Reply With QuoteI think it says more about the dealer you use. Its unfair to label them all the same.Originally Posted by adrianw
Most main dealerships customer service cant be matched in any other retail industry imo.
It's all about quality of service and making the customer feel good, the dealership experience etc etc, I just booked our electric Jag in for its first service, we don't live near a dealer, Jaguar Hatfield are not providing curtesy cars, are not doing pick up and collection and cannot say how long they need the car for, poor service like this must play straight into the hands of the online dealers and speed up the demise of the so called main dealers. I had my Merc serviced a few weeks ago and there were no issues with a curtesy car.
Edit, the reason that we chose Hatfield is that it is that my wife works about four miles from them.
it is now booked in for a Saturday and we will aimlessly walk around the Galleria for a bit.
Last edited by adrianw; 27th October 2021 at 12:41.
I think it says more about the dealer you use. Its unfair to label them all the same.
Most main dealerships customer service cant be matched in any other retail industry imo.
When I took my Honda to have its service in Feb I had a right palava trying to get a loan car I wanted to drop my car off after work then pick it back up the day after but they wanted it all doing in the same day which would have ment me taking a day off work, I managed to get them to relent but they had to get the manager to ok it.
With the lack of stock and prices being commanded it could just be a simple case of not having enough loan/demo cars in stock.
On the ETA it could be a lack of staff. Not sure what it's like in that industry but in the office world almost half the staff are quitting in some places and it can cause real headaches.
One thing about online dealers is you can cancel at any time and get full deposit back. The rules are different if you do a face to face deal. This was totally worth it when I bought a Mercedes EQA online and then cancelled it last week when I got a Tesla instead and I get full deposit back even though car is already in their showroom getting prepped for what was going to be delivery to me.
In a word YES
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In a word NO.
The main dealer experience is getting worse whilst costing more, but the online experience ain't all that either.
Servicing the Disco 3-4 years ago used to be easy, call the dealer and they came and picked it up in the morning and returned it at the end of the day for no additional charge. Try that now. No chance. Book it in at least 6 weeks in advance and then either pay for a loan or pay for pick up. Then charge for an inspection and an oil change is eye watering.
Having bought a couple of Mercs from Carwow, I can say the removal of bartering is great, but you end up travelling the length of the country (Portsmouth and Skipton) to pick them up and there really little difference in experience.
I've just ordered a Tesla and while the showroom experience is nice, a month later I have no idea what's going on. You log in to forums and people are guessing which ship their car is on. I have no idea if I'm getting it when promised and nobody will confirm. At least when you buy a car from a dealer you get a build week and some decent estimation on delivery times. The pick up experience also looks pretty poor. I have to get to Bluewater. The options for transport there are all horrendous.
I did have a guy replace the clutch on my 7 year old Yaris a couple of weeks ago. Charged less than half of the main dealer price and did it on my doorstep. Top service!
In fairness lead times for the electronic parts have gone nuts, if you aske me for something I can't give you a firm price or a delivery date at the moment, I am telling customers to place orders and when we know we will advise them
To be honest Ryan. That’s a *un*** thing to do.
Why order a car, string them along and then cancel. You do realise that manufacturers fine dealers a postcode fine if they change a customers details?
The fines are for me are £3000. Also we can’t just send them the car back.
Also Good luck on the Tesla customer service. It’s horrific.
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Not really as I ordered adaptive cruise control as part of the premium plus pack and the car turned up without it (chip shortage reasons) and they said I could cancel with no penalties
Nah, the shiny showrooms looking like a NASA spaceport will be here for a while yet. Need some gimmick to get customers in to sign up for GAP and tyre insurance!
Ok maybe that should have been mentioned in your first post.
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I don't know why Ryan cancelled* but I am certain the idea was not to string a car dealer. Something made him change his mind, and the law allowed him to do so. The fact that it costs the dealer is a consequence of the dealer's business model and his relationship with the manufacturer, and not of Ryan's cancellation.
Also, I have seen the service part of several local dealership (Peugeot, Jaguar, Merc, BMW) and there wasn't one to save the others. Exorbitant costs with no real expertise. Compared to what independents have provided it was night and day.
In other words, I don't know what I shall miss when the dealerships are gone, but I am not sure it will be much. Sorry.
Edit:
* He has now explained
I don't think he owes you anything, let alone an explanation. You're the one who jumped to conclusions.
** please consider removing your Tapatalk signature
Last edited by Saint-Just; 27th October 2021 at 14:02.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
He owes me nothing
Please don’t come on with your patronising bile trying to make something it isn’t.
And no I won’t remove my Tapatalk signature, grow up
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Why not, other than additional cost what value are they adding, to either the customer or to the car manufacturer.
The bear pit is over there!
I prefer to visit dealerships - I find it a tactile environment. In fact I find the discussion similar to “are watch ADs days numbered”. I’d say no to that too.
I can buy new cars online, I cant buy a new Rolex or PP on line, the watch mafia have done a better job of tying it down
Put my Honda in for a service earlier in the year. I was given a complimentary courtesy car and my Civic had a full valet inside and out.
I am looking from my own rose tinted glasses. I run a dealership for a major manufacturer. Although I am not precious about the trade in it’s current format.
I am not 100% sure how to answer that question as through your experiences, you have gathered an opinion and I don’t think you will be wrong in some cases.
My NO, was really in reflection to the short term. There are a number of factors which I could spend all day writing about but the current structure of the industry has changed (& will continue). Online has only enhanced the dealership experience, from where I sit everyday that is. With that both profitability, volume and dealership retention growing exponentially.
Where I agree is many of these places that provide a poor service level will struggle but that is the same in any walk of life. Quite simply, some have moved with the times and some haven’t. Doesn’t mean that is reflective of the whole industry, the same way Debenhams going bump isn’t reflective of the whole high street.
The manufacturer I work for have set up a very good online platform (2 years ago) for vehicle sales and I have been involved in many meetings about it. We currently get less than 1 order per month through that channel. So people don’t necessarily want to fully transact online (yet I stress). However many customers now want to transact partially online (maybe leave a deposit) and then finalise the purchase through the dealership. Sort of an omnichannel approach which enables people to hop in or hop off seamlessly at different parts of the process.
Anyway, what is true now, will not be true tomorrow and all that. Those who adapt and focus on customer experience will thrive.
We aren’t there just yet, take it from me.
Last edited by Gavbaz; 27th October 2021 at 16:37.
Took my new X5 into Manchester BMW for its service, after dropping the car off the price for the service increased from £249 via a phone call saying “ sorry it needs a full service now which is £599” plus a further £25 (I think) for something called scope to reset all the service lights, oh and it also need the brake fluid changing soon which is a further £149? Oh and your pads are running low, £800 odd for them as well. (Check afterwards showed there was 5mm on the pads left)
When booking in I mentioned there was an issue with the charge level on the battery as I’d got a warning on the idrive, the service rep said, “how will you pay for this” I replied “the car is under warranty” his reply “ no it isn’t sir” I said “ the car is under 3 years old?” “Sorry sir your warranty’s expired” my reply “ get me the keys to my car I’m fkng off as you simply haven’t got a clue…” manager approached apologised and said “he’s new on the job” FFS.
I specifically have always asked them, with a note on the job card and in the car “please do not wash the car” as I had wash and detail my own cars. They ignored this and put it through the on-site car wash and scratched the paintwork from front to back! I’ve seen brand new cars being sent through a brush car wash I kid you not, hence me always saying ffs don’t wash my car.
Genuinely yet to find a decent BMW dealership in the north west. Love the brand hate the dealers.
I accept your detailed explanation (and thank you for taking the time. The one small thing that tickled me was this:
Because in this specific case, I believe it IS reflective of the whole high street.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Yes, perhaps a better analogy was needed.
It's 10 years since I bought a new car and we still have it (retired, me, not the car). At the third service, I wished the garage all the best and told them that I would not be using them "in future". The person on the desk didn't even ask "Why not?". I had paid in advance, for three years servicing. I left the car for its third service at 9 am. It was still in the same place, (having never moved) at 4.20 pm. As I returned at 4.40 pm it was standing outside, in a different place, being pressure washed (complimentary valet), then blade dried and towelled. There is servicing and there is a "service"! The only request that I made to the garage (in year 2) was to check the handbrake adjustment, as the lever was coming up about six clicks. They adjusted the cable, without checking the adjustment at the brake shoes. I decided to check the brake shoe adjustment, so returned the handbrake cable to where it had been (to allow removal of the brake drums) and found a heap of rust and brake dust. Once cleaned and adjusted properly, the handbrake operated correctly, with no need for cable adjustment! Mechanics??? No! Just fitters these days with schedules and targets to meet and keep. There will be exceptions and I'm just passing on my findings.
I can’t buy Rolex in an AD. I therefore don’t see your point?
If I want an Oris or a Bremont or whatever i can visit a shop OR buy it online. Cars are no different. I just prefer to try on or sit in before I buy.
I thought your response was perfect.
No need for a better analogy
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Last month I took my VW campervan to the main dealer (Sinclair Van Centre Cardiff) for its first MOT, oil change service and brake fluid replacement.
On the phone they had offered an early bird service where if I booked it in for 7:30am they would start straight away and it should be about 2 to 3 hours.
So I got up at 6am, drove to Cardiff, dropped it off and wandered into the city centre for an amble around. Had a nice brekky and coffee, then looked around watch and guitar shops for a couple hours before returning at 11 to find the van where I had left it. They hadn't even started, I eventually had it at 13:45, after half hourly assurances from the receptionist that it would be another 15 minutes. I had to cancel an afternoon appointment also. Won't be going there again.
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I got a free valet with my £300 oil change which takes half an hour and £50 of consumables
All the handwriting about car dealers losing out when a car gets canceled- I lost £3k a few years ago when Audi refused to give me my deposit back on a car I ordered 5 weeks previously and still had 7 weeks for delivery. No sympathy at all for those guys with a thin veneer of professionalism masking their general 'wide-boy-ness'.
Have to say this is exactly my experience too.
If it's a week day, I tend to bring my laptop and do some work while the car is being prepared. They couldn't be nicer. Probably why I have been with them for 20 years. Also, the cars are gems. Not the quickest, the cheapest or the most comfortable but often the most reliable.
I sound quite old, don't I.
I won’t even get started about my two months of purchasing my new X3. I had in the end to go for a four month old demo, even that was not straight forward, I arrived to pick up the car and it was the wrong one. It would take me an hour or more to go through all the cockups.
Have to say this is exactly my experience too.
If it's a week day, I tend to bring my laptop and do some work while the car is being prepared. They couldn't be nicer. Probably why I have been with them for 20 years. Also, the cars are gems. Not the quickest, the cheapest or the most comfortable but often the most reliable.
I sound quite old, don't I.
This is me too - though I am quite old :)
It’s just the dig at the end that amuses me.
You continually have to fish for a response. I really don’t understand how anyone can be so needy.
You should have had your deposit back I do think that was out of order if you didn’t.
That’s if it wasn’t made up, you do have form
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My visits to my main dealer are good, never a problem with a loan car, I know i'm paying over the top compared to a Indy but in general i'm happy with them.
Having said that at this moment in time i'm trying to decide whether to use a main dealer or Indy for my new to me MR2, £350 main dealer compared to £150 Indy.
Is this the real life, or is this just fantasy?
Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality.
Always loved Bohemian Rhapsody’s first couple of lines……
Yeah it was probably a non existent car. Also re being 'needy, and 'fishing for a response' I'm not the person who first used the c word, then informed another poster in this thread that they were talking 'bile' and to 'grow up'. Maybe someone needy would also stick a thread on Watch Talk around how unhappy they were about a watch they'd received from a SC deal instead of putting it on H&V.
Last edited by ryanb741; 27th October 2021 at 18:02.
Are deposits always refundable? Could have cost dealer.
Really interesting thread and clearly an array of opinions. In past I have had cars from JLR, to Ford, to VAG, and used independents - and although in some instances the service has been really good, my general experience is very bad. I've worked extensively in customer service across numerous industries and perhaps, therefore, I'm hard to please!
With respect to the future, I see working in tech the trend over years has been 'as a service', and with tech and cars converging, we are likely to see this continue. You can already get subscription car services from 3rd parties and even Volvo and other manufacturers direct. No long-term contract provides a level of flexibility people will want more broadly in the future. With this in mind, my opinion is that the dealerships will remain whilst the footfall is there to give them enough business, but that is likely to decline over time. That is a long while off yet though I suspect!a
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We refund all customers that wishes to cancel.
It’s not worth the reputation or the trust we have built up over the years.
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I always found BMW garages awful when i used them for my company cars before i retired and bought private.
I tried most of them in Lancashire and now i buy private i have found they could learn a lot from Honda and Toyota when i have used them.
My latest car is a Mazda and all i can say is the dealers near me are as bad as BMW so it is luck of the draw.
Had really excellent service when I’ve had routine servicing done on my VW at the local main dealer.
Last time they “split the difference “ between their cost and a local independent quote for oil service and brake fluid change
Saved about £80 and kept the main dealer history intact.
Peter Cooper southampton- good folks👍
Sounds familiar, no such thing as "service" any more, just a whole collection of "part-services" whereby you have to buy a whole suite in order to get what used to be covered by the annual service. At times on one visit you will be offered 4 or 5 different "services", I was recently quoted £180 by Audi for the pleasure of ensuring the drainage weep holes in the car are not blocked..
Then be ready for ruthless upselling - your tyres need changing (only 4mm of tread left...) £90 for new wiper blades which are smearing (that will be the bird poo on the windscreen) £30 for a fuel flush (we are going to chuck a £4 bottle of something in your petrol tank), an air conditioning service (you seem to have forgotten the £1k bill for a new condensor, re-gas etc a few months ago where the OEM wriggled out of the warranty claim), the list goes on
I'm like that with asking them not to clean either - can't stand that oily rubbish tyre dressing they use which sprays all over the alloys on the first motorway journey you do and is a PITA to get off.
Oh yes, at the time this happened to me I had a white X3. Got home car was peppered with tyre gloop.
On that occasion they also scratched the paint of the wing/bumper when dragging the jet wash hose across the body work. Oh and the fitter bent the wing fitting a new headlight under warranty. I could go on and on and on…
Only other option (which I now try to do) is buy and sell my cars between services, I kid you not. Covid ruined this last one due to limited supply.
My view is the big national chains are the issue, with those such as Inchcape, Arnold Clark and Peter Vardy (who can often run ‘premium’ dealerships such as BMW) being less than stellar as although you may expect them to be faultless due to the brand image the reality is they’re a high-turnover McDonalds conveyor belt of sell sell sell and BS.
I find it’s hard to fault a ‘family run’ dealership or chain, but I’m lucky that BMW, Audi, VW and a few more brands locally are all in a single family ownership and honestly I cannot complain. Yes there are always niggles but overall they are very helpful and accommodating. I also note many of the staff have been there for years, which always says a lot.
I guess my point is be choosy who you deal with.
You explain why you think they’re not, I’ll explain why I think they they are
Hammer, nail, hit.
I have, a few posts up. I don’t need your explanation, you are entitled to your opinion and I know it comes from experience in the job.
Last edited by Gavbaz; 27th October 2021 at 17:55.
I missed your reply so apologise, I was looking at the issue more long term but seeing as we’ll doubtlessly hold different views, there’s little point in discussing it further that greatly however I’d be interested in the reasons you give in your replies.
GQ below broached upon what I feel is one of the dealers biggest issues, staff retention, honesty and doing the right thing is sadly missing and I’m guessing that’s where you based your reply from?
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