Difference in car dealers experience

[126849660]

Picked up the wifes new car yesterday just before they shut at 6pm. We had a appointment for handover at 10:30am and got a call as we were walking In to say there had been a delay in transit. So new time would be about 5pm manager came out and apologised, he offered us any car we wanted to take away all day to have some fun in. Just took the same as we had ordered but in different colour. point being porsche are by far the best dealer ive dealt with.
Now onto land rover bought my defender soon as they came out, had to go back in after a few weeks with faults to the new privi pro system. New system so i know faults are probably going to happen but its how you deal with them. Ended up arguing with the woman at the customer service cause she was really rude. Manager didnt really say much and then got the car back and it had more faults that before. Told them i needed a replacement car while mine was getting fixed for the second time and was told no but 3 other people i know got one from the land rover defender forum but because i dont have a youtube review chanel i dont get a courtesy car. I do love my defender but I absolutely hate land rover customer service and will never buy another land rover again. Thinking about selling the defender now for a Porsche suv. Anyone had very good or very bad experience with dealers ?
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[Deleted member 23270]

First World problem.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Volvo in the NE are all under the same dealership and are very poor. I once received a phone call from the overall owner to apologise about poor service and we had quite a frank chat. He was enormously frustrated by the quality of the staff on his books and how he was failing to get his message through to them.

Currently with a skoda and they are fine but no more. I can't say I've been blown away by any dealer. The level of service has generally been disappointing, salesmen in particular have not been good. BiL has a Mercedes and he speaks highly of them but I am not high enough up the food chain to test that out ?

The industry could learn from elsewhere.

 

[robinthehood]

Your other car really is a Porsche

 

[bobmac]

I guess it works both ways.
I'm sure car dealers have their own horror stories about members of the public.

 

[GreiginFife]

Some are just baffling. I bought the new BMW M340i in February, so only 4 months after the model hit the UK. I wanted the M Performance carbon kit fitted and the sales guy I dealt with got me booked in for the first week in April. Lockdown hit and it was cancelled and the sales guy I dealt with was furloughed.

Fast forward to July when they reopened I contacted the furloughed guy's replacement and said I wanted the kit fitted still, he emailed me back (with a one liner response) that he can't get that kit.
So I responded asking if it was stock issue or discontinued (bearing in mind its a 4 month old model) to which he replied (again one line) "it's discontinued".

Incredulous I got in touch with their direct competitor dealer in Perth, and the parts guy was only too helpful. Kit was ordered that day, arrived two days later from Munich and fitted the following weekend.

Now, its only a £3k accessory sale, I get that, but surely just after lockdown dealers would have been biting hands off for sales of any kind? It was like it was too much hassle for the sales guy in Edinburgh.

An email to the dealer GM saying they had lost my business on my next car and the wife's is due in December and they won't be getting that sale either didn't even prompt a response, let alone an apology.

 

[IanM]

Such is life... as Greg says above, I think it is also more about the site than the marque. Been dealing with different Merc main dealers recently - the one in Weston super Mare offered to bring demonstrators to my house (nearly an hour away) others didn't believe it when I mentioned it. Similarly, because (pre covid) I used to spend the week in Southampton, I used to drop my car into Merc Winchester for servicing on the way past. The were great in there, last service was in Bristol. No where near as good.

I had a Land Rover a couple of cars ago, was similar... Newport dealership were on the ball and good folk to deal with, Southampton...lets just say, a poorer experience!

Interesting you've gone for the new Defender.... can't help thinking it doesn't look Defernderish enough... maybe post a pic when its muddy with the odd dent in it!! My mate has a theory that all new Land Rovers look odd, but eventually they grow on you! (No sure the lop sided bum on the Disco ever will!)

Cars are funny things... I've offered to buy my wife several "more expensive" cars...refused the lot. Her last 5 (yes 5) cars have been Clios! Buys under a year old, keeps them 3 years, and buys another. She's the sensible one with money!

 

[126849660]

b

 

[126849660]

a

 

[SteveW86]

Such is life... as Greg says above, I think it is also more about the site than the marque. Been dealing with different Merc main dealers recently - the one in Weston super Mare offered to bring demonstrators to my house (nearly an hour away) others didn't believe it when I mentioned it. Similarly, because (pre covid) I used to spend the week in Southampton, I used to drop my car into Merc Winchester for servicing on the way past. The were great in there, last service was in Bristol. No where near as good.

I had a Land Rover a couple of cars ago, was similar... Newport dealership were on the ball and good folk to deal with, Southampton...lets just say, a poorer experience!

Interesting you've gone for the new Defender.... can't help thinking it doesn't look Defernderish enough... maybe post a pic when its muddy with the odd dent in it!! My mate has a theory that all new Land Rovers look odd, but eventually they grow on you! (No sure the lop sided bum on the Disco ever will!)

Cars are funny things... I've offered to buy my wife several "more expensive" cars...refused the lot. Her last 5 (yes 5) cars have been Clios! Buys under a year old, keeps them 3 years, and buys another. She's the sensible one with money!

If you used the Land Rover garage at the bottom of the avenue, it is now a boarded up Lidl.

 

[IanM]

I was invited to a LR off-road day at Eastnor Castle.... I used one of their's in case I dented it!

 

[IanM]

If you used the Land Rover garage at the bottom of the avenue, it is now a boarded up Lidl.

Indeed it is... happened some time ago

 

[GreiginFife]

Thats a beautiful car i was actually trying to talk the wife into the m340i touring. I had years of great dealings with bmw and wife wanted to stick with bmw and go for the x7 over the defender but i wanted something i could enjoy off roading with. Just after lockdown we had decided on getting a second car for the wife and was wanting a smaller sports car. So after getting the silver defender I noticed they had a silver i8 in Glasgow bmw. Phoned them up and said i wanted a test drive because ive been told there not the easiest car to get into and really need to test it before you buy it. Guy took all my details even told him i was desperate to get my wife a car and i would be buying it the same day if she liked the test drive. Guy never even called me back even chased him up to see what the hold up was and said oh sorry ill get back to you in a few days lol. Then you have bmw in giffnock guy gave me a m5 for the week knowing full well I wasn’t buying one but i liked them. He said just take it have some fun because i had bought a few cars from them. Must just be hit or miss but land rover darnley are the worst ive seen

Your wife wouldn't have been disappointed with the M340i Touring, it's a great car for that mix of power, handling and family friendly. Is thet the 718 Boxter she went for? My Mrs is looking at either the Macan GTS or the X4M Competition in December. I reckon the GTS is an ugly beast but she loves it and as it's a) her money and b) her car and c) my opinion doesn't count, she can get the one she likes

This is the option I went for, the roof is just a vinyl wrap as I wanted it black but painting was a) too permanent if I got sick of it and b) too bloody expensive for the size of the area. I love the Sunset Orange paint and the black shadow line pack set it off nicely.

 

[126849660]

a

 

[GreiginFife]

That’s lovely with the black grill mirrors and roof ?? Yea 718 boxter for the wife she picked it because of the colour, there was a lovely lava orange cayman gts as well but she wouldn’t have it. Thats what i would of picked the blues a bit loud for me personally but suits her

I quite like the blue on the Boxter, but then as you can see, I quite like bold colours. I was initially tempted by the 840i Grand Coupe but the boot is just not big enough. It's deep but not wide and trolley and cart bag wouldn't fit. I think I will look at the M850i next time around but go back to carrying my clubs

 

[Piece]

Nice cars here. Porsche colour scheme and wheels match my car.

I don't tend to buy new cars so haven't had a direct dealer experience about new cars. However, I do try to ensure that they do have a FSH from a dealer. Recently, experiences have been fine and Guildford Audi have been very good...so far.

 

[GreiginFife]

The exhausts on mine are the only thing I don't like. Looking to get them re-tipped with quad pipes. Anyone know of any good places in Central Scotland that does exhausts? I tried Pipe Dynamics in Fife but getting to responses to my emails.

 

[jim8flog]

I have no experience of a any Porsche or Land Rover dealer but I suppose you gets what you pay for.

I have never paid any dealer for a courtesy car and I have only been given them in the first year of purchase regardless of manufacturer.

 

[Mudball]

Bought the new X3 earlier this year... must say a bit disappointed... Got all the super slick sales conversation and i must admit i over looked a few things as i assumed it would be standard on it. when i got it, it did not come with car play as standard. Also surprised that the mirrors don't auto fold. Spoke to the dealer and he mentioned.. all that was extra and you did not specify it. So yes face palm... assumption is mother of all fubars.

any attempt to get them to put car play did not work.. tbf, they took it back to see if a software will help. But it did not.. But acc to them, there is an after market which can update it. So the germans wont do it, but a guy in birmingham can.... excellent

 

[patricks148]

i'd prev had two Merc's as company cars, two different dealers, equally as bad as each other, considering they were both top of the range cars that cost a fair bit neither could car less and customer service was non existant from both.

i would never get a Merc, ever again esp with my own money