On February 20th my wife used The Driving Alternative to bring herself and my car home. When the driver backed my car into the parking lot, what my wife mistook for a tire running over something in the parking spot, was actually the driver driving the left rear wheel up over the curb and into the garden. The driver left the car that way and had to have stomped through the bushes to get out.
When I woke up the next morning I saw my car up on an angle, and some scratches on my door. I was not terribly upset, but I thought it was quite rude for the driver not to at least re-park the car correctly. I told my wife to call The Driving Alternative, explain what happened, and ask for her generous tip (30%) back. She did call, and a manager told her she would get a call back.
That was before I noticed the tire leaking air.By the end of the day, I hadn't driven the car, and the tire was obviously losing some air. The next day I went to the gas station and topped it up.
After a week of having to do that every other day and still not hearing from The Driving Alternative, I myself called the Head Office in Calgary and asked what could be done. She told me she was in Calgary so she couldn't be sure, but said she would have someone get back to me from Vancouver. For about three more weeks I continued to stop every day or two to get air, and still no one called. I called the Vancouver location twice during that time and the managers were in a meeting both times. Both times I left my name and number.
On about March 19th I got the Flu and was immobile for a couple of days and totally forgot about the air in my tire. When I went out the third morning the tire was totally flat, and I was furious. I called Calgary again and re-explained the situation, and told her I was so angry that no one had gotten back to me. For two more days no one called. Finally, I needed the tire fixed and could not do it myself due to a medical condition (well documented by more than one doctor) that causes my hands and fingers to swell to the point of being un-able to bend them. I called Canadian Tire roadside assistance to see if they could send someone to fill the tire and they said it would depend if the local towing company had that option on their truck. Well they did not, so the driver just put my spare tire on for me.
Two more days pass and still no response from The Driving Alternative, and I can't keep driving on a spare, so I take th car to Canadian tire to have them fix the one with the slow leak. The manager, (John Poernomo) explained to me that the tire could not be repaired it would have to be replaced. So that's what I did.
Finally, a day or two after that the manager from Vancouver calls to speak to my wife. Actually he called to argue with my wife. He never once offered ANY kind of apology either for the incident, or for how long we waited for a response. As she explained it to him from the beginning, it was obvious in his tone that he was not interested in resolving the issue. He was aggressive and rude and accusingly questioned every statement she made:
How could the driver get out of the car if they were in the bushes?
How could a curb pop a tire?
He told her he wanted to come out and get my statement, see my receipts, and the photos I had taken. My wife told him I would not be here, but she would have what he needed.
When he arrived on Sunday September 2nd his aggressive behavior continued. In an effort to bully my wife he not only argued the facts with her, but also told her we were trying to rip him off, and who calls a tow truck to change a flat tire? What do you mean the tire couldn't be repaired? He kept saying, That's ridiculous, and You can take me to small claims court, because I'm not giving you a cent!!!
My wife said she really didn't care either way, she's far too busy to deal with this, and to talk to me about it. He said he would call me between 1pm and 2pm the next day.
Naturally I didn't get a call, so I called Calgary AGAIN, and once again re-explained the whole story, and once again I was promised a prompt return call. It's a full day later and still no call.
So here I am, beyond furious.
I haven't even mentioned the scratched paint!!!
I worked in the service industry for twenty years in senior management, and I just can't believe the way this has been handled. If this whole thing had started with an apology, I would not be seething as I am right now. Never once did anyone try to resolve the issue. There has never been an offer, or any suggestion at negotiation, just simply, you were unreasonable in the way you fixed your tire, so he refused to pay a cent. He was so aggressive and accusatory with my wife that she was bawling for an hour and a half afterward. If I had gotten a call early on with an apology and an offer of some kind, ( a free ride home or two?) I would have taken it.
Trevor
Burnaby, British Columbia
Canada
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