What is it with Mercedes dealers!?!
Discussion
I've *never* had a good experience with them - not buying, not servicing, not general issues. I thought my favourite hate-story was always going to be going into a dealership to buy a car and being insulted about my current car for 10 minutes, lied to about the specs of my current car, lied to about the specs of the car he was trying to sell me, then point blank told that the trim levels/options I wanted weren't something Mercedes could do - despite them having a car on the showroom floor 30ft away in exactly that spec.
Still - I think that's just been beaten: Had the plastic cover for the high level brake light come off the boot yesterday, leaving a gap into the boot. Light still worked. Rang up the dealer then, and asked what I should do. They said to just pop in today and they should be able to take care of it then and there if they had the parts in stock. Didn't fancy my chances with that, so I asked if I could book it in properly for a specific time. Got the time slot booked, turned up there today (on time)...
"Oh no sir, that was just a guideline time so that we could make a note in the diary that one of our staff could refer to - you're not ACTUALLY booked in". OK, back to their original suggestion of being told I could just pop in regardless... "All of our staff are busy with customers for the next 2 hours". Can I wait? "We'd rather you didn't - they might be busy all day". Can I book it in for another time? "I'm sorry, I can't do bookings directly from here - you're far better off just phoning up to make a booking". BUT THAT'S WHAT I ALREADY DID. BAAAAARRRGGHHH! Thanks for losing me a day of holidays for nothing. Went out to car, and phoned back to see what would happen - asked for bookings, and got to speak to the woman I'd just been stood in front of (was watching through the window). &*%£!
So, having hung up on her, I popped into the parts entrance (chaps there have always been a great laugh and always known their stuff - full credit to those guys), picked up the bits needed on the spot, and rang up my local Merc specialist. Immediately got asked how my holiday had been that we'd nattered about last time, booked in to have it taken care of first thing the next day, and promised the kettle will have boiled for me by the time I get there. I don't doubt for a second it'll all be sorted without any issues before elevenses tomorrow, at a fraction of the price.
Admittedly, I've had far more costly issues with other dealers in the past - but the attitude with Mercedes ones I've just always found to been shocking. Genuinely interested in if it's just me, or if interminable grief is part of the dealer experience for everybody? That's two different Merc dealerships I now swear I'll never walk through the door of again.
Still - I think that's just been beaten: Had the plastic cover for the high level brake light come off the boot yesterday, leaving a gap into the boot. Light still worked. Rang up the dealer then, and asked what I should do. They said to just pop in today and they should be able to take care of it then and there if they had the parts in stock. Didn't fancy my chances with that, so I asked if I could book it in properly for a specific time. Got the time slot booked, turned up there today (on time)...
"Oh no sir, that was just a guideline time so that we could make a note in the diary that one of our staff could refer to - you're not ACTUALLY booked in". OK, back to their original suggestion of being told I could just pop in regardless... "All of our staff are busy with customers for the next 2 hours". Can I wait? "We'd rather you didn't - they might be busy all day". Can I book it in for another time? "I'm sorry, I can't do bookings directly from here - you're far better off just phoning up to make a booking". BUT THAT'S WHAT I ALREADY DID. BAAAAARRRGGHHH! Thanks for losing me a day of holidays for nothing. Went out to car, and phoned back to see what would happen - asked for bookings, and got to speak to the woman I'd just been stood in front of (was watching through the window). &*%£!
So, having hung up on her, I popped into the parts entrance (chaps there have always been a great laugh and always known their stuff - full credit to those guys), picked up the bits needed on the spot, and rang up my local Merc specialist. Immediately got asked how my holiday had been that we'd nattered about last time, booked in to have it taken care of first thing the next day, and promised the kettle will have boiled for me by the time I get there. I don't doubt for a second it'll all be sorted without any issues before elevenses tomorrow, at a fraction of the price.
Admittedly, I've had far more costly issues with other dealers in the past - but the attitude with Mercedes ones I've just always found to been shocking. Genuinely interested in if it's just me, or if interminable grief is part of the dealer experience for everybody? That's two different Merc dealerships I now swear I'll never walk through the door of again.
Must depend on where they are I think. I use the Chesterfield one for servicing etc and found they are really good, The staff are very helpful and I have never felt ripped off, in fact quite the reverse.
The one in Doncaster though is a different story, or at least the sales side is, what a bunch of arses they are. I thought I'd trod in some dog s
t the way I got treated in there. Needless to say I didn't buy nor will I ever go back.
The one in Doncaster though is a different story, or at least the sales side is, what a bunch of arses they are. I thought I'd trod in some dog s
t the way I got treated in there. Needless to say I didn't buy nor will I ever go back.I often find that the guys at the parts counter are more knowlegable and pleasant to deal with. And will often point you to a better place to get things done, or even tell you how to do it yourself.
This has been my (admittedly limited) experience of dealers - I try to avoid them as a rule, most are just rip off merchants.
ETA: I'm referring to dealers of all marques not just Mercedes.
This has been my (admittedly limited) experience of dealers - I try to avoid them as a rule, most are just rip off merchants.
ETA: I'm referring to dealers of all marques not just Mercedes.
Edited by patmahe on Monday 22 March 13:56
With my first Merc, which was a Merc Corporate E320 Estate lease car shipped up on a transporter from wherever and hence no local supplying dealer, had a numpty at the nearest Mercedes owned dealership advise that a tendency to steer to the left was a safety feature designed to avoid oncoming traffic - I do not jest! - I advised him they would never see me or the car as I somehow doubted the car's ability to identify when it crossed the Channel. Went for its first (and with me only) service at second nearest, again Merc owned, dealer. It returned dirtier than when it went in, book unstamped, both warranty faults uncorrected; I felt totally unwelcome at the dealership, and think the fact it was a company lease car (even though I treat even hire cars as though I was keeping them for life!) meant I did not matter.
12 months later and looking to buy a replacement on moving jobs I went, on the recommendation of a colleague, to a dealership 30 miles (and probably 4 dealerships) away to buy a CLS and have been pretty pleased with them. They are part of a group with 5 or 6 Mercedes franchised dealerships. 3 years on they have made a few mistakes but always put their hands up and rectify them. Their customer service department chase feedback hard following a service and take comments on board. I will probably stick with them for purchase and service as long as I have a Mercedes, but will equally probably always avoid the Mercedes owned dealerships - if they were all like the first two, I'd be driving something else now.
12 months later and looking to buy a replacement on moving jobs I went, on the recommendation of a colleague, to a dealership 30 miles (and probably 4 dealerships) away to buy a CLS and have been pretty pleased with them. They are part of a group with 5 or 6 Mercedes franchised dealerships. 3 years on they have made a few mistakes but always put their hands up and rectify them. Their customer service department chase feedback hard following a service and take comments on board. I will probably stick with them for purchase and service as long as I have a Mercedes, but will equally probably always avoid the Mercedes owned dealerships - if they were all like the first two, I'd be driving something else now.
Edited by Stegel on Monday 22 March 21:42
With my first Merc, which was a Merc Corporate E320 Estate lease car shipped up on a transporter from wherever and hence no local supplying dealer, had a numpty at the nearest Mercedes owned dealership advise that a tendency to steer to the left was a safety feature designed to avoid oncoming traffic - I do not jest! - I advised him they would never see me or the car as I somehow doubted the car's ability to identify when it crossed the Channel.
In fact most modern mercs do that, the idea being if you fall a sleep at the wheel you end up off the road rather than across the other side into on coming trafic.
In fact most modern mercs do that, the idea being if you fall a sleep at the wheel you end up off the road rather than across the other side into on coming trafic.
marc.l said:
With my first Merc, which was a Merc Corporate E320 Estate lease car shipped up on a transporter from wherever and hence no local supplying dealer, had a numpty at the nearest Mercedes owned dealership advise that a tendency to steer to the left was a safety feature designed to avoid oncoming traffic - I do not jest! - I advised him they would never see me or the car as I somehow doubted the car's ability to identify when it crossed the Channel.
In fact most modern mercs do that, the idea being if you fall a sleep at the wheel you end up off the road rather than across the other side into on coming trafic.
Absolute ballony, as the poster said above, what happens on the continent......I think its the camber on the roads pulling the car to the left, linked with the type of tyres that Merc useIn fact most modern mercs do that, the idea being if you fall a sleep at the wheel you end up off the road rather than across the other side into on coming trafic.
MadeInEngland said:
Must depend on where they are I think. I use the Chesterfield one for servicing etc and found they are really good, The staff are very helpful and I have never felt ripped off, in fact quite the reverse.
The one in Doncaster though is a different story, or at least the sales side is, what a bunch of arses they are. I thought I'd trod in some dog st the way I got treated in there. Needless to say I didn't buy nor will I ever go back.
Yet they are both JCT600, and I have always had great service from JCT600 at Sheffield, both on the sales, service and parts side. Obviously local thiefdoms without to much consistency in their QA.The one in Doncaster though is a different story, or at least the sales side is, what a bunch of arses they are. I thought I'd trod in some dog s
t the way I got treated in there. Needless to say I didn't buy nor will I ever go back.Stegel said:
had a numpty at the nearest Mercedes owned dealership advise that a tendency to steer to the left was a safety feature designed to avoid oncoming traffic - I do not jest! - I advised him they would never see me or the car as I somehow doubted the car's ability to identify when it crossed the Channel.
He was correct. The factory castor spec (on RHD cars) is set so that the car will pull slightly to the left. If you fall asleep at the wheel, it will drift to the nearside curb. When driving on the right, the camber of the road is sufficient to counteract this. LHD cars are set up the other way round. You can have it dialled out by adjusting the castor angle. Most of us get used to it.The key to getting good service at Merc dealerships is to get out of their system and establish a direct contact with the workshop and parts department. The front of house is as bad as anywhere these days: they're only interested in ticking their boxes and pleasing 80% of customers. The 20% of us who are difficult, demanding and just plain unprofitable can go hang.
phumy said:
marc.l said:
With my first Merc, which was a Merc Corporate E320 Estate lease car shipped up on a transporter from wherever and hence no local supplying dealer, had a numpty at the nearest Mercedes owned dealership advise that a tendency to steer to the left was a safety feature designed to avoid oncoming traffic - I do not jest! - I advised him they would never see me or the car as I somehow doubted the car's ability to identify when it crossed the Channel.
In fact most modern mercs do that, the idea being if you fall a sleep at the wheel you end up off the road rather than across the other side into on coming trafic.
Absolute ballony, as the poster said above, what happens on the continent......I think its the camber on the roads pulling the car to the left, linked with the type of tyres that Merc useIn fact most modern mercs do that, the idea being if you fall a sleep at the wheel you end up off the road rather than across the other side into on coming trafic.
r129sl said:
Stegel said:
had a numpty at the nearest Mercedes owned dealership advise that a tendency to steer to the left was a safety feature designed to avoid oncoming traffic - I do not jest! - I advised him they would never see me or the car as I somehow doubted the car's ability to identify when it crossed the Channel.
He was correct. The factory castor spec (on RHD cars) is set so that the car will pull slightly to the left. If you fall asleep at the wheel, it will drift to the nearside curb. When driving on the right, the camber of the road is sufficient to counteract this. LHD cars are set up the other way round. You can have it dialled out by adjusting the castor angle. Most of us get used to it.Deva Link said:
r129sl said:
Stegel said:
had a numpty at the nearest Mercedes owned dealership advise that a tendency to steer to the left was a safety feature designed to avoid oncoming traffic - I do not jest! - I advised him they would never see me or the car as I somehow doubted the car's ability to identify when it crossed the Channel.
He was correct. The factory castor spec (on RHD cars) is set so that the car will pull slightly to the left. If you fall asleep at the wheel, it will drift to the nearside curb. When driving on the right, the camber of the road is sufficient to counteract this. LHD cars are set up the other way round. You can have it dialled out by adjusting the castor angle. Most of us get used to it.Its the camber of the roads and the tyres...and they know how to dial it out.
phumy said:
Deva Link said:
r129sl said:
Stegel said:
had a numpty at the nearest Mercedes owned dealership advise that a tendency to steer to the left was a safety feature designed to avoid oncoming traffic - I do not jest! - I advised him they would never see me or the car as I somehow doubted the car's ability to identify when it crossed the Channel.
He was correct. The factory castor spec (on RHD cars) is set so that the car will pull slightly to the left. If you fall asleep at the wheel, it will drift to the nearside curb. When driving on the right, the camber of the road is sufficient to counteract this. LHD cars are set up the other way round. You can have it dialled out by adjusting the castor angle. Most of us get used to it.Its the camber of the roads and the tyres...and they know how to dial it out.
J_S_G said:
"Oh no sir, that was just a guideline time so that we could make a note in the diary that one of our staff could refer to - you're not ACTUALLY booked in". OK, back to their original suggestion of being told I could just pop in regardless... "All of our staff are busy with customers for the next 2 hours". Can I wait? "We'd rather you didn't - they might be busy all day". Can I book it in for another time? "I'm sorry, I can't do bookings directly from here - you're far better off just phoning up to make a booking". BUT THAT'S WHAT I ALREADY DID. BAAAAARRRGGHHH! Thanks for losing me a day of holidays for nothing. Went out to car, and phoned back to see what would happen - asked for bookings, and got to speak to the woman I'd just been stood in front of (was watching through the window). &*%£!
There's a story on one of the Merc forums that sounds fairly similar, except the guy wanted to order an S Class. He'd figured out what he wanted and went in to place the order. He explained what he wanted & receptionist said all the sales people were busy but he could wait if he wanted to. He was ignored for 90 mins then left.In "my" dealership, I've spent time looking at new cars, sitting in them etc, whenever I've been in for service work but no-one has ever even acknowledged I've been there, much less tried to sell me a car. I've twice booked specific (so I was assured) courtesy cars to try, only to be given an A or B Class every time.
J_S_G said:
So, having hung up on her, I popped into the parts entrance (chaps there have always been a great laugh and always known their stuff - full credit to those guys), picked up the bits needed on the spot, and rang up my local Merc specialist. Immediately got asked how my holiday had been that we'd nattered about last time, booked in to have it taken care of first thing the next day, and promised the kettle will have boiled for me by the time I get there. I don't doubt for a second it'll all be sorted without any issues before elevenses tomorrow, at a fraction of the price.
If you have a pet indie on hand, then I'm confused why you even went to the dealership?J_S_G said:
Admittedly, I've had far more costly issues with other dealers in the past - but the attitude with Mercedes ones I've just always found to been shocking. Genuinely interested in if it's just me, or if interminable grief is part of the dealer experience for everybody? That's two different Merc dealerships I now swear I'll never walk through the door of again.
People seem to either love them or hate them. Mine is useless, but my car is on Mercedes ServicePlus, which works a lot like a company car maintenance programme, so they (ServicePlus) are very keen to keep the work and costs to an absolute minimum. Of course what the dealer wants is to scam at least £1200 out of every customer at every visit, so the two things are always going to be in conflict.One thing which chimes with what you say, is that my dealer seems to attach no value to my time. It usually takes 40 mins to hand the car over (no queue, they just do the whole thing staggeringly slowly) and pick-up isn't much better, I realised after the last service that they hadn't changed the air filter (it's a once every 4 years thing) so they said cheerfully to bring it back in. But realisitcally that's going to take 2 hours.
That's the issue really, if your Merc is company maintained, or you're the kind of person that will cheerfully accept the £150 a/c service option every year, then the dealer will love you. If you go in with terror in your heart about the possible cost, then it's always going to be edgy.
Thanks, all - glad it's not just me. Was beginning to wonder if I smelt/had offensive shoes on/something!
I know ALL dealers can be pretty rotten, but I've never had service as downright non-existent/infuriating as with Mercedes. At least with Aston/Jag, I'd always get a nice cup of tea and a friendly smile. And the TVRs they'd be happy for me to potter around the workshops and natter with all the mechanics, etc. Only thing that came close was a certain Leeds based Lotus dealer that thought switching my new tyres for somebody's worn out ones was a good idea.
The only reason I went in to a dealer - hole into the boot and it was starting to rain, and they had the part in stock. Last thing I wanted was water getting into there before the new owner could pick it up from me! Thought I might as well have them fit it whilst there, given it's just two nuts on the bracket (once the boot lid's disassembled). Schoolboy error.
I know ALL dealers can be pretty rotten, but I've never had service as downright non-existent/infuriating as with Mercedes. At least with Aston/Jag, I'd always get a nice cup of tea and a friendly smile. And the TVRs they'd be happy for me to potter around the workshops and natter with all the mechanics, etc. Only thing that came close was a certain Leeds based Lotus dealer that thought switching my new tyres for somebody's worn out ones was a good idea.
The only reason I went in to a dealer - hole into the boot and it was starting to rain, and they had the part in stock. Last thing I wanted was water getting into there before the new owner could pick it up from me! Thought I might as well have them fit it whilst there, given it's just two nuts on the bracket (once the boot lid's disassembled). Schoolboy error.
Mercedes service died with the combination of Chrysler tie up and getting rid of the independant one man franchises. The reason cited was Merc wanted to set a consistant standard across the network and they certainly did that! All I can say is that if you think they are cretinous now you should see what they were like in 2004. I have similar stories of woe (actually worse) but at least the cars seem to be better built than in the dark era.
Deva Link said:
r129sl said:
Stegel said:
had a numpty at the nearest Mercedes owned dealership advise that a tendency to steer to the left was a safety feature designed to avoid oncoming traffic - I do not jest! - I advised him they would never see me or the car as I somehow doubted the car's ability to identify when it crossed the Channel.
He was correct. The factory castor spec (on RHD cars) is set so that the car will pull slightly to the left. If you fall asleep at the wheel, it will drift to the nearside curb. When driving on the right, the camber of the road is sufficient to counteract this. LHD cars are set up the other way round. You can have it dialled out by adjusting the castor angle. Most of us get used to it.Well... car all sorted as expected by the specialists.
Phoned the Merc garage up afterwards to get a quote for what it would have been to fit the parts themselves. Response: Roughly £250.
Bill I got from the indy, including VAT: £29.31. And they were finished by the time I'd got to the bottom of my coffee.
Phoned the Merc garage up afterwards to get a quote for what it would have been to fit the parts themselves. Response: Roughly £250.
Bill I got from the indy, including VAT: £29.31. And they were finished by the time I'd got to the bottom of my coffee.
I work for a dealer, so I'm not going to question everything you've mentioned as it's obviously your personal experience with them.
I will however just say not all dealers are bad & despite your bad experiences, just remember staff are very VERY busy, with a million one things to do with an immense pressure to perform - anyone who's ever worked in a dealership will tell you it's 'quite' a stressful job ...
My advice, (if noted) & this goes to anyone.. would be to complain to the service manager if you were that disappointed with the service you received. If the dealership has any essence of decency about them, IF you have a legitimate & worthy complainant the entire service will be turned around on it's head with red carpets at the ready.
Reason? MB are trying to hit CSI (Customer satisfaction Index) targets which will make them #1 in customer satisfaction by end of 2010 - relating to the JD Power Surveys - hence the reason all the stops will be pulled out to ensure your satisfaction.
I will however just say not all dealers are bad & despite your bad experiences, just remember staff are very VERY busy, with a million one things to do with an immense pressure to perform - anyone who's ever worked in a dealership will tell you it's 'quite' a stressful job ...
My advice, (if noted) & this goes to anyone.. would be to complain to the service manager if you were that disappointed with the service you received. If the dealership has any essence of decency about them, IF you have a legitimate & worthy complainant the entire service will be turned around on it's head with red carpets at the ready.
Reason? MB are trying to hit CSI (Customer satisfaction Index) targets which will make them #1 in customer satisfaction by end of 2010 - relating to the JD Power Surveys - hence the reason all the stops will be pulled out to ensure your satisfaction.
Good feedback - great to hear the other side of this. Thanks for that.
Think I might write a letter of complaint - have no interest in heading back there again, but to be fair, unless they hear how much it offends customers, guess I can't expect them to act any better.
For what it's worth, I was the only customer in the enter place. 2-3 sales guys and woman on reception all doing nothing when I walked in. Not on the phone, not at their keyboards, etc. one making a coffee, one wandering about, and the woman was - literally - filing her nails. (11am in the morning is probably not their busiest time!) Don't doubt the service guys were tied up with other customers. But refusing to book me another appointment/apologise for the fact I'd wasted a day off work and a 40 mile round trip across a city centre and back despite having arranged to go in at that time was ridiculous.
Again - fair comment that there are probably a lot of very busy, stressed people there and we can all catch someone on a bad day.
Think I might write a letter of complaint - have no interest in heading back there again, but to be fair, unless they hear how much it offends customers, guess I can't expect them to act any better.
For what it's worth, I was the only customer in the enter place. 2-3 sales guys and woman on reception all doing nothing when I walked in. Not on the phone, not at their keyboards, etc. one making a coffee, one wandering about, and the woman was - literally - filing her nails. (11am in the morning is probably not their busiest time!) Don't doubt the service guys were tied up with other customers. But refusing to book me another appointment/apologise for the fact I'd wasted a day off work and a 40 mile round trip across a city centre and back despite having arranged to go in at that time was ridiculous.
Again - fair comment that there are probably a lot of very busy, stressed people there and we can all catch someone on a bad day.
A few years ago, I finally sourced one of the 27 2003 model SLK32 AMGs exported to the UK. It had 'designo bordeaux' seats, so I phoned the sales people and asked. They responded by sending me an e-mail with photos of the interior - very new idea back then. So I said I'd buy it, subject to a satisfactory test drive when I came back to the UK at the weekend.
Drove to the dealership and walked in. As the place was quiet, the sales boss had challenged one of his lads to a game of table football and they were having a great time. But immediately stopped when I walked up to them. The boss fetched me a coffee whilst his assistant chatted. After the coffee, we went for a test drive. I said "Yes" - and then had an unhurried half hour or so agreeing price, part exchange for my SLK320 and collection the following weekend.
The following weekend everything was ready at the appointed hour - they went through every piece of paper there was and explained everything meticulously. The final part was a free bottle of champagne to celebrate my new purchase.
Excellent! Thank you, Mercedes Benz, Redhill!!
Sadly, other dealers haven't been quite so good. Slapdash attention to detail has been a common failing, such as using the wrong grade of oil and failing to complete the servicing documents correctly. But they sorted out the usual intercooler pump failure quite promptly once I'd told them that this was a common fault on the 32. "Didn't know that, sir", they said. So I said "Just Google SLK32 intercooler pump and read about it for yourselves!"
I've also noticed that they're less keen to suggest non-essential work once they learn that the car is on an extended warranty. Hmmmmm......
Good to hear that they are attempting to improve their customer satisfaction rating - I'm due a B service fairly soon, so will be keen to see how they do!
Drove to the dealership and walked in. As the place was quiet, the sales boss had challenged one of his lads to a game of table football and they were having a great time. But immediately stopped when I walked up to them. The boss fetched me a coffee whilst his assistant chatted. After the coffee, we went for a test drive. I said "Yes" - and then had an unhurried half hour or so agreeing price, part exchange for my SLK320 and collection the following weekend.
The following weekend everything was ready at the appointed hour - they went through every piece of paper there was and explained everything meticulously. The final part was a free bottle of champagne to celebrate my new purchase.
Excellent! Thank you, Mercedes Benz, Redhill!!
Sadly, other dealers haven't been quite so good. Slapdash attention to detail has been a common failing, such as using the wrong grade of oil and failing to complete the servicing documents correctly. But they sorted out the usual intercooler pump failure quite promptly once I'd told them that this was a common fault on the 32. "Didn't know that, sir", they said. So I said "Just Google SLK32 intercooler pump and read about it for yourselves!"
I've also noticed that they're less keen to suggest non-essential work once they learn that the car is on an extended warranty. Hmmmmm......
Good to hear that they are attempting to improve their customer satisfaction rating - I'm due a B service fairly soon, so will be keen to see how they do!
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