Johnson Dodge - Dennis has returned :(
Tried to find old thread but it was closed.
Anyway, Dennis is back! The worst service manager in the history of service managers. They had moved him out a while ago due to complaints, but unfortunately he is back. If you need your car serviced, save yourself frustration and take it anywhere else but Johnson Dodge.
Scottso 
Bug3
LJRubi Dennis did not leave Johnson Dodge. He was on vacation. I think as usual we are very quick to judge a place based on one customer's experience. I personally have never had a problem there. I have used the service department when I had my old jeep. I just bought a new car there. Sometimes people do not have warranties and it can be an issue. I just think blasted one individual then saying the whole place is awful is wrong. So I give it 9/10.
Natari 
nosila I agree, Natari! I personally have never had a problem there. I use the service department all the time. I have purchased three cars from Johnson Dodge....instead of blasting the business on a public forum, why not contact the owner, John Johnson, directly and resolve the problem.
Helen +1 Natari
Only had positive experiences at Johnson with our last car. We traded in the Jeep, but wouldn't hesitate to use them in the future for cars or service.
Tracy I have bought from Johnson several times- their sales people are great.
However, if you have to bring your car in for service that's when it a whole different experience.
If someone asked me where is the place that you have ever received the worse service....it would be the Johnson Dodge Service Desk (Mt. Olive)
Yelp, TripAdvisor, Angie's List, movie critics, food critics...the list of public venues for reviewing business performance is endless and has been around forever.
Get over it people.
emaxxman I don't think it's fair to bash an entire dealership over one person. John Johnson does a lot for our community . Every dealership has their quirks! I say if you're not happy with your service that you take it up with John Johnson . I think it's awful that you're coming on this form and posting such awful nasty comments . I don't think you'll find one dealership across the tri-state area that doesn't have an issue ! If you don't have anything nice to say don't say it at all . Just my opinion
Mlm Mlm, this forum is all about opinions, if that was Scottso's experience why should he not share it?
Seems that some others also share that same opinion.
Chase Johnson could be the salt of the earth with a bad service manager - how will he know if people don't tell him. It's not casting aspersions on his character
skippy 
John C Chase
Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion. My issue is if you have a complaints about an individual with the service department it should be taken up with the appropriate party. John Johnson dealership does so much for the community that I'm sure many people on this form have enjoyed such as fireworks raising money for the hospital The town parades and so much more the list goes on! I don't think it's fair to beat up a dealership that does so much for the community when the issue is with an individual . Most people don't realize how much John Johnson does for this community because it's not publicly announced . Therefore my issue is as a car owner if I go to a dealership or a garage to have my vehicle fixed if I'm not happy I address it immediately I don't go on public media and bash somebody's business no matter how angry or upset I am. I'm not out to destroy people's livelihood .
If any of you who are upset that Scottso is essentially giving his opinion of the service he has received use Yelp, Twitter, Amazon's reviews, etc. before buying something or using a company's services, you are being hypocritical. Everybody loves reviews until they are offended by them.
Christ_Is_Risen I have no problem with Johnson Dodge's sales staff or anyone I have ever met there save the service manager. I have purchased 2 cars there. Unfortunately, once I purchase the cars my only contact is with the service department.
On purchase I interact with the sales staff for a couple of hours maybe, but then for the next span of YEARS I am dealing with the service department. I certainly am not trying to ruin him. I hope that he gets some serious re-training and wins the Customer Service Manager of the Year award. He might be a great guy one-on-one, but he sucks at customer service.
Go ahead an buy all your cars from Johnson Dodge in Budd Lake if you like. Just putting my personal experience out there that I drive out of my way to get my car serviced elsewhere. I had heard he left so 2 times ago I brought my car there, last time I brought it he was back. Keeps turning up like a bad penny.
I think it would be fairer if the complaints about the service department and/or service manager were a bit more detailed. Forgive me if I've missed something, but not one person on here has said exactly what their problem was/is.
I also take reviews on Yelp, TripAdvisor, etc. with a grain of salt because half of the reviews could be written by internet trolls or competitors or the business themselves.
If he is that bad then the owner should see less service revenue than he would expect. Heck, he should read this thread. Problem is that many of these Service managers are compensated by a cut of the Service profit and that is were a few go down the wrong path -- the path of short-term profits over long-term profitability. Me personally, zero patience for CSRs at dealerships that pull attitudes...
iJay Here is some of the old comments
http://www.hackettstownlife.com/forum/658659#t658667
Just food for thought... The brand new John Johnson Dodge on rte 31 in Washington is open. The entire crew from boonton moved there. They are friendly and fast and far from pushy. You can always give them a call....
worthashot Scottso has a right to voice his experience, be it good or bad. Whoever suggests to share/tell the positive events, also suggests to profile (or even censor) others' experiences. Say only good things, never bed. That's usually done with the passed away people...
The service department (any) is expected to do their job right. If they don't do their job right (rather correctly), they shouldn't expect a friendly pat on their backs.
Most of us noticed that the service departments (in our case car dealership) tend to do a lousy job for not-so-lousy pay.
I myself spent hours on the phone with Honda usa to have them agree on a brake recall and schedule a service appointment. Then, at the dealership, they told me that the brakes were not covered and I have to pay for it. After some friendly arguing, a manager was called to "help" me. He repeated the same "procedure", then confirmed a recall and agreed to repair it with a slight hint that was a kind of a favor to me.
The recalled item (a caliper) was replaced. I had to come back next morning to pick up my car. Within 4 years that very caliper failed.
We , as the consumers, are not presented with an alternative to these types of dealerships/service depts. Tesla Motors has a different way to sell their cars, but I don't know if their service dept is better or worse.
The service will change for better, if the dealerships will be sued for every f**k up on their part (including a lousy service).
Pyc Bought my vehicle from there and went in for issues, They told me it would cost about $800. and it needed two types of sensors and a engine cleaning. Cleaning, it had 35000 ,iles on it. When I handed them the extended warranty, suddenly it did nto require the cleaning and only one sensor. I argued with them saying why only 1. They said well we will try one and if it doesn't fix the problem, come back in and we will put the other in. Had the same problem and took it in again. suddenly they hit something in error and wiped out the error codes and didn't know what to fix...REALLY?? It happened again two weeks later and I took it to PA to another center. They not only fixed it, did several other minor things including vacuum it and wash it and charged me nothing. I agree with the complaints and yes everyone looks to see who does good or bad things. Also I never got a survey because if you complain, they don't call for a survey. If its something minor they call with a survey. That is how they get good ratings, they only survey the easy ones. My opinion. I would never buy or service there again.
Carol Did he used to work at Callaremi, back in the mid 1980s? They had a very rude Dennis working there then...
Reggie Voter Carol, where in Pa? We had a horrible issue with Nielsen dodge in east Hanover and I refuse to go back. We were going to move over to Johnson but it sounds like more of the same crap.
Njchia I had my 2010 pick up truck there for service many different times. I had received a survey one my email. I don't usually take them. Dennis had taking good care of me and my truck. I gave mostly fives, sixes and sevens. I thought he really did a good job helping me with my truck. Well a week or so later I received a phone call from Dennis asking me why I gave him a bad review. I told him I thought this call was unprofessional of him and that I felt I gave him a good review. Since then I've been going to Beyer Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Car Dealer in Morristown. They have been very good to me and truck.
Walkingnj I don't deal with them because I don't own that make. But my daughter does.
They replaced all four brakes , 3 times in a year and a half on her leased vehicle. All the time saying there was nothing unusual, and there was not really a problem.
TJS Had a Jeep and had several service problems with Dennis and his attitude. I spoke with the owner and was given a few free oil changes but I traded in and have a different make now.
NeedALifeASAP I had a Dodge recall repair on my car. It took MONTHS to take care of, with letters, complaints, emails, questionable bills, defective part put on my car. It was awful. And to make it worse, when I asked a question, Dennis would look past me and only answer my husband. When I commented that it was MY car, and he should be talking to me, I got a "look" from him. I will never use that service department again.
sumerrain1 I had an appointment with Dover Dodge for a recall and they were going to give me a $50 gift card for going to them. I had to get an emergency repair done at Johnson and when I got there they remarked I had the recall. I told them that I had an appointment to have it done somewhere else and to not do it. But they did it anyway. I will never go back.
Greg 
Hot corner Add me to the complaint list. Their service dept. and Dennis. Very in-professional.
While I'm not saying not to blame whomever Dennis is, as my wife is fond of saying- "Know where your at".
Typically in her scenario this means don't order the filet at a place that can barely be trusted to not screw up a burger.
I'll go ahead and throw myself into the HL fire to be branded as a snob- but you bought a dodge. Be aware of where you are, what you bought, and who works there.
That being said, I certainly will state that I think every single car dealership in the history of cars will knowingly rip off the customer and do half-assed work. Some just hide it better from the unknowing consumer with a fancy showroom & a smile.
Most 'technicians' regardless of make or model do not use a TQ wrench on 99% of jobs (if even critical components) even though the factory service manual has a tq for *every* damn bolt on every car!!
I've seen wheels fall off, drain plugs fall out or stripped out, engine oil drained..but they refill the trans--which was never drained- ruining both the engine and trans.. cut a hole in the belly pan instead of remove it, raise the car with the arms on the rocker panel instead of the lift points...etc etc...
Even if a dealer monkey doesn't blatantly damage the car, (and overlooking the gross over charge of a job that you can do yourself for 1/4 the cost)... they are notorious for misdiagnosis or worse- no real diagnosis at all- just throw parts at it and hope it works. If it doesn't- lie to the customer and hope they believe why it needs multiple parts and more time to fix...
Yes I am jaded- to the truth. I learned loooong ago, doesn't matter a car, a motorcycle, a driveway paved, a kitchen remodeled, you name it- you want it done right- do it yourself. If it is still not right you only have yourself to blame. The information is realidy available for EVERYTHING online for many many years now.
Yes it takes time to research, read, learn, purchase tools, and do work- but you still come out ahead 99% of the time.
If you can't do the work, or can't be bothered- you are opening yourself up to risk, both in physical screw ups of the job, aggravation, and dollars... even at supposed high quality, high cost shops/ businesses sht happens...
But as a whole I support this thread, unlike Dennis18, - if someone has a bad experience with a shop, restaurant, etc- make it known and hold them to it. Warn others- if the business truly do bad work they will change behavior or suffer. If they just screwed up, had a bad moment, and mostly do 99% good job then it is just a blip on the radar and has no negative long term effects...
Josh I took my car to a dealer in Newton for a reccomended checkup while it was still under warranty. Then about 1000 miles later the brakes needed replacing. After the service manager couldn't explain why this wasn't done at the last service as they were checked and no issue or concern noted (and I had to pay ) I wrote to the HQ for the brand and my repair charge was refunded. A few years later I bought a new car same brand switched dealers and have had no issues. I guess it depends on where you go.
Totally agree with what Josh has written two posts up. I am fortunate in that I am mechanically inclined and can work on most of my problems on my cars, house, etc.
I do understand that a lot of people don't have that luxury though and have skills in different areas. For those, I say just look for the feedback here on other independent auto repair places and try those. When buying from a dealership, their service departments across the board are generally extremely overpriced and often trap you by telling you that you will void warranties by having work done elsewhere, which is not always true. I know from personal experience that many of the mechanics they hire are young kids, that do not have much experience or great skill. Don't be fooled that you're getting superior service just because they have the dealership patch on their shirt.
I personally do not buy new anyhow, and will NEVER use a dealer for any service. I know their motive, profit. There may be some decent guys at some dealerships, but in the end, the dealer service area is a profit area.
Johnson seems like a decent ownership group and they are employing people- I thank them for that. I just hope if they have an in house issue, that they address it and avoid many similar stories that have been written here.
The Rhyme Animal Josh, I always have my car serviced at Aamco here in town-Mark and his staff are THE BEST. But in our case, this was a Chrysler recall, so to have the defective part replaced, it had to be at a Chrysler dealer. So we went to Johnson. I did not usually patronize Johnson Dodge, and certainly won't again.
If you can't do the job yourself, I highly advise http://www.rickallensauto.com/ in Hampton.
You don't need to trust me, google them and read all the reviews online.
Personally in my family, my mother, father, brother, sister have all taken their cars there.
Myself, I have a lift in my garage and most tools- but not an alignment rack so I brought one of my cars there recently. Can't say they are cheap (compared to doing work myself) but I trust them which I can't say about anywhere else local.....
It is evident that people engaging on this forum in a negative manner have nothing else to do with the day. Self-examination should be your first step. You are fooling with people's livelihoods. Getting angry and hiding behind the screen is counterproductive. How about addressing the issue firsthand with a store manager? Johnson Jeep Dodge Chrysler Ram are very active in the community and make large contributions to change give the people of Hackettstown and the surrounding towns opportunities to enjoy their families. If you are personally dissatisfied with Johnson please keep your thoughts to yourself and take the opportunity to resolve the issue rather than thriving on gossip.
nells Nells - It goes two ways. Posts from Johnson Dodge itself also say "they donate a lot". That's hiding behind the screen as well instead of saying "we at Johnson Dodge". I'm glad they donate, but they also can't take that to mean they're immune from being a good business. Many people here are discussing first hand experiences, both good and bad, not gossip.
GC Nells,
"being active in a community" is, indeed, a good thing, but Johnson Dodge's primary "task"is to sell and service the cars. Contributions, community involvement etc. don't make them good at car business and don't nullify any bad business conduct.
Agree on Dennis, Alex and company. In a current lease with Johnson and our car has been nothing but trouble-a lemon for sure-so we have had to deal with their incompetent service department far too often. One reason we lease is to avoid the inconvenience of needing service all the time. They are unresponsive and the last two issues have been safety related so even more shameful that they are completely incompetent and unresponsive.
Where should we look to buy/lease next vehicle because this will be the last with Johnson!
Jpb3302 Can't believe people still lease/buy these pure pieces of Fiat junk. It really is ashame what the Jeep brand turned into.
When were Jeeps ever NOT "junk"? They have always been just as unreliable as they were fun to off-road with.
ianimal I can't believe that people actually still use this dealership with all the negatives about it.
Calico696 I’m on my 5th Jeep. I’ve only owned 2 vechicles that weren’t a Jeep. I have to say this is my last Jeep.
My current Jeep Grand Cherokee is nothing like my old ones. I don’t feel comfortable driving in the snow with it. My old Jeep Grand Cherokee I used to go driving around in the snow for fun.
If I were to buy another Jeep it wouldn’t be from Johnson Dodge that’s for sure.
My inlaws had a cherocee, thought that thing was a solid n powerfull truck like, really liked it. Drove my sisters new one (the model with the call back) not impressed more car like.
Good luck all.
Roywhite Chrysler products are cheap as can get . How many ram 1500s do you see on the road they basically give them away compared to the price of a ford or chevy you can't beat it . You get what you pay for as far as winter driving a lot of new cars have wide tires with car tread that are horrible in the snow slide don't turn or go might be your problem try a good all terrain tire .
Only the Wrangler is not a unibody frame. To call all of the other models "trail certified" is a joke. The Wrangler is old school ladder frame and leaf springs. Arguably a great ride with the top down in the Summer but a gas guzzler and NOT eco friendly...
IMHO- it isn't Dennis.
I drove Jeeps for, probably close to 15 years.
It's the product that most recently has caused the problems.
Dennis was always a nervous breakdown waiting to happen,
Talk about stress.
Always delivered for me- the product just turned to crap.
Gas mileage- sucks.
Now in a CRV.
Great mileage and dealership in Hackettstown.
Very Happy, and
thank Dennis for keeping me on the road.
Stymie Exactly. Compare a 10 year CRV with a 10 year old Jeep Cherokee. The CRV still works and the Cherokee has had far too numerous parts replaced...
I learned to drive on a 97 Grand Cherokee and it was a good car. Traded that one in for a 2003 and it was a lot junkier. Haven't had one since. Have had two Wranglers and they were good cars. Not good for babies with car seats, but a good car and fun to drive. My last Wrangler was from Johnson and we never had any issues with the car or the service.
I also had issues with them. Bought my car in due to bucking. Told me they could not do anything until the check engine light came on. Finally it bucked so hard the light came on. Took it in, said it was 3 sensors that needed to be changed.$800. I told them that I had the extended warranty and I thought I was covered. Asked me where I bought the warranty. I said, from you when I bought the vehicle!!!. They checked, and it was covered. BUT told me they could only do 1 at a time. WHY? When I was paying $800. I needed all 3. They did one, but it kept bucking. Took it back, told me light had to come on again. After 2 weeks of the bucking, I took it to a mechanic. He checked it, said it was not the sensor, was something else, part and labor $50. !!! No more bucking. !!! I love my vehicle but as far as service, they try to sel you things you don't need. Sometimes they are nice, sometimes NOT!! Needless to say, I don't go there.
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