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Was just reading Popeys post about facing his 2nd rejection and thinking about all the bad press on here (even Paul Mullet, the owner of this site has been let down and seems uninterested in buying another MINI at this time).
Does anyone know if MINI care about what is said on here, the people on here or even watch the discussions? We are, as members, surely the enthusiasts of the brand. I have not once seen a MINI representative come on here and hold up their corner, or, on the flip side, accept praise when good things are reported (which is to be fair not a rare occurrence ) . At a time when it seems more and more of the influential people on this forum are leaving the brand or having major problems surely it would be in their interest to look after those that fly the flag for their brand? I know we are a small percentage, but this must be a place where many potential owners research a MINI purchase. The MINI brand is that of a premium product with assumed high reliability and quality - but it seems the company is more interested in pumping out less than par cars, then relying on the good will of their customers and the fact that the failure rate isn't quite high enough to warrant 'bad press' in the mainstream media.
Personally I have always sung the MINI's praise on here and to friends, even after a new gearbox, clutch, flywheel, ECU and a major repair oversight by my local dealer. But my love is quickly being deflated... the lack of any personal touch and almost lack of care by the brand is getting me down. I am in the process of selling my car and don't think I shall ever own a MINI again. For me at least, it's gone from love to let down.
Any thoughts? Or am I just expecting too much from them?
What you have to realise is that Mini is just part of a big German company that doesn't give a ****. I was very upset by the response to my complaints about my R56. They ****ed me off so much I have just traded my R56 in for a late R50 MCS. It will be my last mini and I would never buy another car from a MINI dealer. You get much better deals and better service buying from a second hand Mini from a non-Mini dealer.
I'm confused Scrogg? I know you used to work for them.. am I missing something? Nothing to do with a P45 off them after something you posted on here I hope?
At least it is established that they look on here... but do they do more than look?
They do listen and watch and react, we are the longest established and largest/most visited MINI site in the World, so they'd be daft not to. But probably not as much as many of us would desire.
But they have never taken a front seat approach due to the fact that to come on here and post would probably result in the rep(s) being swamped and become a full time job for someone, and if they missed people or couldn't help it could do them more harm than good in the PR stakes.
They can't watch all that goes on, myself and a team of hard working moderators find that hard enough, so while they do read and pick up on "vibes", and indeed some have interacted on here, I very much doubt you'll ever get anyone influential posting on behalf of MINI, for all the reasons previously mentioned.
I also do, from time to time, flag up certain issues that appear to be repeating with the team at BMW/MINI, in case there's a serious issue that needs to be looked at and nipped in the bud ASAP.
On other forums (related to my own line of work) I have known the companies being discussed to step in and even threaten legal action against the forum administrator... I assume that MINI are simply trying to take a more relaxed approach.
Have MINI not actively tried to get you into one of their cars since you rejected the last one? (Sorry if I appear to be being nosy... this whole thing is just playing on my mind alot right now)
Yep, they do look in here (they must have someone employed at HQ to do so), but IMHO (and speaking from first hand experience) they get flustered with stuff that is of no discredit / harm to them rather than concentrate on listening to real concerns and issues and looking to do something about them, thus creating a bad vibe amongst owners.
Personally, I was very glad to leave my job at a BMW/MINI dealership. BMW are too up their own a*se, and MINI aren't far behind.
That means you can't phone the dealership and boll*ck me (indirectly) now Mr MINI UK chief.
I think this is a great question to ask, but sadly I suspect that the information on here doesn't get as far as it should.
As mentioend in other posts, I've been 'on the cusp' of rejection for a little while now - hopefully it's now sorted, but what MINI seem to be ignoring is the fact that the car is sold on such a strong marketing message, therefore they are more open to clients being disappointed than the average Fiesta buyer.
I currently have an Expert Witness waiting in the wings should my rejection fail at the last hurdle (VERY soon now), and on principle I'd rather pay them and a solicitor to achieve satisfaction rather than give it BMW/MINI - quote so far £620 including the specialist sound equipment needed to pinpoint engine faults - cool stuff; which BMW own themselves.
It's a pity that there doesn't seem to be any concerted efforts by people on here to gather like information and stand together with obvious design faults - the severe engine noise is my beef - then perhaps share the cost of putting together a better case. We can rant all we like on here, but once you put your mind to a plan, then the manufacturers stand up and take notice. I managed to get national press coverage for the last nightmare I had (Peugot, many years ago), and I'm sure I can again - the downside is that you end up devalueing your own car.......
Don't ever get mad. Get even.
And Popey. Isn't it time you hit Car Magazine, Autocar, the local press? Sorry for you mate, but if my rejection falls through, that's the next step.
"He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River."
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) . At a time when it seems more and more of the influential people on this forum are leaving the brand or having major problems surely it would be in their interest to look after those that fly the flag for their brand? I know we are a small percentage, but this must be a place where many potential owners research a MINI purchase. The MINI brand is that of a premium product with assumed high reliability and quality - but it seems the company is more interested in pumping out less than par cars, then relying on the good will of their customers and the fact that the failure rate isn't quite high enough to warrant 'bad press' in the mainstream media.
