[ontheroadagain]

Would you know how I'd email him? At this point, it would be an FYI email...but if I were the person in charge I'd want to know.

Agreed - the dealership side experience was excellent - loved my MA!

[MIBulldog]

Bad Service Experience at Motor City Mini-Detroit
Hi all, I will be as succinct as possible. I purchased my mini out of state, (Reside in Michigan-purchased in Ohio). I received wonderful service at Midwestern Auto Group in Columbus. Since living in Detroit I inquired with local owners about Midwestern Mini’s Service Department. Every, Mini owner I spoke with gave them a bad review, along with this group, and another internet group. Many owners said they take their car out of state to be serviced or drive over to Canada. The complaints are wide ranging including customer service, time, and workmanship.

My mini shortly after I bought it had a small problem with the lights and windows (it has since been self corrected, perhaps frozen water on a circuit somewhere). I contacted Midwestern Mini and spoke with the Service Manager: Bill H. The earliest date they could get me in was after 10 days after my call (and I had only owned the car 19 days). I told the service manager that I was looking forward to repairing my Mini and I communicated my hope for a productive relationship. I also communicated that our relationship should start off on the right foot, but that I was concerned by what I had heard in the community. I felt communicating this would be honest and insure customer service, since there are so many concerns and bad experiences that have been communicated to me.

Bill H. told me since I had not been there, then I did not know what I was talking about. I communicated to him that word of mouth advertising positive or negative is not good. It should not have to take a visit to have concerns. I again communicated that we should have a productive and positive relationship, but that their reputation concerns me, and I was looking forward to giving them a chance. Bill H. said I had a chip on my shoulder and should take the Mini back to Ohio (This is Customer Service?).

I promptly hung up and called the General Manager of Midwestern, who apologized profusely for the Service Manager’s Behavior. After many apologies and agreeing with me that my concerns were both valid and gracious to give them a try despite their reputation. He assured me I would receive the best service, and would be there personally.

The problem with my mini corrected itself, and was likely the result of a car wash which froze a circuit. The problem corrected itself upon warmer weather and has since gone away. Until my scheduled Oil Change, I should not have to visit Midwestern’s Service Department, thank goodness?

I will go to Midwestern’s Department for my Oil Change in another 8000+ Miles. When I do, I will post another message relaying my customer service experience.

What do you all think?

[XSmall]

MINI suggested I buy a Toyota. (yes that is only part of a Very Long Story, which is over now, but it's the part that still blows me away.)

[ncdave]

Thought I'd join in with the other side of the coin as I just returned from my second visit to the dealer with a reasonably comprehensive list of work being done today (all voluntary; nothing serious) and was treated, as always, with the same courtesy as if I drove in with a new 7-series. Was greeted at the door and out in two hours.

If you are having issues (as it certainty looks) with your dealer, go to a different one as there are good ones out there. Mine's Flow in Winston-Salem.

[NEMINI]

expect where I am they are all bad

[ontheroadagain]

Just a follow up to my earlier post. I ended up emailing my MA who in turn spoke to his manager, then they both called me. The manager was very upset at the experiences I'd been having and has asked me to go through my MA in order to make an appointment etc., and wants to take me down to the service department to introduce me to the department. I had to laugh because I certainly don't want to get a reputation as a pain - but I did feel vindicated in that my complaints did get a response.

I thought it was important that they know what was going on. They truly do seem to want to have a good rapport. So now it's a matter of making the time to get up there.

[Bilbo Baggins]

Quote: Originally Posted by ontheroadagain

What is the problem with MINI service people? Are they over worked? Incompetent? Underpaid?

It's very bad for business.

At $95.00 per hour repair rate, I do not think they are underpaid. So that leaves Incompetent, and over worked.

Whenever I have been there nobody is rushing around and they are not running a second shift so that rules out over worked.

That leaves uhhh.........

My experience with MINI of Fairfield County, CT has not been pleasant. Right from the first week of ownership there was a problem. I had a MINI roof rack installed(love the rack) and it must have been the first one the dealer installed. They managed to scratch the roof in several places where the installer skated the drill bit across the paint and then tried to hide it with a cheap bottle of touch-up paint. The dealership and motoring assistant were great and agreed that it was not right and the roof should be repainted. Fine, no problems.

Additionally there was a small flaw in the Space Cloth upholstery of the drivers seat. The coolant expansion tank had also developed the typical leak The MA agreed that they should be replaced.

I asked if it could wait until my first oil change and they said "No problem." OK! First service is scheduled including the repainting, re-tanking and re-upholstering. A courtesy car is provided, a low milage MINI Cooper.

The oil & filter are changed and the roof re-shot, tank replaced and seat recovered. I called and was told the car was ready after more than one week. I drove back to the dealer, 45 min one way, and inspected the car roof noticing that some of the gaskets under the rack bolts were pushed out of place. This was pointed out to the Customer Service Assistant (I use that term loosely) who seemed unconcerned. When I told him that I would keep the courtesy car and they should call me when the roof is fixed properly. But NO! The CSA insisted that I should accept my car and take it home and if there was a problem that I should call the CS dept the following day. I was ripped! Since I picked it up on a Saturday I could not call until Monday. They should never have let me take it home because I really looked the car over and found many additional dealer caused problems;

1. Large greasy foot prints on the passenger side floor mats
2. White paint hand prints on the steering wheel and shift knob from somebody at the body shop who did not wipe his hands before he moved the car
3. White wet sanding residue inside the doors and in the rain gutters
4. Dust specks in the paint on the roof
5. Water stain on the drivers seat, on the bolster area of the seat back

A call was made on Monday and the car re-scheduled for corrective action on all issues. A second brand new courtesy MINI was provided. After a week I was told the car was ready to pick-up. Back to MINIoFC. Upon inspection I find the washers still out of place, white paint still on the wheel and shift knob, greasey foot print still visable on the floor mat. I didn't check the rest. I asked to see the CS Manager and showed him the problems, he agreed there was a problem and agreed to keep the car until it was fixed correctly. Three weeks later ( 1,200 miles on the courtesy car, now fully broken in ) I was called to pick-up my car. At last the job was done correctly. They had to order new replacement roof bolts and re-paint the roof again, not to mention clean up after themselves.


end of epic number one.

[Jen]

I have had a time getting hold of the Serivce Advisor at MINI of Sterling VA. They do not appear to return calls. Back in late January I began calling Sterling about my upcoming 10,000 mile service and modifications I wanted them to make - activate rear fogs, retrofit front fogs, add driving lights, program daytime running lights etc.

There was this long drama about whether it was possible to retrofit front fogs, and I ended up having to find and fax them the MINIUSA bulletin about the retrofit kits to convince them it was possible.

Finally, I had it all set up for the end of February and I think they forgot to order the parts because when I called on Monday to confirm my Friday appointment - it was suddenly a problem. They said to give them two weeks to order in the parts. Since I had a couple hundred miles to go before the 10,000 miles on the service indicator, it was not a problem for me to agree to this.

Well, that was February 23. Since then they have not returned any of my calls. Since March 8 I have been calling twice per week and I called three times this week to try to follow up. I am now 25 miles from the serivce indicator and going to RDRII this weekend.
I called twice yesterday and told myself if I did not get a call back by 11:00 am today, I would go elsewhere.

The happy ending - I called MINI of Towson MD on the recommendation of a friend. Called me back in less than 10 mintues. Knew exactly what I was talking about with my retrofits and have ordered the parts for others. Would have booked me in TODAY for my 10,000 mile service if I could get there, and I have an appointment later in the week. The parts I need are on backorder, but they will order them for me and install as soon as they arrive.

I am VERY IMPRESSED with them so far.

Not sure what is up with MINI of Sterling, but I won't be going back there.

[1notenough]

I have had a MAJOR problem with MINI of North Scottsdale, Az. They will not return any of my phone calls concerning the parts they were suppose to order for my 04' MCS. I have left at least 8 messages on managers message machines in the past week. It really is a shame though because I truly love my MCS, but I refuse to own a car that the manfacturer will not stand behind. So I will be contacting Consumer Affairs, B.B.B. and the B.A.R. to help me fight this issue. Amazingly enough Consumer Reports just sent me a survey on my newest car purchase.

[Doctor Wha?]

Boy, I thought it was just me!! On the one hand I'm glad my experiences aren't that unusual... On the other hand, it looks like going to another dealer isn't going to help me much if I ever need good service.


I got Buzz at Global Imports in Atlanta. My MA was cool, but once all the buying was over, then I was left to the witless service personnel. BOY, did things change then...

I'm sure some of you have heard of, read about, or experienced the recirculator whistle at 50-60 mph+. Well, so did I. A few other little initial bugs needed attention too, but that was the big one.

Well, over the course of two months, I was in and out of the service department again and again. As I live about an hour form the dealer with GOOD traffic, I always made a point to get the first appointment of the day, 7:30 AM, to ensure a minimum of distractions while I talked with the service folks, and (I thought) a better chance of getting the car loked at in the same day. Yeah, well... more on that in a minute.

Bear in mind... It's 7:30 am, the place just oepneing up. No one much about, all quiet. Even so, every single time we went there, just explaining to the service "advisor" (a laughable term in itself, since I had even more of a knowledge base than this recently-promoted guy) took no less than 10 minutes just to get across the bloody concept of what was happening, and then, another 15 @$#%^& minutes just for this guy to single-finger type the order in! I kid you not, The Lady of The House was there and can vouch for it. 15 minutes to type an order.

One visit, being told it would be looked at right away, I sat in the waiting area for two solid hours, watching my car sit in their lot, utterly forgotten. I finally got fed up, and asked for my key back.

Another visit, I was asked if I would wait for the car. The Lady and I had some errands to run in the area, so we said we'd be back for it after lunch. 7:30 AM, mind you... Five and a half hours later, following lunch, we headed back over to the dealer. Not only had they made no progress on it whatsover, it hadn't even been taken down to the ruddy service bay to be looked at yet!!!

This is when I began my relationship with "Lt. Dan," as he is nicknamed, the service manager. We had a very calm, cordial discussion about just exactly what the meaning of the word "appointment" was. He agreed that it did NOT mean "we'll sit on our hands for almost 6 hours and not even look at your car." This was good, and I thought that things would get better form here. Well, it turns out, as far as I could tell, that Dan was just a much better bull$#!+ artist than the rest of his crew.

So Buzz was left overnight to be looked at. The next day, receiving the call that everything was fixed and fine, we made the hour-long trek back down to get the car. Back on the highway, less than a mile away fromt he dealership, the whistle bagan again, just as ear-splitting as it always had been. I rang the service department, and even held the phone under the dash at speed so they could hear what was happening.

Another 7:30 AM appointment was made for the following week, another ungodly-hour-of-the-morning trek down to Global. This time, I met with the "senior" Mini service advisor, a man who was about as welcoming as you would expect someone to be who looked at his assignment as a demotion from working on BMWs. Any concerns I had were of minimal importance to this guy. I dubbed him "Mr. Don't-Give-a-D@mn."

Back in the line of cars Buzz went, for another overnight sleepover in the nebulous bowels of the dungeon that is Global Imports service. Late in the afternoon the next day, I was called again, "Everything's fine, come get your car." Guess what... Yep! Back on the highway, back with the whistle. Another phone call to Mr. Don't-Give-a-D@mn. Strike two. What else ya got?

It's around this point that they started treating me as if I was either hearing things, or just making it all up. Lt. Dan, who was used to seeing me by now, finally arranged for the head Mini technician to take a ride with me and listen for the whistle himself. So, yet another 7:30 AM appointment, yet another trek to Global in the dark.

But Hosanna!! The head technician heard the niose, and agreed that A) I was not hearing things, or just making it all up, and B) they had, apparently, not fixed it before. A new heater box would need to be ordered, and that would take a week to get there, but then, they would remove the entire dash, take out the old box, install this one, re-seal everything, and the whistle should go away.

And so, a week later... Yet another 7:30 AM appointment... Yet another trek to Global in the dark.

Thusday morning (this detail will matter in a minute). First in line at the still-locked bay doors. This time, I was told, the car would definitely be in overnight, no doubt about it, but that the decks were cleared, no one was in line ahead of me, and I could most likely count of it being ready late the next day. That would be Friday.

Fine. Off we went. Late on Friday, I rang Mr. Don't-Give-a-D@mn for a progress report. "Um..." he began, with a significant pause. Oh, this wasn't good. At last, the thought crystallised in his mind, and was spoken: "We coldn't get it done today. Looks like it'll be late Monday instead." Monday...

Global's Mini service, you see, doesn't work on Saturdays or Sundays. The BMW service staff is in for a full day on Saturday, but the two (that's right - only two of them) Mini service guys, not to mention Mr. Don't-Give-a-D@mn, aren't held to that standard. One of the highest-volume dealerships in the US, for one of the best-selling new small cars, and they have two service guys for all of them.

Two days with no car would now become four days with no car. I was not impressed.

After a great deal of discussion with Lt. Dan, I was granted the unique, and very-much-against-policy-for-Mini-buyers favor of... A loaner car! Not a Mini, no, but a Jeep Liberty from a rental office on site, still full of crumbs and detritus from the previous borrower. However, I was told, after being given a months-long run-around and BS job by incompetent and uninterested advisors and technicians, this was a Great Favor, and I should be extremely grateful for The Privilege.

Oh, and by the way... "We Strive for 5."


Search for threads on that phrase, and see what you find.


I was in that POS Jeep for another four days, as each day, I was told by Mr. Don't-Give-a-D@mn that they "hadn't gotten it done yet." Meanwhile, the rental people kept calling me and asking when I would be bringing the Jeep back!!! After about the 5th time having that conversation, I told them in no uncertain terms that the return of their car was very much tied to the return of MY car from the black hole of the service garage, and that if they wanted to know anything more, they should seek the sage counsel of Mr. Don't-Give-a-D@mn.

Finally, aftter a full WEEK without my car, The Call came late in the afternoon: It's done. It's put back together. It is, well, and properly, and finally, fixed. It is... finished.

With dazed anticipation, I went back to Global. I happily returned the POS Jeep. I saw my car emerge from around the corner, and roll to a stop at the service bay entrance.


I saw an inch-wide, two-inch long gouge in the right rear wheel trim that was not there before. A centimeter more forward of where it was, and it would have been paint gouged out, not just plastic trim...


I got into the car, and saw greasy fingerprints on every single surface, including on the leather seats...


And on the windows, which had been used not only by the valets to slam the doors (as I had seen them do), but apparently, the mechanics as well.


I saw an extra 40 miles... 40... MILES... on the odometer. Apparently, the car hadn't spent all this week in the garage. This, from a dealer that it literally 50 yards from an interstate highway. Any full-speed testing could have been easily done in a 5 mile round trip...


I was less than pleased.


Mr. Don't-Give-a-D@mn betrayed his first and only sign of concern when I pointed out the gouge in the trim. He hurried to the parts counter, and brought out a new piece of wheel trim. Would I like to let "the guys" take it back downstairs and put it on?

Hell no, "the guys" were not going anywhere near my car again. I'd put the trim on myself when I got home.

So finally, papaerwork signed, my key was given back to me, and away I went.


And once more, out on the highway again... After a week in purgatory... I reached 56 mph...


And the whistle began all over again. All that time, all that BS, and not one godforsaken thing had been fixed.


I didn't bother anymore with Mr. Don't-Give-a-D@mn, as he had earned his title and then some. Lt. Dan promised that I'd be granted an audience with a field engineer who would be coming in to the dealership next week to look at just such things as this. He would personally contact me when the engineer got there.

A week went by, with no call, and no engineer.

Two weeks went by, with no call, and no engineer.

I called Lt. Dan. Where was the engineer? "He's been held up somewhere else, but he's definitely coming in next week, and I'll definitely call you just as soon as he gets here."


A thrid week went by. No call. No engineer.


Then, as if some cosmic force didn't think this was absurd enough, I got a call from the customer service survey people, asking me to give my rating, on a scale of 1 to 5, on "my service experience" at Global's hands. When I woudn't give them straight "5s" the survey person became rather uneasy. The "question" was asked again, but this time, with more the tone of a request than a question.

No, I said, in all honesty, there is no way I can say the "experience" has even been resolved, never mind "completely satisfactory." How is that even possible?


Any time I've been in to Global since then, for various parts, oil fiters, etc. my MA is still happy to see me, the parts guys are still glad to see me, but not the service department.

To a man, they literally act as if I am not even in the room. No greeting offered, none returned, not even eye contact.

Persona non grata, cum rata non-satisfactora. Forgive the comedic Latin, but that's just about all I've gotten there. Negligible "service," even more negligible honesty, and the expectation that I should still give them a perfect rating, and to bloody hell with me should I dare to decline.

The good news is that changing your own oil and re-setting the interval is not difficult at all. That, and a well-known, highly-respected independent shop in town has begun servicing new Minis.

I may end up having to pay for future work covered by warranty, but at least I'll be paying someone competent, straightforward, and thorough. Failing that, I'll take my car to an out-of-state, non-Sonic-owned shop if I have to. After all, Sonic dealerships do millions of dollars worth of "business" a week, if not each day. So if they screw up a few cars, p!ss off a few customers, so what? To their bottom line, it makes not one bit of difference. The whole organization is one big "Mr. Don't-Give-a-D@mn."


I love my car, and I would buy another one. My MA was great... I even bought her a Xmas present.


But Global Servicve will not get their hands on my car again.


DW

[Jupiter]

Try and get to a solus Mini dealer rather than a bolt on to an existing BMW dealer where the Mini probably plays second fiddle to BMW. So far I can recommend North Oxford Mini where there are no BMW cars at all and this dealership is probably the one that gets the visits from BMW big wigs.

Peter

[Doctor Wha?]

Ah, if I could drive to Oxford, I would! But unfortunately for this region, almost everything MINI within a few hundred miles in any direction is owned by Sonic.

Happily, I've got an independent mechanic who is not only highly skilled, but scrupulously honest as well.

Cheers,
DW

[DMR]

Had my Cooper ffor 3 years now backed up by Wheatley Hall in Doncaster, car done nearly 90,000 miles so i have been there quite a lot. Really satisfied about service and help with problems i received at beginning, but started to notice things going wrong last year. I found work wasn't being done, parts supposed to be there and weren't etc. In the end I wrote to the service manager outlining every thing that had happened. Received a written apology, and a verbal one next time i visited, and ever since the service I have received has been spot on. Now i don't know if the letter worked, or if it was just a bad period for the delaer in terms of work load etc, but even during massive expansion this year the seevice hasn't suffered. So my tip is to highlight your problems to the dealership managers straight away. They are the ones who will sort out your problems.

[petervisor]

I live 3 miles from this dealership, but I bought my MCS at East Bay Mini in Pleasanton. For the first oil change I thought I'd save time and take the car to SF Mini. Big mistake. The service department staff were unfriendly and unhelpful ( just like their sales dept).
I ended up driving the 50 miles to Pleasanton for the service, and I had a nice time talking to other Mini/BMW owners while my car was serviced. I recommend EB Mini to everyone in the Bay Area.
-Peter

[Caz]

Am I the only MCS buyer to be told by their dealer just to expect my MCS "some time at the end of March" as they are never notified in advance when cars will arrive (I ordered last September). Can this really be the case? Everyone else seems to be aware of their delivery date in advance. Is it just Scotthall Southampton who are unable to provide this information? Frustrated.

[ben__allen]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jupiter

Try and get to a solus Mini dealer rather than a bolt on to an existing BMW dealer where the Mini probably plays second fiddle to BMW. So far I can recommend North Oxford Mini where there are no BMW cars at all and this dealership is probably the one that gets the visits from BMW big wigs.

Peter

That could quite possibly be a good idea - I deffo get second fiddle service at Bateman's Mini - have changed to Bowkers who seem to treat everyone the same, and if they don't then t will be Williams in Manchester!! So there!

[SteveBrass]

Just taken mine in for inspection 1.

Normal 15 minutes wait whilst the fact you are here gets transmitted from reception to service reception - a distance of about 2.5metres.

Picked it up - another wait. Was advised that my dust caps are "non genuine BMW".

Your point being, I asked. Well we recommend bmw parts for safety and efficiency.

I also noticed a sign recommending a safety check (chargeable - about £45) in addition to the rostered service items in the service book.

What's this all about - is the service book service schedule sufficient? Are dealers trying to make a bit more (perish the thought). We should be told.

[Dawn]

Been at Lind , for best part of the afternoon arguing with a jumped up After Sales manager who tried to tell me the reason my paint had 'Glazed' underneath my spot light was because id hit the front!?
Funny thing is there are no dents , scuffs , or scratches ! So how did he come to this conclusion ??? Unfortunately the paint Warranty has run out so itll cost about a cool £400 for the complete bumper respray !
It gets better...........Had the drivers side leather seat replaced because it cracked ( the car is JUST 3 yrs old) it has now gone very baggy and is coming away from the seams !
The passanger seat leather is crumpled , and the back seat leather is crumpled .
He only agreed to replace the drivers seat and said it was because something had been put on the seats !
By now im not happy , argued but got no where so got my husband to talk to the guy , he got about as far as me , so the guy handed my phone back to me ...... dont go yet , stop yawning ! so i said loud enough for the Manager to hear "Wait till i get home and go on M2 and tell them this , bad press or what?".

He heard , 10 mins later i have a Courtesy Car booked for 18 july , and all my seats are being replaced !!! What a result !!!

Bad lind !!!

But a big thankyou to M2 , got clout

[AidenL]

Thats the power of MINI2...........

Good result..........

[CARVNIT]

Short version.

My dealer currently refuses to offer a courtesy car to me. They have given me one in the past, but now they say no can do. What am I do when they're not done at the time projected at the end of the day, and I must continue on with my life the next day 150 miles away? You're too young, well yes I'm 20, but you see MY car there, which is mine and mine only since new for the past 2 1/2 years. BOTTOM LINE: I am your customer who paid just like everyone else, this policy is absurd! Among other issues I despise the service department at my dealer!

Lastly, the dealership in question is International Autos in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Shame on you IA!