RX8Club.com - A Rare Tale of Mazda Customer Satisfaction

I am currently struck with a feeling I thought I'd never have: gratitude and admiration towards my Mazda dealer.

This story begins yesterday morning, when I was roused from bed to move my RX-8 so my brother could get his car out to go to the gym. It was a cold morning, about 30 degrees, and I wandered outside in gym shorts and socks to move my car onto the street. Since it was so cold I wasted no time moving it the 20 yards it took to get there, shutting it off, and running back inside.

Fast-forward to that night around 10:30. After a day of shopping and a dinner out (not touching the 8 all day), it was time for me to take my girlfriend home. We hop in my car, I turn the key, and the engine spins. And spins. And spins. But it won't turn over. As many of you have guessed, it was flooded. I decide I'll deal with it the next morning, and borrow a car for the rest of the night.

This morning, I head outside and try again. No dice, and by now the battery's getting worn down from the cranking. So I get on the phone with my dealer, Park Mazda, and they confirm my suspicion that it's flooded, and they tell me to call roadside assistance and get it down there, and they can have it running like new by the end of the day, no problem.

This is where the fun begins. I call roadside assistance, and they tell me that they can only tow it to the closest Mazda dealer, which is an outfit called Bass Mazda that is barely a Mazda dealer at all-- they mostly sell Fords. So I call them and ask what kind of time frame they're looking at. After spending long enough on hold to need a haircut, some airhead tells me their lone Mazda guy has a queue of about ten cars ahead of mine, so he'd look at it tomorrow if I was lucky, and they'd probably have to keep it over the weekend. Since my break is over on sunday, this didn't seem like the best option. So I called Roadside Assistance to see what they can do:

"Good morning, Mazda Roadside Assistance, this is Jessica. Are you in a safe location away from immediate danger?"

"Yes. I'm at home."

"What can I help you with today?"

"Yeah, I just called you guys about a tow to Bass Mazda. They're really backed up and I need this car as soon as possible. Is there anywhere else you can tow it?"

"We can only take it to the closest or second closest dealer."

"Okay, who's the second closest?"

"Bass Mazda is 31 miles away, Medina Mazda is 38 miles away."

"Alright, I'll call Medina and call you back."

<I call Medina, they tell me they can have it done today>

<I call Roadside Assistance back>

"Good Morning, Mazda Roadside Assistance, this is Jenna speaking. Are you in a sa-"

"Yes, I just called you."

"Reference number please?"

"Four."

"Okay, you need a tow to Bass Mazda for a flooded engine."

"Yes, I'd like it towed to Medina instead please."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, sir. Only the closest dealer."

"But... you just... someone just told me..."

"It can be towed to another dealer, but you would have to pay."

"Hell, I can pay to tow it anywhere. I could pay to have it towed back to Japan. But this is only an 8 mile difference. You're telling me if I broke down 8 miles from here it could go somewhere where they'll actually work on it?"

"I'm sorry, that what's the policy covers."

"What if I push it 8 miles?"

Eventually I was put on with her supervisor, a surly man named Juan. I could see I was gaining no traction here, and a bearded man had arrived and begun loading my car onto a truck. So I called up Park Mazda again, and since I paid cash up front for the car, I figured they owed me a favor. I got on with Nick, the dealership manager, who promised me he'd call Roadside and see what he could do, and call me back right away.

He was as good as his word. Just as the tow truck man was ready to go, I got a call from him and he said Roadside wouldn't budge, but he told me to tell the tow truck driver to head to Park Mazda and he'd take care of the bill. I was stunned, but I delivered the instructions, the driver mumbled around his cigarette something about it all being the same to him, and set off.

And two hours ago I recovered my fully functional RX-8 from Park Mazda without paying a cent. And now I figure the least I can do is a cheap sales pitch...so if you're in Ohio and are looking for a Mazda, head to Park Mazda in Wooster. They take care of their own.