2013 F-350 Ford "Customer Satisfaction Program 13B08".........yeah, right

We got a letter yesterday from Ford Motor Company informing us of this supposedly great thing they are doing for us called the "Customer Satisfaction Program."

The letter states that:

"At Ford Motor Company, it has been our goal for more than 100 years to provide customers with high-quality dependable products.  In order to maintain these standards, Ford Motor Company is providing a no-charge Customer Satisfaction Program (Program Number 13B08) for your vehicle...."

The next paragraph is titled "What is the issue?"

And it states:

"On your vehicle, the rubber hose section of the transmission oil cooler line assemblies may have been built with uncured rubber which may result in a leak.  A leak in the transmission oil cooler line may cause a rapid loss of transmission fluid, resulting in gear slip and may also result in damage to other transmission components."

OK.  Are you following this?  Just after stating that for 100 years Ford has been providing "high-quality dependable products" the letter says that they provided a substandard product which could result in our transmission failing in our brand spanking new vehicle that only has 500 miles on it.

So, which is it? 

This is clear double-speak. 

The next paragraph is titled "What will Ford and your dealer do?" 

"In the interest of customer satisfaction (bold-face is added by me), Ford Motor Company has authorized your dealer to inspect the transmission oil cooler assembly for uncured hoses.  If any of the uncured hoses are found, the transmission oil cooler line assembly will be replaced free of charge (parts and labor) under the terms of this program.

This Customer Satisfaction Program will be in effect until December 31, 2013, regardless of mileage......."

Later in the letter it states:

"Please call your dealer without delay and request a service date for Customer Service Program 13B08..."

So, I have until December 31 (6 months), but I should call "without delay."  hmmmmmmm.

More double-speak.  Ford, which has been building this same model truck for years, installed a part that could make the transmission to fail, and the solution is that I am to take the truck in to get it serviced.

Problem?  I live on an island.  The ferry fees will cost $25.  The gasoline to get it to the Ford dealership will cost another $30.  It will require a day of my time because I will need to remove the camper from the pickup and then re-install it.  Otherwise the ferry fees will be $60.

Here is another aspect to the "Customer Satisfaction Program."  Later in the letter is this statement:

"Ford Motor Company wants you to have this service action completed on your vehicle.  The vehicle owner is responsible for making arrangements to have the work completed.  Ford Motor Company can deny coverage for any vehicle damage that may result from the failure to have this service action performed on a timely basis. (bold-face is added by me) Therefore, please have this service action performed as soon as possible.

So, I call up Ford Motor Company to see if I can have someone on the island do the inspection for it, and then Ford reimburse me for paying an island mechanic.  After all, it is a "Customer Satisfaction Program" isn't it? And that way it won't cost me an arm and a leg and take an entire day of my time. The costs for the mistake will be borne by the company making the mistake.  Seems rather straightforward to me, I guess.  From what I read, it takes just a few minutes to do the inspection to see if the proper hoses have been used.  And then if they weren't, the expense and time of taking it to a Ford Dealership for correction would at least be necessary.  As it is, I would invest all of this time and money for something that might not even be a problem. 

Well, of course it's not that easy.  After talking with two different people, I find that actually Ford cares little about my "Customer Satisfaction."

Both Vicky and I (and many others) have read a book called "Being Wrong:  Adventures in the Margin of Error."   If you haven't read it, you should.  Schultz (the author) reviews a lot of research on making errors and learning from them.

In the book the author talks about how hospitals and airlines have improved a lot because they don't deny when they have made mistakes, and by acknowledging them freely (and apologizing) they not only have learned more easily how to avoid them, but also how to make things better for them and their customers.  And it creates good will and actually results in fewer lawsuits.  Of course it does--people appreciate honesty. 

Ford Motor Company should read this book.

Because this "Customer Satisfaction Program" is actually doublespeak for "Ford Messed Up And We Are Going To Create An Inconvenience For You So We Don't Have To Pay for Expensive Repairs to Your Transmission While It Is Still Under Warranty" Program. 

C'mon guys.  Just admit you screwed up.  On a brand new 46K truck you installed a defective part, and you are going to make me pay money and lose a day of my time to correct your mistake.

This is disappointing.  Ford should and can do better.  And the patronizing way that the company assumes we are all stupid enough to fall for it because it is dressed up with the doublespeak of "Customer Satisfaction Program" will create the impression that there are other misleading statements that are being dressed up to be something different from what they are.

So, I'll ask it:  What other misleading statements have you given us?  

So much more good-will could have been created by a letter that was an apology.  Because an apology is what is warranted.  And then when I called to inquire about being compensated for the amount of money it is going to cost me, Ford could have offered to pay the ferry fees and reimburse my fuel costs. (send me some coupons for oil changes or something).    I could handle losing the day of time it will cost me if Ford had gone half-way for us.

But there is not a single sentence in this letter that even comes close to an apology or even an acknowledgement of the inconvenience that this mistake may cause its customers.  

And instead of an apology, I get a threat that my warranty will be invalidated if I don't act in a "timely basis" upon the "Customer Satisfaction Program."  A threat as part of a "Customer Satisfaction Program?"   And where did I sign something that said my warranty depended upon me spending time and money to fix Ford's mistakes?  

Would that have been all that hard to do, Ford?  To say, instead:  "We are sorry, we messed up, we need your help, and we'll do what we can to make this as easy for you as we can."

Although this never should have happened in an expensive vehicle like this one was, I can handle someone making a mistake.  We all do.  What I can't accept and still have the same trust in this vehicle and company is not admitting it and therefore dealing with me in an honest manner when it happened. 

Read the book, Henry.  

Our second anniversary: Dinner dance cruise

We enjoyed these dinner dance cruises on Lake Washington.  The band was fabulous--Mary and the Rave.

Vicky is wearing the dress she was wearing when I proposed to her.

2013 STP (Seattle to Portland Bike Ride) 206 miles!

Another great STP.  My fourth, Vicky's second, Jules' third.

The weather was perfect both days.  No headwinds (maybe a bit of one on the first day that was more than made up for by a tailwind on the second day).

Our first day, as usual was 115 miles, and our second day, as usual, was 91.

We spent the night with Jules, Jess, and the boys, and headed out at 5:00 a.m.  We biked to the start line since it was only three miles from their house, and is mostly downhill!  That's what we have done for the two previous STPs.



 
Start line.  Such a fever at the start line.  Cars, bikes, people, announcements.  It's really exciting.

That's the last time we saw Jules until we reached the end of our first day.  As we do more riding, the difference between the speeds he can comfortably ride and we can comfortably ride grows larger, so instead of riding together, as he, Sean, and I did for his first STP in 2011, on most rides he goes his speed and we go ours.  We still feel just as much as if we are riding with him whether he is actually right next to us or not.  We communicate with texts, calls when needed, and meet up somewhere along the rides.  It works really well for all of us.

Next year, though (GOOD NEWS ALERT!) he will having a riding partner because Sean is coming out to do another with us.  This has been something I have been wanting for a long time, for all four of us to do an STP.

Having our traditional cream-sickles at the half-way point, Centralia.  It is usually mid-afternoon and warm (or hot) so these are so good.

 

We made it to Napavine with little trouble.  Our time this year was slower than last year's, which was puzzling because we felt stronger.  There are two "hills" on the STP route, neither of which are really anything.  However, they were a challenge for my first two STPs, and this year they felt even easier than last year.  We did have an unexpected headwind for awhile, but our best guess is that I was still favoring my right knee which had been giving me trouble earlier in the season.

It doesn't really matter, as we just ride at our comfortable pace, which means most people pass us.  That makes for a very easy ride, though, because we just get in the right lane and keep it, and can enjoy the ride and the countryside instead of hassling with passing.

At Napavine:

Our hosts at Napavine.  The family opens their home for STP riders.  It was a real find for me my first year doing the STP.  I wanted a bed to sleep in.  Most of the places I checked into had already been booked, but I got one of the last spots here.  I am so glad.

The family is warm and hospitable.  They provide cold drinks, two great meals, showers, etc.  It is a fund raiser for their local 4-H, so that's nice too.

The three of us stayed in a trailer, like we did last year.

The bikes were stored in their barn.  Vicky took this photo and called it "Away in a Manger."

We are ready to go for the second day.  91 miles to Portland!

We had a great ride.  Jules got there an hour and a half before us.  He got slowed down by a bad tire that gave him problems all day.  Had to repair it a few times.

Jessica came down to retrieve us.  She did a lot of driving that day because none of us were much help on the way home!

A company sets up photographers along the way to take photos to sell to us.  When Vicky would spot one ahead of us, she would slow down and I would try to get next to her so we could get photos together.  That was fun.

Daylily Garden

Four years ago I started a Daylily garden.  I have always liked Daylilies.  They grow like weeds in some parts of the country, yet there are hundreds of different varieties that have been developed that can be very expensive to purchase.

They produce a lot of flowers.  And there is something about the fact that each flower only lasts one day--hence the generic name for this type of plant--that makes them special.  One day to bloom brightly, and then they are gone. 

They are hardy and tolerate sun, shade, rain, and drought.  An amazing plant really.

AND deer don't like to eat them.  

Four years ago I bought these sections of old fence from a friend, dug out the grass, and planted a few.  They have grown and sent out shoots, and now the garden is almost full.  We planted a few more this year, anticipating that in two more years the entire area will be filled with plants.

But look at how beautiful the garden already is.

Training completed for this year's STP

Us at the end of training (aren't we cute--we match!  It's no accident):

 We are ready for this year's STP.  And we are so pleased.  We have worked very hard.

We did our final ride today.  It was what we call our Hilly 55.  55 miles of Whidbey Island Hills.  Some very steep.

Me on a hill today:

 

Vicky on "Hell Hill," our tour de force, a mile long and very steep.  We both powered up it!  Wahoooo!

 

Vicky a few days ago on our ride around Coupeville, by the Strait of Juan de Fuca.  The Olympics are in the distance.  We sure have some beautiful places to ride:

  

We have done 1167 miles from about the first week of April until now.  646 of them since June 1.  But to understand our training one can look at it many different ways.  Another is that since January 1 of last year (2012) we have ridden 3447 miles.  Unless one takes a long time off, the effects of riding are cumulative.

The STP is in one week.  Vicky, Jules, and I will once again get up very early and ride the 205 miles to Portland.  And with the other 9997 riders, have a blast. 

It will be my fourth time, Vicky's second, Jules' third.

No matter how hard I try, I still can't wrap my brain around the fact that riding from Seattle to Portland is something I have done, and will do again.  If I had not retired early, and moved to the PNW, I never would have done something like this, and it is the most meaningful non-person-related experience of my life.  Beats out every other hobby, activity, job, degree, award, etc. by a hilly Whidbey Island country mile. 

Stella and Marina and summer artwork

When Owen was deployed to Afghanistan several years ago I was so anxious that I could hardly make it through each day.  I would run in the forests to try to calm myself.  During these runs I had several unusual experiences that involved owls.  Owen returned home safely, and since that time I have felt a special affinity to owls.  I had relayed my fears and these experiences to Owen’s grandfather, Grandpa Vernon.

One day Grandpa Vernon gave me a beautifully painted rock of an owl that he had commissioned a local Whidbey Island artist to make just for me.



This summer Stella and Marina saw the owl rock and decided that they wanted to paint some rocks.  Off Grandpa and I went with the girls to the craft store and bought them some paint.  The girls roamed around our 5 acres of forest, found several rocks, and the painting started:





They painted new rock for our garden:


Here they are taking a break from painting, enjoying the day lily garden and riding on Grandpa’s vintage tractors:


 
 

Dan and I decided to put new flags around the top of our enclosed Garden.  We bought a roll of brightly colored flags--Tibetan Prayer Flags.  We want to have each of our grandchildren draw whatever they want on “their” flag.  Marina and Stella were the first to make their flag.  We will keep our “Grandchildren Flags” forever!

The perpetual not-in-motion machine

When I moved here in 2007 I bought a lawn tractor.  It was really cheap--something around $600 as I recall.  It was one of the best purchases I have ever made, even though the machine is a constant source of frustration. 

After I bought it I quickly found that it wouldn't mow the bottom field because that field was too uneven.  The rear wheels would often just spin instead of pull the tractor.  I thought about buying tractor tires for it, but these were almost as expensive as the tractor itself.  Instead, I bought chains.  And they worked really well, except that I was forever having to adjust them and re-install them (since they weren't really designed for yard work but for ice and snow).  They'd come off, usually of course when I was mowing, and so I'd have to get my tools and try to get them back in the field somewhere. 

Over time, the repairs/use ratio kept getting higher and higher, reaching the point in the past two years where I have to repair something about every other use.

This past year I put on new filters, new plug, and a new main belt.  And new blades, of course.  Always putting on new blades.

Installing new blades:

 Because the yard is so uneven the blades will frequently kick up huge rocks that bend them unmercifully.  


Also, over time, the mower deck became more and more uneven.  After much trial and error I finally figured out how to fix this.  Last week it was as ready as it has been in two years--motor ran well, blades weren't bent, a new set of chains (because the old ones finally became too torn up), and the deck was level.

I was tooling around, mowing like a fiend, and the main belt slipped off.  Grrrrr. 

This was a complicated fix.  Of course, I had to do it in the middle of the field.

 

I frequently scan Craigslist for a better mower.   Yesterday, when I was at the rental store getting propane for the camper, I spotted this.  It is a Canycom CMX227.  Ever heard of it?  Me neither.  It's a company in Bellevue, WA.  At the rental store, they referred to it as the go-cart.  Said it's a blast to drive. 

 

4-Wheel drive.  Tractor tires.  Cuts grass and brush.  It's perfect.  Only problem is that I can't find a price anywhere for it.  This probably means that it's more than $600.