Why are OPCs so snotty?
Why are OPCs so snotty?
Author
Discussion

Barnsiexkr

Original Poster:

164 posts

31 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
Over the years I have had five 911s, one Cayman and one Panamera (current car). Over those years, I have noticed a steady and continual decline in how OPCs have dealt with me, to the point now that I won't use an OPC at all.

Back when I had my first (used) 911, over 30 years ago, the OPC I dealt with couldn't have been more helpful. Their staff, from the Receptionist, to the Service Manager, to the DP all went the extra mile, all the time. It was a delight to take my 911 in for service or repair. Since then, it has all been downhill. Now, unless you have a brand new, supplied by them, car costing £100,000 or so, I get treated like a second-class citizen. Everything seems to be too much trouble, service dates are months ahead, prices are surreal, the general attitude is 'take it or leave it'.

By contrast, the Indie specialist I use is close to perfect. True, I don't get offered a cup of coffee by a fit blonde and the premises haven't been specially commissioned from Norman Foster, but then neither do they charge me over 200 quid for labour, and they actually seem pleased to see me. Their mechanics are all ex-Porsche, and I have never had cause to fault their services or repairs to my car.

Is it just me? Maybe they don't like me for some reason, or maybe they don't like working on a car that is a few years old?

Anyone else have the same, or the opposite, view?

Edited by Barnsiexkr on Tuesday 9th May 16:11

baconsarney

12,212 posts

179 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
Totally agree but not just Porsche.. I’ve seen the same with AM… frown

Twinfan

10,125 posts

122 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
I wouldn't tar them all with the same brush. Mine is superb on all counts and I always spend more time there than I planned to as I end up chatting to the great folks I've met over the last few years.

My first experience of an OPC, a different one to the one I use, was terrible and I was definitely seen as a second class citizen before I'd even entered the building. It was so bad, I was put off buying a Porsche for several years as I assumed they were all like that.

They're not.

Freakuk

4,124 posts

169 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
Have to agree, I've only had 2 but for both it's never been a great experience. As a brand and the cars they produce I love them, but the experience is lacking for use of a better word. To the point where I moved away from buying my 3rd because of this attitude, I'd love another but I struggle to get over the whole dealership experience.

The final straw for me was trying to book my Cayman in for a service some years ago and emailing local OPC's to confirm what was involved, if I could supply my own oil etc. None replied, it took an email to Porsche GB to explain my disappointment with the lack of communication, Porsche GB clearly took this serious and within a few days nothe OPC's were in contact.

Barnsiexkr

Original Poster:

164 posts

31 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
Yes, me too with Mercedes. What disappoints me with Porsche is that they no longer seem to be enthusiasts themselves - they just treat Porsche as another upscale brand. In the old days, everyone from the Receptionist up was a Porsche enthusiast. They'd discuss your Porsche driving experience with you and you could really engage. I still get that from my Indie.

Maybe it's a result of making their money from Macans and Cayennes? Until the Panamera I've only had 911s (plus the Cayman which my wife drives mostly) so I am a dyed-in-the-wool sports car guy really, which is why I wondered if I am expecting too much now from the OPC? Although, nothing justifies the lack of apparent enthusiasm to see me and my car. In fact, although you get a special 'service representative' now, she (it's always been a 'she' for me) just ticks boxes and doesn't seem to be interested, or care very much.Their whole attitude is 'take it or leave it', with the subtext that 'we don't really need/want your business with your 5 year old car'. That is genuinely how I am made to feel (and I'm not some thin-skinned snowflake type!).

Barnsiexkr

Original Poster:

164 posts

31 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
Twinfan said:
I wouldn't tar them all with the same brush. Mine is superb on all counts and I always spend more time there than I planned to as I end up chatting to the great folks I've met over the last few years.

My first experience of an OPC, a different one to the one I use, was terrible and I was definitely seen as a second class citizen before I'd even entered the building. It was so bad, I was put off buying a Porsche for several years as I assumed they were all like that.

They're not.
Fair point. I only have experience of two local OPCs, but they are as bad as each other. My wife had a run-in with one when they told her they couldn't see the Cayman for 6 weeks. It had a problem with the cooling fan regulator and was blowing full-on all the time. It didn't technically make the car undriveable, but it was totally annoying and in the end I had to pull the fuse, so she had no heating/aircon fan at all then). She complained that it was going to take 6 weeks of waiting for a simple job (needed a new hedgehog regulator, as diagnosed by the brilliant Porsche Assist guy). There was no apology - just 'take it or leave it'. She asked to speak to the DP and was told he was 'unavailable' so she asked for a call-back. She's still waiting. The only reason she was taking it to the OPC was that it was a warranty affair. My Indie would have fixed it that week.

But yeah, I can believe some are good. But surely they ALL should be? They're selling the finest cars ever made (IMO) but they seem to treat them as a commodity.

baconsarney

12,212 posts

179 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
Barnsiexkr said:
That is genuinely how I am made to feel (and I'm not some thin-skinned snowflake type!).
I thought all Porsche drivers were … biggringetmecoat
wink

Scabutz

8,586 posts

98 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
No experience of Porsche but had the same thing with Audi, the service department just seem to have this attitude of the customer is always wrong, they were rubbihs.

Had similar to the OP though where a few of the guys left and set up their own Indy and they were excellent.


Barnsiexkr

Original Poster:

164 posts

31 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
Freakuk said:
Have to agree, I've only had 2 but for both it's never been a great experience. As a brand and the cars they produce I love them, but the experience is lacking for use of a better word. To the point where I moved away from buying my 3rd because of this attitude, I'd love another but I struggle to get over the whole dealership experience.
That is such a shame, but I totally get it. There's a brand new OPC just opened near to us (relocated premises - same OPC) and my wife and I are going to take a look this week. I have a bet on with her that even if she parks her bright yellow Cayman right outside the showroom, when we go in and start looking at cars, we will be ignored. smile I've done this before - opened doors, sat in the driver's seat, played with the steering wheel etc (like a kid in a sweet shop) and nobody approached me. A couple of sales guys stood chatting a few feet away. Another was sat at his desk reading something. Nobody could be bothered to ask me if I was OK, if I needed any help, if I would like a coffee or a cold drink. I started to pick up brochures and give off as many buying signals as I could. Still nothing. I walked towards the exit, thinking they wouldn't want me to get away - still nothing. Unbelievable and bordering on arrogant indifference.

Barnsiexkr

Original Poster:

164 posts

31 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
baconsarney said:
I thought all Porsche drivers were … biggringetmecoat
wink
Hahaha. I expect a lot of them are - those who love the brand more than the cars, for example. Maybe I've never gotten over the move from air-cooled smile

Twinfan

10,125 posts

122 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
Barnsiexkr said:
Fair point. I only have experience of two local OPCs, but they are as bad as each other. My wife had a run-in with one when they told her they couldn't see the Cayman for 6 weeks. It had a problem with the cooling fan regulator and was blowing full-on all the time. It didn't technically make the car undriveable, but it was totally annoying and in the end I had to pull the fuse, so she had no heating/aircon fan at all then). She complained that it was going to take 6 weeks of waiting for a simple job (needed a new hedgehog regulator, as diagnosed by the brilliant Porsche Assist guy). There was no apology - just 'take it or leave it'. She asked to speak to the DP and was told he was 'unavailable' so she asked for a call-back. She's still waiting. The only reason she was taking it to the OPC was that it was a warranty affair. My Indie would have fixed it that week.

But yeah, I can believe some are good. But surely they ALL should be? They're selling the finest cars ever made (IMO) but they seem to treat them as a commodity.
OK, so rather than the poor attitude of the OPC your issue is now that the workshop was so busy there was a 6 week wait for a repair slot for a car that wasn't off the road. That's not being snotty is it, it's just a result of a lot of people requiring the OPC's workshop services at the same time. What did you expect the OPC to do, potentially prioritise you over other cars with more serious issues?

My local Indy currently has a 4-week lead time for new work, and I would expect my OPC to currently be 4-6 weeks. Given the volume of Porsches sold over the last 15-20 years I don't think it's realistic to expect to drop into a decent Porsche specialist or OPC for a repair and have your car fixed in a day or two.

CloudStuff

4,056 posts

122 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
Barnsiexkr said:
Freakuk said:
Have to agree, I've only had 2 but for both it's never been a great experience. As a brand and the cars they produce I love them, but the experience is lacking for use of a better word. To the point where I moved away from buying my 3rd because of this attitude, I'd love another but I struggle to get over the whole dealership experience.
That is such a shame, but I totally get it. There's a brand new OPC just opened near to us (relocated premises - same OPC) and my wife and I are going to take a look this week. I have a bet on with her that even if she parks her bright yellow Cayman right outside the showroom, when we go in and start looking at cars, we will be ignored. smile I've done this before - opened doors, sat in the driver's seat, played with the steering wheel etc (like a kid in a sweet shop) and nobody approached me. A couple of sales guys stood chatting a few feet away. Another was sat at his desk reading something. Nobody could be bothered to ask me if I was OK, if I needed any help, if I would like a coffee or a cold drink. I started to pick up brochures and give off as many buying signals as I could. Still nothing. I walked towards the exit, thinking they wouldn't want me to get away - still nothing. Unbelievable and bordering on arrogant indifference.
Maybe next time, ensure that you practice entering a pin style (not yours!) number into an imaginary card reader, followed by a theatrical "return-card-to-walllet" re-enactment. Maybe that will do it?


Edited by CloudStuff on Tuesday 9th May 16:44

Twinfan

10,125 posts

122 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
Barnsiexkr said:
I've done this before - opened doors, sat in the driver's seat, played with the steering wheel etc (like a kid in a sweet shop) and nobody approached me. A couple of sales guys stood chatting a few feet away. Another was sat at his desk reading something. Nobody could be bothered to ask me if I was OK, if I needed any help, if I would like a coffee or a cold drink. I started to pick up brochures and give off as many buying signals as I could. Still nothing. I walked towards the exit, thinking they wouldn't want me to get away - still nothing. Unbelievable and bordering on arrogant indifference.
I don't think they're buying signals, they're tyre kicking signals. If you were serious about buying you would have gone straight over to the sales people and asked about placing an order wink

Barnsiexkr

Original Poster:

164 posts

31 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
Twinfan said:
OK, so rather than the poor attitude of the OPC your issue is now that the workshop was so busy there was a 6 week wait for a repair slot for a car that wasn't off the road. That's not being snotty is it, it's just a result of a lot of people requiring the OPC's workshop services at the same time. What did you expect the OPC to do, potentially prioritise you over other cars with more serious issues?
Either I didn't explain it properly, or you're not reading it right (or both). I wasn't complaining about the wait (although it's frankly ridiculous and other, far lesser (and busier) brands can fit me in much faster) but their ATTITUDE. No apology, no empathy - just 'take it or leave it'.

If I can buy a cheap Toyota and get amazing service for a car that costs a fifth of a Porsche, how come OPCs can't match it?

Twinfan said:
My local Indy currently has a 4-week lead time for new work, and I would expect my OPC to currently be 4-6 weeks. Given the volume of Porsches sold over the last 15-20 years I don't think it's realistic to expect to drop into a decent Porsche specialist or OPC for a repair and have your car fixed in a day or two.
Toyota sell way, way more cars than Porsche. They can run their service departments efficiently, so why not Porsche? And the Toyota people are a delight to deal with, go out of their way to be helpful and certainly make you feel valued as a customer.

Like I say, it's not the delay though, so much as the attitude. And I note that you use an Indie and not an OPC smile

Barnsiexkr

Original Poster:

164 posts

31 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
Twinfan said:
I don't think they're buying signals, they're tyre kicking signals. If you were serious about buying you would have gone straight over to the sales people and asked about placing an order wink
You've never worked in sales? smile

And you're wrong about being 'serious' as a potential buyer. That may be how you would do it, but it's not how I do it. I like to gauge how I am going to be treated. If I am treated like cr&p even before they have my money, how am I likely to be treated once they have it?

I think the late model 911 parked right outside the window, in full view, might have made them think I was 'serious'. But clearly it didn't.

Edited by Barnsiexkr on Tuesday 9th May 16:53

baconsarney

12,212 posts

179 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
Twinfan said:
I don't think they're buying signals, they're tyre kicking signals. If you were serious about buying you would have gone straight over to the sales people and asked about placing an order wink
When I was a teenager (and car nut) my greatest ambition was to walk in to a Ferrari dealership in ripped jeans and tee shirt, long unkempt hair, and enough cash in the back pocket to buy a new Dino… sadly I couldn’t afford the ripped jeans and tee shirt frown

Twinfan

10,125 posts

122 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
Barnsiexkr said:
Twinfan said:
OK, so rather than the poor attitude of the OPC your issue is now that the workshop was so busy there was a 6 week wait for a repair slot for a car that wasn't off the road. That's not being snotty is it, it's just a result of a lot of people requiring the OPC's workshop services at the same time. What did you expect the OPC to do, potentially prioritise you over other cars with more serious issues?
Either I didn't explain it properly, or you're not reading it right (or both). I wasn't complaining about the wait (although it's frankly ridiculous and other, far lesser (and busier) brands can fit me in much faster) but their ATTITUDE. No apology, no empathy - just 'take it or leave it'.

If I can buy a cheap Toyota and get amazing service for a car that costs a fifth of a Porsche, how come OPCs can't match it?

Twinfan said:
My local Indy currently has a 4-week lead time for new work, and I would expect my OPC to currently be 4-6 weeks. Given the volume of Porsches sold over the last 15-20 years I don't think it's realistic to expect to drop into a decent Porsche specialist or OPC for a repair and have your car fixed in a day or two.
Toyota sell way, way more cars than Porsche. They can run their service departments efficiently, so why not Porsche? And the Toyota people are a delight to deal with, go out of their way to be helpful and certainly make you feel valued as a customer.

Like I say, it's not the delay though, so much as the attitude. And I note that you use an Indie and not an OPC smile
I use both an Indy and an OPC, depending on the work I want doing. Both are excellent.

Toyota may have larger service departments, more ramps, more staff, easier cars to work on etc etc.

As for the attitude, what were you expecting them to do after you complained?

Barnsiexkr said:
You've never worked in sales?
Nope, but common sense says you don't leap on every customer that walks through the door and ask them to buy something without letting them browse a bit first. Were you actually going to buy a car that day?

ChocolateFrog

32,844 posts

191 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
At the polar opposite end of the spectrum it's a month wait if you need any warranty work at Dacia.

Atleast they don't insist on removing the wheel arches to pretend to check scuttle drains I suppose.

Barnsiexkr

Original Poster:

164 posts

31 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
Twinfan said:

"I use both an Indy and an OPC, depending on the work I want doing. Both are excellent.

Toyota may have larger service departments, more ramps, more staff, easier cars to work on etc etc.

As for the attitude, what were you expecting them to do after you complained?"

Well actually making the promised call-back would have been a good start.

(Quoting not working for some reason).

Panamax

6,951 posts

52 months

Tuesday 9th May 2023
quotequote all
Twinfan said:
I don't think they're buying signals, they're tyre kicking signals. If you were serious about buying you would have gone straight over to the sales people and asked about placing an order wink
I think there's a lot in that.

I sometimes wonder how people who struggle in car dealerships get on when they visit a decent restaurant. I never hesitate to say "I'd like a decent wine that's not too expensive" and they always come up with something even if the next five pages of the wine list all show three figure prices. Same in car dealerships - there's no shame in being a customer for their most modest car.

I think the mistake can be turning up at a shiny dealership or flashy restaurant and automatically expecting to be treated like royalty.