I recently went in to Gillman Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram for routine maintenance on my vehicle. I requested to have an oil change and alignment. I have only had my 2014 Jeep Patriot for just about a year now and have been maintaining a regular service schedule. I usually go to Jiffy Lube for oil changes, but I was sent a postcard from Jeep to receive an oil change at a discounted rate with the purchase of an oil change package. After trying nearly for two days, I was finally able to reach someone in the service department to set up an appointment. I was directed to a Ms. Keisha White and was informed she would be my point of contact in the service department. I had my appointment scheduled early on Friday, July 3, 2015. I arrived to the service department 15 minutes early and walked in to drop off my Jeep. Keisha informed me that my vehicle would be ready around 11-12 pm and she would call me to pick up it. I requested for Keisha to call me if anything came up that required additional service to be done so that it could happen while my vehicle was in their possession. She reassured me that she would call if any discoveries were made.

After not hearing from Keisha or anyone else in the Gillman service department by 2pm, I called to check in. Immediately upon calling, the phone was answered and the receptionist politely transferred me to the service department. After nearly 30 minutes on hold, I hung up and tried again. The receptionist again, transferred me where I waited an additional 20 minutes. I hung up and called back. The receptionist recognized my voice on the third call and said she would make sure someone answered. After being on hold for another 12 minutes, the receptionist picked up the line, apologized for the long wait time, and said she would check on it with the service department. I was then transferred to a customer service rep named Amanda who said I could leave a message and she would have the service department contact me as soon as possible.

It was close to 4pm and I had not heard from anyone from Gillman so I called back. The receptionist recognized my voice again, apologized, and transferred me to the service department. I finally got a hold of Ms. Keisha White and she said that my vehicle was ready for pick up. She informed me that the oil change and alignment had been completed however once I got there she would explain some details about the alignment requiring two camber bolt kits. I had arranged for a friend to bring me back around lunchtime but since it was way past the original pick up time, I no longer had that source of transportation. I informed Ms. Keisha White of this and she had a courier come pick me up. She explained to me that the courier was out dropping someone off but as soon as he returned she would send him my way.

I was picked up around 4:30 pm and immediately went straight to the service department where I had to wait 10 minutes for Ms. Keisha. She arrived and said my vehicle was ready and would be pulled up to the front. She then went on to tell me that my service had been completed and went over service and payment paperwork with me. In our discussion she mentioned that my Jeep required two camber bolt kits for the vehicle to be aligned. Upon hearing this news, of course I asked, "So was the alignment completed properly?" She reassured me that the vehicle did in fact get aligned, however, I would need these parts as without them the alignment would be thrown off faster than normal. Again I asked was the vehicle aligned and she said yes. I went to the parts department to look into possibly purchasing these parts and to gather some information so I could do some research and get a second opinion before committing to buying the camber kits. The parts department informed me that the kits would have to be ordered and would take at least two days to arrive. I did not purchase but did get the part numbers so I could go and research. I signed my paperwork, paid at the parts/service counter, and was escorted to the wait area. Ms. Keisha then informed me that it would take about 30 minutes for my vehicle to be ready because it was second in line to be washed.

This made me upset because I felt the wash should have happened before I even came to pick up it. It was nearly 5:45pm before I left as the service department closes promptly at 6pm. On my way home, I noticed my steering wheel was off-centered and tilted to the left as if I was driving diagonally. My first thought was to call the dealership but it was about 6:10pm and I knew the service department was closed and the next day they would be closed to observe the 4th of July holiday.

I went out of town and did not arrive back until Tuesday evening. I called the dealership first thing Wednesday morning, (July 8, 2015). The receptionist answered and transferred me to the service department. I was on hold all the way to my office, which is about a 20 minute commute from my home. After about 25 minutes I hung up and called back. The receptionist answered and transferred me again. After waiting approximately another 20 minutes a customer service rep answered and offered to leave a message for Ms. Keisha. Around lunchtime, I had not heard anything so I called back, got transferred, waited about 10 minutes before a customer service rep answered. I left another message. I called back about an hour later. No answer in the service department. I left another message. Near 4pm I called again, the receptionist transferred me again, I waited, customer service picked up and I left another message. After going all day and not speaking with Ms. Keisha White or having someone else from the service department respond, I put it on my short list of things to do in the morning for tomorrow.

Now it is Thursday, July 9, 2015 and it is about 8:15 am. I called again and got the receptionist. This time, I explained that I did not feel safe driving my vehicle and needed to speak to a service adviser to get my vehicle fixed. She took the message and said someone from the service department would get in touch with me. In less than three minutes, I was receiving a call from Ms. Keisha White. She asked when I would like to come in and I answered as soon as possible. She said their earliest available appointment would be Saturday, July 11, 2015 at 10 am. I asked would it be safe to drive until then and she reassured me that it was and that my vehicle would be realigned free of charge. I could not make my Saturday appointment personally, so I had my mother drop it off for me. Upon arriving at the dealership, my mother called me with Ms. Keisha in the background saying the alignment couldn't be done without the camber kits. I asked had the alignment been done before and Ms. Keisha said yes, but it would not be done properly without the parts.

I was shocked to hear this news. I was never informed that the vehicle could not be "properly" aligned without these parts. So what did I pay for, if my vehicle was not properly aligned? On my previous visit she said the vehicle had gotten serviced properly but now suddenly it was not and required those parts. Without a proper alignment the tread on my tires will wear faster and I will have to purchase tires more frequently. By the way, my tires are not cheap! I recently had to replace one that ran for nearly $400 after installation. For one tire! So no way am I okay with my car not being properly aligned. I told my mother to have them realign the vehicle. After sitting at the dealership for nearly 3 hours, my mother was told the vehicle was aligned but that the steering wheel would be off-centered and would drift to the left.

No. No. NO. That is not protocol. I should have been informed that the vehicle could not be properly aligned in the first place therefore I would have not paid over $100 for a service that would be half-assed. I will not take this sitting down. I am in the process of filing a complaint with management to get the situation rectified. As of today, July 13, 2015, my Jeep Patriot is still not properly aligned and I still do not feel safe driving it.