Robinson Brothers Ford Dealership Lied to me, charged me $1000 for repairs that did not fix the car. Continually promise one thing & then go back on it. Baton Rouge, Louisiana

I brought my ford Taurus in to Robinson Brothers service department almost a month ago. It would not start, and after taking it first to Goodyear thinking it was the starter or some other mechanical problem, they told me the anti-theft system had engaged & it was in fact a computer problem that they could not fix, that it would have to go to a dealership bc only dealers have the codes to reset computers &/or disengage the anti-theft so it will start. Goodyear's opinion was that it would probably be a simple fix, a matter of typing in some codes or cutting a new key, but just one that they simply could not perform. Robinson Bros acted initially like it was a simple issue too, even telling me they'd have it resolved the next day. Which turned into 2 days, 3 days, eventually a week and a half of wasting my time & money doing things like cutting multiple keys at about $100 a pop- not to mention in the meantime I was forced to pay for a rental car out of pocket while they're taking their sweet time with mine. After all was said & done (or so I thought), I was informed that the cars entire computer (PCM) needed to be replaced and it was going to run me $1000. Finally, they "repaired" the problem, and $1600 later (the difference was what I had spent on rentals), I got my car back.

The car was filthy, I couldn't even see out the windshield to drive it was just CAKED in mud, and there was a large stain on the upholstery in the back seat that was not there previously, and the whole car stunk of rotten eggs- and continues to do so, particularly when the ac/heat is running- not sure what all that's about but if they've got some little pranksters working in their shop that thought it would be funny to put something smelly in my vents, I am not amused, & neither is my one year old baby who is forced to inhale the fumes as well. But- I had the car back, so I sucked it up & moved on.

LESS THAN 24 HOURS LATER....my daughter & I find ourselves stranded in a parking lot in Baton Rouge after going in to a store bc the CAR WON'T START. Surprise, surprise. All the same symptoms as before- no crank, no lights, nothing. Even the power locks don't respond or make a sound, can't even pop the trunk or the hood. Then a bizarre erratic clicking noise coming from somewhere in the dash, and the odometer needles twitching & vibrating, even without the keys in the ignition. I was beyond frustrated. Late for work. Stranded in a parking lot alone with a baby, right under a billboard "advertising" how obscenely high the murder rate is in Baton Rouge, armed with nothing but a can of mace and about 110 lbs of sheer pissed off attitude if anyone should attempt to approach me or my child at this time.

I'm calling people to come get us, work to tell them I'm going to be late, enterprise to set up another rental to get us home later, tow trucks, and of course, my dear friends at Robinson Brothers who jacked me out of $1000 the day before. The receptionist says "Jim Hart is too busy to speak with me, but to have it towed out there again, AT THEIR EXPENSE, and he will definitely call me back before they close." He did not, of course, but another 3 days later (more rental expense) he calls me & says "there is nothing wrong with the car, started right up & drove fine and I can come pick it up." Of course I am pretty perplexed as to why the car randomly decides not to start for me, but acts just fine in the hands of Jim Hart at ford, so I ask him what they did to make it start?? First he says nothing, So I pry a little further & he fesses up to having hooked the battery up and charging it some to get it to start. I ask if it needs a new battery. He says no. So I take the car.

4 days later I am in the exact same predicament, different parking lot in BR. This time I just start to cry. I have no family here. I don't have anyone really I can just call at the drop of a hat to come bail me out of these recurring situations. I'm a single mother, and being consistently stranded in random places in a city as dangerous as BR with a one year old is pretty much child endangerment, in my eyes. At the very least it compounds the frustration & inconvenience of it all times a billion-what if in the hours you spend waiting on tow trucks or a ride baby gets tired? Or hungry? Or needs a diaper change? What if the phone was on low battery & dies while you're on the phone screaming at Robinson bros for the zillionth time this week? What if its dark? Raining? Cold? Hot? You're on the "wrong side of town"? Then there's the always fun task of uninstalling a car seat & getting all your possessions outside on the sidewalk while making sure the one yr old isn't running off into traffic, plus hauling all that stuff around by yourself if there does happen to be shelter close by.

Needless to say, nobody needs this to happen this regularly, especially when they paid for a service and obviously did not receive it, but I REALLY don't need this in my circumstances. It's downright dangerous. I'm terrified to even go to the grocery store with my baby anymore, and I shouldn't be going through this when I paid them to fix the problem & make my car safe & reliable. The man I spoke to last night, when this happened, assured me that towing & cost of my next rental car would be covered, bc I also informed him that bc of their negligence/ignorance of the problem, I was up to almost $1000 in lost money on rentals alone-not to mention the $1000 I lost getting it "repaired" in the first place, I can't afford to have this happen every other day. I told him that if they could not figure out what is wrong with the car, please don't lie to me & tell me "it's fine" just to have it happen again in two days..one of these times could be the last for us, depending on who's lurking around wherever we get stranded next, and that is not a risk I'm willing to keep taking just based on their "word" that everything's ok. I told him that if the damages total the vehicle, just tell me it's totaled, so I can file a claim with insurance & move on with my life.

Idk if they are scared to admit that bc they think it might hurt their "reputation" or they don't want to have to refund my $1000 or what...but it's just gotten out of control at this point with the lying and games...heaven help them all if their lies to me about the reliability of their repairs gets me & my daughter kidnapped or killed bc were stranded again. To top it all off, today Jim tells me that no, they will not cover my rental, that nobody ever told me that (LIE), and that they have a bill from the last time it was towed for me? Maybe I should pay that? ....Really?...there are no words....