[CARVNIT]

WARNING - DON’T POST NEGATIVE FEEDBACK – MUST READ!
EDIT: Not against posting negative feedback - my dealer was just unprofessional and let it interfere and struck back by damaging my car.

The intent of such a forum is to facilitate users to openly share experience good or bad?

As a result dealerships come to the forum seeking constructive comments, preferably positive. Likewise many dealerships have employees monitor the content posted related to their businesses or competing dealerships so they may focus their efforts.

However what happens when a customer is experiencing difficulties at their chosen dealership? Well hopefully such a dealership would genuinely attempt to correct such issues on later visits and professionally handle the customer without predisposition and preconceived judgment or opinion.

Yet what happens when a dealership no longer desires to rectify the circumstances. Should they kindly deny your business at your next visit, however they are obliged to perform warranty work as I am informed by MINI USA? Should the dealership dishonorably look into every post a user has made and how it may relate to their dealership? What if employees feel your posted opinion is adversely affecting business at their place of employment and decides to strike out malevolently (ex: damaging your vehicle)?

As each dealership is a private entity MINI USA has limited control, but what social responsibility do they have to mediate the situation if there is a dispute? Beyond documenting the issue and not going any further until their scheduled dealership evaluations.


Thanks for taking the time to read. Please consider the possible adverse effects before posting any negative feedback and becoming a victim too…

NOTE TO MODS: Feel free to move to dealership feedback forum but prefer thread stays in general discussion for more views/replies and to help inform users. Thanks.

[Carlos.]

I can see where you are coming from, but at the end of the day, crap service is crap service. I'll always name and shame, but I'll also praise where due, too .

[Paul]

I guess it depends how many dealers you have, I'm spoilt, I have several within 30 mins of me, I had poor service from one, posted about it, and went elsewhere, I guess it's difference when you've only one dealer locally.

[minicabrio]

If a dealer gives me bad service, I would also name and shame, however, the vast majority of my experiences have been good ones.

I guess we are lucky in the UK that if we fall out with one dealer, the next is normally just a few miles down the road. I have Barons (within 1 mile), Vines (15 miles), Barons of Hindhead (15 miles), Cooper Reading (20 miles).... so I'm not short of dealers.

Demand nothing but the best service...

[CARVNIT]

Indeed - demand nothing but the best service. And that is what I did, but it came back to bite me as I posted my remarks and returned to the same dealership. I believe name and shame, but am kind first and give a chance to fix the mistake. Also spread praise where due, and the sales staff is awesome! Unforturnately it's 54 miles away and the next nearest one is 106 miles, then 116 and so forth.

The disturbing fact is the service management flat told me they had enough of me after I asked them to take responsibility after damaging my car. They said its not worth to them - as they don'f feel they will benefit from holding themselves accountable for their actions. They scratched my brand new bumper and PART OF THEIR STAFF STABBED THE BACK OF MY SEAT!

The whole situation is very demoralizing and leaves me feeling helpless.

[EDIT] spelling and grammar

[dakini]

Carvnit,

Would you have gotten any better service had you just sat there smiling?

I agree that it's not helpful to the dealership to flame them or to undermine them just for the sake of being negative. But if a dealer is doing crap service, I want to warn people, and I would hope that someone would warn me.

I walked away from a deal based on the way I was treated after being told that the price of the MCS had gone up $4000 because I was financing through my credit union rather than through MiniUSA. You bet I have told the people around my area who are thinking about buying minis which dealership I *DID* get my mini from. And warned them about the questionable practices of the other dealership. It saves other people grief, and it gives the commissions benefit to the dealership/MA that will work with the customer to make motoring a good experience.

Oh, and I might add closest dealership to me is 2 hours.

[CARVNIT]

Quote: Originally Posted by dakini

Carvnit,

Would you have gotten any better service had you just sat there smiling?

I agree that it's not helpful to the dealership to flame them or to undermine them just for the sake of being negative. But if a dealer is doing crap service, I want to warn people, and I would hope that someone would warn me.

I probably would've if I just sat there and took it, but then I would be compromising my values due to their shortcomings.

[Rakey]

Quote: Originally Posted by CARVNIT

Indeed - demand nothing but the best service. And that is what I did, but it came back to bite me as I posted my remarks and returned to the same dealership. I believe name and shame, but am kind first and give a chance to fix the mistake. Also spread praise where due, and the sales staff is awesome! Unforturnately it's 54 miles away and the next nearest one is 106 miles, then 116 and so forth.

The disturbing fact is the service management flat told me they had enough of me after I asked them to take responsibility after damaging my car. They said its not worth to them - as they don'f feel they will benefit from holding themselves accountable for their actions. They scratched my brand new bumper and PART OF THEIR STABBED THE BACK OF MY SEAT!

The whole situation is very demoralizing and leaves me feeling helpless.

if they damaged your car then they have to fix it, they take into their care so its their responsibilty to look after it.

If don't like what you post then they should buck their ideas up so that people post positive feedback on them.

I am all the for name and shame, and all for the praise when its due, as I would hate to think that someone else on here had issues with a dealer that I could have warned them about and when I could have recommended another.

[Baker]

I disagree - name and shame them. If they damage your car you can fight them and win - take them to court if need be. Go to your local papers (they should love the story - blacklisting you for wanting them to fix damage they have done), whatever - just fight them.

Just think about the service that you are doing to other potential victims. If you don't stand up and make yourself known then they will continue to get away with it.

[CARVNIT]

An update:

Have called and gotten through to the manager's voicemail (only by having to use a friend's cell) and left my name and number politely asked for him to call me back. That was last week and I am still waiting for his response. Or a response for the last month from my salesman.

Do you think I should attach a link to this thread in an email to my motoring advisor?

Seeing how only sales staff have email accounts, could this be symbolic of their value of after sales business?

[dakini]

Carvnit,

Can't remember much of the story behind this post -- but -- you say your dealer damaged the car.

I'd go to MiniUSA directly with whatever is going on, including a timeline of who/when/where/how you tried to talk to your dealer.

And I'd also start finding where the next-closest dealer is to take the car for service. Sounds like yours is a dud. It happens. The first dealership I went to was not the sort of place I'd want to buy from or get service from.

You've diddled around enough with the dealership. Time to make them feel the heat from the national office now.