Anon

Awful Customer Service

My Daughter bought a used Focus one and a half years ago, she also took out the extended warranty they suggested to buy. Earlier this month she heard a rattling noise coming from the engine, so she tried to book it in with Ford for them to take a look, but they were 'too busy'. She took it to another garage who said it could be one of two things, the worst being a new engine. But he wanted Ford to confirm the noise was what he thought it was first (which they could have done just from listening to the engine running for a few minutes. My daughter took it up to Lincoln Ford and asked if she could have a quick word with the Manager. The female Manager came out and my daughter explained to her what the issue was, and explained the garage she had just come from said they thought it could be dangerous for her to drive, so she asked if she could book it in with Ford for them to look at. The Manager tried to belittle and patronise my daughter by telling her she couldn't leave it there as she had no one to look at it! My daughter explained the noise, and asked if one of their Mechanics could just come and listen for 2 minutes to see if they recognised the noise. The Manager refused and said they were too busy. My daughter asked again, stressing it was just 2 minutes of their time, but again, she was refused. My daughter told her that if it was the engine, it was too dangerous for her to drive, but this was ignored, my daughter went onto explain she had just come off maternity leave with a young baby, and has to get to work each day, but again, the Manager ignored her. My daughter then asked if they could book it into the Gainsborough branch, but the Manager insisted they didn't have a branch at Gainsborough......until someone stepped in and told her they do! She then went on to rant at my daughter that if the correct oil wasn't in the car, it would damage it?!?!?. My Daughter told her she had never touched the oil, so the patronising woman then asked my daughter if the car had been serviced with them, when my daughter told her no, because she could never get booked in with Ford, she then started rattling on about the oil again and how expensive it will be if it was the wrong one. When she finally got over herself, they got it booked in at Gainsborough, but she wasn't offered a courtesy car. My daughter explained she has to do the nursery run before and after work each day, but again this was dismissed, along with how dangerous the car could be to drive. My daughter dropped the car off at Gainsborough, and was told they would look at in in a few days. They never called back, so she called them, only to be told they hadn't had time to look at it. A week later they called to say it needs a new engine! Today, she has now also been told that the extended warranty they insisted she took out, will not cover this because the garage she had her car serviced at is not VAT Registered! It has been bout 4 weeks of my daughter chasing round trying to get her car looked at, booked in, and being stranded without a car, with no empathy at all from Ford. Not only has my daughter had a worrying time leaving her first baby at Nursery and returning to work full time, she has been driving round in a car she shouldn't have been driving. Ford sold my daughter a car with problematic issues that they would have been aware of. The exact same model they sold her is all over socials, google and general news saying the engine fails, which is why the patronising Manager started on about an issue with the oil, trying to deflect away from the real issue. Not once has my daughter been called to apologise for any inconvenience, or asked if she's like a courtesy car. After a general search on Google, Lincoln Ford has got some terrible comments about customer service, and I can now genuinely understand why. After speaking to a few ex-employees, they have the same story - Lincoln Ford, do not want to do big repairs, all they want is to sell cars with add on's, carry out a simple MOT or Service, Any complaints will be dismissed and they will never blame their staff. anything else, they will move you on, and my daughter experienced this very same issue. It's disgraceful - Shame on you Ford