A while back, I contacted someone on the forums about getting Dave Schrembi's contact info and like a good little boy, I lost it and I REALLY NEED IT! I will spare you all the details, but suffice to say that 1800 Smart is a waste of time and so is Park Place maintenance!
Dave Schembri's mailing address is:
smart USA
1765 Telegraph Rd.
Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302
His direct phone line is: 248-648-2450
and his e-mail is:dschembri@smartusa.com
.. until he changes the phone # from getting 20,000 phone calls from people who aren't getting results from the 800 #.
A friend of mine had a leak in his tire. He read the manual, followed the instructions for the tire goop, and called the 800#. They said, take it to a dealer for tire replacement. OK, but the dealer's 200+ miles away. "Call the dealer for instructions in the morning." Four phone calls later, he finally gets advice that it's a regular tire and any local tire shop is equipped to handle the patch job for 10 bucks.
My friend's a surgeon - brilliant mind, and knows that when the instructions tell you to stop everything and get to a dealer, you probably should. Why, then, is a standard tire patch such a hard thing for Smart and the dealer to communicate? Someone just needs to go over the documentation and support system.
Well, when something goes wrong with the car, you call the 1800 #, they tell you to call the dealer, you do so, they send you to a voice mail DURRING operating hours, and they never return your call, dont you think its time to call Dave?
Or how about when the dealer lies to you about where they are getting the part or how long it takes? Or how they have a working part, but wont install it? Or how about the 1800 # not knowing if the alarm is working right and to take it in, too bad you cant lock it!
If you don't have another dealer to deal with, you're pretty well stuck, and depending on your case, a phone call might be the only option. In any situation, a letter to Dave is perfectly within reason. A phone call for something not urgent might be missed, redirected, dismissed or forgotten. Anything received on paper will be given more weight just by the nature of the material it's written on. But if your problem is immediate, go to the top of the food chain.
Well, when something goes wrong with the car, you call the 1800 #, they tell you to call the dealer, you do so, they send you to a voice mail DURING operating hours, and they never return your call, don't you think its time to call Dave?
Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperGeek
But if your problem is immediate, go to the top of the food chain.
I disagree, respectfully.
If the need is immediate and voicemail is what you're given, call back to the front desk and underscore that you feel you need this resolved quickly and you haven't had good success with voice mail.
If you don't get quick satisfaction, ask to talk to the General Manager of the Smart Center. The GM is the next in command. Going straight to the top rarely does more than alienate people like Schembri from the people he effectively works for: Smart owners.
Written communications have weight but it's just as easy to lose a piece of paper as it is to lose a voice mail. Many modern voicemail systems require an active delete to get rid of a message so the recipient will be reminded unless they listen and purge. For some people email might be more effective than voicemail especially of you promise a reminder note when they open, at lunch, and an hour before they close until you at least get a response.
It takes one person (an inattentive service guy or a receptionist who doesn't know someone's out sick) to screw things up for an entire group like your Smart Center. It's not typical for everyone to be as disrespectful or forgetful, ar mixed up as you may have encountered.
Good luck in getting your situation resolved in a timely manner.
Well, when something goes wrong with the car, you call the 1800 #, they tell you to call the dealer, you do so, they send you to a voice mail DURRING operating hours, and they never return your call, dont you think its time to call Dave?
Or how about when the dealer lies to you about where they are getting the part or how long it takes? Or how they have a working part, but wont install it? Or how about the 1800 # not knowing if the alarm is working right and to take it in, too bad you cant lock it!
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