Poor BMW customer service
Discussion
Dropped the car off for a service and warranty work this morning at 8.30am, having pre-booked 3 weeks previous as I required a loan car and the car is due to be present with them until monday. A member of staff obviously thought I didn't need a loan car and took it upon himself to cross my name off the list yesterday without even informing me of this! Very disappointed as all the other loan cars were booked out, looking forward to contacting customer services on monday with the culprits name.
BMW UK won't care - they'll just say it's between you and the dealership.
The dealer won't care - unless you're a high-spendingsucker customer who buys a brand new motor every year.
I've had it happen to me so many times in the past, including times where they've got it noted on the work diary but simply not scheduled their bookings properly.
Dealers are starting to take the piss. They can't get away with raising their hourly rate any more, so are removing the 'extras' you used to get included. Williams group even charge an £18/day 'admin fee' for the 'courtesy' car now - which is about the same as I can hire a car for from Enterprise. I've even had one who decided not to replace the spark plugs and valve cover gasket during an Inspection 2 'because they looked okay' (only found out when they gasket started to seep a few days later and another dealership told me it was an old gasket/plugs).
The dealer won't care - unless you're a high-spending
I've had it happen to me so many times in the past, including times where they've got it noted on the work diary but simply not scheduled their bookings properly.
Dealers are starting to take the piss. They can't get away with raising their hourly rate any more, so are removing the 'extras' you used to get included. Williams group even charge an £18/day 'admin fee' for the 'courtesy' car now - which is about the same as I can hire a car for from Enterprise. I've even had one who decided not to replace the spark plugs and valve cover gasket during an Inspection 2 'because they looked okay' (only found out when they gasket started to seep a few days later and another dealership told me it was an old gasket/plugs).
A BMW dealer in Cardiff did this to me some years ago. I stood at the service reception desk complaining politely but firmly in a loud voice - that I'd booked the courtesy car, that I had work commitments that could not be cancelled et etc - eventually they sent someone to Enterprise (which was just down the road) to hire me a car. They didn't do it again ...
Y24 BMW said:
looking forward to contacting customer services on monday with the culprits name.
And accomplish what exactly?.It's unfortunate that this has happened but mistakes get made, the people involved are only human after all.
Unless you can prove the individual involved deleted your name deliberately then all that will happen is the dealership will point out to all it's staff to be more careful in future about organising loan cars.
Also, by "customer services" do you mean the dealerships customer services or BMW's?
If it's the former then they will apologise profusely, tell you've they've noted the incident and will endeavour to ensure that it never happens again, and that's about it really. I highly doubt the "culprit" will receive any kind of reprimand as you seem to be wanting.
If it's the latter then it will be of no interest to them as it's a dealership issue, not a BMW issue so they will simply tell you to contact the dealership.
Y24 BMW said:
No I left the car with them and had to get the wife to come and pick me up.
I'm afraid you needed to be more insistent & more vocal next time - it's academic, now, but it's their problem, so they fix it. Either they "find" a car ((there'll be a demo car or a salesmans hack somewhere on site) or they take you where you want to go & collect you. The "strongly worded letter" or the "very disappointed" phone call won't get you very far at all. By doing the decent thing & getting your wife to collect you, they've saved on a courtesy car, so the dealership won't be disciplining anybody...MarkwG said:
I'm afraid you needed to be more insistent & more vocal next time - it's academic, now, but it's their problem, so they fix it. Either they "find" a car ((there'll be a demo car or a salesmans hack somewhere on site) or they take you where you want to go & collect you. The "strongly worded letter" or the "very disappointed" phone call won't get you very far at all. By doing the decent thing & getting your wife to collect you, they've saved on a courtesy car, so the dealership won't be disciplining anybody...
My relationship with My local dealership might simply be better than the OP's but I've never even had to ask for lifts/ a spare car when the loan car has not been available, they've always been automatically offered to Me.I've had lifts home in the evening followed by a lift to work the next morning and then a lift to the dealership to collect My car that evening, I've been lent demonstrators, service advisor's own cars and on one occasion the Service managers own car (a very nice 5 series
), for a week because some paint work I'd had done wasn't up to standard.Part of the problem from the dealerships point of view when it comes to loan cars is that people don't always return them when they are supposed to and the dealerships have a limited number of cars available.
I witnessed one customer who was supposed to return the loan car in the morning but they decided to bring it back in the evening but didn't inform BMW who had booked the car back out to another customer that day. When the car was returned late, the customer couldn't understand why they were being charged for an extra days rental even though they had had the car for an extra day.
Depends very much on who you use: I've had awful service from one I used regularly until I got sick of it, & excellent service from one nearly 300 miles away who fitted me in at a moments notice, delivered it back clean, serviced, & additional recall work done, ready early & lent me the sales managers car for the day. I'd say the OPs is a potential long term duffer; if possible, move on, maybe they'll learn the hard way.
you guys should switch to lexus , , they happily send a lowloader to my home with loan car , take mine away & reverse the process the day after . & that's just for a routine £129 oil service ,
shame i'l have to get used to BMW standard again
MERC & VW not much better ,
once my wife was driven home after taking car for diagnostic check to MB , , in her own car !! they rang the day after to say we could go & collect , got some cheek aint they !!!
shame i'l have to get used to BMW standard again
MERC & VW not much better ,
once my wife was driven home after taking car for diagnostic check to MB , , in her own car !! they rang the day after to say we could go & collect , got some cheek aint they !!!
MarkwG said:
Y24 BMW said:
No I left the car with them and had to get the wife to come and pick me up.
I'm afraid you needed to be more insistent & more vocal next time - it's academic, now, but it's their problem, so they fix it. Either they "find" a car ((there'll be a demo car or a salesmans hack somewhere on site) or they take you where you want to go & collect you. The "strongly worded letter" or the "very disappointed" phone call won't get you very far at all. By doing the decent thing & getting your wife to collect you, they've saved on a courtesy car, so the dealership won't be disciplining anybody...mmm-five said:
BMW UK won't care - they'll just say it's between you and the dealership.
The dealer won't care - unless you're a high-spendingsucker customer who buys a brand new motor every year.
Sums it up perfectly. I was already considering parting with my E46, but when 2 dealers royally fThe dealer won't care - unless you're a high-spending
ked me off it was the straw that broke the camels back.Moar said:
Lexus customer service is completely out of this world. The best I have ever seen.
Yet you drive a BMW and tregger, above, is switching from Lexus to BMW.Lexus should wonder why they bother. BMW have obviously already figured out that they don't need to - they could smear s
t on people's faces and they'd still flock to the dealerships.Deva Link said:
Yet you drive a BMW and tregger, above, is switching from Lexus to BMW.
Lexus should wonder why they bother. BMW have obviously already figured out that they don't need to - they could smear st on people's faces and they'd still flock to the dealerships.
The BMW is in completely different driving league to the Lexus.Lexus should wonder why they bother. BMW have obviously already figured out that they don't need to - they could smear s
t on people's faces and they'd still flock to the dealerships.The Lexus are something I would hire whilst in America. Still generic and bland. They also have very woody brakes and dramatize every corner!
TX1 said:
My sister in law has a Lexus and has to do a round trip of 160 miles to have anything done, shall mention this low loader next time should be fun.
I thought Lexus dealers were more prevalent than this. 80 miles from the dealer and there's not another closer? Really? I'd done staggered if another dealer would offer 180 mile round trips just "to have anything done".Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff