Hi everyone
I'm wondering how other people's experiences have been with their dealers, when buying a new car.
This is the first time I've bought a car, so maybe I'm just a bit too demanding, I don't know. I've contacted the salesman that's dealing with my car a few times now, and each time I speak with him I feel as if I'm intruding on his very busy schedule.
An example:
We'd arranged for me to collect the car this morning (Thursday). I called him on Tuesday afternoon to ask if the cherished transfer paperwork had been sorted, as I had expressed some concern about it possibly taking a long time, and whether we were still on schedule for a Thursday pickup. He didn't answer, so I left a message. He eventually called me back last thing Wednesday to say DVLA hadn't sorted out the paperwork, so the pickup would be delayed to maybe Monday or Tuesday.
Today I called to enquire about the possibility of popping round to take a look at the car, even if I can't pick it up. I called around 10am, and he wasn't in, so I left a message. By 12:30, when I hadn't had a call back, I called again and got through to him. I asked if he was getting my voice mails, and he said yeah, but he's constantly in and out so doesn't get the time to call back straight away. Fair enough, I ask him about seeing the car, and he says unfortunately I can't, as the cars are kept in storage somewhere else and only brought to the dealership when they're due to be collected.
I don't know if it's me or what, but I feel like I'm just harassing him, and he's got better things to do than deal with whiney old me.
What are your experiences? Am I being reasonable, or too demanding of a salesperson?
I had a similar experiance with my dealer and some of what they say is true, the cars are stored at a storage depot in Thorne, near Doncaster until they are called down by your dealer.
Sounds to me as if you dealer never had any intention on you picking up the car today (thursday) else the car would be with them at the garage.
I would be after some freebies for all this messing around.
Hope that helps, feel free to PM me if you want to hear my advice on how to deal with the dealer
Nottinghamshire MINI Club Officially Sponsored by Blue Bell MINI Crewe Nottinghamshire MINI Club - Modern MINI's Club of the Year 2009
Sold units are rarely, if ever, stored at Thorne, as they are delivered directly to the dealerships from Oxford.
The only cars that are stored at Thorne are stock vehicles that the dealers have not called down for showroom display etc.
Most dealerships do have off-site storage/preparation centres, as cars are less likely to get damaged there than on or around a busy workshop/car park/forecourt. You will probably find that this dealership, like most, arranges for sold cars to be delivered either on the morning of the day they are due to be handed over, or at the earliest, the day before.
Oh, I believe what he says about the car being stored offsite. He said it was a big multi-storey carpark nearby.
The issue I have is with how the salesperson speaks to me. As mentioned, it's as if I'm intruding on his time, and I can't help feeling like some whiney little kid. Now, considering I'm buying a £20k car from them, I would like to feel a bit more welcome when I call them to ask questions and stuff.
Just a bit disappointed with the customer care, really.
I'd say your salesperson was being very rude to be honest!
No matter how much you are paying or if the car is cherished or new you still deserve to be treated better than having dates cancelled at the last moment and calls and messages ignored.
We are all busy, but a bit of common courtesy costs nothing!
It takes a long time to build up a good reputation for customer service, but seconds to destroy it, and I know for a fact there isn't a dealership in the land that can afford to have bad publicity, especially somewhere like MINI2 that reaches more MINI owners/potential owners than any advertising could possibly wish to!
There will be many comments posted about demanding 'freebies' or complaining to your Sales Executive's Manager; but in the real world we all know that this rarely, if ever, makes a difference. The same Manager that is apologising and saying how unacceptable the situation is one minute will, more likely than not, be calling you every name under the sun once you leave!
It is a truly sad indictment of the world we live in today, but Customer Service in the UK is non-existant and, apart from voting with our feet, there is little or nothing we can do about it!
Don't talk to me about dealerships!
My mini was ready and waiting to be picked up, Sales guy rings me to say 'can you pick it up next week, as I'm not about on Friday... going away for the weekend'. Straight away I sent the head Director an email saying I've £xxxx amount of pounds in my pocket, if you don't want it thats fine by me. Hey presto, an hour later, I'm picking my car up on the original date.
Sales guy is OK, he said sorry, nice chap.
I sent an email on Monday to my dealer complaining about the little faults I have with my Cooper. Got an email back saying they'd call me within 24hrs. Now Thursday, haven't heard from them. I'll give it until tomorrow morning, then its an email to the director again.
Nope, pretty central London. Don't want to slag them off too much at this stage, as I don't think the salesman is purposely being rude, it's just the way he's coming across. I'll see if I am contacted tomorrow as he said he'd arrange a colleague of his to call me in order to confirm Mon/Tues pickup. Shall wait and see.
And then will see what the actual pickup is like. I've got all these lists of things to check, as well as requesting a quick test drive to make sure it's all working right. Hoping he won't try to rush me or refuse a test drive...
A full presentation of the vehicle controls and an accompanied familiarisation drive are part of BMW Standards for handing over a vehicle to a customer.
You are well within your rights as a customer to expect both, and should not feel pressured in any way to rush through it (I did a two hour handover a few weeks ago, but that is an extreme example!) When you book your handover appointment make your Sales Exec aware that you have a list of items prepared that you wish to go through with him, and ask him to confirm that he has set aside at least an hour for you.
Don't put up with the poor service at the end of the day you are paying the dealership a lot of money and both the car and the service you recieve should be right
If they're not THEN TELL THEM!
I'm notorious at the dealership I've bought both my MINI's from but it's only because they are so incompetant! If they did their job right you wouldn't have to complain!
They all lie and stretch the truth because half the time they don't know what they're on about...
If you're not happy then ask to speak to the dealer principal who is ultimately in charge... BUT I would say check you car over from top to bottom while you are there and after you leave and if something isn't right take it straight back...
And don't be fobbed off... You're spending a lot of money and without people like you they'd be out of a job!
I've been thinking back to my entire experience with the dealer, thus far. Thought I'd post it, see what your impressions are.
Day 1: First day I pop in, start looking at cars, have a chap come over asking if I'd like any assistance, blah blah, no probs, good service. Get matched up with a sales exec and we go through options and whatnot. He shows me the opening roof etc. etc. Yeah, no probs at all. The possibility of a test drive is mentioned, and he goes to check if there's a car of the right type available. Comes back, unfortunately not on the day, but we make an appointment for early the following week. No problems so far.
Day 2: I pop in for the test drive. We do a couple of laps of the local park. Not a huge test drive, but it's not bad. Sales exec doesn't talk much, leaves me to it, which I think is a nice touch. He answers any questions I have, though. So far so good. As I park the car up by the dealership before the sales exec puts it in the garage, I notice the car is a One Conv., as opposed to a Cooper Conv. which is what I'm looking at buying. I enquire about this, and I think he said something about them not being very different. Ok, if you say so, but it would have been nice had he said it at the start, instead of hoping I wouldn't notice. Go in and order the car, no problems there, obviously.
Day 3: I pop in (without an appointment) to drop off the cherished transfer paperwork. I ask about the possibility of changing the spec, and he says that's fine. You can usually do it until about 2 weeks before the estimated delivery date. Still loads of time left till then, so no worries. At this stage, there isn't a problem, but to avoid later disappointment, it would've been nice had he checked his computer and seen what my car's build date was.
Day 4: Pop in a couple of days after the last visit, in order to add a couple of things to the spec (which can't be added later). My sales exec is busy, so I speak with another one. She checks to see if the config can still be changed, but finds the car has already been built, so obviously can't change it! Oh well, not the dealer's fault, but had my sales exec checked as mentioned in the previous visit, it would've avoided disappointment.
Phone call from sales exec: To give me a pickup date of Thurs 26th. Make appointment, looking forward to it.
And then it goes onto the stuff I've already mentioned. I call two days prior to appointment to confirm still on schedule, no answer, I leave a message. I get a call back last thing Wednesday to say registration hasn't come through yet, so cancel cancel. Says they should find out a precise date from DVLA on Friday, so one of his colleagues will give me a call to confirm the new pickup date. Then on the Thursday I call, leave a voice mail asking about taking a look at the car. After 2+ hours, no call, so I call again and get through to him. No, unfortunately, can't see car as it's offsite in a storage area.
How many disappointments can you count in that story? It doesn't susprise me I'm so disillusioned with the whole affair!
My daughter went to a local dealer to buy a Cooper Convertible and the salesman couldn't be bothered to find her an MCC demo so she went elsewhere. The next dealer proved very good and I am now using them myself on her recommendation.
Maybe when your salesman failed to give you a demo in the car you asked to see you should have realised he was pretty indifferent to your needs and gone elsewhere. But its easy to be wise after the event.
I guess dealers just vary a lot. Some try really hard and others rather less.
Yeah, I know, I probably should've thought harder about it at the time. Not sure why I let that go so easily. Guess I was just looking forward to getting the car.
Do Mini dealers give you a feedback form when you collect the car? If so, it'll be my opportunity to express my concerns about the service. If not, well, at this rate, I doubt I'll be returning to that dealership.
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Guess I was just looking forward to getting the car.
