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Post by Big Blue on Sept 27, 2017 13:57:40 GMT
The Gorilla had a service yesterday (£925 for some oil, filters, inspection, spark plugs, some problem with the n/s rear door comfort entry) at Cooper Thames Ditton. I dropped the KEY on Monday evening on the way home on the motorbike and they checked the car in, used the key to tell me what would be being serviced etc. I then told them that, as usual, the car would be in Prospect Road, the road next to the service centre, in the morning. I then said I wanted it dropped back to me when the service was done even if it was 2 days later - again, as is usual. Service guy said "don't know if we'll have enough drivers; made a note (I assumed) about the Prospect Road thing.
Yesterday morning the guy that actually services the Gorilla (for in three visits it's always him and he's great) left a message to ask me where it was parked. I called back and told the service reception desk it was in Prospect Road. They told me they's pass the message on. Ten minutes later "my" service engineer calls again to ask and I advise him myself, and tell him he can choose whether he wants to bollock the service desk or the guy that checked me in the day before. We had a laugh about that.
Later yesterday he calls me back, runs through the service, takes my money and then says the car will be dropped back, but maybe tomorrow (i.e. today). Fine by me. About an hour ago W2.0 calls me and says my car is back. Great all over until springtime or next summer.
Then..... just a few minutes ago I get a call from the service desk to tell me my car is ready for collection. "According to my wife the car is on my driveway," I say. "Sorry sir. I just have a message here to tell you. Don't know why."
So as with all things it's humans that cause issues and often down to poor communications. I shouldn't be surprised by this, being divorced and all that, but it still astounds me.
I'll reiterate, the service itself is always great and they know my car so it's the peripheral stuff that grates.
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Post by Stuntman on Sept 27, 2017 20:34:28 GMT
I had a similar frustration about absent or incorrect communication with one of the service advisers where I take my BMW. I now try just to deal with one particular adviser, who seems very much on the ball. Keep enjoying the car!
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Post by ChrisM on Sept 28, 2017 7:21:55 GMT
It's really sad, isn't it, when the most annoying thing about car ownership is dealer staff when you want work done
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Post by Nelson on Sept 28, 2017 10:55:22 GMT
The lost art of communication is not just limited to car dealerships. If i stress one thing to my 8 year old daughter and that is attention to detail and a case in point is what happened to us last week.
On the 15th we noticed a fault with our washing machine. It kept tripping the electrics. The machine itself is only just over 2 years old, a high spec Beko model. Having had previous early problems with previous machines we decided this year to take out an extended warranty, £5.49pm with Domestic and General. Great to have the reassurance. Well, that policy just paid out but not before a lot of faffing...
We called D&G and registered the fault. No problems, they advised they would get their preferred repair business (Repair 2000) to come out free of charge and inspect/repair. A date was booked for the 25th for the engineer to visit. Now as you can expect especially if like me you have children of school age they need clean clothes so being without a washing machine is a pain. We had both sets of parents willing to take a load in, they both live 2 miles away so at worst inconvenient lugging washing to and fro so we mentioned this to D&G and they agreed that should an earlier engineer visit become available they would call us.
Which it did and they did...called us later that same afternoon and advised that an engineer could visit on the 20th. Great, that helps, thanks. All booked in and received a confirmation text message.
I took the morning off work to allow the engineer to visit, he rang me early and told me an approximate time. All good.
He turned up, got to work and diagnosed a list of faults...poor earthing was the cause of the faulty electrics but he also diagnosed a faulty motor, digital display and suspension legs. He confirmed that all items were covered under the warranty and that he would order the parts straight away. I signed the document confirming this and he said we would receive a phone call within 5 days to arrange a time to fit the new parts...all good so far.
Forward to last Monday (the 25th...the date the original engineer visit was booked for)...08:40am whilst out driving i received a phone call from Repair 2000. Hello Mr Brookes I'm ringing to let you know I'll be visiting at between midday and 2pm today to look at your washing machine. Errrgh hold up. I politey told him that an earlier booking had become available and that one of his colleagues visited last week and that we were waiting for some parts. Oooh did he? Ok no worries thanks for letting me know he said.
Cue yesterday the 27th. Still no call from Repair 2000 or D&G about when the parts would be fitted so we gave them a call
Rang D&G and they looked at their work log for this job. After putting me on hold for at least 10 minutes they came back and couldn't be more apologetic. No parts had been ordered by the first engineer and the second engineer that called and who was told he wasn't needed that day had cancelled the whole job (he should have just cancelled his visit). So D&G had cancelled the whole job and closed it. So if we hadn't have called we would have been left in limbo not knowing what was happening without a washing machine.
Anyway, D&G couldn't be more helpful and apologetic. They instantly reopened the job, looked at what parts needed ordering and made a snap decision under their discretion to order us a brand new washing machine. We have called back this morning to confirm that we'd like to go ahead with this after we had checked that the new updated model will fit (it's a 10kg load instead of our previous 8kg). Item ordered via AO.com and already in transit.
Just goes to prove that communication is key and that there are several failings...the first engineer not ordering the parts, the Repair 2000 team not communicating with their engineers and their diaries and the 2nd engineer for wrongly closing the job down instead of just his visit.
We await our new washing machine and have taken out an extended warranty again at £5.99pm so only a 50p pm increase.
All sorted now but not without a faff
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2017 13:11:31 GMT
You might just have been unlucky - we have D&G warranties on dishwasher, washer and dryer. They've all been used over the years, including a full replacement machine in one instance. The only issue we've had is when you are able to tell them exactly what the fault is and what part is needed (Mrs 12th knows her shit in this area!), only to have them bring the right part but for the wrong model...
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Post by Martin on Oct 6, 2017 10:14:00 GMT
I'm sitting in my BMW dealership at the moment, car is in for MOT and the new steering wheel. The service advisor is great, possibly helped by him living around the corner from me. He knew who I was and what I was in for before I even reached the desk and has been to see me with an update on progress.
I bumped into the guy who sold (well, more processed really) my the 535d and he clearly doesn't remember me. That's OK, but it got me thinking about how much better they could be at sales. If a customer of mine was booked in I'd want to know that up front and if that was an MOT, I'd already have a plan on moving him/her into something. I'm sure plenty of sales people do that, it's pretty basic stuff. I appreciate it's a really big dealership, but I'm amazed there aren't systems in place to flag stuff to the sales people.
They have a 530d xdrive estate parked out front, I'd have me out in that right now.
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Post by PetrolEd on Oct 6, 2017 10:29:00 GMT
First job I ever had out of Uni was in sales at the Fiat/Alfa/Lancia/Maserati dealer outside amazingstoke. We were owned by a large group but were taken over by an independent 6 month into the role. The owner of the independent started as a sales man at the dealer I was at and on his first day in as the owner, every customer that came through the door he knew by name even though he might not of dealt with them for 10 years. A hugely impressive individual that was obsessed by looking after customers. There are a few people like that you still come across but Car sales in now a bit of a young mans game and people tend to move on after only a couple of years therefore its hard to build that relationship.
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Post by Tim on Oct 6, 2017 10:43:39 GMT
......people tend to move on after only a couple of years therefore its hard to build that relationship.
That was certainly true of most of the car salesmen we had in the 2 years I worked at the garage. A couple of them who were in their mid 40s had worked for some places multiple times through their career and I always got the impression that they were looking fro the next deal for their pay packet, even if in reality it would end up being the same!
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Post by Martin on Oct 6, 2017 10:50:53 GMT
My salesman has been here a long time, I'm surprised he hasn't retired....
Most are younger guys, but I preferred dealing with him as he didn't give me a load of (not all accurate) waffle and try to impress. When I went back for a second drive of the 535d before making a decision, another salesman took me out and after I'd accelerated onto the dual carriageway (fairly sensibly because he was in the car), he suggested a 530d would be fine for the way I drove, I didn't need a 535d.....
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Post by johnc on Oct 6, 2017 12:05:39 GMT
I agree that most dealers miss a massive trick when someone is on the premises and at 3 years old, their car has just run out of warranty. What better time to let them try a new car or look around something different than when they are sitting waiting for their car to be serviced. It's not as if you have to phone them to try to get them in!
Like you Martin, I would never give a car a full shakedown when a salesman was beside me - you know how much it's holding back by the amount of throttle you use and its initial pickup. |
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Post by Martin on Oct 6, 2017 12:12:46 GMT
Exactly. I had a weekend job selling Hondas when I was 18-20 and know first hand how scary it can be when someone gets over enthusiastic or over estimates their skill in a car they don't know.
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Post by Roadsterstu on Oct 9, 2017 7:43:52 GMT
Exactly. I had a weekend job selling Hondas when I was 18-20 and know first hand how scary it can be when someone gets over enthusiastic or over estimates their skill in a car they don't know. I know of an Arteon that ended up in a field up this way a couple of weeks ago, very badly damaged and with 3 injured occupants, whilst on a VW test day of some sort. It was well into the field so clearly wasn't hanging around on a country lane. |
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