Yes we're crap and we don't care.
Discussion
So, no need for too much of a descriptive, its all in the email I sent to Mercedes Benz. Basically I'm shocked at how poor this brand seems to operate. With more opinions coming through on here regarding the return of lease cars, I think I may have dodged a bullet.
From me to Merc said:
Dear Mercedes Benz Customer Service,
This month I was going to order a new E300 Hybrid through my broker. Having made my choice of vehicle, the only obstacle was a road test to make sure I would be happy with the car as I drive over 30,000 miles a year. Unfortunately my confidence in a car that my business will rely so heavily on has been severely damaged. I requested the test drive through Mercedes Customer service and was contacted by the YYYYYY dealership. Shortly afterwards they contacted me again and stated that the vehicle was off the road due to a recall and the part was not available. They would not allow me to test drive the vehicle until the part was fitted which will be after the Christmas break. Such a time off the road for my company would be a serious impediment and a risk we could not take. Please see the attached picture of my message.
In isolation, this issue would be discussed with the local dealer to ensure this would not be a problem for an owner. However this is not my first time that Mercedes dealers have let me down.
Last year I was kept waiting for a salesman/manager (not available as he was on the telephone) for over half an hour when looking at trading in my car for a new merc. The receptionist was very apologetic, however I was not prepared to put up with. Instead, Mercedes lost that sale to another.
The previous year I visited the YYYYYY Dealership and requested a sales person to assist with a vehicle on lease, I left my contact details but no follow up to my request led me to buy elsewhere instead.
This year I decided to give Mercedes another and probably last chance, but not the same dealership. A visit to the XXXXXX Dealership to arrange a test drive was met with the retort that any E class diesel will suffice for a test drive as I would not notice the difference to the Hybrid. I left my details to be contacted and arrange a test drive with such a diesel, I am yet to receive contact from them.
This is why I originally contacted customer service. I wonder if Mercedes would agree that there is no difference to the driver between a normal E class diesel and the hefty premium hybrid?
I will no longer be instructing my broker to order the E300.
Regards
Me
Here is the picture I was sent that I attached.This month I was going to order a new E300 Hybrid through my broker. Having made my choice of vehicle, the only obstacle was a road test to make sure I would be happy with the car as I drive over 30,000 miles a year. Unfortunately my confidence in a car that my business will rely so heavily on has been severely damaged. I requested the test drive through Mercedes Customer service and was contacted by the YYYYYY dealership. Shortly afterwards they contacted me again and stated that the vehicle was off the road due to a recall and the part was not available. They would not allow me to test drive the vehicle until the part was fitted which will be after the Christmas break. Such a time off the road for my company would be a serious impediment and a risk we could not take. Please see the attached picture of my message.
In isolation, this issue would be discussed with the local dealer to ensure this would not be a problem for an owner. However this is not my first time that Mercedes dealers have let me down.
Last year I was kept waiting for a salesman/manager (not available as he was on the telephone) for over half an hour when looking at trading in my car for a new merc. The receptionist was very apologetic, however I was not prepared to put up with. Instead, Mercedes lost that sale to another.
The previous year I visited the YYYYYY Dealership and requested a sales person to assist with a vehicle on lease, I left my contact details but no follow up to my request led me to buy elsewhere instead.
This year I decided to give Mercedes another and probably last chance, but not the same dealership. A visit to the XXXXXX Dealership to arrange a test drive was met with the retort that any E class diesel will suffice for a test drive as I would not notice the difference to the Hybrid. I left my details to be contacted and arrange a test drive with such a diesel, I am yet to receive contact from them.
This is why I originally contacted customer service. I wonder if Mercedes would agree that there is no difference to the driver between a normal E class diesel and the hefty premium hybrid?
I will no longer be instructing my broker to order the E300.
Regards
Me
From Mercedes Customer service said:
Dear Sir
Mercedes-Benz Model: E-Class - E300 Hybrid
Thank you for your recent email communication received by Mercedes-Benz Customer Service.
I was pleased to learn of your interest in purchasing a E300 Hybrid but sorry to learn of the issues you have experienced whilst attempting to arrange a test drive of this car.
I duly noted that previously you contacted a number or Mercedes-Benz Retailers, none of which provided any follow up contact with you to set up a suitable test drive. Due to the time that has elapsed since those contacts I can only provide you with our sincere apologies for this lack of contact. On noting that your most recent communication was with Mercedes-Benz of XXXXXX I can confirm that I have brought your email to their attention to enable the Management of Mercedes-Benz of XXXXXX to note your feedback and address this internally with their Sales Staff.
Your understandable requirement for a reliable car was noted and I am confident that our reputation for producing cars that excel in quality and longevity played a large part in your decision to enquire with our Retailers as to the potential purchase of an E300 Hybrid. Unfortunately, even after the stringent testing carried out during production of our cars we can not rule out the potential that any car has to fail at any age or mileage. As we can not rule out such potential we ensure that all cars are supplied with a Manufacturer’s Warranty and breakdown assistance to ensure that, in the event of failure, you are supported by us until your car is repaired and returned to you. The new E300 Hybrid unfortunately was subject to an early recall and I am sorry to note that this affected a test drive that had previously been arranged.
I was sorry to note that as a result of the lack of follow up and the recall issued to the E300 Hybrid you are no longer considering purchasing this model. I thank you for taking the time to provide us with feedback as to your experience and if we can be of any assistance to you in the future please do not hesitate to contact us.
In our efforts to continuously improve our service to customers we would greatly appreciate your feedback, by way of a survey, to gauge your satisfaction with our brand. Please visit: www.dccac.net/qm/ukencsw and enter this case registration number: XXXXXX. Thank you for your time.
Yours sincerely
Customer Service UK
I guess Mercedes don't need to try and sell cars.Mercedes-Benz Model: E-Class - E300 Hybrid
Thank you for your recent email communication received by Mercedes-Benz Customer Service.
I was pleased to learn of your interest in purchasing a E300 Hybrid but sorry to learn of the issues you have experienced whilst attempting to arrange a test drive of this car.
I duly noted that previously you contacted a number or Mercedes-Benz Retailers, none of which provided any follow up contact with you to set up a suitable test drive. Due to the time that has elapsed since those contacts I can only provide you with our sincere apologies for this lack of contact. On noting that your most recent communication was with Mercedes-Benz of XXXXXX I can confirm that I have brought your email to their attention to enable the Management of Mercedes-Benz of XXXXXX to note your feedback and address this internally with their Sales Staff.
Your understandable requirement for a reliable car was noted and I am confident that our reputation for producing cars that excel in quality and longevity played a large part in your decision to enquire with our Retailers as to the potential purchase of an E300 Hybrid. Unfortunately, even after the stringent testing carried out during production of our cars we can not rule out the potential that any car has to fail at any age or mileage. As we can not rule out such potential we ensure that all cars are supplied with a Manufacturer’s Warranty and breakdown assistance to ensure that, in the event of failure, you are supported by us until your car is repaired and returned to you. The new E300 Hybrid unfortunately was subject to an early recall and I am sorry to note that this affected a test drive that had previously been arranged.
I was sorry to note that as a result of the lack of follow up and the recall issued to the E300 Hybrid you are no longer considering purchasing this model. I thank you for taking the time to provide us with feedback as to your experience and if we can be of any assistance to you in the future please do not hesitate to contact us.
In our efforts to continuously improve our service to customers we would greatly appreciate your feedback, by way of a survey, to gauge your satisfaction with our brand. Please visit: www.dccac.net/qm/ukencsw and enter this case registration number: XXXXXX. Thank you for your time.
Yours sincerely
Customer Service UK
Edited by divetheworld on Wednesday 7th January 22:28
Oh noes, watz a orrible experibenz!
Look, seriously, it looks as if the dealerships have been normal dealerships, as in typically a bit useless. The car has required a recall, which is unfortunate. Yet it's not unique.
Nothing posted by the OP makes me think MB are any worse than any other brand.
Look, seriously, it looks as if the dealerships have been normal dealerships, as in typically a bit useless. The car has required a recall, which is unfortunate. Yet it's not unique.
Nothing posted by the OP makes me think MB are any worse than any other brand.
What has Mercedes-Benz done wrong here? They are fixing the car but there is a delay. They sent a polite reply which wasn't in any way unreasonable.
Would you rather that they didn't do the recall and repair the car and you bought one without knowing of this problem which was unforeseen until now? A problem which (for all we know) could be unsafe?
This seems perfectly responsible and reasonable to me.
Would you rather that they didn't do the recall and repair the car and you bought one without knowing of this problem which was unforeseen until now? A problem which (for all we know) could be unsafe?
This seems perfectly responsible and reasonable to me.
mybrainhurts said:
allergictocheese said:
Nothing posted by the OP makes me think MB are any worse than any other brand.
You seem to forget they furnished Mr Hitler with automobiles.
ds!OP, you'd be better buying a BMW, they never did anything for the German war machine. Oh... wait...
Over at a car related website forum that I also frequent, there is a Thread entitled "Drive away for £200, the cheapest of cheap ste thread" I suggest the OP purchases a car costing 1/4 of him monthly lease costs, and run it, until MB, fix the car of his dreams.
Or Google "Large purple Mercedes CL500 for sale - Scotchland"
Spend £2500 on it, run it whilst you wait for the test drive, trade it in for oh er "£2500
I quote : cort16, on 03 Jan 2015 - 1:12 PM, said:
As mentioned on other threads the fact this doesn't fit into my lockup is giving me grief as Mrs C can't get Cort JNR down the drive when it's lurking there so I need to shift it. I don't want to really but you know how it is? If it doesn't sell oh well. I TRIED
Here's the pish pater I put on the gumtree ad I placed (then subsequently deleted).
The CL500 has a 5 litre v8 engine with 300+bhp and an autobox with the manual tip tronic change. It lots and lots of kit on it such as satnav, parking sensors, cruise control, sunroof, leather heated and air conditioned electric seats with inbuilt massage, pillerless self closing doors, double glazing and loads of other stuff you'd expect on a top spec mercedes
The car drives really well. Its got 161,000 miles on it but it doesn't feel like that. There's full service history up until around 10,000 miles ago and a huge book full of really expensive looking receipts. All the tyres are good. There's a few little marks and dings but nothing unexpected for the age and mileage of the car. It's also been fitted with an aftermarket parrot bluetooth phone system,
Unlike other CL's in this price range there are no ABC (active body control) faults.
I have 2 keys and the v5 is in my name.
It's mot'd until September but no tax because of the new tax rules. Because it's pre 2001 it only costs £120 to tax for 6 months even though it's a big v8. Fuel wise I've been getting over 20 mpg. Not great but not bad for an engine of this size.
When you're giving it the beans it has a really brutal on off power delivery. I'm not convinced this how it's supposed to be but others on here with more powerful mercs have said this is how the can be. The eml has come on once but not recently. Could be nothing but worth mentioning.
I'm after £2595 for it. A stters discount is available for a painless sale. If you look online anything even vaguely around this price range has ABC faults, which can get expensive. This doesn't have any ABC faults. It's also worth saying the ABC makes this thing handle really well for its size. When I had the XJR it was atomic in a straight line but a bit of a pudding in the corners. This can do both.
I'm in Ayrshire Scotchland
I would swap or PX for something old or interesting but I'd prefer cash. No playstations, christmas puddings, vectras or betamax video recorders.
PIXTURZ
15914833955_726eb00216_h.jpgIMG_1814 by cort16, on Flickr
15914839405_2cee9585a4_h.jpgIMG_1812 by cort16, on Flickr
15515260694_65c54cea3d_h.jpgimage by cort16, on Flick
16137613845_e452a3e464_h.jpgimage by cort16, on Flickr
te thread" I suggest the OP purchases a car costing 1/4 of him monthly lease costs, and run it, until MB, fix the car of his dreams. Or Google "Large purple Mercedes CL500 for sale - Scotchland"
Spend £2500 on it, run it whilst you wait for the test drive, trade it in for oh er "£2500
I quote : cort16, on 03 Jan 2015 - 1:12 PM, said:
As mentioned on other threads the fact this doesn't fit into my lockup is giving me grief as Mrs C can't get Cort JNR down the drive when it's lurking there so I need to shift it. I don't want to really but you know how it is? If it doesn't sell oh well. I TRIED
Here's the pish pater I put on the gumtree ad I placed (then subsequently deleted).
The CL500 has a 5 litre v8 engine with 300+bhp and an autobox with the manual tip tronic change. It lots and lots of kit on it such as satnav, parking sensors, cruise control, sunroof, leather heated and air conditioned electric seats with inbuilt massage, pillerless self closing doors, double glazing and loads of other stuff you'd expect on a top spec mercedes
The car drives really well. Its got 161,000 miles on it but it doesn't feel like that. There's full service history up until around 10,000 miles ago and a huge book full of really expensive looking receipts. All the tyres are good. There's a few little marks and dings but nothing unexpected for the age and mileage of the car. It's also been fitted with an aftermarket parrot bluetooth phone system,
Unlike other CL's in this price range there are no ABC (active body control) faults.
I have 2 keys and the v5 is in my name.
It's mot'd until September but no tax because of the new tax rules. Because it's pre 2001 it only costs £120 to tax for 6 months even though it's a big v8. Fuel wise I've been getting over 20 mpg. Not great but not bad for an engine of this size.
When you're giving it the beans it has a really brutal on off power delivery. I'm not convinced this how it's supposed to be but others on here with more powerful mercs have said this is how the can be. The eml has come on once but not recently. Could be nothing but worth mentioning.
I'm after £2595 for it. A s
tters discount is available for a painless sale. If you look online anything even vaguely around this price range has ABC faults, which can get expensive. This doesn't have any ABC faults. It's also worth saying the ABC makes this thing handle really well for its size. When I had the XJR it was atomic in a straight line but a bit of a pudding in the corners. This can do both.I'm in Ayrshire Scotchland
I would swap or PX for something old or interesting but I'd prefer cash. No playstations, christmas puddings, vectras or betamax video recorders.
PIXTURZ
15914833955_726eb00216_h.jpgIMG_1814 by cort16, on Flickr
15914839405_2cee9585a4_h.jpgIMG_1812 by cort16, on Flickr
15515260694_65c54cea3d_h.jpgimage by cort16, on Flick
16137613845_e452a3e464_h.jpgimage by cort16, on Flickr
Dear divetheworld,
I was about to have some minion narrate your thread to me, being as I am very important, but a fly landed on the screen, and I can't abide flies, so I had it killed. The fly, not the minion. But then the minion, too. Can't have them getting ideas.
Anyway, after one's quite horrible experience with your thread, I've decided not to read it, and to read one by KungFuPanda instead.
I hope you feel suitably diminished.
Yours,
Lord Fauntleroy-Trashe du Batte
I was about to have some minion narrate your thread to me, being as I am very important, but a fly landed on the screen, and I can't abide flies, so I had it killed. The fly, not the minion. But then the minion, too. Can't have them getting ideas.
Anyway, after one's quite horrible experience with your thread, I've decided not to read it, and to read one by KungFuPanda instead.
I hope you feel suitably diminished.
Yours,
Lord Fauntleroy-Trashe du Batte
If I've got this correct, you won't buy the car you haven't driven because Mercedes staff receive a Christmas holiday?
If I'm correct again, you didn't buy the car you wanted because you had to wait for 30 minutes?
Assuming I am correct, I agree with you 100%. How dare they.
Jesus suffering fk on the cross. Get over yourself
If I'm correct again, you didn't buy the car you wanted because you had to wait for 30 minutes?
Assuming I am correct, I agree with you 100%. How dare they.
Jesus suffering f
k on the cross. Get over yourselfWhat amazed me is that the OP thinks he's the only person in the world for whom a faulty car would be an impediment ;0
No dealer is interested in giving test-drives to people who aren't buying a car from them - it's not what they are in business to provide. Every CC and leaser knows this to be an issue - you are bottom of their list and you'll get a car 'if they feel like it'.
They can't give you a car which is off-the-road and cars being off-the-road is a fact of life WHATEVER you buy. Moreover, leased cars don't have a dealer to rely on for 'goodwill' in terms of getting a replacement either
You get what you pay for then....
No dealer is interested in giving test-drives to people who aren't buying a car from them - it's not what they are in business to provide. Every CC and leaser knows this to be an issue - you are bottom of their list and you'll get a car 'if they feel like it'.
They can't give you a car which is off-the-road and cars being off-the-road is a fact of life WHATEVER you buy. Moreover, leased cars don't have a dealer to rely on for 'goodwill' in terms of getting a replacement either
You get what you pay for then....
the reply seems absolutely spot on to me, what were you expecting from them?
Dear Mr powerfully built director who seems to do an awful lot of driving for someone so important, we are so incredibly sorry we have disappointed you, infact several of us in the office wept reading your letter, have 5 ass licking vouchers redeemable at any Mercedes dealerships.
Oh also we're so desperate to sell these hybrids because they're really unpopular at the moment, how about a £2k discount on the deal if you carry on with purchase, i know it doesn't address any of the issues you've raised, but maybe it will tempt you back in the door
Dear Mr powerfully built director who seems to do an awful lot of driving for someone so important, we are so incredibly sorry we have disappointed you, infact several of us in the office wept reading your letter, have 5 ass licking vouchers redeemable at any Mercedes dealerships.
Oh also we're so desperate to sell these hybrids because they're really unpopular at the moment, how about a £2k discount on the deal if you carry on with purchase, i know it doesn't address any of the issues you've raised, but maybe it will tempt you back in the door
ging84 said:
the reply seems absolutely spot on to me, what were you expecting from them?
Dear Mr powerfully built director who seems to do an awful lot of driving for someone so important, we are so incredibly sorry we have disappointed you, infact several of us in the office wept reading your letter, have 5 ass licking vouchers redeemable at any Mercedes dealerships.
Oh also we're so desperate to sell these hybrids because they're really unpopular at the moment, how about a £2k discount on the deal if you carry on with purchase, i know it doesn't address any of the issues you've raised, but maybe it will tempt you back in the door
Dear Mr powerfully built director who seems to do an awful lot of driving for someone so important, we are so incredibly sorry we have disappointed you, infact several of us in the office wept reading your letter, have 5 ass licking vouchers redeemable at any Mercedes dealerships.
Oh also we're so desperate to sell these hybrids because they're really unpopular at the moment, how about a £2k discount on the deal if you carry on with purchase, i know it doesn't address any of the issues you've raised, but maybe it will tempt you back in the door
fair point, well made! Let me see if I've got this right.
The car was subject to a recall due to a faulty part & MB wouldn't let you have the car as they didn't want to risk you being stuck God knows where with a broken car or upside down in a ditch & as a result the dollies are airborne & you're not going to buy a car from them.
Or am I missing something?
The car was subject to a recall due to a faulty part & MB wouldn't let you have the car as they didn't want to risk you being stuck God knows where with a broken car or upside down in a ditch & as a result the dollies are airborne & you're not going to buy a car from them.
Or am I missing something?
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff