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01-04-2023, 12:44 AM | #1 |
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Best brand customer service you've experienced.
Whenever I have taken our Mercedes in for service it’s been different to BMW for my G20.
Sure Mercedes claim they can source any part for any model they’ve made. The vehicle gets checked against a spec sheet to check it’s working as it should. VAG (VW and Audi Group). I can say I have never had a satisfactory customer experience. Acura have been okay. BMW falls short in many ways of the Mercedes consistent experiences. Although once upon a time there was a great service manager and he went on to work for Porsche. What have been your best non-BMW experiences? Do you think certain brands fair better? Or get it right? It’s not just about being ignored, car being damaged in their care, going above and beyond.. getting it right first time.. so feel free to share your thoughts. I’m interested in main/franchise dealer experiences. Not your local friendly Scotty Kilmer. |
01-04-2023, 06:13 AM | #2 |
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Dealers in the U.S. are third parity mercenaries. They have allegiance to neither consumer nor manufacturer. It is a textbook agency problem example.
I have had consistently “better than OK” experience at VW and Honda dealers in several states. Wildly varying experience at MB and Toyota dealers. Quite good experience at a Porsche dealer two weeks ago who got me in to replace a punctured tire. I will withhold a broader statement on Porsche dealers until after I have had a couple of warranty-related experiences with them. There is no logic to car dealer experience, compared to the difference in experience between a Holiday Inn Express and a Peninsula or Kempinski 5-star hotel. People will be quick to trot out stories of the “service advisor who cares”. Service and sales advisors, and finance managers are paid by commission (agency problem) and service techs are paid flat rate, so the incentive is to bang out the job and move to the next one. Hopefully getting it right. Every employee in a dealership is financially incentivized to fleece you. The straightest shooters in a car dealer in my view are the guys (they are usually men) at the parts counter. Car dealers have local mom-and-pop shop mentalities whose main business interest is to collect rent on an expansive real estate holding (the car lot), which eventually will be sold to a gas station developer, and where the real money is made. I have seen in several places where a car brand will close down and demolish the showroom/service facility, and build a shiny new site one or two miles away on a previously empty piece of land. The former establishment gets redeveloped which is the true profit stream for dealers. The large dealer groups that are emerging should change things in the next 10-20 years, not sure if it will be for the better. I have read multiple comments on several sites that Penske Group dealers, for example, force ceramic coatings and other unwanted products and service on the consumer. Garbage business practices. Last edited by chassis; 01-04-2023 at 06:20 AM.. |
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01-04-2023, 06:38 AM | #4 |
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I remember when run flats first came out. Worst mistake taking wife to Irvine BMW, CA. The sales guy said: “Picture this. Your wife is driving alone at night. She gets a flat. You’re out with your boss.” Poor woman looked petrified. She insisted we get run flats. I refused. After that I taught her how to change a flat.
Customer satisfaction data from last year shows Mercedes came out in second. Think BMW was third. Cannot find the article. It talks about how some brands just hit the mark right. They get that balance of happy customers. Don’t get me wrong there are people out there who want the cheapest deal and neglect service. So these survey results are probably questionable. Anyhow thanks for sharing your thoughts. Much appreciated. |
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01-04-2023, 07:23 AM | #5 |
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It depends a lot on the specific dealer. I get great service at the dealer in Alexandria, VA, but he is competing with at least a half dozen other dealers within about 20-25 miles. If he sucked I could easily go elsewhere.
I had a tire issue on the road and stopped at a BMW dealer in Minneapolis, where I think there are only two dealers within 100s of miles. When I initially called BMW from western North Dakota the help line guy almost laughed when he told me the nearest dealer was 600 miles away in the US or about 300 miles north into Canada. The Minneapolis dealer SA did not even want to bother looking up my VIN to verify I have the Ultimate +1 warranty and BMW tire and wheel insurance. Then he started talking about needing to replace all 4 tires because that’s what they had to do with AWD when he was with Subaru, and his 5 dollar plastic pocket tire checker would verify the wear. I drove home (1200 miles?) with the flakey tire and the Alexandria dealer replaced it under insurance for $50. The only added cost was that he recommended an alignment because road impact is a common reason for a bulge. I measured the wear on all tires myself with a digital micrometer, and I agree that they are all still within xDrive wear specs. Its not that hard. Last edited by Bc2005; 01-04-2023 at 07:31 AM.. |
01-04-2023, 07:39 AM | #6 | |
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I knew someone who was a rep for a watch brand he stated that ares was "serious" when it came for the sales of the premier pieces. |
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01-04-2023, 08:25 AM | #7 |
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I really think it depends on the individual employee. The service advisors I've worked with at Ford and BMW made the biggest difference in my experience with service. In the case of Ford, the SA took the extra step of having my car re-examined by another tech when the initial tech threw his hands up and essentially said he gives up/there's nothing to do. The SA and I stood there staring at each other stunned by the mechanic's behavior. That led to my car being in the shop for a month and half while the new tech went back and forth with Ford tech support to come up with a solution.
My experience with BMW was due to the service advisors I've worked with. The initial one was great. Stepped up and went to management to get things pushed through with warranty issues. And when he left, I asked him to recommend another advisor there I would be able to work with. The referral has also panned out well. It also helps both are car guys and in the case of the new SA, he's also a motorcyclist. Both of them emphasized that part of their bonus structure is to get top marks in after service feedback. I've also taken the extra step and had a talk with their manager to express how happy I am with their service. Had a positive experience at an Acura dealer for the ex wife's car when I was still married. The mechanic went over some things the car needed and just did some service free of charge. I asked to see him after picking the car up and gave him a cash tip. With my BMW motorcycle, I'm on a friendly basis with the parts manager at my dealer. We're actually FB friends. He's helped with discounts and has actually driven me to the dealership when I needed a ride to pick up my bike since we live not too far from each other. So while many of these employees are coin operated, there are still those out there that go above and beyond. As to the large conglomerates scooping up dealerships, the feedback from a friend that is a tech at one of these conglomerates, it's for the worse. The work environment is changing such that the experienced techs are either leaving to work in a better environment or just leaving the industry altogether. |
01-04-2023, 08:36 AM | #8 |
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It really depends on the specific service advisor you are working with, but from a general brand perspective, Lexus has provided me with the most consistently good treatment.
What I've found at Mercedes and BMW is that it also depends on the car you have. Low end cars generally get you less "pampering" than if you come in with the top of the line model. Last edited by dscabra; 01-04-2023 at 08:45 AM.. |
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01-04-2023, 01:16 PM | #9 |
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Lexus is consistently good. Due to a lot of moving around the country, I had relationships with four dealers in a six year ownership period. While some dealers were fancier than others, they all consistently rolled out the red carpet for me. Professional SAs, transparent prices, very accommodating, always loaners available if needed, etc.
It's pretty shocking this isn't the industry standard. Other high priced brands are hit-or-miss depending on the dealership. But often I get the feeling they just don't care.
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01-04-2023, 03:06 PM | #10 |
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my porsche experience wasn't that great. mainly because the manager had no idea what was going on. booked appt online the first time, called the day before and they had nothing on the books. made a new appt and called ahead, discussed the gt3's history and what needed to be done this visit (yup we'll skip the plugs since miles are low and we can get everything done today).
i get there and a different guy is working, has no idea what im there for. now the car needs plugs and can't be done all today lol. kinda sucks when its a 90 minute drive to get there. ferrari sales guys know their stuff and are very knowledgeable. all the ones i've met genuinely seem like car guys. never in a rush either, they'll shoot the shit with you for 15-20 min if you just randomly pop in. even the mechanics will go out of their way to email you and help. my ppi was done in a completely different state on the 458 and the mechanic there emailed me back quick with write ups on things like a hood adjustment.
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01-05-2023, 11:54 PM | #12 |
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Lexus...And it's not even close. We bought a used car (non-Lexus mind you) from Lexus of Melbourne many years ago, and they still rolled out the red carpet. No haggle, competitive pricing, the most pleasant car purchasing experience I've ever had, and I've owned nearly 50 cars in my lifetime. We we took the car in for service, they had massaging chairs in the waiting room, gourmet coffee and cakes, they even fully detailed the car! Not just a wash, full detail, inside and outside, and the engine bay. I have heard similar stories from other Lexus owners and other Lexus dealers. When I purchased my last BMW, though the salesman was awesome and the experience was good, all we got was...a BMW coffee mug.
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01-06-2023, 10:27 AM | #13 | |
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01-06-2023, 12:00 PM | #14 |
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I can only speak to my local dealers -
Audi and VW - it seems to me no one at either of these dealerships knows how to fix anything or frankly appears to know how to resolve anything that involves their NA counterpart. Simple Software updates are completely lost on these guys. Toyota - Would never take any car for service there... I had my local dealer do a tire rotation on an older Lexus... Every tire came back completely scratched and messed up... both GM and everyone involved acted like they had no idea what happened and why anyone would care. Beware if you have a Supra lol. BMW - Pretty consistently good... they are on point, always resolve the issue and even have offered to help with minor gripes. Lexus - Locally tried to buy a lease out years ago... they made the process as difficult as was feasibly possible. (prior to Covid) Ford / GM / Chrysler - Walking into my local dealerships of these brands is like walking into a Dollar General with about the same customer service... If that's what you are looking for, you're in for a treat. The best of all was Ford that somehow didn't let me test drive a Ford Mustang GT when I pulled up in a 2 year old 335i... this was by far the worst. They first wanted a credit app and to purposely get the exact color, style car etc for me to drive to shove down my throat... without me even knowing if its the right car for me.
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01-06-2023, 03:15 PM | #15 |
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My experience seems to be pretty mixed, and the greatest contributing factor seems to be how I handle/manage the experience and process. I'm pretty experienced at managing people and have a soft approachable demeanor without coming off as meek or uninformed. I've been treated like shit at many places, and turned that around quickly and efficiently. I think the customer themselves plays a pretty big part in how they get treated. Having put myself through highschool and college working in retail, and having owned several customer service business's I know it should never be that way, but the simple reality is any business can be sucked down by one bad individual, or a broken process.
It's pretty hard to draw meaningful constants from this business segment without quantifying and standardizing the customer side. I've turned some bad situations aground by being charming and relatable with service employees that are fighting a broken process that they don't want to follow. I find may really want to be good at what they do, but simply can't do so without collaboration on my side. I've gotten through to them that I can understand their efforts and constraints and that I don't want to make their job hard, I just want my needs to be met. I've had them go well above and beyond to help me. I think customers underestimate their ability to influence the quality of treatment they receive. In the few instances where I found a dealer was just shit, I just moved on, and quickly so. If I feel a business is kissing my butt but doesn't really care, I'd rather not count that is a positive. I know they will just as quickly sell me out because that's not a real relationship anyway. |
01-06-2023, 06:44 PM | #16 | |
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01-06-2023, 06:58 PM | #17 |
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Lexus was my best experience, BMW and Audi were about the same but pretty far from Lexus.
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01-06-2023, 07:54 PM | #18 | |
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I've never received 5 star service at any dealer for sale or service, nor at a 5 star hotel either. I've given 5 star reviews on google etc, but none have been flawless or genuine if I were to assess it absent my efforts to make it so. I've watched people deal with the same providers as me using their own approach get worse service, and walk away with a lower opinion of the provider. It's not hard to get 3 star service in a 5 star business if you are a dick, or don't speak up promptly or correctly when something is wrong, and then give an honest opportunity for them to correct it. In an attempt to add to the intended question, the best overall experience I've received from a car dealer was at a Lexus, buying a used (non-Lexus) car. The salesman was new to that location, he had recently sold at Mercedes. He didn't seem to care he was selling me a $24K used car, still treated me great. He was exactly the way I'd be if I went into car sales in his approach. Last edited by chad86tsi; 01-06-2023 at 08:01 PM.. |
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01-08-2023, 10:34 AM | #20 |
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01-08-2023, 11:15 AM | #21 | |
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01-08-2023, 06:28 PM | #22 | |
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The next time you stay at a 5-star hotel (not Google reviews, a real 5-star hotel) come back and post and update to this thread with the experience compared to the sad comedy which is an auto dealership. |
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