what great service

[kemp2368]

hi all,i have a 1995 import w202 c280 1995,and thought i would tell you about this
i was worried that my only alarm fob would pack up soon(which opperates alarm/imobiliser,key only works ignition
so thought i would get new system fitted by alarm specilist,he then told me sorry cant bypass old system as it might go to ecu(he then said best bet go to mb dealer)
off i went and was greeted with hmmmmmmmmmmmmm sorry cant help never seen one of them before
so i then got email address for mb in south africa to try to find out detail ie make of alarm they fitted to cars in south africa
i sent 2 emails,1 to mb soth africa and 1 to garage(in south africa) the one who performed pre delivery inspection in 1995
as i had service history all stamped in book when it was in south africa i thought give it a go
well next day i had the head mb mechanic from the garage in south africa calling me up(from south africa and asking the excact problem ,and explained how to fix the problem,
i followed his instructions and hey presto
just wondering would any other car manufactor would do this

 

[Dosco]

That IS customer service, mind you why couldn't your dealer do that had he have done so he would have no doubt gained a new and VERY satisfied customer

 

[kemp2368]

That IS customer service, mind you why couldn't your dealer do that had he have done so he would have no doubt gained a new and VERY satisfied customer

your right there,i wont name the 2 mb dealers i took it to,but they just were not interested at all(got the impresion that unless it is a new car they are not interested)

 

[television]

your right there,i wont name the 2 mb dealers i took it to,but they just were not interested at all(got the impresion that unless it is a new car they are not interested)

Once again this rubs home how much better things could be if the sales and service were to separate items. The price of the new car could be set so as to make a profit, and the service competing with the open market.

When I ran the UK service for Yamaha/ Nakamichi I was always seen by the sales side as something that came in stuck to your shoe, yet they could not exist without me, or someone else dong the same thing. The worst of the service game is that no one ever arrives very happy, as its gone wrong

 

[Dosco]

The worst of the service game is that no one ever arrives very happy, as its gone wrong

But the very best part is when they go away happy, satisfied and an the very rare occasion thank you

 

[television]

But the very best part is when they go away happy, satisfied and an the very rare occasion thank you

Indeed that is the best part when they leave happy, I had a unique advantage over every other brand, that was that they could bring it over on a Sunday morning or evening and I would fix it while they wait and watch. I did this for the boss of Crypton, he left very happy, and the following week a van from Crypton arrived with a load of testers and chargers that we used in the 70's all free as he saw the amount of cars that I had.

 

[Bryann]

Once again this rubs home how much better things could be if the sales and service were to separate items. The price of the new car could be set so as to make a profit, and the service competing with the open market.

When I ran the UK service for Yamaha/ Nakamichi I was always seen by the sales side as something that came in stuck to your shoe, yet they could not exist without me, or someone else dong the same thing. The worst of the service game is that no one ever arrives very happy, as its gone wrong

I am in service not cars I hasten to add, whilst I cannot get it right all the time I will at least try. The key is to listen, learn and not be too proud to take others advise, don't you think

Bryan

 

[television]

I am in service not cars I hasten to add, whilst I cannot get it right all the time I will at least try. The key is to listen, learn and not be too proud to take others advise, don't you think

Bryan

Yes Bryan that is so true, and someone will always come along that knows more that you do

 

[Bryann]

Yes I agree and its nice to accept someones advise, put it into practise and find it works. I am lucky as in my particular line of work there are far fewer issues to deal with than MB!
Fortunately for me Malcolm, the sales team I work with treat me as an equal which does set you up for what can be a difficult day with the general public

Bryan

 

[jp williams]

your right there,i wont name the 2 mb dealers i took it to,but they just were not interested at all(got the impresion that unless it is a new car they are not interested)

Not naming them does not in my opinion help members of this forum.
If more naming and shaming were done then we could give them a wide berth or else be forewarned.
The service you eventually received was excellent by any standards.

Regards

John

 

[bigasotonuk]

Well if you owned a UK MB with the Scorpion Alarm System fitted, (please bear in mind this was a MB alarm system and all the components had MB part numbers), you would have to name & shame every single main dealer in the UK as they cannot get any parts for them, and there is no documents or info available even for the techies, very few techies even remember this alarm system, always mistaking it for the later "factory" fit item. I even had an arguement with a "parts person" as he was denying that MB had ever fitted its vehicles with a Scorpion system.
So for a main dealer not to have any info on the OP's system, which being a preface lift C class and South African spec. is actually not unreasonable.
But have to agree, that the service that the SA garage gave you is unbelievable as he could have so easily just deleted the e-mail and ignored it, instead he took the choice to ring you and talk you through it, at there expense as there was no chance of making any money from the OP.
Good result glad you got it sorted.

 

[kemp2368]

Well if you owned a UK MB with the Scorpion Alarm System fitted, (please bear in mind this was a MB alarm system and all the components had MB part numbers), you would have to name & shame every single main dealer in the UK as they cannot get any parts for them, and there is no documents or info available even for the techies, very few techies even remember this alarm system, always mistaking it for the later "factory" fit item. I even had an arguement with a "parts person" as he was denying that MB had ever fitted its vehicles with a Scorpion system.
So for a main dealer not to have any info on the OP's system, which being a preface lift C class and South African spec. is actually not unreasonable.
But have to agree, that the service that the SA garage gave you is unbelievable as he could have so easily just deleted the e-mail and ignored it, instead he took the choice to ring you and talk you through it, at there expense as there was no chance of making any money from the OP.
Good result glad you got it sorted.

i went in to the dealerships nowing that they more than likley would not be able to help,but thought it would be worth a shot,but there overall attitude was wrong as soon as i mentioned a 1995 c280 from south africa,they couldnt get me out of there quick enough,
so when its time or if im ever in a position to buy a new mb(very unlikley unless i win lottery) let me think where i would go to ,not there for sure
like a previous post has said if i had came out of there thinking what a nice bloke and he had taken the slightest interest in my problem i might have gone back and spent some of my lottery winnings with him:-D
a happy customer is one that more than likley will return

 

[kemp2368]

Indeed that is the best part when they leave happy, I had a unique advantage over every other brand, that was that they could bring it over on a Sunday morning or evening and I would fix it while they wait and watch. I did this for the boss of Crypton, he left very happy, and the following week a van from Crypton arrived with a load of testers and chargers that we used in the 70's all free as he saw the amount of cars that I had.

could not agree more,the next day after he had called,i sent 2 more emails saying how impressed i was etc 1 sent to garage where he works,and 1 to mb south africa head office
he then sent another email back saying that it was a pleasure to help anyone with a mb made in south africa

 

[Alex M Grieve]

could not agree more,the next day after he had called,i sent 2 more emails saying how impressed i was etc 1 sent to garage where he works,and 1 to mb south africa head office
he then sent another email back saying that it was a pleasure to help anyone with a mb made in south africa

I always phone to report successful outcomes and to recognise good service.

This seems to come as such a surprise to many providers, who either seldom do things well, or more likely who do things well, but are rarely recognised.

The experts on behaviour management say that it takes 12 congratulations to offset one telling off! If good behaviour is to be encouraged, we all have our part to play. Sadly, as Malcolm said, "customer services" generally only hear from us when we are p*ss*d off!

Let's hear it for the good guys.

If you did not like my service, tell me - if you did like it, tell my boss!

 

[carlos180]

You want to buy a real merc ? And not a fake one .

 

[drivinggod09]

You want to buy a real merc ? And not a fake one .

and what would you define as a real Mercedes ? ????

 

[bigasotonuk]

You want to buy a real merc ? And not a fake one .

??????????

 

[Alex M Grieve]

You want to buy a real merc ? And not a fake one .

You got me there. To which comment were you responding? (any clues on the correct answer to your point would also be welcome ....)