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So I go to take my car into servicing today - it just needs an oil change.  Well - and like 50 things checked cause I bought a dud.

I bought it from (and get it serviced at) what I think is one of the worst dealership's I've ever encountered.  Mostly because it's cost to work, but there are only 2 Hyundai dealers in Halifax that I can go to and they're equally crappy.

So anyway - I needed an oil change/checkup which costs around $40.  But I also got this coupon in the mail for 15% off accessories and I wanted a cargo net for the back.  I would have asked for one when I got the car, but they didn't make them for some reason at that point.  Anyway, I looked up the price online, and at $26 CAD I found it reasonable.  15% off would basically eliminate the 14% Canadian sales tax.

I get my $140 bill at the end of the day, and the breakdown for the cost of the cargo net is as follows:  $31.28 AFTER the discount (before taxes).  I look back on the site, and it says MSRP so I doubt I can go and get them to charge me $26.  MSRP is suggested retail right?  Meaning it's already marked up?  I figured out what the price would be before discount, and it equals $36.80.  Is it a mark up a marked up product more than $10?  That's a gain of around 33%...

I'm at my wits end with this dealership.  I'm at the point of seriously considering only making servicing stops in Yarmouth - a 3.5 hour drive away (at 93¢ a Litre gas) just to have piece of mind.  My family has bought a few cars from them and have excellent service and have had few problems with any of the cars there.

You may be asking why the bill was so high other than the cargo net and the oil change:  I also had to get 2 headlight bulbs changed (I've had 3 of the 4 burn out this month - I've owned the car a little over a year), and it cost $25 to install the cargo net.

Oh - and they didn't call when my car was ready.  Again.  I just had to show up and hope it was ready.  They claimed they did call once and got a busy signal and then forgot.  I was at my desk at work all day and was on the phone once 30 minutes after I dropped the car off, so I'm assuming they lied.

BTW, I bought this car new last July, in 2005.  It's a 2004 model Hyundai Elantra GT, leftover stock on the lot.  It had 60 kilometers on it when I picked it up (I think).

Problems I've had in one year's ownership with the car and dealer:

1.) They lied to me that the car had ABS.  They said it did, I found out it didn't a week after.  I brought it to their attention to see if they would offer anything to compensate - they said it was too late since I'd already bought it.  I also asked if it had MP3 capability, as the 2005 models did and was told it had it.  It does not - they added that feature for 2005 and it was absent on 2004 models.

2.) Hatch handle broke a couple days after ownership (replaced no problem).

3.) Rust spot appears a couple months after under headlight.  Dealer says from bumper being installed too tight at factory.

4.)  Leak in hatch area, got the headliner wet and stained it.  Fixed a piece of the rubber sealer (or something) - factory error again.  they ordered a replacement headliner - took 5 weeks to arrive.  They took the liner out before opening the box and realizing it was for the wrong car.  Reinstalled old headline, and I had to wait anyother 5 weeks.  To be fair, this was the other dealership in an attempt to see if it was any better.

5.)  Driver's seat track bent a couple weeks after ownership, causing the chair to shift forward while braking about a 1/2 centimeter.  Replaced no problem (although I had to wait for the part).

6.) Power mirrors stopped working (they were looked at today - a new switch is ordered).

7.)  Water appears on my drivers side door sill after it rains and my car hasn't been moving.  I have no idea how it gets there since I live on a dead end street with no traffic to splash water up there.  Dealer refuses to look at it, because it's "normal" for water to be there.  I don't think it's normal for water to resist the laws of gravity, and think there must be a leak somewhere in the door seal or something.  But that's just my self diagnosis.  Maybe I'm paranoid.  It's only the driver's door though.

8.) Of my many trips to the dealer, I think they called to say the car was ready twice.

9.)  Above complain was an issue - I went off like this on a local forum and a manager from the dealer happened to read it.  He said he was going to do what it took to make me happy.  I had to go in to get an oil change, and he said for me to come see the head of the service department as soon as I got in.  I showed up as the place opened to drop off my car, and I was told by the the head of the service department he had no time to see me, and to talk to him when I picked the car up.  So I did so, and he said he still had no time to talk to me, but he was basically just going to tell me that they were giving me a $15 gift certificate to a local ponderosa (aka shitty) steakhouse.  But he hadn't had time to go pick it up yet.  I was still charged for the oil change, which I was hoping I wouldn't.  I was too pissed to discuss the fact with him.  He said he would mail the coupons when he got them.  I got them 6 weeks later.

I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting something.  I really want to write to the newspaper or SOMETHING, but my parents keep trying to talk me out of it saying it's not worth it, and that I have to go back to them for servicing so just deal with it.

Sorry for the long post.  I'm at my wits end.  And without my antidepressants I keep thinking and thinking about it...  

UPDATE
I called the parts department just now to see how much they say the cargo net costs, so I can see if they actually used the 15% discount.  I ask buddy, and I am put on hold for 3-4 minutes.  He procedes to tell me they don't make a cargo net for 2004 Elantras.  But I mention that it's on the Hyundai Canada website.  They may try to fight me on this that's only available pre-2004 (the facelifted the car then)m but <the picture clearly shows the updated taillights that accompanied the 2004 facelift.  He said the website must be wrong.  So I tell him I actually had one installed the other day, and that I wanted to know the price as it cost more than I had thought and I figured they didn't use the discount.

So he then says they must have put in the 2006 Elantra cargo net and made it fit (nice of them to tell me), so I ask what the price of THAT is, and then I have to wait another couple minutes. His replay is "around $32-33".  I have no idea why they don't have an actual price, unless they just pick one out of the air randomly.  I told him they charged me $32, and his reply was that that must be including the installation charges.  I then told him that was a seperate charge, and then he offer to put me in touch with someone in service.  Instead of dealing with that again, I'm just going to stop back in with the receipt and printouts of the website and figure it out there, where they can't put my on hold.