Mike Castrucci Ford, Ford Motor Company, And The Better Business Bureau Poor Service, Falsification of Customer Vehicle Service Records Ripoff Milford Ohio

To the reader, the following was faxed to the Ford Motor Company, Ohio AG, BBB, and to Mike Castrucci Ford.

To Whom It May Concern:

On February 28th 2006 the Better Business Bureau forwarded a copy of Mike Castrucci Ford's response to my home and was delivered on 03/02/06.

Please note that the following is a fair representation of Mike Castrucci Fords follow up letter and they write:

Ms. B,

Again, we apologize to Mr. *** and understand clearly his concern. I can assure you that our intent is to provide him good service and we will take his comments into great consideration. The Castrucci family has been in business for nearly 50 years---we are extremely good corporate citizens and we subscribe to the BBB's code of ethics. Should Mr. *** wish to speak with me directly I would be happy to do so.

Very Sincerely,

**** *********

My response to Mike Castrucci Ford's letter is as follows:

On or about 03/08/05, I had to request that a note be included to the mechanic that he/she take the time to make sure the Oil filter was on securely. (When I had changed the oil, I had discovered that the Oil filter was loose.)

On 08/15/05, after paying for an Oil change and Tire rotation, I noticed that the dirt on my rims hadn't even been disturbed. There were no fingerprints, smudges, or any other indication that that the tire rotation that I had paid for had been done. I walked into the showroom, went down the stairs and into the office on the right and asked the manager if he had a moment. He came out, looked at the rims and could find no indication that the tires had even been touched. By then a mechanic walked out, declared he had personally watched seen/watched the mechanic rotate the tires, then he placed his fingers on the hub and rims while saying, You can see his fingers here and here and here!

On 01/17/06, I marked the tires on the Ranger in front of your employees and requested an Oil change/Tire rotation and that turned into a complete fiasco.

On 02/08/06, your company sarcastically wrote, If Mr. ***'* does not want to maintain his vehicle he does not have to, but it is our responsibility to recommend it to him and that is all we did. As far as poor service, we did an oil change correctly and it a timely manner and charged him $12.95. I don't see how that can be poor service.

Because of this, I took the time to look your company up on the BBB website, you might want to start paying the membership fee your company has a lot of complaints 27 complaints in the last three years. (This is almost four times higher than the complaints against Century Motors Honda for the same time period.)

On 03/03/06, I received a phone call at about 4:51 PM from (800) 392-3673. I thought it was a Telemarketer, so on the fourth ring I disconnected the call. Almost a minute goes by and they called back, so I picked up the phone and said, Hello. The caller then made a point of hanging up on me Saturday, I called the number to see who it was and discovered it was the Ford Motor Company Customer Service people!

One of the reasons why I kept going back for service is because the owner's manual is very specific about the type of oil that is required your dealership has been using bulk oil for my vehicles oil changes. Does that oil meet the requirements for my Ranger?

When I read your latest response on 03/02/06, I noticed that you began with, Again, we apologize To the best of my recollection, that was the first time your company has ever apologized!

Sincerely,

To the reader, the following was faxed to the Ford Motor Company, Ohio AG, BBB, and to Mike Castrucci Ford.

To Whom It May Concern:

On February 28th 2006 the Better Business Bureau forwarded a copy of Mike Castrucci Ford's response to my home and was delivered on 03/02/06.

Please note that the following is a fair representation of Mike Castrucci Fords follow up letter and they write:

Ms. B,

Again, we apologize to Mr. *** and understand clearly his concern. I can assure you that our intent is to provide him good service and we will take his comments into great consideration. The Castrucci family has been in business for nearly 50 years---we are extremely good corporate citizens and we subscribe to the BBB's code of ethics. Should Mr. *** wish to speak with me directly I would be happy to do so.

Very Sincerely,

**** *********

My response to Mike Castrucci Ford's letter is as follows:

On or about 03/08/05, I had to request that a note be included to the mechanic that he/she take the time to make sure the Oil filter was on securely. (When I had changed the oil, I had discovered that the Oil filter was loose.)

On 08/15/05, after paying for an Oil change and Tire rotation, I noticed that the dirt on my rims hadn't even been disturbed. There were no fingerprints, smudges, or any other indication that that the tire rotation that I had paid for had been done. I walked into the showroom, went down the stairs and into the office on the right and asked the manager if he had a moment. He came out, looked at the rims and could find no indication that the tires had even been touched. By then a mechanic walked out, declared he had personally watched seen/watched the mechanic rotate the tires, then he placed his fingers on the hub and rims while saying, You can see his fingers here and here and here!

On 01/17/06, I marked the tires on the Ranger in front of your employees and requested an Oil change/Tire rotation and that turned into a complete fiasco.

On 02/08/06, your company sarcastically wrote, If Mr. ***'* does not want to maintain his vehicle he does not have to, but it is our responsibility to recommend it to him and that is all we did. As far as poor service, we did an oil change correctly and it a timely manner and charged him $12.95. I don't see how that can be poor service.

Because of this, I took the time to look your company up on the BBB website, you might want to start paying the membership fee your company has a lot of complaints 27 complaints in the last three years. (This is almost four times higher than the complaints against Century Motors Honda for the same time period.)

On 03/03/06, I received a phone call at about 4:51 PM from (800) 392-3673. I thought it was a Telemarketer, so on the fourth ring I disconnected the call. Almost a minute goes by and they called back, so I picked up the phone and said, Hello. The caller then made a point of hanging up on me Saturday, I called the number to see who it was and discovered it was the Ford Motor Company Customer Service people!

One of the reasons why I kept going back for service is because the owner's manual is very specific about the type of oil that is required your dealership has been using bulk oil for my vehicles oil changes. Does that oil meet the requirements for my Ranger?

When I read your latest response on 03/02/06, I noticed that you began with, Again, we apologize To the best of my recollection, that was the first time your company has ever apologized!

Sincerely,

To the reader, the following was faxed to the Ford Motor Company, Ohio AG, BBB, and to Mike Castrucci Ford.

To Whom It May Concern:

On February 28th 2006 the Better Business Bureau forwarded a copy of Mike Castrucci Ford's response to my home and was delivered on 03/02/06.

Please note that the following is a fair representation of Mike Castrucci Fords follow up letter and they write:

Ms. B,

Again, we apologize to Mr. *** and understand clearly his concern. I can assure you that our intent is to provide him good service and we will take his comments into great consideration. The Castrucci family has been in business for nearly 50 years---we are extremely good corporate citizens and we subscribe to the BBB's code of ethics. Should Mr. *** wish to speak with me directly I would be happy to do so.

Very Sincerely,

**** *********

My response to Mike Castrucci Ford's letter is as follows:

On or about 03/08/05, I had to request that a note be included to the mechanic that he/she take the time to make sure the Oil filter was on securely. (When I had changed the oil, I had discovered that the Oil filter was loose.)

On 08/15/05, after paying for an Oil change and Tire rotation, I noticed that the dirt on my rims hadn't even been disturbed. There were no fingerprints, smudges, or any other indication that that the tire rotation that I had paid for had been done. I walked into the showroom, went down the stairs and into the office on the right and asked the manager if he had a moment. He came out, looked at the rims and could find no indication that the tires had even been touched. By then a mechanic walked out, declared he had personally watched seen/watched the mechanic rotate the tires, then he placed his fingers on the hub and rims while saying, You can see his fingers here and here and here!

On 01/17/06, I marked the tires on the Ranger in front of your employees and requested an Oil change/Tire rotation and that turned into a complete fiasco.

On 02/08/06, your company sarcastically wrote, If Mr. ***'* does not want to maintain his vehicle he does not have to, but it is our responsibility to recommend it to him and that is all we did. As far as poor service, we did an oil change correctly and it a timely manner and charged him $12.95. I don't see how that can be poor service.

Because of this, I took the time to look your company up on the BBB website, you might want to start paying the membership fee your company has a lot of complaints 27 complaints in the last three years. (This is almost four times higher than the complaints against Century Motors Honda for the same time period.)

On 03/03/06, I received a phone call at about 4:51 PM from (800) 392-3673. I thought it was a Telemarketer, so on the fourth ring I disconnected the call. Almost a minute goes by and they called back, so I picked up the phone and said, Hello. The caller then made a point of hanging up on me Saturday, I called the number to see who it was and discovered it was the Ford Motor Company Customer Service people!

One of the reasons why I kept going back for service is because the owner's manual is very specific about the type of oil that is required your dealership has been using bulk oil for my vehicles oil changes. Does that oil meet the requirements for my Ranger?

When I read your latest response on 03/02/06, I noticed that you began with, Again, we apologize To the best of my recollection, that was the first time your company has ever apologized!

Sincerely,

To the reader, the following was faxed to the Ford Motor Company, Ohio AG, BBB, and to Mike Castrucci Ford.

To Whom It May Concern:

On February 28th 2006 the Better Business Bureau forwarded a copy of Mike Castrucci Ford's response to my home and was delivered on 03/02/06.

Please note that the following is a fair representation of Mike Castrucci Fords follow up letter and they write:

Ms. B,

Again, we apologize to Mr. *** and understand clearly his concern. I can assure you that our intent is to provide him good service and we will take his comments into great consideration. The Castrucci family has been in business for nearly 50 years---we are extremely good corporate citizens and we subscribe to the BBB's code of ethics. Should Mr. *** wish to speak with me directly I would be happy to do so.

Very Sincerely,

**** *********

My response to Mike Castrucci Ford's letter is as follows:

On or about 03/08/05, I had to request that a note be included to the mechanic that he/she take the time to make sure the Oil filter was on securely. (When I had changed the oil, I had discovered that the Oil filter was loose.)

On 08/15/05, after paying for an Oil change and Tire rotation, I noticed that the dirt on my rims hadn't even been disturbed. There were no fingerprints, smudges, or any other indication that that the tire rotation that I had paid for had been done. I walked into the showroom, went down the stairs and into the office on the right and asked the manager if he had a moment. He came out, looked at the rims and could find no indication that the tires had even been touched. By then a mechanic walked out, declared he had personally watched seen/watched the mechanic rotate the tires, then he placed his fingers on the hub and rims while saying, You can see his fingers here and here and here!

On 01/17/06, I marked the tires on the Ranger in front of your employees and requested an Oil change/Tire rotation and that turned into a complete fiasco.

On 02/08/06, your company sarcastically wrote, If Mr. ***'* does not want to maintain his vehicle he does not have to, but it is our responsibility to recommend it to him and that is all we did. As far as poor service, we did an oil change correctly and it a timely manner and charged him $12.95. I don't see how that can be poor service.

Because of this, I took the time to look your company up on the BBB website, you might want to start paying the membership fee your company has a lot of complaints 27 complaints in the last three years. (This is almost four times higher than the complaints against Century Motors Honda for the same time period.)

On 03/03/06, I received a phone call at about 4:51 PM from (800) 392-3673. I thought it was a Telemarketer, so on the fourth ring I disconnected the call. Almost a minute goes by and they called back, so I picked up the phone and said, Hello. The caller then made a point of hanging up on me Saturday, I called the number to see who it was and discovered it was the Ford Motor Company Customer Service people!

One of the reasons why I kept going back for service is because the owner's manual is very specific about the type of oil that is required your dealership has been using bulk oil for my vehicles oil changes. Does that oil meet the requirements for my Ranger?

When I read your latest response on 03/02/06, I noticed that you began with, Again, we apologize To the best of my recollection, that was the first time your company has ever apologized!

Sincerely,

3/3/2006

To the reader, on February 28th 2006 the Better Business Bureau sent me a letter with what they said was a copy of Mike Castrucci Ford's response. This follow up letter from the BBB had a postmark of 03/01/06 and was delivered to my home on 03/02/06.

Please note that the following is a fair representation of Mike Castrucci Fords follow up letter. You should notice that there is no date and that there are some very strange fonts/lettering. (I am not really sure if this actually came from the business is this an E-mail?) The copy of the letter is as follows:

Company's Response for Complaint ID # 12007807
****** *** vs. Mike Castrucci Ford

Ms. Baker,

Again, we apologize to Mr. *** and understand clearly his concern. I can assure you that our intent is to provide him good service and we will take his comments into great consideration. The Castrucci family has been in business for nearly 50 years---we are extremely good corporate citizens and we subscribe to the BBB's code of ethics. Should Mr. *** wish to speak with me directly I would be happy to do so.

Very Sincerely,

**** *********

To the reader, I am really puzzled by the unsigned letter, (a name was typed, but no signature.)

The font did not match the first letter and it should be noted that both letters were not written on company letterhead.

To the reader, the following is a copy of the formal complaint letter sent to the Ohio AG's office.

03/02/06

State of Ohio
Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Section
30 East Broad Street
14th Floor, Department 066
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 466-4986
(614) 728-7583

Attention: Jim Petro, Attorney General
Ida P. Parsley, Public Inquiries Assistant

Re: Mike Castrucci Ford Complaint #: 303029
(Poor Service\Falsification of Customer Vehicle Service Records)


To Whom It May Concern:

In response to your letter dated February 15th 2006, yes I would like to file a formal complaint against Mike Castrucci Ford with your office.

Before I get into the details of my complaint, there are several points that need to be made.

1. At the time we purchased the Ford Ranger, our vehicle salesperson warned us about this type of scam.
2. Several weeks before I went to Mike Castrucci Ford, this scam was covered in detail by the local news.
3. This scam is covered in detail on the Internet.
4. Mike Castrucci Ford was told on several occasions by me that this vehicle is not driven under severe conditions

With this stated, my complaint against Mike Castrucci Ford is as follows:

On 01/17/06, while at Mike Castrucci Ford in Milford OH, I had the unfortunate experience of dealing with very poor service and what can only be described as the deliberate falsification of my vehicles service records by Mike Castrucci Ford Employees!

While waiting for my vehicle to be done, I had walked out to the showroom floor and listened in disbelief as the sales people and Ford employees joked that the reason the vehicles in the showroom were separated by color is because, You just have to keep the black vehicles away from the lighter colored vehicles. Then laugh because they had to have Vehicle Segregation. (The dealership had placed all of the black vehicles one side of the showroom and the white and silver vehicles on the other side of the showroom floor.)

It was at this point that I went back to the customer waiting room.

About thirty minutes went by when a service rep came out and claimed that the transmission fluid was due to be changed at 30,000 miles.

He stated that, Ford recommends that it be changed at 30,000 miles and it can't do its job if you don't do it. He also mentioned a few other items that I should consider having done, like replacing the coolant, despite Fords claim that it would last 100,000 miles.

I have learned a long time ago to always check out the claims of car dealerships.
I told the service rep that I did not want the transmission fluid changed.

After paying for the work, I went out to the vehicle and was looking over the invoice when I noticed that the dealership put down I had declined all maintenance required by Ford and that the transmission fluid was discolored and smelt burnt.

I was never told that the transmission fluid had a burnt smell and was discolored!

I opened up the hood, pulled out the Transmission Fluid Dipstick and checked it, It was not discolored nor did it smell burnt!

I then walked back in with the dipstick and asked them about the discrepancy the first thing that the service rep did was called for the service manager who immediately said You didn't talk too the service technician. (I never said I did and it would have been nice if he had introduced himself.)

You really have to picture this scene in your mind. There I am standing in the shop holding an oil covered dipstick with both hands. The service manager walks up and says, You didn't talk too the service technician. He doesn't introduce himself, he doesn't ask what the problem is he tells me, You didn't talk too the service technician!

After a short discussion, the service manager hand wrote on my invoice that the transmission fluid was not burnt, but recommended at 30,000 and then signed his name. (For the record, for the type of driving conditions that my Ranger is driven, Ford recommends that it be changed at 150,000 miles not 30,000 miles!)
I then went home and faxed off a complaint letter dated 01/17/06 to the Ford Motor Company and Mike Castrucci Ford.

On 01/18/06, I called the Ford Customer Service at (800) 392-3673 and filed a formal complaint against Mike Castrucci Ford, I also sent another more detailed complaint letter.

After talking with Ford customer service, I noticed that the multi-point inspection report card #10-25212883, which was filled out by the service technician, completely contradicts invoice #FOCS215935, and clearly shows that the transmission fluid was OK, that nothing out of the ordinary was noticed!

If there own mechanic reported everything was OK, why are they falsifying my vehicle service records and claiming that there was a problem? Why are they claiming service schedules that are not recommended by the Ford Motor Company? Why did Mike Castrucci falsely claim that I declined all maintenance required by Ford at 30,000? Why are they using scare tactics?

Before I close, there are some additional points that should be made.

1. On 01/17/06, 01/18/06, and 02/16/06, I faxed Mike Castrucci Ford copies of all complaint letters. Mike Castrucci Ford had several opportunities to address and correct this situation; they refused to do so.
2. The Ford Motor Company uses the excuse that the dealerships are completely independent and claims that there is nothing that they can do. (No wonder there losing money, they don't value the customer.) Filing a complaint with the Ford Motor Company is a waste of time!
3. When a dealership recommends a service schedule that is four to five times more often than what the Manufacture recommends not only is this a scam, rip-off, it is in fact poor service and it is also a complete waste of our natural resources! (Keep in mind that Mike Castrucci Ford was told and is fully aware that my Ranger is not subjected to severe service.)

There are some additional concerns that I feel should be brought to your attention.

1. I am tired of Mike Castrucci Ford pre-printing on my Bill that I was given a price estimate Unless Mike Castrucci Ford can show a signed price estimate before the work was done it didn't happen. To have a customer sign after the fact is dishonest and unethical!
2. I am tired of Mike Castrucci Ford tacking on additional shop charges to my bill. I go in for an oil change and tire rotation What additional shop supplies do they need for an oil change and tire rotation? Last time I caught them pulling this stunt, they could not justify the additional charge, nor could then explain the additional charge.
3. When I do my own oil change and tire rotation, I put on a new oil filter, add five quarts of oil, I then rotate tires
4. Mike Castrucci Ford was told on 03/08/05 that we did not do any towing, it was not taken off road, mostly highway driving, that we used the truck to haul our skydiving equipment and that my wife drives it fifty miles everyday on the highway.

Do I expect any help from the BBB? No, my letters to them are nothing more than a formality!

Do I expect any help or response from the Ford Motor company? Nope! After almost two months and three letters, this being the fourth letter, they have never responded. The message is very clear if you buy a Ford product and have trouble with a dealership your on your own!

Do I expect Mike Castrucci Ford to do anything? Not now! They have already screwed up my records with there stupid stunt so it is to late now. (When we sell our vehicles, I like to show the buyer the service records.)

Do I need or want any help from the Attorney Generals office? Naw you don't even have to write back. I have filed a complaint with your office detailing what I consider to be, and I am in the opinion of, possible deceptive and unconscionable practices in the Ohio marketplace.

Do I need any type of action or response? Again no, after all Mike Castrucci Ford will tell you, It was only an oil change!

Sincerely,

Cc. CEO William Clay Ford, Jr.
Better Business Bureau
Mike Castrucci Ford
www.ripoff.com

To the reader, the following is the response to the BBB follow up that came after over three weeks of waiting.

Please note: No mention is made about what happened in the showroom. Also, once I figure out how to post a copy of the invoice et cetera, I will do so.

2/13/2006

Attention: CEO William Clay Ford, Jr.
Christine Baker, Better Business Bureau
Mike Castrucci Ford

Re: BBB Case #12007807
Mike Castrucci Ford, Poor Service/ Falsification Customer Vehicle Service Records

To Whom It May Concern:

The Ford Motor Company provides a very clear Recommended Vehicle Maintenance Schedule, on there website and I am providing a copy of that schedule with this letter. (While looking over that documentation, please keep in mind that I used my vehicles VIN number you can not get more official than that!)

I am also providing a photocopy of the mechanics inspection report and a photocopy of the invoice that the service department provided to me. You will see that after close inspection there are serious contradictions with what Mike Castrucci Ford is telling to the Ford Motor Company's Customer Service Department, the Better Business Bureau, and more importantly the customer!

While reading this letter Keep in mind that Customer Service is a dying art, that very few people have good customer services skills. Why do I bring this up? The day that this occurred, Mike Castrucci Ford refused to address my concerns.

What is/was my concern? Please provide an accurate invoice. I don't have to explain myself any further than that!

In other words, Mike Castrucci Ford has had several opportunities to resolve this issue prior to any outside third party involvement!
In the letter dated February 8th, 2006, Mike Castrucci Ford writes:

Dear Ms Baker,

In answer to Mr. ***'* complaint we reply. First, we did not falsify any records because there are no records to falsify. All we did was an oil change and recommended services needed at the mileage interval he had on his vehicle. Mr. ***'* declined the recommended services and we noted it on his repair order and that upset him. He thought we reported to Ford Motor Company and that it would affect his warranty, but we did not. We only recorded it for our records. If Mr. ***'* does not want to maintain his vehicle he does not have to, but it is our responsibility to recommend it to him and that is all we did.

As far as poor service, we did an oil change correctly and it a timely manner and charged him $12.95. I don't see how that can be poor service.

Sincerely,

*** ****
(Service Director)

My response is as follows:

If I had driven off of the property and the transmission fell out Mike Castrucci Ford would be waving that invoice and saying, Not our fault we told him that there was a problem!
Please note that the Ford Motor Company recommends that the transmission fluid be changed at 150,000 miles Mike Castrucci Ford is not following the manufactures recommended service schedule.
Please note that the Ford Motor Company recommends the radiator fluid be changed at 100,000 miles Mike Castrucci Ford is not following the manufactures recommended service schedule.
My vehicle only had 34,000 miles they deliberately falsified the service record by hand typing on the invoice that the transmission fluid was discolored and smelt burnt when in fact it was not! There own mechanic did not report that
After I complained, they deliberately falsified the service record by hand writing on the invoice, Transmission Fluid not burnt but recommended at 30,000. Ford does not recommend that That is five times more often than the recommended schedule!
The recommended service schedule published by the Ford Motor Company clearly shows: Mike Castrucci Ford deliberately falsified the service record by typing, Customer declined all maintenance required by Ford at 30,000.
Could Mike Castrucci Ford provide a clear description of the Shop Supplies they always charge the customer? A $12.95 oil change is never a $12.95 oil change at Mike Castrucci Ford!
The only thing that the invoice should state is that I declined the replacement of the Air Filter and Fuel Filter.

I really feel sorry for the senior citizen who goes to Mike Castrucci Ford for an oil change and tire rotation When Mike Castrucci Ford gets through working on the vehicle somebody will be a lot poorer!

Sincerely,

Cc. Ohio State Attorney General

To the reader. You can go to Fords website and check the service schedule for a 2003 Ford Ranger 4x2...