheel and the tire. I pulled over, replaced the wheel with my spare and went about my day. I thought there was a possibility that the tire could be saved and would look into it. I called around, trying to get a price range for the wheel before ultimately deciding to take it to Mel Hambelton Ford, the same dealership I bought my car from, for the service. On Thursday, October 9th 2014 I called Mel Hambelton Ford and spoke to a parts worker to make sure they physically had a wheel for my 2013 Ford Fiesta. After confirming that the tire wheel was on site and getting a quote for $99.00, I called the Mel Hambelton Ford Service Center to see if they would be able to put the wheel on that day. I was told it should be fine, but if not, I would be given a car so that I could get to work on time. I brought in my car at 1:00 PM as requested and reminded the service team that I needed to be at work at 3:00 PM on the other side of town (which is about a 30-minute drive). I was told it shouldn’t be a problem. The manager and the man who helped me set up my appointment said they would try to see if they could make the old tire work on the new wheel. I was told there would be a $15.00 dollar charge for installation of the wheel. I agreed to that and went and sat down in the waiting area. I waited until 2:20 PM to check on my car. I once again reminded the service team that I needed to be at work at 3:00 PM. I was told that the mechanics were just finishing up on my car and it should be there “in a few minutes.” Great! I can wait a few minutes. I went and sat back in the waiting area. It’s 2:30 PM before I went back up to check on my car. I’m nervous and a bit upset at this point because I can’t be late for work. I asked the service team again about the status of my car. I’m told, once again, that it will be a few minutes because the mechanics are “just finishing up.” I once again reminded them that I couldn’t be late to work. I stand and wait by the Service Center. Another 10 minutes passed and the car still hadn’t shown up. The man I had talked to from the beginning, asks me how much I was quoted for the wheel. I told him $99.00. I was told it was “showing up at a significantly higher price than that.” I told him I wouldn’t have come to Mel Hambelton Ford if that were the case because I would have taken it to Rusty Eck Ford where they quoted me $98.00. I was told that they would give me the price I was quoted, and then told I would also be charged for a valve stem replacement, which was another $15.00. I’m so upset at this point that I don’t ask for justification because I know I’m going to be late for work. I pay for my service and go into the garage to wait for my car. The man I had dealt with from service then tells me they weren’t able to an alignment check on my car like they normally do because they “knew I needed to get to work” and that his manager would have to look at my tire because there was a bulge in it. The manager then calls the mechanics and tells them they need to bring the car over now because I needed to get to work. The car shows up at 2:45 PM and the manager and the man from service that has been helping me from the beginning check the tire. It is obvious that even though he tire is holding air, it won’t work well long-term because it is not sitting flush with the wheel like it should be and there’s an obvious bulge in the tire. My wheel cover didn’t get installed on the tire either. I’m livid because I was promised I wouldn’t be late to work and now I am definitely going to be, the tire isn’t going to work and they knew it wouldn’t, the process clearly wasn’t finished (the lack of wheel cover and lack of alignment check done on the car are testament to that), and I’m being put in a position where I’m being given an unsafe car to drive. I was told by the man I dealt with from service that he would “call around town and see if he could find me a tire and they’ll [Mel Hambelton Ford] would take care of it” for me. He took down my phone number and said he’d call me. I didn’t leave the dealership until 2:48 PM and yes, I was late to work. I also never received a phone call. I’m mad at Mel Hambelton for promising me they would do everything they could to not make me late for work, I’m mad they put me in a position where I had to make a decision to drive an unsafe car (which, if I would have gotten in a car wreck, they would be held legally liable for), and I’m angry at myself for not refusing to drive a car that hadn’t gone through all the safety checks and was obviously unsafe. I should never have been put in a position to make that decision. I will not be taking my car back to Mel Hambelton Ford for service and I am currently doing everything I can to get my loan pulled from Ford altogether. If I’m unable to do that, I will be selling the car, taking the financial hit, and getting a different brand of vehicle. While the car itself has not given me trouble, I refuse to do business with people who lack integrity, follow through, do not care about my safety or the safety of the community around me, and try to pacify me. Do not go to this dealership for any service. More