John Williams (Panda) - Joint Manchester AO Posted February 18, 2011 Posted February 18, 2011 Would not near strastone with a barge pole. Their Poor workmanship nearly cost me my life. Complaint logged and duley ignored will never go back. Move on and buy a golf. John Quote
echoz Posted February 19, 2011 Posted February 19, 2011 Customer service is a thing of the past mate Utter b*****k There's always been bad service, probably always will. Thankgoodness we've got fantastic ways of exposing it these days; and good on you Vinnie for taking on the challenge, many wouldn't, which I guess is how they get away with it. Sorry Echoz, nothing personal, but its those sort of glib comments tarring all of us in service industries with the same brush, that boil my p**s. Usually when I'm sat in a clients office in the early hours of a Saturday morning fixing a problem so that they don't have any business hours downtime. Or when I drive for an hour to a clients on a bank holiday cause the satelite isn't working properly and they wanted to watch the match. There are lots of good companies in most fields of business, it's just a sad fact of life that you will never see or hear as many complimentary comments as complaints. Very Valid point bud, and admittedly a huge generalisation. Like you said it's now easier to shout about the bad ie online etc, but people never really report on the good, as they just go on about their day happy with their service. Also I was thinking more along the lines of retail where customer service is dieing. No offence meant to anyone Not everyone is a crook Quote
scubajess Posted February 19, 2011 Posted February 19, 2011 Customer service is a thing of the past mate Utter b*****k There's always been bad service, probably always will. Thankgoodness we've got fantastic ways of exposing it these days; and good on you Vinnie for taking on the challenge, many wouldn't, which I guess is how they get away with it. Sorry Echoz, nothing personal, but its those sort of glib comments tarring all of us in service industries with the same brush, that boil my p**s. Usually when I'm sat in a clients office in the early hours of a Saturday morning fixing a problem so that they don't have any business hours downtime. Or when I drive for an hour to a clients on a bank holiday cause the satelite isn't working properly and they wanted to watch the match. There are lots of good companies in most fields of business, it's just a sad fact of life that you will never see or hear as many complimentary comments as complaints. Very Valid point bud, and admittedly a huge generalisation. Like you said it's now easier to shout about the bad ie online etc, but people never really report on the good, as they just go on about their day happy with their service. Also I was thinking more along the lines of retail where customer service is dieing. No offence meant to anyone Not everyone is a crook This is a post about GOOD service! Last week the fuel gauge went faulty on my Freelander 2. I could be driving along, fuel gauge showing the tank was half full (which it was) then without warning it would suddenly drop to completely empty. The computer thought that the tank was really empty so vehicle went into 'limp mode'. Took it into my local Landrover dealer (Guy Salmon, Sheffield) at 8.30 last Tuesday. They phoned me at 12.30 to say it was all sorted, faulty wire on tank sender unit. When I collected it it had also had a full valet inside and out FOC. Can't fault them. Quote
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted February 19, 2011 Posted February 19, 2011 If only Guy Salmons in Knutsford were the same, or maybe they just don't like the look of me Quote
Bob Green Posted February 19, 2011 Posted February 19, 2011 They usually insist on dealer servicing. Block Exemption here. Through the nature of my job, I deal with one client in four locations across the UK but I will go to the end of the Earth and back to ensure my client receives the service they deserve and in fact, pay for. The issue with Dealerships is they are judged by the parent manufacturer on invoiced hours, recovered labour rate et al, on a monthly basis. No personal touch involved at all. Over the years (and there are many of them) I have seen cringe worthy transactions that make my p**s boil, whether it be charging the customer or the manufacturer. Just before you say it, yes, I am old school and believe in customer service and pre-empting the next question, yes, the P&L is healthy. Quote
Norman Verona Posted February 19, 2011 Posted February 19, 2011 Guy Salmon in Sheffield. Took our Range Rover there with a broken turbo and a blown head gasket (due to blown turbo). they wsaid it was the head gasket, then that the head was cracked so would need a new one. I asked about the turbo to be told that it wasn't the turbo but the head. I asked if they would note the job card for a road test when the head was refitted to test the turbo. A week later they phone to say the car is ready. I ask if they have road tested it. No, it's fine was the answer. I insisted as I knew, the turbo was broken. 1/2 hour later they cal to say the car wasn't ready as the turbo was broke and they were ordering one. There wasn't that much wrong with this car that a good technician could have sorted but as it broke down (as in needed recovering) 13 times in 12 months and then the final straw was a heater hose burst a week after the head was fitted and it was the hose that went to the head and was visibly perished. I had the car towed back to the dealer that I bought it from (Perrys) and left it there asking for a refund. Never got it but they bought the car back after a few months of arguing. Only cost me £12,000 for a year of agro. HM refused to drive it in the end (it was her car) as we lived in a remote village where we had no phone signal and she was worried about be stranded at night. Bob, agreed, Block Exemption has made the dealer situation worse. another piece of legislation having the opposite effect to what was meant. Do you know any other business where you spend a minimum of 1 million pounds on the premises and then have to do everything you're told to by your supplier and if you step out of line they cease to supply you. When I ran dealerships I had 1 admin person to 4 technicians. Most workshops now have more admin that technicians. And you wonder why the labour rates are so high. Quote
Bob Green Posted February 19, 2011 Posted February 19, 2011 When I ran dealerships I had 1 admin person to 4 technicians. Most workshops now have more admin that technicians. And you wonder why the labour rates are so high. So true. I guess folk do not know is when you dismiss a “technician” due to the poor workmanship and no regard for the customer experience in that particular Dealership/workshop, they move on to another Dealership/workshop and deliver the same crap service. It is all about educating and coaxing the technician and indeed all staff for that matter, to meet and exceed the customer expectation. It isn’t rocket science. Some folk will laugh at this but trust me, been there, done that. Quote
Buzz Billsberry Posted February 19, 2011 Posted February 19, 2011 Top result Vinnie I guess they thought you'd bottle it well done Buzz Quote
Bob Green Posted February 19, 2011 Posted February 19, 2011 Top result Vinnie I guess they thought you'd bottle it well done Buzz Buzz. I agree with your sentiments but the nagging question in my mind is how the hell did a Dealership get to this point? Customer care……………. a thing of the past. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.