[zedman]

About 2 weeks ago i booked my car in as the 'bulb out warning' light was on all the time. They diagnosed the problem as being the xenon bulbs 'blackening' and replaced them both.

The warning light came on as i drove home. So i booked it in again, dropped the car off a week later, got a loaner, got a phone call at 3 that it was done and then another call at 10 past 5 saying. 'Hi, ummm, you'll be here for half 5 right?' I said yes i'm going to set off now.

I actually set off 5 mins later as I had a client there and i got about 50 metres away from the dealership when the traffic slowed to crawling pace and the last stretch took me about 10 minutes. So I actually got there at 5.40, my service advisor was sat at his desk with a sour face on, I apologised for my tardiness and explained there was pretty much gridlock outside.

'Well sir you have to take account of traffic at this time', says the sour face git.

Anyway got my car and went but it got me thinking.

The failure of the dealer to fix my car properly resulted in me having to waste half an hour in the morning and the half an hour in the evening. I didn't go in the dealer with a sour face on or make sarky comments about laxy dazy workmanship. It's 10 minutes FFS.

Wanker.

[kaishang]

You should have bought him some Weetabix; he obvioulsy didn't get any in the morning.

[davyk31]

Letter to Dealer Principal in order, nothing too rude, just stating you were inconvenienced and made no issue of it so why should their staff. Does no harm to make complaints like that as sometimes the higher level management are happy enough to get more ammunition against someone they possibly know is bad news.

[makammo]

Had a similar experience in Cooper BMW Banstead.

Unlike yourself I can't help myself retorting sarcastically though.

[creepy coupe]

Christ. the amount of time my dealer keeps me waiting over the agreed time, I'd have thought a bit of lateness the norm TBH.

[KadeSdad]

Originally Posted by zedman

It's 10 minutes FFS.

Wanker.

[Jon D]

Originally Posted by davyk31

Letter to Dealer Principal in order, nothing too rude, just stating you were inconvenienced and made no issue of it so why should their staff. Does no harm to make complaints like that as sometimes the higher level management are happy enough to get more ammunition against someone they possibly know is bad news.

That's the way to do it.

[toxicnerve]

Originally Posted by marlonmarc

Had a similar experience in Cooper BMW Banstead.

Unlike yourself I can't help myself retorting sarcastically though.

Indeed.

I would have come out with something like:

"Well if the car had been fixed properly the first time none of this would have happened in the first place"

Put it down to the service advisor benig a twat or as having had a particularly bad day. A well written and appropriately toned (i.e. keep it calm and civil) letter to the DP should see this sorted. Hopefully the SM in question will get told to shape up.

[xenon]

If you do write to the DP please write "Lackadaisical Workmanship" as opposed to "laxy dazy" otherwise you might appear a bit simple.

[G82Dude]

Service close at 5:30? Part timers. Local dealership here works to 6 (and are open at 8)!

However, unacceptable behaviour in this highly competitive (and commodity-based) service environment...

[toxicnerve]

Originally Posted by uke92dude

Service close at 5:30? Part timers. Local dealership here works to 6 (and are open at 8)!

However, unacceptable behaviour in this highly competitive (and commodity-based) service environment...

Ah but you see, in my experience SERVICE managers forget that they're in the "service" industry. They all think they're hot shot middle-upper management when in reality, they take bookings and deal with customer complaints!

I think they "forget their place" sometimes (yes I know that makes me sound like a twat). Ultimately they're there to listen to and help customers out when there are problems.

[zedman]

all very good advice thankyou very much, especially good to learn a new word Mr Xenon, big yourself up.

Guy was clearly having a bad day, don't we all so nothing to worry about i suppose. Check this out though, the dealer is now doing a £5 carwash. I kid you not the wash price was on the service desk, it appears they are now in competition with the local algerian/polish/afghan dudes.

just to say the above reference to people's ethnicity is in no way a slur, I simply have used (in the past) the local washes and at the time these were the backgrounds of the staff there, who all did a sterling job

[xenon]

It's an interesting observation the car-washes run by the East Europeans (typically) - the ones near me to a brilliant job for a fiver. When one compares that to the scratchy roller-brush crap (which never cleans your wheels) in the local petrol station it's something of a bargain.

[creepy coupe]

I really don't think I could be arsed to write about a memeber of staff with the hump, pulling faces at me TBH

[toxicnerve]

Originally Posted by xenon

It's an interesting observation the car-washes run by the East Europeans (typically) - the ones near me to a brilliant job for a fiver. When one compares that to the scratchy roller-brush crap (which never cleans your wheels) in the local petrol station it's something of a bargain.

Ah yes, but how many times has matey at the hand car wash dropped his sponge/drying cloth thus marring the shit out of your paintwork...

I'm such a peasant that I wouldnt pay someone £5 to wash my car. I do it myself, nobody else touches it. Probably costs more than a fiver as I use a PW and a bunch of products though

zedman,

what foam do you use and in what sort of concentration? Looking at your avatar pic has me filled with envy as I never get foam that thick (I use valetpro ph neutral).

[zedman]

Originally Posted by toxicnerve

zedman,

what foam do you use and in what sort of concentration? Looking at your avatar pic has me filled with envy as I never get foam that thick (I use valetpro ph neutral).

I use valet pro ph neutral as it happens!!

i use about 1.5 cm worth in the bottle, fill it with hot/warm water and then spray through the foam lance

And it can go a lot thicker than that...

what kind of lance you got?

[zedman]

Originally Posted by creepy coupe

I really don't think I could be arsed to write about a memeber of staff with the hump, pulling faces at me TBH

what can i say mate, i've got a boring life....

[creepy coupe]

Originally Posted by zedman

what can i say mate, i've got a boring life....

No offence Zedman, I just couldn't be bothered, now if they'd overcharged me, now that's different.

[zedman]

Originally Posted by creepy coupe

No offence Zedman, I just couldn't be bothered, now if they'd overcharged me, now that's different.

none taken my man

it only stayed in my mind cos it reminded of how children look when they don't get their own way..

and you're damn right about the overcharging!

[zltm089]

letter to the principal would do!...

[G82Dude]

Originally Posted by toxicnerve

Ah but you see, in my experience SERVICE managers forget that they're in the "service" industry. They all think they're hot shot middle-upper management when in reality, they take bookings and deal with customer complaints!

I think they "forget their place" sometimes (yes I know that makes me sound like a twat). Ultimately they're there to listen to and help customers out when there are problems.

Hear what you're saying, but the sour-faced individual above was a service advisor. In fact, the manager should have stayed behind and let the advisor leave.

[m1bjr]

Originally Posted by zedman

Check this out though, the dealer is now doing a £5 carwash.
I kid you not the wash price was on the service desk,
it appears they are now in competition with the local algerian/polish/afghan dudes.

polish?
Or Polish?
Freudian slip?