Why do people complain about dealership prices

[w124_E280]

I cannot understand how much people complain about dealership parts and labour prices. You have purchased a luxury car which requires maintanence like any other. Do you people not understand you get what you pay for. In this case fully manufacturer trained world class technicians with the latest technology and equipment. Independant vehicle specialists may be cheap but you do not have the best service possible. I can understand a independant specialist servicing older models but when you have payed 20k plus for your new car I would want the people with the best equipment and technical knowledge.

 

[Stulc]

It's not the fact that it's a luxury car it happen's with any stealer V/x, Ford ect ect there all at it, I peronally DONT need a glitzy glammy showroom to go to for repair's, and WONT go unless absolutely nessecary.

I do understand what you say regarding their overheads inc wage's, tool's ect ect, but they know as well as us they still charge ott. Iv'e spoke to many people over the years with "prestige" car's, and there is very few who use a stealer.

They have no one to blame but themselve's for their ott price's, dont get me wrong I know everything has to be paid for but for god sake it's one thing making a small profit (which they just cant make do with) and then just taking the proverbial p*ss.....


This is only MO, but I'm quite sure other will have very similar view's.

 

[jberks]

Let me put it this way. Many people in my game hire IBM because they are 'the best'. As an 'expert' I can see that IBM, like everyone else, is just a bunch of low morale people from various backgrounds, with wildly varying skill and talent, who are kept as low skilled as possible in order to stop them leaving for somewhere else, paid as little as possible and treated as poorly as the management feel they can get away with. In general, the work they produce is at best adequate and all too often borderline incompetent. They produce masses of thick documents which says absolutely nothing and can take days of trawling to find a single pertinent fact. I recently took over one of their projects, after 2 weeks, customer calls/issues/complaints dropped from 15 per day to 1 per week - why ? Because I know what I am doing and stand or fall by my own skill, knowledge and reputation. I am an independant, I am 50% or less of the cost of the IBM guys, and I take home over double what they do so I am happy, motivated and smugly park my £40k Merc next to their company mondeos.

The same illusion is applied to dealers. At £90+ per hour, you are not paying for skilled motivated,highly trained technicians with good kit. You are actually paying around 25% for that bit. The rest pays for that B&O tv, the free coffee percolator, nice carpets and a pretty blond who will listen intently to everything you say but actually doesn't understand a word. Plus several layers of accountants and managers who are desparately producing reams of paperwork in a vain attempt to appear useful and avoid redundancy.

Sad, but thats the world we live in.

I am happy to take my merc to a specialist who charges me £45 per hour, has all the same kit at the dealer but actually cares whether I come back or not as his mortgage depends on it. I suspect the tech who does the work sees more of my £45 than the dealer's tech does of my £95 and is better motivated as a result. He also doesn't have to put up with imbecilic memos from some 21 year old suit informing him that his lunch break has been cut by 37.2 seconds in order to improve efficiency. Info and training courses are available to dealers and specialists alike, as demonstrated by the MB stamped certificates adorning the specialist's walls. OK the reception area is scruffy and there is no free coffee or tv, but when the bill I am presented with says £250 instead of £550, I smugly get back into my well serviced, purring merc and drive off smiling.

BTW, The specialist also uses Mobil1 whereas the dealer uses a cheaper semi synthetic. Parts are the same, and the dealer was quite happy about the history when I traded in the 240.

Its a nice illusion using the dealer and I sometimes get tempted myself, but its just that, an illusion.

 

[Stulc]

I rest my case....couldn't have said better.

 

[AliRamay]

jberks is right on both counts. well said mate.

 

[Stulc]

The same illusion is applied to dealers. At £90+ per hour, you are not paying for skilled motivated,highly trained technicians with good kit. You are actually paying around 25% for that bit. The rest pays for that B&O tv, the free coffee percolator, nice carpets and a pretty blond who will listen intently to everything you say but actually doesn't understand a word.

My sentiment's exactly when I said "glitzy glammy showroom's" ect ect ect.......and of course as jberk also said.....mr "shirt n tie" darting about with the bee up his a**e trying to look busy to impress his bosses.

 

[Seeker_UK]

The one thing that really narks me about main dealers is that 9 times out of 10, the technicians who actually fix your car are doing it 'by the numbers' ie following what the diagnostic computer says and then following the manual procedure.

The technicians who do know about the car or its little faults or the stuff not written down either end up on the service front desk or b*gger off and become specialists...

 

[Chazchuzzlewitt]

I'm quite happy seeing the pretty blonde on reception at my dealer, as I know I'm just there to see my friendly parts bloke and can smile smugly as I see the suckers getting their invoices for x-hundred pounds for the service on their ML or SLK, knowing they're paying for that blonde... meanwhile I drive off in my old tank to fit the bit myself

 

[tom7035]

In this case fully manufacturer trained world class technicians with the latest technology and equipment.

You should be a 'Comic Cuts' writer!! (Or am I 'biting' at the bait of a wind-up!?)

 

[cubicincubi]

In the grand scheme of things It is wrong to confuse world class design and build teams with local grease monkeys wearing a manufacturers emblem on their overalls and greedy dealership owners who sit on their jacks at the country club whilst dealer principals squeeze a stress ball.

Your loyalty ends when you pay £45K for a new E class, after which you should expect and deserve second to none service, after which the loyalty should be forthcoming from the dealer. Some dealerships simply don't provide that. Some do. This is why I understand why some folks have problems with dealerships.

I happen to work at a mercedes benz dealership as a regular contractor and have done so for several years and I can catagorically say that I believe our local MB dealership to be second to none! Sure their are unhappy customers from time to time but you cant please all the people all the time, thats a fact, but customer service and a meticulous operation is in my opinion what this dealership is all about.

 

[w124_E280]

Some interesting replys there. Things like local grease monkey make me laugh and the dealers use semi synthetic oil. The technicians are far from grease monkeys they are clean well presented knowledgeable chaps when you have people working on one marque day to day they really get to know all the problems and are much better equipped to deal with them. Also dealers use fully sythentic oil unless you ask for semi. Why don't you admit your all wrong

 

[robbo]

My dealer uses Semi synth so I bring in my own Mobil 1 oil for them to put in.

Troll?

 

[Stulc]

And i hope they use it.....it's ok showing you the empty carton but I would want to see them putting it in...I just dont trust them.

 

[Parrot of Doom]

Some interesting replys there. Things like local grease monkey make me laugh and the dealers use semi synthetic oil. The technicians are far from grease monkeys they are clean well presented knowledgeable chaps when you have people working on one marque day to day they really get to know all the problems and are much better equipped to deal with them. Also dealers use fully sythentic oil unless you ask for semi. Why don't you admit your all wrong

The mechanic who serviced my TVR Chimaera worked for many many hours, often not even charging me for small jobs. His reputation depended upon people leaving with a car in pristine condition - word of mouth.

The dealer in the same area has lost all of it's custom to this indie. Why? Because believe it or not, people would rather deal with a knowledgeable and friendly mechanic who charges a very reasonable fee in a grubby archway, rather than sit on a leather sofa drinking expensive coffee and pay for the privilige.

I'd much rather have a mechanic service my car than a technician. I want somebody who can repair things, not merely replace things.

 

[turnipsock]

Since I work at the place where the oil is made I object to paying through the nose for what amounts to an oil change. We can buy oil at half price and it's a job anybody could do. (Some of the services amount to more than an oil change)

At the end of the day, I'm paying for a stamp in a book.

The reason that the showrooms have great big windows is so that they can see us coming.

 

[tom7035]

I'd much rather have a mechanic service my car than a technician. I want somebody who can repair things, not merely replace things.

Been my sentiments for years.

 

[Highlander]

My main dealer uses Castrol Mag (semi synth) as standard. I insist on Mobil 1 which I ask them to supply or if the deal is good at Halfords I will supply it. However, I have no way of proving it ends up in my engine. I have heard that "mistakes" are sometimes made.

 

[Retired]

W124 E280

Your remark 'people working on one marque day to day they really get to know all the problems and are much better equipped to deal with them' would appear to be a pretty good description of a specialised independent, so what is your point? Ref your comment that dealers use fully sythentic oil unless you ask for semi, I take it you didn't include my dealer in your comprehensive survey as, if you had, it would have disproved your statement.

 

[jberks]

Also dealers use fully sythentic oil unless you ask for semi. Why don't you admit your all wrong

Perhaps because we're not?

 

[DAD190E1990]

Why don't you admit your all wrong

Or you could just admit you have more money than us and less desire to hang on to it !