[David King]

My Dad just spoke to SC, the part needed for my car which was due to be delivered saturday has fallen off of the face of this planet (unfortunately) and they dont know when the part will be in now.

So now ive got to drive the R56 (which i hate) for a few days longer.

Service manager said he cant recoup the costs of the courteousy car from BMW as im under 21 - UNLUCKY!

[supa-dupa-cooper]

If its the Thermostat that they are waiting for then it could be a while as they have been (and looks like still are) on back order A friend of a guy at work had to wait 2 weeks for one to arrive.

And anyway I thought you liked the R56 last week?

[David King]

Spoke to Chris at Derek Woodmans today and he said they are on back order and arent even in stock in Germany.

I did like it, yet now ive spent 10 days with it, and the novelty has worn off, i dont like it, it doesnt excite me in any sense, and the build quality is fairly poor in places. I also think the first gen Minis are better looking.

[David King]

Had a phone call first thing this morning saying my car is ready for collection

So tomorow i shall be collecting my car

[supa-dupa-cooper]

Specialist Cars have excelled themselves this time, and have managed to totally **** me off I am so arrrrrrgh at the moment!!

Took the car back over this morning for some sort of answer as to why my side skirt was still broken. At this point the grille is broken again and the skirt can be pulled away from the car as the clips are broken! Yet when it went in it was only the grille that was broken Spent a while in the showroom explaining to the salesman that I’m not very happy, to be told ‘well actually there is a problem with the side skirt’ Sorry? I know nothing about this?? Turns out the skirt was broken when it was fitted in the first place by the bodyshop!! Why did they not bother to tell anyone? Why was it not picked up when the car came back from there, and before it was delivered to me? Why was I not told on delivery of the car? On Thursday when I went to collect the car I was told to go straight to the service dept, but with the courtesy car ending up being hit on the way there I went to sales instead as I know them and I was in a bit of a state, but if i'd gone to get the car myself then service would have told me.

Anyway, apparently it had already been bought up as an issue in a regular meeting between various top bods.

The salesman phoned the workshop to see if there was anything that could be done this morning, bearing in mind they have only a few staff in today. I was told to take the car over and they would have a look.

Right so, over to the service dept. I go, at this point still reeling from the fact I had never been told about it being broken already. Spoke to one of the guys in there who had the cheek to turn to me and say ‘oh well, you never came over here to collect the car yourself so we couldn’t tell you’ I soon answered back with a ‘well, there is a perfectly good reason for that’ (which by the way it turns out he already knew about so why say that to me!!!) I also said to him ‘I don’t expect my 3 week old car to be broken’

In the end he gave in and took the car into the workshop, and guess what? They replaced the clip that was broken (not sure if they replaced 1 or 2), errrr so why could they not do that on Thursday, rather then just leaving it? Did they think I wouldn’t notice or what? Afterall having had the car for 7 hours, which put me in a courtesy car, which ended up being hit?????

The end result is that the grille is still broken, and I’ve got to have a new side skirt. Luckily the salesman understands that I want the car to be right and not keep having to go back over there! I did have a little moan that both of the dealer fitted accessories (the side skirts and the iPod interface) had broken and its not right!

So now I’ve got to wait and see whether my car has to go over to the body shop to be sorted, or whether it comes back to Stevenage to be sorted, whether I will have another loan car is another thing, so we shall see!

To be honest I still don’t have a problem with sales, they seem to want to help me and have always been helpful, but the service lot have really annoyed me (yet they’ve always been so helpful in the past!) Am I not allowed to want my 3 week old car, which cost me a hell of a lot of money, to be right? Because at the moment that is how it feels!

[KillerByte]

That's awful Jo. Especially after all of the good service you have had in the past.

Hope it's sorted soon for you.

[Streeters]

The sales / aftersales thing is always a problem in my experience (and god i should know), Jo try n look at it positivly, they have identified the problem and are going to rectify it. a whole new skirt should sort it once and for all. You should write to the dealer principal about your experience while you're waiting for the part and demand some recompense (think about what goody's you'd like . because i know thats what would happen here and you may get somewhere , like perhaps them giving you some money back as what you bought weasnt fit for purpose when you took delivery (as they knew it was broken) .

[supa-dupa-cooper]

Quote: Originally Posted by Streeters (original)

The sales / aftersales thing is always a problem in my experience (and god i should know), Jo try n look at it positivly, they have identified the problem and are going to rectify it. a whole new skirt should sort it once and for all. You should write to the dealer principal about your experience while you're waiting for the part and demand some recompense (think about what goody's you'd like . because i know thats what would happen here and you may get somewhere , like perhaps them giving you some money back as what you bought weasnt fit for purpose when you took delivery (as they knew it was broken) .

Ive already got the contact details of one of the owners of the company (was given that for a different reason) so that may come in handy if they dont play ball

[mister.t]

We've been having some problems with Specialist Cars service - Gone back twice for things that they've done to the car!! Think the Mini is now going elsewhere in future

[supa-dupa-cooper]

Quote: Originally Posted by mister.t (original)

We've been having some problems with Specialist Cars service - Gone back twice for things that they've done to the car!! Think the Mini is now going elsewhere in future

Aparently there has been a bit of a change around of staff over there which seems to have caused the problem. Unfortunatly for them, Specialist Cars name as a whole in the motor trade seems to have a bit of a bad reputation!

[supa-dupa-cooper]

Quote: Originally Posted by supa-dupa-cooper (original)

I'll be back soon im sure

Famous last words that I think

[LadyVCooperS]

Babe, I'm sorry to hear your problems with Specialist. My car will NEVER ever be going back there for another thing - they are useless. Let me guess, did you happen to see Christian Hawkins in the service department? USELESS. Also, let me just give you a little heads up, you wont get anywhere if you complain to Simon Michelle or Clive Fletcher, even if you go through customer service, they are both arrogant and its like talking to a brick wall Clive Fletcher even told me to take my car to another dealership!!

I think they just take cars into the workshop and have them sit in the corner and they don't actually touch them - thats what happened with mine. I got fobbed off with 'The parts haven't arrived, they are still in Germany' (my roof) but what they didn't know is my boyfriend works for BMW/MINI parts at another dealership and he was able to track them and they were in fact in OXFORD and plenty of stock was there, so my car sat there for 2 weeks with no reason! Like your skirt, they knew my roof was buggered @ PDI and even before that, but did nothing about it until the day I was due to collect it where he phoned me half hour before I was due in the dealer ship and said 'Oh, we've found a problem with your roof..' IMO they don't deserve the business. They are money grabbers and have NO customer service skills whatsoever.

[supa-dupa-cooper]

It was him I spoke to this morning, and he really didnt seem like he wanted to help at all, to the point where I also got a 'well ive had nothing to do with the car when its been in so i dont know whats going on with it' Well yea, that REALLY helps me doesnt it, go find out what is going on with MY car, coz I sure dont know!!

Clive is the one I have the details for, dont want to have to use them, but will see how things pan out now I suppose.

I remember the problems you had with your car

Oh and just had a little check, if you google search Specialist Cars MINI Stevenage, this thread comes up on the first page, so for anyone trying to get info on them they will probably see this. I dont want to have to post stuff like this, and up until now (this car) I have NEVER had a problem

[LadyVCooperS]

I knew it would be him! Useless ***!

Thing that frustrates me, is that I actually do Christian's job, so know how it works, yet they still try and Bullsh*t me.
You may aswell refrain from any complaints, you will get nowhere, seriously. Although if it does come to it, you wont get any sort of sympathy or compensation.

Good Luck honey xx

[The Red Baron]

Sorry to hear you're still having problems with SC.

As you know I've never been impressed with their level of customer service within the service dept!

IMO SC has got too big for it's boots !!

Having the Service Dept not joined to the showroom means that they are now operating as two separate entities and not talking to each other as they should!

What they need is a good kick up the @rse and send them all on one of those vicious 'army style' team building exercises to learn to work together!

[airbusA346]

Quote: Originally Posted by supa-dupa-cooper (original)

Oh and just had a little check, if you google search Specialist Cars MINI Stevenage, this thread comes up on the first page, so for anyone trying to get info on them they will probably see this. I dont want to have to post stuff like this, and up until now (this car) I have NEVER had a problem

It comes up in 6th for me.

Quote: Originally Posted by chrisandjax (original)

Having the Service Dept not joined to the showroom means that they are now operating as two separate entities and not talking to each other as they should!

They have done that at my local dealership and don't seem to talk to each other, and when my brothers car had to go in for work he rang the salesman to sort out a courtesy car, because service weren't much help and the salesman had to go over to service to sort it, but had to wait in the queue of people to talk to someone because they wouldn't answer the phones.

[David King]

Quote: Originally Posted by supa-dupa-cooper (original)

To be honest I still don’t have a problem with sales, they seem to want to help me and have always been helpful, but the service lot have really annoyed me

Thats because all they want is your money, and once they've got it JOB DONE in their eyes.

Mines still leaking aswell, so i know the frustration your feeling (It sucks)

They said there is no way mine can still be leaking after the new parts its had, so it must be where they didnt bleed it properly, so now they want the car back AGAIN wasting my petrol to drive there and back.

You are a complete bunch of ******** specialist cars!!!

And i hope they read this thread

[supa-dupa-cooper]

Thats a bit harsh David Yes they have annoyed me and ****ed me off, but I wouldnt go that far

Whenever (and wherever) my car goes back to be sorted again will be the 4th time ive been over with the problem.

1) To show them the problem - car was 1 week old
2) On Thursday - supposedly to fix the problem
3) Today - to rectify what they broke on Thursday
4) Who knows when - to hopefully do the job properly once and for all!

[David King]

think its well deserved. My car has been in 5 times and for over 3 weeks in total - Still isnt fixed.

Glad i had their courtesy car for 2 weeks and put 1000 miles on the clock when they couldnt back charge it to BMW.

Rang them twice today about what day to bring my car in and they havent returned my calls.

[supa-dupa-cooper]

**UPDATE**

Ok, so now the Service dept. are out the picture, things are looking a lot brighter and most certainly back on track!

Got a call Tuesday morning from the salesman, saying the car needs to go into the bodyshop for a couple of days and that he would get the guy to call me, and id also get a call as soon as they knew what was happening about the 'bump'.

Later that afternoon, I got a call from the bodyshop, very nice helpful guy who actually seemed interested and willing to help, rather then trying to fob me off! My car is now booked in there on 3rd and 4th of April and I will get a courtesy car on their insurance (aparently they normally dont cover it for bodyshop?) and it will be sorted.

Then I got a call from the salesmanager to confirm that the guy involved in the bump was taking his car in today for them to see and would go from there. Also they are going to pay for the damage to the MINI themselves, and quite possibly out of goodwill after what has happened lately!

This morning I got a call from him again to confirm the car was going to a 'smart repair' place down the road today, and would be sorted. Just had another call from him saying its all been done the guy is a happy chappy again (beats what he was like with me then! ) and gave me a price for the repair (made the decision to not try and fight it and to just pay for it instead, cant be doing with the hassle and this way its over with and I can forget it!)

So all in all just got to wait and see what happens next week. I think it will be ok as the guy in the bodyshop knows I wasnt a happy bunny, and the reasons why.

At least I can rely on sales for being totally helpful and very good (thank you guys ) just dread the next time I need to use the service dept. as theyve picked the wrong person to mess with