Bit of a rant....
Discussion
About a South West Mercedes dealer in the area of the regional capital.
Ever since I've had my 129 SL500 the intermittant wipers have been dodgy.
This was going to ne a right rant about Mercedes Exeter but a late phonecall from the service manager has rather changed my opinion. I typed out a real rant and have just deleted it.
To cut a long story short, MB said I needed a particular relay that controls the wipers/indicators and a few other things. I queried this on three occasions as it was bloody expensive at £420. Finally bit the bullet and using the number they supplied ordered a new one.
Of course, it made no difference to the function of the wipers! I was a bit pissed off to say the least especially as I'd asked if this was the relay I needed to correct my intermittant wipers three times and of three different members of staff up there and was told each time that it was: "the only wiper relay for the car."
In disgust I booked it into a local auto electrician and within ten minutes of stripping the car down they rang with the part number for the correct relay that was entirely seperate to the one MB stated was needed.It was apparently obvious that this relay was dodgy as it was clicking wildly so I had to order this other relay from MB at a cost of yet another £150!
The thing that really got my goat though was the price went up from £127 plus VAT to £134 plus VAT over the space of five minutes! Yes we rang once to enquire and get over the shock then again to order the part.
Now I was really peeved that the staff at MB Exeter didn't seem to know their arses from their elbows and I was pretty adamant that I was going to complain to the Manager there but thought it best to calm down a bit first....
Just as well I did!
When my wife went to Exeter to collect this relay after a delay of five days as this item had to come from Germany (which corrected the fault instantly and which the counter staff had no knowledge of before we gave them the part number), she made a sensible and calm complaint (unlike the complaint I would have made - grumpy bugger me) to the service manager.
He just rang back and has offered a refund on the original incorrect relay (£405 with discount) which we would have been glad to accept but..... I pulled the bloody thing apart when I removed the original one due to being a thick git and not knowing that MB lock their relays in with fancy catches
This was very good of them as it was a special order item and not normal stock.
So the relay is now needed.
So as a good will gesture they have (are) refunding the price of the second relay and selling us the first relay at trade price. I have a cheque coming my way of about £170.
So, while we're still a bit out of pocket and the initial service could have been better, I think that Mercedes of Exeter have gone out of their way to correct a bad situation. We are all quick to complain about bad service (and I was going to complain in grand style) so it's nice when a company does the decent thing.
If I wasn't such a clumsy sod then I wouldn't of been a penny out of pocket. This is not MB's fault and in the circumstances a jolly decent result for us.
SO big THANK YOU to the service manager at Mercedes of Exeter.
Ever since I've had my 129 SL500 the intermittant wipers have been dodgy.
This was going to ne a right rant about Mercedes Exeter but a late phonecall from the service manager has rather changed my opinion. I typed out a real rant and have just deleted it.
To cut a long story short, MB said I needed a particular relay that controls the wipers/indicators and a few other things. I queried this on three occasions as it was bloody expensive at £420. Finally bit the bullet and using the number they supplied ordered a new one.
Of course, it made no difference to the function of the wipers! I was a bit pissed off to say the least especially as I'd asked if this was the relay I needed to correct my intermittant wipers three times and of three different members of staff up there and was told each time that it was: "the only wiper relay for the car."
In disgust I booked it into a local auto electrician and within ten minutes of stripping the car down they rang with the part number for the correct relay that was entirely seperate to the one MB stated was needed.It was apparently obvious that this relay was dodgy as it was clicking wildly so I had to order this other relay from MB at a cost of yet another £150!
The thing that really got my goat though was the price went up from £127 plus VAT to £134 plus VAT over the space of five minutes! Yes we rang once to enquire and get over the shock then again to order the part.
Now I was really peeved that the staff at MB Exeter didn't seem to know their arses from their elbows and I was pretty adamant that I was going to complain to the Manager there but thought it best to calm down a bit first....
Just as well I did!
When my wife went to Exeter to collect this relay after a delay of five days as this item had to come from Germany (which corrected the fault instantly and which the counter staff had no knowledge of before we gave them the part number), she made a sensible and calm complaint (unlike the complaint I would have made - grumpy bugger me) to the service manager.
He just rang back and has offered a refund on the original incorrect relay (£405 with discount) which we would have been glad to accept but..... I pulled the bloody thing apart when I removed the original one due to being a thick git and not knowing that MB lock their relays in with fancy catches
This was very good of them as it was a special order item and not normal stock.So the relay is now needed.
So as a good will gesture they have (are) refunding the price of the second relay and selling us the first relay at trade price. I have a cheque coming my way of about £170.
So, while we're still a bit out of pocket and the initial service could have been better, I think that Mercedes of Exeter have gone out of their way to correct a bad situation. We are all quick to complain about bad service (and I was going to complain in grand style) so it's nice when a company does the decent thing.
If I wasn't such a clumsy sod then I wouldn't of been a penny out of pocket. This is not MB's fault and in the circumstances a jolly decent result for us.
SO big THANK YOU to the service manager at Mercedes of Exeter.
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