Arnold expand again
Discussion
Never purchased a vehicle from Arnold Clark.
I once went to test drive a Nissan X-Trail and the guy told me we'd have to work out finance first...
"what, before I even know if I like the car and despite the fact I just told you I'll be paying cash?"
"Uh....well....yeah"
"forget it, mate!"
I bought the X3 over the phone, used approved from John Park BMW in Glasgow 2 days later for the same price, newer car and better spec...go figure.
I once went to test drive a Nissan X-Trail and the guy told me we'd have to work out finance first...
"what, before I even know if I like the car and despite the fact I just told you I'll be paying cash?"
"Uh....well....yeah"
"forget it, mate!"
I bought the X3 over the phone, used approved from John Park BMW in Glasgow 2 days later for the same price, newer car and better spec...go figure.
S2red said:
And they also recently acquired 2 GM sites and 2 VW sites.When will the stop?
After a succession of Arnie bought VWs for the good lady we have been in the unusual position of having 3 cars in the driveway, Porsche, Mercedes and Landrover, all of which are out of the empire!
But as he is a serial show room browser the wee man is well versed in them ways of Arnold, he's got a nice old 500 on the top floor of McHargs which is a particulr favourite of his!
But as he is a serial show room browser the wee man is well versed in them ways of Arnold, he's got a nice old 500 on the top floor of McHargs which is a particulr favourite of his!
bought 3 cars from arnie, okay all were under 7k so almost SOTM territory, knew what I wanted and got them at least 2k cheaper than elsewhere. I did check lol. sales staff alright, but having had 1 in for warranty work and seen what is in the workshops i wouldnt let them service my flymo. that is where having a local indy garage is worth its weight in snap on spanners.
will also say that the diff carrier on the gearbox failed on 1 2 years after I bought it but again combo of local bert and local gearbox shop box was overhauled with diesel spec transmission (car is petrol but used as a towcar) for £300 and fitting was £100 so still 1500 quid in pocket. had a right laugh with mechanic, phones me "al do you want a new clutch seeing as you tow a caravan and have been doing so" aye i replied if it is needing one, 30 minutes later wullie phones back, "al come down and see this clutch of yours" so goes down and wullie hands me the centre plate, "looks alright to me wullie, nae much wear if any" wullie replied "al you sure you have been towing as there is feck all wear on it and I have seen a hell of a lot more on auld dear's motors, its gawn back in". Honest block oor Wullie, most garages would have said it was fecked just to get a few bob on parts"
will also say that the diff carrier on the gearbox failed on 1 2 years after I bought it but again combo of local bert and local gearbox shop box was overhauled with diesel spec transmission (car is petrol but used as a towcar) for £300 and fitting was £100 so still 1500 quid in pocket. had a right laugh with mechanic, phones me "al do you want a new clutch seeing as you tow a caravan and have been doing so" aye i replied if it is needing one, 30 minutes later wullie phones back, "al come down and see this clutch of yours" so goes down and wullie hands me the centre plate, "looks alright to me wullie, nae much wear if any" wullie replied "al you sure you have been towing as there is feck all wear on it and I have seen a hell of a lot more on auld dear's motors, its gawn back in". Honest block oor Wullie, most garages would have said it was fecked just to get a few bob on parts"
BonzoG said:
We eagerly count down the days until our lease vans tick over 100k just so we don't have the hassle of having to use AC for warranty work. 
We used to have to go through the same, now I just use my independent garage for everything cause dealing with sharks is a total ball ache. al
I have continually fallen into their trap due to nobody else being able to match their deals!
It is a ball ache because it takes numerous visits for them to identify and carry out satisfactory minor warranty repairs! Then I have to go over every inch of the cars to make sure they've replaced / not scratched everything.
If I had plenty money I'd just pay extra and go elsewhere for a proper after sales service.......
It is a ball ache because it takes numerous visits for them to identify and carry out satisfactory minor warranty repairs! Then I have to go over every inch of the cars to make sure they've replaced / not scratched everything.
If I had plenty money I'd just pay extra and go elsewhere for a proper after sales service.......
I've been on both sides of the desk over the years (so to speak!) and sadly, I can't say I was left feeling impressed despite knowing what to expect having worked there and then returned on several ocassions as a customer. As much as I respect the man himself for creating a monster from nothing, I can't but help it's become the car buying equivelent of a supermarket... basic wages and high staff turnover does have a negative effect on customer service. Granted it's unfair to tar the complete organistation with the same brush as it is unfair to brand Halfords employees as 16yr old schoolboys as there are some brilliant peopl working for both companies, however on the whole it's seem to be about maximum sales and maximum profit which is fine in the world of business but not at the expense of customer service and satisfaction.
Davie said:
...maximum sales and maximum profit which is fine in the world of business but not at the expense of customer service and satisfaction.
I'd imagine the manufacturers that allow AC to have their franchise must have some say in acceptable levels of satisfaction or am I being naive?For example Mercedes have been working hard (allegedly) to better their poor customer service record in recent years, if in taking over John Weir's MB dealerships standards fall you'd think MB head office would have something to say about it?
As an MB owner it makes no difference to me, the West of Scotland are already at the mercy of the huge dealer group as MB Glasgow, Giffnock, Ayr & Hamilton are all Stratstone - can AC be any worse?
yellowbentines said:
can AC be any worse?
Oh yes.I'd buy a new or nearly new car from them if the deal was good enough, but that would be the last time AC ever got to see the car whilst it was in my hands.
For older cars "buyer beware", just make sure it has had a thorough independant check before you take possession of it from AC.
yellowbentines said:
I'd imagine the manufacturers that allow AC to have their franchise must have some say in acceptable levels of satisfaction or am I being naive?
No no, you're spot on. The manufacturers will all have standards that need to be met and will regulary do mystery cshops both in person and over the phone and most will contact the customer after visiting a dealer especially if the car's within it's warranty period, however the sad fact is given the "if you're not happy, somebody else will do your job" attitude that alot of employers have these days tends to encourage employees who don't really care eitehr, so long as they get paid at the end of the month. It seems that despite what the manufacturers expect of a dealership, sometimes that just doesn't happen sadly.There are minimum acceptable standards and I'm sure the majority of the time these are met but where I think things fall down is due to the high staff turnover/lack of training/lack of interest from some staff, ie the "it's just a job" crew who really don't care but the sad fact is there are just too many positions to fill within a company like AC an thus, quantity over quality is a problem that massive outfits like this face? As said, there will be countless staff who bend over backwards and it goes without saying that you can't give 110%, 100% of the time but in today's world it's the few bad apples that can ruin it for the rest... and with a company the size of Arnold Clark, I think customer's are all too happy to slate them, sometimes unfairly. An independant could get a 10% return/complaint list on say 1,000 customers which is 100 people but if Arnold Clark get even 5% on say 25,000 customers... it's all relative.
I guess it's like everything these days, the employer wants maximum return for minimum investment and sadly in a big outfit, that can quickly become an issue. God knows how manys times I was frustrated at being the only person trying to run a service department on a Monday morning and getting totally fed up that I and ultimately we couldn't offer each and every customer the time and level of service I would expect and similarly, I've been in as a customer and been frustrated by the "in, sign here, feck off" sales attitude displayed by some or being left standing for ages whilst at the aftersales departments... but, I tend to sympahise with the individual. Been there, done that and got the T.shirts.
I'm a firm believer that your company's sucess lies with the staff you have and as an organistation grows, it simply must have the right people doing the job from the valters to the dealer principals and whilst I think it's great that the company is expanding, I just hope they're looking at things on a branch level and trying to sort some of the basics that seem to be lacking in a big outfit. On a side note, I was at Mercedes Benz World recently... trainers, jeans, rocked up in an elderly Cavalier and was absolutely stunned by the staff and their attitudes. Phenominal customer care... had I had the cash, I'd have been driving home in something but even though I didn't, that didn't stop me getting a tour of the AMG Centre and invited to have a seat in a few examples.
It's a world away from the other end of the spectrum.
Edited by Davie on Tuesday 4th September 12:11
My last visit to an AC showroom was my last, and I've bought my last two cars from them.
A certain Glasgow West branch had one of the first MKVI Golf Rs (that may be a hint
) in Scotland so I popped in to have a look one day. A wee pr1ck of a salesman, probably no more than 19-20, started his sales pitch with 'that's 35 grand, that is'. Not a 'hello', not 'how can I help you'. 'That's 35 grand, that is'. WTF?
Good day, sirs, I'll not be back. Ever.
On the plus thought, the last good service I had was at BMW in Hamilton when SWMBO's 116d company hack was being serviced. The salesman spotted me sitting in an E93 DCT Competition M3 and wouldn't accept I didn't want to have a test drive.
The list price was 65 grand, but he said 'yeah, you might not be able to afford that now, but if you get good service, you'll be back when you can afford it'. Nice one that man!
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