On Thurs night at 9p.m. the night before Good Friday my son was on his way home from College for the long weekend when his new 2010 Mustang broke down. He was 97km from home, managed to get off the busy 401 and crawl up an off ramp before the engine light finally came on and he could go no more. Being as the car only had 34000 km on it I told him to call roadside assistance. They said they would tow him back in the opposite direction of home. My son called me back and I asked him what about you? How are you going to get home. He conferenced me into a call to roadside and they said they would take the car to a locked facility only. He was on his own from there. I told roadside I was an hour and a half drive from him and he can't be standing in a parking lot waiting for me with all his belongings it is not safe. Right now all he can see is farmers fields not a good place either. Can the driver at least take him to a donut place to wait for me. He suggested he could 'try' to ask the driver to drop my son at a donut place and suggested he just sit in the middle of nowhere until I get there. I admit I got a little testy at this point I said "Mohamad, if this were my daughter I would walk up one side of you and down the other for suggesting that, send the tow truck". I made it to my son before the tow truck did. I saw a big CAA on the tow truck, called roadside assistance, cancelled the assistance call and then called CAA. CAA's was so apoligetic for my car breaking down like they had something to do with it. Their first question was to make sure I wasn't out there alone. The tow truck towed the car to the dealership where I bought it, no problems. On Saturday, my son and I went to the dealership to tell them about the car. The service dept wasn't open so I talked to a sales man. I told him his roadside sucked and he said "I really hope that didn't happen". I couldn't make this stuff up. Anyway, I asked for a loaner while the car gets fixed. He said only if you bought the extended warrantee for $2500 at the time of purchase would we rent you a car..... Are you kidding me? Seems to me extended means after the initial warrantee runs out.... $2500 to warrantee me against you selling me a piece of crap. How do I know this is true when you didn't even know your road side assistance program is useless. Is this a new dealership policy? Bleed everyone for what you can but don't let them know when the car breaks down through no fault of the owner then tell them it was because they didn't spend enough money to warrantee the warrantee against bad workmanship that we will not stand behind. Seems to me I was not told that when I bought the car. No one said to me 'in the event that the car breaks down within 160km of your home you will be expected to walk home or carry at least $1000 for a cab at all times unless you want to pay through the nose not only for the car but an extended warrantee that we will sell you and lie to you when you call it in. Roadside assistance did not ask if there was an extended warrantee on the vehicle. And I thought this behaviour was only reserved for used car salesmen.
On our way home from the dealership, we stopped and CAA and got my son covered. I really had no idea roadside assistance was so bad.
