The two replies hit two different, but very good, points.
- The power outage occured after I showed up, and had nothing to do with them losing my appointment. I didn't make that clear; now fixed.
- Due to the month long gap, I can not prove the spare wasn't stolen, though I give it very low odds. Maybe I am being too much of a weenie, but I don't feel I have enough evidence to back it up. Going to small claims court with this little evidence is obviously a bluff; it would cost me more in effort and time than the tire is worth, and if I was a judge on the other side, I'd probably rule against me s well.
- I appreciate the help; I'm going to start with what I have below. It should get me a phone call, at which point I'll ask about an at-cost spare.
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Mid-July, I went to Chapman Isuzu to have my 15k servicing done on a 2004 Rodeo DI 4x4. Although I had made an appointment a few days earlier, it was lost when I showed up. They were nice enough to squeeze me in. In August, I approached the vehicle from the rear (something I don't do very often) and noticed my spare tire was missing. The rear door blocks the tire lowering mechanism. The door was not damaged, and no other items (including loose cash) were taken from inside the vehicle. The lowering mechanism had been raised back up, and the chain tucked away. The most logical conclusion is that it disappeared at the dealership, perhaps during confusion when the power went out mid-morning.
I called the service department to ask if, during the power outage and resulting confusion, my tire was misplaced by mistake. The short version: I had to call several times, leave messages (never returned), and when I did reach someone in the service department, deal with unfulfilled promises to call me back. The only time I received a response is when I someone from service directly answered the phone.
A dealership does not grow as large as the Chapman group if this is the standard way to deal with customers. Given the demonstrated lack of attention to detail in the service group, I am requesting you take another, more serious look, for my missing tire.
