Another Main Dealer "why do they do this" thread

[Pinenut]

57 reg C220 due for A5 service in the next month. Trusted Indie quoted 130 quid. They did last years B service.

Merc maindealer rang me to say do you need an MOT. Yes I do and to be fair their offer was good but somewhere a lot closer also has an MOT deal so not worth the travel just for MOT. The A5 service is also due says I can you quote me for that.....no problem.....415 quid....+mot......415 quid why....it's just an oil n filter change. Ah no says the dealer it requires brake fluid and air and fuel filters. It doesn't i tell them I had them done last year at the B service with the Indie. I have receipts etc so can you just quote for the A service oil change and the MOT. Sorry I can't do that says the Merc dealer, if system says it requires the filters we cannot take them off the quote. Also says the dealer, if the car was 7 years old we could do an A service for 139 quid. But it's not 7 years old i said. Yeah sorry about that was the response. I came off the phone puzzled. I am not asking them to stamp a B service and I get the expensive bits done elsewhere ( i know mb dealers hate this and rightly so if you expect B service maindealer stamp for an oilchange only ) I just wanted a bog standard oil change and it was them that rang me looking for business. Why not simply give me an A service which is what the car is asking and delete the filters,brake fluid that was done last Nov? computer says no!

Seems crazy when they need the business but their system tells them the car needs stuff that has been done elsewhere. I can understand their system showing this but why they cannot simply amend it and offer what the customer requires (and the car is asking for ) is beyond me.

So, sticking with the trusted Indie.

 

[Spannaz]

as you said, they do what THEY want, and fail to listen to the customer's needs. They are no longer service advisors, they are programmed and trained to sell, sell and sell!
Hence why i....got up................said stuff you lot of robbing b**stards and walked away after 16years! I loved the motor industry, but could no longer stomach the rip off's that ALL main dealers have gone down.

 

[television]

Thanks for sharing that with us,,,,all common sense gone out of the window.

Owe to have a business like that

 

[Cardinal Biggles]

57 reg C220 due for A5 service in the next month. Trusted Indie quoted 130 quid. They did last years B service.

Merc maindealer rang me to say do you need an MOT. Yes I do and to be fair their offer was good but somewhere a lot closer also has an MOT deal so not worth the travel just for MOT. The A5 service is also due says I can you quote me for that.....no problem.....415 quid....+mot......415 quid why....it's just an oil n filter change. Ah no says the dealer it requires brake fluid and air and fuel filters. It doesn't i tell them I had them done last year at the B service with the Indie. I have receipts etc so can you just quote for the A service oil change and the MOT. Sorry I can't do that says the Merc dealer, if system says it requires the filters we cannot take them off the quote. Also says the dealer, if the car was 7 years old we could do an A service for 139 quid. But it's not 7 years old i said. Yeah sorry about that was the response. I came off the phone puzzled. I am not asking them to stamp a B service and I get the expensive bits done elsewhere ( i know mb dealers hate this and rightly so if you expect B service maindealer stamp for an oilchange only ) I just wanted a bog standard oil change and it was them that rang me looking for business. Why not simply give me an A service which is what the car is asking and delete the filters,brake fluid that was done last Nov? computer says no!

Seems crazy when they need the business but their system tells them the car needs stuff that has been done elsewhere. I can understand their system showing this but why they cannot simply amend it and offer what the customer requires (and the car is asking for ) is beyond me.

So, sticking with the trusted Indie.

You see, there you go again. Making the mistake that you think YOU own the car. You dont. They just like to give you the illusion that you own the car. They tell you what they are going to do to it, and how much it will hurt - I mean cost. And how little it will be worth when they tell you its time for you to give them some more money to use a newer car......

Today Poland, tomorrow Ze Vurld!

 

[vandt]

Sorry I can't do that says the Merc dealer, if system says it requires the filters we cannot take them off the quote. Why not simply give me an A service which is what the car is asking and delete the filters,brake fluid that was done last Nov? computer says no!

Seems crazy when they need the business but their system tells them the car needs stuff that has been done elsewhere. I can understand their system showing this but why they cannot simply amend it and offer what the customer requires (and the car is asking for ) is beyond me.

That is absolute BS! Of course they can remove items that have already been done.

 

[d215yq]

Sadly there are plenty of undiscerning people who don't belong to a motoring forum and probably don't even understand what filters or oil are. For them any service carried out without the big name and price of a dealer will result in the car being "dangerous" and "unreliable" (like the Merc itself will be deemed to be after it reaches an arbitrary age or mileage born out by psychology rather than science (typical thinking of 3-5 years or "the crazy" 100k miles mark).

When you can charge such people what you want and change whatever the computer says and get a satisfied customer (as long as you remember to wash the car and give a free cup of coffee, of course) then why go to the bother of dealing with some idiot who might take the car to an indie for more expensive items, question why certain items aren't needed and maybe even notice if you damage his car?

No brainer for them but thankfully makes it a no brainer for you to take it to a cheaper and better indie!

 

[Frontstep]

"For them any service carried out without the big name and price of a dealer will result in the car being "dangerous" and "unreliable"

Or any car serviced by MB and with SBC will result in the car being .............

 

[Pinenut]

An update.....had a call from MB dealer again at 4.30pm same time as yesterdays conversation....Hello Mr B it's Daniel from MBenz..ahhh I thought they have decided to quote me again...sadly not...They were still trying to flog me an MOT and Daniel did not even realise we spoke yesterday (at length) about servicing. Upon telling him this Daniel had a faint recollection yes I think I remember that.....anyway that was a service what about your MOT.....mate we discussed that too don't you remember......oh yes,, ah well I will just put on the computer you are having car "done" by an independent.

I do understand he is working through a long list of customers but this was less than 24 hours ago and do they not at least keep a record of who they called?

it just adds to the poor level of customer service that they do not even recall who they have contacted in the last day. Even the PPI and the ambulance chasers have a better system than MB cust Svc.

At least when Daniel called he said Mr B I am calling from Mercedes Benz.....but please dont worry......he must have known they were going for my wallet

 

[LTD]

So much for the block exemption legislation ....

Somebody should have told MB