Mazda $500 Customer Loyalty Issue

[yrwei52]

⋯ On the bright side, I'm picking my mom up from the airport tomorrow in her brand new CX-5 (complete with $500 on the spot loyalty discount) and she's going to be so excited she'll pee her pants. I even made a giant red bow to put on the hood. She's never had a new car before and has only ever driven small cars that are low to the ground and is always complaining that she can't see anything. She will love the CX-5!

That's really nice of you! Your mom definitely will be very happy to see that! Especially I remember you said you bought this new CX-5 for her! Very nice gesture and a late but big Mother's Day gift I suppose!

Would like to see a picture of that CX-5 with a big red bow if you don't mind. I remember car dealers will put a red bow on front grille when they deliver a brand new car to the customer in many Asian countries!

 

[jlx21]

No, unfortunately I do not have proof that I'm supposed to get the $500. They told me I would get it in the form of a check from Mazda after they sent in the paperwork. But Mazda said NOPE that's not how it's done, they should have given you the discount at the point of sale and there's nothing we can do. Very shady.

Finally heard back from the sales guy who gave me the phone number of a lady in their business office (which is at a nearby Volkswagen dealership) and told me to call her to make sure she's working on my paperwork. They're totally giving me the runaround and hoping I will give up. I'm going to go back to the dealership in person and speak to the GM. Tell them I'm changing my Yelp review from 5 down to 1 star unless I get resolution.

On the bright side, I'm picking my mom up from the airport tomorrow in her brand new CX-5 (complete with $500 on the spot loyalty discount) and she's going to be so excited she'll pee her pants. I even made a giant red bow to put on the hood. She's never had a new car before and has only ever driven small cars that are low to the ground and is always complaining that she can't see anything. She will love the CX-5!

Yeah this is really nice of you. Hope good karma comes your way after that shady dealership incident.

 

[iheartmypitbull]

She was soooooooooo excited to be picked up from the airport in her brand new CX-5! But she kind of seemed more pumped about the big red bow I made than the actual car. Typical mom lol. Still no luck on my loyalty rebate.

 

[Kaps]

Good on you mate. Very nice car. In 4-5 years from now - if you dont love and use your car fully -- you will regret that more than 500.
Congrats.

 

[banjos-n-beer]

woot woot!

(thumb)

 

[yrwei52]

She was soooooooooo excited to be picked up from the airport in her brand new CX-5! But she kind of seemed more pumped about the big red bow I made than the actual car. Typical mom lol. Still no luck on my loyalty rebate.

I agree, I was more impressed on that big bow you made than that brand new 2016.5 CX-5! Very nice! I hope someday our kids would buy a brand new car for us too!

 

[iheartmypitbull]

Thank you to everyone for all your advice! After many more fruitless attempts with no resolution or answers, I finally got frustrated enough to update my 5 star Yelp review to a scathing 1 star review. Apparently, that was all it took as just an hour or so later I received a call from the sales manager. He apologized profusely and said that he had personally looked into my claim and confirmed that all my paperwork had been submitted to Mazda. Apparently because I had moved a few weeks before I bought the car so my current address was not on the registration, the paperwork was delayed (even though I provided them with my official USPS change of address as proof 2 months ago). He promised to personally follow up with Mazda and keep me posted and gave me his cell phone number in case I had any questions.

About 90 minutes later, he called me back and told me he was able to confirm that Mazda had approved my claim and I would be receiving the check shortly. So there you have it guys: we live in the age of social media, where social media reputation is king. Also, lesson learned: make sure the dealership gives you the loyalty discount on the spot so you don't have to deal with what I went through.

 

[mazdadude]

Thank you to everyone for all your advice! After many more fruitless attempts with no resolution or answers, I finally got frustrated enough to update my 5 star Yelp review to a scathing 1 star review. Apparently, that was all it took as just an hour or so later I received a call from the sales manager. He apologized profusely and said that he had personally looked into my claim and confirmed that all my paperwork had been submitted to Mazda. Apparently because I had moved a few weeks before I bought the car so my current address was not on the registration, the paperwork was delayed (even though I provided them with my official USPS change of address as proof 2 months ago). He promised to personally follow up with Mazda and keep me posted and gave me his cell phone number in case I had any questions.

About 90 minutes later, he called me back and told me he was able to confirm that Mazda had approved my claim and I would be receiving the check shortly. So there you have it guys: we live in the age of social media, where social media reputation is king. Also, lesson learned: make sure the dealership gives you the loyalty discount on the spot so you don't have to deal with what I went through.

(dance)

... Well done!

 

[Monterra]

+1 and nice work Kaps!

 

[NelsonLewis]

Good to hear. I agree, social media is powerful. Unfortunately, had to use it to my advantage on a home purchase as well before. Hopefully, this is the end of it, and the check shows up in a timely fashion...

 

[banjos-n-beer]

Congrats... I would have gone the social media route need be. At least you gave them some time to try to correct the issue before jumping the gun. Sometimes folks can be a bit too quick to go that route out of frustration when it might not be necessarily warranted.

 

[iheartmypitbull]

Congrats... I would have gone the social media route need be. At least you gave them some time to try to correct the issue before jumping the gun. Sometimes folks can be a bit too quick to go that route out of frustration when it might not be necessarily warranted.

I totally agree and I really didn't want to be that person. I always try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and in this case I gave them SOOOOOOO many opportunities but they did nothing to fix the situation they created. This was my last resort and I'm really happy it seemed to have worked.

 

[banjos-n-beer]

I totally agree and I really didn't want to be that person. I always try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and in this case I gave them SOOOOOOO many opportunities but they did nothing to fix the situation they created. This was my last resort and I'm really happy it seemed to have worked.

so how's your mom liking her new ride?

 

[yrwei52]

so how's your mom liking her new ride?

Well, it's from her daughter. Even if it's a Honda CR-V, Mom would still be very happy! Not to mention now it's a much better looking 2016.5 CX-5!

 

[iheartmypitbull]

so how's your mom liking her new ride?

She is loving it! She's short and has only ever had low cars so she is loving the higher driving position and increased visibility. She's never had a brand new car either so she's really excited. I made her back into a parking spot to show her the capabilities of the rear view camera and she could not believe how helpful it was! The infotainment system was very intimidating to her though, even after I spent a good 45 minutes going over it with her, so there'll be a learning curve there. Oh and she wouldn't stop saying "it's so smooth!"

 

[banjos-n-beer]

She is loving it! She's short and has only ever had low cars so she is loving the higher driving position and increased visibility. She's never had a brand new car either so she's really excited. I made her back into a parking spot to show her the capabilities of the rear view camera and she could not believe how helpful it was! The infotainment system was very intimidating to her though, even after I spent a good 45 minutes going over it with her, so there'll be a learning curve there. Oh and she wouldn't stop saying "it's so smooth!"

Cool beans.

Ps- I know the feeling. I'll probably be tutoring my parents on their iPhone for months to come.

Cheers!