The Disadvantage of Owning a Kia
I have to admit, I have 50,000 miles on my Kia Sedona minivan and I love it! It has taken us all over the country, all over the country of Mexico and I believe it is going to outlast the 10 yr/100,000 mile warranty. So what is the disadvantage of owning a Kia? I have not had the greatest experience with service at the dealerships. Not just here in the northland, but down south as well. My latest challenge has been getting an oil change scheduled. I've called twice and both times they were supposed to call me back, it's been over a week, I'm now overdue and the phone isn't ringing. I'm aware that there are a host of alternatives like Jiffy Lube and Valvoline's Rapid Oil Change not to mention all the coupons that come in the junk mail for a $10 oil change with a free 100 point inspection (hint: they want to get you in for an oil change so they can find other things to fix).
So what's my hang-up, why not go to an alternative? With my older cars, I'd do it in a heartbeat, but I believe in being loyal to the brand and believe that if they are going to give me a 10 yr/100,000 mile warranty, the least I can do is give them the service work on my car so that there's no question should I need any warranty work done to it. You know, something like, "We're sorry Mr. Wilson, but since you've had your oil changes done at Jiffy Lube and they used the wrong grade of oil, we will not be able to cover the cost of replacing your blown pistons." So I figure, I'll take it to Kia, and they can be accountable for doing good work on a car that they want to see go at least 10 years or 100,000 miles. Where am I going with all this?
I am currently reading, "Jesus Freaks," by DC Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs (thanks to some friends at a church in Dallas, TX that hosted us on our way back north from Mexico). It's a book that came out about 10 years ago. But it is awesome. This morning I read about a 16 or 17 year old girl who, after her superiors (also fellow believers) spat on the Bible when threatened and told to at gunpoint, wiped the Bible off with her dress and asked Jesus to forgive her pastor and others who spat on it. Then a soldier put a gun to her head and shot her.
This caption at the end reads: "Most of those facing persecution today could have escaped if they had denied their faith. The question is not whether we are persecuted, but whether we are willing to lay down our life for our faith in Jesus Christ."
She did something that neither her Pastor, nor the adult believers around her were willing to do. Maybe that's why I love working with Youth With A Mission. The youth I get to work with have the faith of a child, in an adult body, with an energy and enthusiasm that makes a 39 yr. old like me envious.
It all got me thinking...don't we all face some type of persecution every day? Perhaps they manage to keep the cost of a Kia economical by providing economical service. Or, maybe they're so busy with warranty work that they don't have time for simple oil changes (I hope not). Either way, it made me think, am I giving God my best, every day. Am I willing to lay down my life for Him in the big and small things. I think Madison Ave has conned me into believing that my inalienable rights include things like prompt customer service. Believe me, if the trend of bad service at KIA continues, I'll shop elsewhere. At the sametime, until I can say it's definitely a trend, I need to be content through the process and offer Grace just as the Lord has done for me. After all, how do I know that God isn't behind the delay because He's got His eyes on someone he wants me to witness to who just isn't ready for an oil change yet.
Father, I pray that today I'd be OK with adversity and regardless of whether or not things go my way, I pray that my relationship with you would be more important and that I wouldn't let external circumstances influence my dependence on you and my overall peace of mind.
Whew! Those of you reading my blog must be thinking, "Sure, he's 2 months behind and now he writes a short dissertation on poor customer service." I'll try and keep future posts to a more reasonable length.
So what's my hang-up, why not go to an alternative? With my older cars, I'd do it in a heartbeat, but I believe in being loyal to the brand and believe that if they are going to give me a 10 yr/100,000 mile warranty, the least I can do is give them the service work on my car so that there's no question should I need any warranty work done to it. You know, something like, "We're sorry Mr. Wilson, but since you've had your oil changes done at Jiffy Lube and they used the wrong grade of oil, we will not be able to cover the cost of replacing your blown pistons." So I figure, I'll take it to Kia, and they can be accountable for doing good work on a car that they want to see go at least 10 years or 100,000 miles. Where am I going with all this?
I am currently reading, "Jesus Freaks," by DC Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs (thanks to some friends at a church in Dallas, TX that hosted us on our way back north from Mexico). It's a book that came out about 10 years ago. But it is awesome. This morning I read about a 16 or 17 year old girl who, after her superiors (also fellow believers) spat on the Bible when threatened and told to at gunpoint, wiped the Bible off with her dress and asked Jesus to forgive her pastor and others who spat on it. Then a soldier put a gun to her head and shot her.
This caption at the end reads: "Most of those facing persecution today could have escaped if they had denied their faith. The question is not whether we are persecuted, but whether we are willing to lay down our life for our faith in Jesus Christ."
She did something that neither her Pastor, nor the adult believers around her were willing to do. Maybe that's why I love working with Youth With A Mission. The youth I get to work with have the faith of a child, in an adult body, with an energy and enthusiasm that makes a 39 yr. old like me envious.
It all got me thinking...don't we all face some type of persecution every day? Perhaps they manage to keep the cost of a Kia economical by providing economical service. Or, maybe they're so busy with warranty work that they don't have time for simple oil changes (I hope not). Either way, it made me think, am I giving God my best, every day. Am I willing to lay down my life for Him in the big and small things. I think Madison Ave has conned me into believing that my inalienable rights include things like prompt customer service. Believe me, if the trend of bad service at KIA continues, I'll shop elsewhere. At the sametime, until I can say it's definitely a trend, I need to be content through the process and offer Grace just as the Lord has done for me. After all, how do I know that God isn't behind the delay because He's got His eyes on someone he wants me to witness to who just isn't ready for an oil change yet.
Father, I pray that today I'd be OK with adversity and regardless of whether or not things go my way, I pray that my relationship with you would be more important and that I wouldn't let external circumstances influence my dependence on you and my overall peace of mind.
Whew! Those of you reading my blog must be thinking, "Sure, he's 2 months behind and now he writes a short dissertation on poor customer service." I'll try and keep future posts to a more reasonable length.
posted by Ron Wilson | 8:36 AM
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