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Tales of Woe Part 2

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This is a follow-up on my recent post describing some questionable service from an Edmonton auto dealership.  I received a fair amount of feedback that I had been scammed.

Given the dealership contacted me, apologized and refunded the cost of the belly pan bolt replacement, I cannot say I was scammed but given my complaint was accepted so readily I do now wonder why I was charged in the first place.

Communication Breakdown

I had indicated my initial e-mail complaint was ignored .  I receive DMARC mail delivery status reports from all the major e-mail providers,  and I did receive one from outlook indicating my mail was accepted.

When the service manager contacted me she advised that e-mail address was no longer used. If an email address is no longer used it should not be publicly available.

Dealer Follow-up

The Rally Subaru service manager was responding to the review I had posted on rate a dealer.ca and she said if my email had been read they would have taken action.

It is commendable they acknowledged fault and made recompense but it does raise the question why I had to pay for the service in the first place and only when I complained was action taken.

Almost seems like they intended to take advantage of me if they could. Not really a scam but not really behaviour with integrity either.

They did offer me a free oil change for my next service, however, given this experience and my unanswered question why this happened, I am not sure if I will take them up on that offer.

 

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

Say what you do and do what you say

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We perceive other levels of honesty and moral uprightness based on their actions (words and deeds).  People who do not follow through can lose respect and trust very quickly.

That is not to say you must accomplish every objective and goal you expound on in order for others to view you as having a high level of integrity.

Open, Clear, and Forthright

Things change and new circumstances may make if less feasible or even impossible for you to complete your initial commitment  (i.e.,  you said it but could not do it.)

However, when what you committed to changes, openly communicating this, and discussing options with those impacted mitigates your risk of being perceived as dishonest.

Blindly Forging Ahead

Making a personal commitment does not entail being successful at all costs but collaborating with others to achieve positive outcomes when the unforeseen occurs is critical.

Blindly forging ahead with your initial approach when it has become unfeasible can be both painful and unproductive.  Our moral foundation will not be cracked because we fail, only if we ignore that failure and hide it from others.

Explore Alternatives

When I was young my parents use to advise me; Succeeding is important but trying is critical.  If we have accepted accountability for a task or deliverable it is possible we won’t achieve it.

This does not impinge upon our integrity as long as we both tried and kept everyone who will be impacted apprised of our efforts and well as consulting them and seeking assistance where it makes sense.

Maintain your personal integrity with others – try your best and keep them informed.

Random thoughts – keeping you on your toes

What I know

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Often I interact with others that are reluctant to share information or knowledge with me unless they are sure as to it’s accuracy and completeness.

While obviously there is little value in fake news, sharing what you know, even if incomplete and potentially inaccurate is always better then holding back.

The potential for inaccuracy is based on what you don’t know or are not sure about, and that should be disclosed for sure, but to hold back from sharing at all until you are convinced you have the whole story can be harmful both to you and those you interact with.

Combining Knowledge

Holding back what you know, especially if incomplete virtually eliminates the ability to for both you and others to arrive at more holistically founded better conclusions.

I am always disappointed in those who hold back a piece of the puzzle.  This reticence toward open but honest disclosure can limit the range of outcomes.  Often the best outcome becomes unattainable.

Motivation

What is the root cause of holding back information?  Most likely the motivation derives in some way from alignment with personal interests.

Obviously not sharing is more beneficial to you than those you are holding out on.  Of course you may have the misguided opinion that it is in their best interest.

My personal experience leads me to believe this is never the case.  Open sharing, even information others might dislike hearing is always the best approach.

It is not possible to tell others things you don’t know, making it up is not a good idea, but just clarifying you don’t know an answer can be valuable information in and of itself.