Mini of Sterling, VA Blahs

[JackBauer]

I'm wondering if I'm the only person who's had a less than enjoyable experience at the Mini dealership in Sterling, VA.

Context: All electrical systems in the Mini did not work on October 18. Had it towed to the dealer and they said "The computer crapped out. We'll replace it under warranty." Great! Except I gave the tow truck driver the cheap plastic non-remote entry key. So when I bring my Mini home I discover that remote-key does not work with new computer. I bring my Mini back to the dealer on October 28 so they can reprogram the key. After 1.5 hours they tell me the key does not work, "The key is not communicating with the new computer. We'll order you a new key." Great! So new key arrives and I bring in the Mini today to get the new key coded. After 2.0 hours they hand me a bill for $207 dollars. Wait, isn't this under warranty? Well, turns out my old key does work. So this new key must be an optional "extra" and so is not under warranty and neither is the labor.

Hmm. I wouldn't have incurred the cost of the key or the labor if they hadn't misdiagnosed the malfunctioning key in the first place.

Upshot of all this: I paid them their money so I could get my car and get to work -- I was already late. I'm pretty annoyed and if anyone has any advice on how to get some of my money back that would be great. I must add that the Mini folks are trying to work with me on this and they are being extremely pleasant about it. But I'm still really annoyed about how much time and money has been wasted.

Thy Tran
Reston, VA