Help Me, Honda. Help, Help Me, Honda.

I sent this email today. What do y’all think? Am I justified … or am I a bitch?

Hi, (Service Department Head).

My husband, Dave, forwarded me your email as I am the primary driver of the 2010 Honda Pilot. As such, I am the one who came in to your service department on Monday, April 15th for the recent recall repair (the third in three years, for the record). I called the department before coming in and was told it was a very simple repair for which I did not need an appointment and I could be “expressed” so that I wouldn’t have to wait long. For this reason, I was a little surprised when the first wait time I was given upon arrival was an hour and half. But I accepted it and resigned myself to doing a little work from my laptop (which I had fortuitously brought along with me) in your waiting room. I clicked the timer on my phone so that I could be aware of the time that passed while I worked until my car was ready.

When my timer reached an hour and thirty minutes, I sat patiently and assumed I’d be called shortly.

When my timer reached an hour and forty-five minutes, I decided that your department was running a little behind and I sat … a little less patiently.

When my timer reached two hours, I stood from my seat, packed up my things and approached the desk to ask about my car.

The girl at the desk made a call and I waited to hear the news. After about five minutes, another representative (a woman, not the man who initially checked me in) came in to tell me that they had forgotten I was even there. I appreciated her honesty but was REALLY ready to leave at this point. I was there for a recall item, for Pete’s sake. She promised me they would expedite my vehicle and they’d be done in 15 minutes. I thanked her and opted to stay standing at the front desk watching through the glass wall until my car was done. And, because I remained there in earshot and full view of everything, I was able to see one of your representatives hurriedly whipping my car into the service bay area. He was a bit reckless which I didn’t appreciate and, apparently, I wasn’t alone in my assessment of his driving. There were two other employees just on the other side of the glass where I was standing. They were killing themselves laughing at his driving and one of them said, “Watch! He’s going to run into that wall.”

You should probably inform your employees that those walls are NOT sound proof. And that the owner of the car could be anywhere.

In the end, my car was repaired and there was no damage done except excessive time loss. Still, I thought my experience merited mentioning.

Thanks for your time,

Michele