PROBLEM WITH LEXUS CUSTOMER SERVICE

PROBLEM WITH LEXUS CUSTOMER SERVICE

August 15, 2005

August 11, 2005 Via United States Mail

Lexus Customer Satisfaction 19001 South Western Avenue Torrance, California 90501 Re: Consumer Complaint Ladies and Gentlemen: This letter regards a recent experience I had with my 2002 Lexus ES300. I purchased the car from Sewell Lexus in Dallas in May 2002. Since that time, I have not had any major problems and have, until recently, been happy with the customer service I have received. Over the past two years, the steering wheel leather (in the area where my hands rest) has turned green. Also, the driver’s seat leather where the backs of my arms touch has discolored and started to crack. The problem has worsened slightly over the past year. When I took my car to my local dealer (Herrin-Gear Lexus) for maintenance on June 9, I asked them to address this problem. Robert Davis, my service consultant, told me that they had their leather specialist look at it, but he’d never seen anything like it and they would have to call their factory representative, Jose Cuevas. I called back on June 17 but Mr. Davis said that Mr. Cuevas had not returned his call. I called again on July 5, and Mr. Davis told me that Mr. Cuevas would have to inspect the car before approving the warranty repairs. Mr. Davis had no idea when Mr. Cuevas would be in Jackson, but he did say that if I was not available on the one day he was here, then I’d have to wait until he was here again, which could take an additional 8-10 weeks from the next visit. On July 5, I called Lexus customer service and spoke to Elizabeth, who promised to have someone call me within a few days. When no one called me, I called again on July 12, and was told a Curtis Grafton was supposed to have called me. Still I did not receive a return call. I called again on July 14, and spoke to a supervisor named Consuela. She reiterated that the repairs had to be approved by Mr. Cuevas, and also said she had no idea when he’d be in Jackson. Since I travel for business, I asked if she could contact Mr. Cuevas to get a rough estimate of the date. She agreed, but has never called me back with this information. To date, no one has called me to make an appointment. Prior to owning a Lexus, I owned two BMWs for several years. I had warranty work performed at various times, and I never once had to wait for prior factory representative approval, and certainly not for two months and counting. Consuela said that Mr. Cuevas had to determine if the damage was a result of ordinary wear and tear, however, considering that Mr. Davis stated that the dealer never seen this problem before, I’m not sure how this could be. (In addition, the car began having this problem when it was a year old – I’ve never this before, even on a seven-year- old BMW.) It does not seem reasonable that it should be this difficult to get this repair done. I purchased a Lexus largely on its reputation for excellent customer service, yet this is the worst customer service I have ever had with any car. Since June, I have turned from a very satisfied customer to a very unhappy one – if this experience is indicative of the service I will get with future problems, I’m not interested in becoming a long-term or repeat Lexus customer. Sincerely, Klara

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