A general rant

[z4alfie]

I've always fancied being a car salesman, I'm sure I'd be better than 95% of them out there.

I was one once, in the dim and distant past. I found it hard to be economical with the truth, strive to beat your colleagues to take the most deposits on a saturday, take the ridicule and peer humiliation from sales managers, work all the hours god sent just to look as if you really want the job and stitch people into high interest bearing loans in the full knowledge that they will never be able to trade out of thier new car once the novelty has worn off.......... I went to University and joined the legal profession instead.

[AlanJ]

I currently live and work in the UAE - recently went to the Jeep dealership to buy a new Wrangler. Chose the colour, retrofit parts and agreed the spec. Delivery - 3 days! Picked up the vehicle and salesman took about an hour to show me round the vehicle and check everything was as ordered. Difference here is that the customer is seen as the most important factor in keeping the business going. Have now had a couple of phone calls from the original salesman just checking to see if everthing is OK with the vehicle. A couple of minor problems have been dealth with immediately! Would have bought a BMW but prices here are astronomical and unfortunately the attitude of BMW sales staff seems to be that of the UK - almost a couldn't care less attitude. Perhaps it's the training they get......

[jamiez]

I think experiences at BMW certainly do depend on if it’s a new or used car your interested in.
No doubt a new car sales experience should be faultless - although I can imagine some big egoed sales people who don’t care after you have signed.
Used sales are different and im not surprised that the BMW experience was bad.
When I’ve had warranty work done, they are not helpful in anyway whatsoever
It’s all down to a lack of direction - and that’s something you definitely lead when you have a hungry crew of egomaniacistal salespeople!
Then again - it can’t be all that bad ALL of the time - otherwise they would not be in business!
What is interesting is how constantly over my BMW driving and forum posting time - I’ve only every seen BMW dealers or $tealers as I like to call them come under mass scrutiny on forums. Perhaps out expectations are very (and quite rightly) high - and Joe public is non-expectant or the wool can easily be pulled over their eyes??

[DaveZ4C]

I will never buy another BMW again and would recommend my friends to stay away from them.

I have found the dealers friendly but completely incompetent at fixing anything but simple warrenty/quality issues. My brand new Z4 Coupe went to three different stealers a total of 12 times in the past 2 years with a list of problems and the car still has big issues.

Perhaps the dealers are too driven by targets and deadlines; I suspect that they're under-staffed - but if it isn't obvious to them how a problem can be solved within 5 minutes, they put a plaster on it and/or send it away and claim that it has been fixed, when it hasn't. I'm sure they still charge BMW UK for every time it's in.

My local dealers have never provided a courtesy car (sometimes they rent you a car); never clean the car; and often have you wait 2 weeks before they can book you in. On two occasions they kept the car for one week without actually getting round to looking at it. On two occasions I had to get a bus home (2 hour journey, including connections, to go 15 miles - isn't public transport great!) because they couldn't get to it in the one hour they had booked it in, and asked to keep it overnight. On all other occasions I had to get a friend to give me a lift.

Does that sound like a premium brand dealer looking after a £35k car??

No more BMWs for me.

[Wondermike]

DaveZ4C, sounds awful. I wouldn't get another one either if that had happened to me.

[Mattt]

I currently live and work in the UAE - recently went to the Jeep dealership to buy a new Wrangler. Chose the colour, retrofit parts and agreed the spec. Delivery - 3 days! Picked up the vehicle and salesman took about an hour to show me round the vehicle and check everything was as ordered. Difference here is that the customer is seen as the most important factor in keeping the business going. Have now had a couple of phone calls from the original salesman just checking to see if everthing is OK with the vehicle. A couple of minor problems have been dealth with immediately! Would have bought a BMW but prices here are astronomical and unfortunately the attitude of BMW sales staff seems to be that of the UK - almost a couldn't care less attitude. Perhaps it's the training they get......

Maybe Jeep is the exception - but Customer Service is non-existent in the UAE generally.

[Mr Whippy]

I will never buy another BMW again and would recommend my friends to stay away from them.

I have found the dealers friendly but completely incompetent at fixing anything but simple warrenty/quality issues. My brand new Z4 Coupe went to three different stealers a total of 12 times in the past 2 years with a list of problems and the car still has big issues.

Perhaps the dealers are too driven by targets and deadlines; I suspect that they're under-staffed - but if it isn't obvious to them how a problem can be solved within 5 minutes, they put a plaster on it and/or send it away and claim that it has been fixed, when it hasn't. I'm sure they still charge BMW UK for every time it's in.

My local dealers have never provided a courtesy car (sometimes they rent you a car); never clean the car; and often have you wait 2 weeks before they can book you in. On two occasions they kept the car for one week without actually getting round to looking at it. On two occasions I had to get a bus home (2 hour journey, including connections, to go 15 miles - isn't public transport great!) because they couldn't get to it in the one hour they had booked it in, and asked to keep it overnight. On all other occasions I had to get a friend to give me a lift.

Does that sound like a premium brand dealer looking after a £35k car??

No more BMWs for me.

That sounds poor.

That is why you are better to buy the car *made* by BMW, but don't get it serviced by random franchise X, Y or Z, because they are ultimately not reflecting BMW. OK, they are, they should be, but they don't (generally)

Dave

[mcbeee]

After reading two pages of rants it looks like BMW North America has a totally different attitude to the UK and UAR. My experience with BMW in Calgary, Canada is mixed. I deal at the one close to me in the north end. Great service, very attentive etc. etc. Three weeks ago, my salesman grabbed the keys to an M6 coupe and said "let's go, you need to try this one". The South dealership , owned by the same people, was totally different. I went to test an X3 and was told "they were all out for the weekend". Yes, they were, the salesmen had all taken them for the holiday weekend. Oops, too bad , I went straight to my Volvo dealership and picked up a new XC70, full load. Then when the BMW salesman phoned the following week to pester me I politely told him to "P*ss Off", I got a Volvo".
I chalk it up to the local management and their sales staff.

I was also checking out Z's in Phoenix the other week and found them (Chapman"s BMW) to be excellent. The guy almost forced me to take a brand new Z3.5Si full load fora spin. He didn't even want to come along, just gave me the keys and said "have fun".

I think it's time my fellow Brits who are still island bound start a campaign of complaints to the BMW head offices. You are getting short changed big time.

[Lucy]

Well i have to say i've never had service like this before...took my car to Sytner Sheffield for a service yesterday. Went to collect the car after work (had to be practically carried out of the car park by a guy that worked there as i had stupid shoes on and it was downhill and icy ) and after i'd paid and got my car back i left Sytners at 4.50pm. At 5.05pm i recieved a text message, it was a number i didn't know and it said "Hey hope everything is ok with the car, contact me on this number if i can be of assistance with anything at all x" it was Chris the guy who had been dealing with me So i text back saying Everything is great thanks, do you always personally text your customers afterwards?! So he said very rarely and has now been asking when he is going to see me again and allsorts Good customer service there then!!

[mcbeee]

Sometimes it pays to be a girl......

[Spud]

Professional-sounding text message, but he's clearly after a date. The question is: will you give him one?

[lacroupade]

Professional-sounding text message, but he's clearly after a date. The question is: will you give him one?

what on a first date?

[Smokin]

I will never buy another BMW again and would recommend my friends to stay away from them.

I have found the dealers friendly but completely incompetent at fixing anything but simple warrenty/quality issues. My brand new Z4 Coupe went to three different stealers a total of 12 times in the past 2 years with a list of problems and the car still has big issues.

Perhaps the dealers are too driven by targets and deadlines; I suspect that they're under-staffed - but if it isn't obvious to them how a problem can be solved within 5 minutes, they put a plaster on it and/or send it away and claim that it has been fixed, when it hasn't. I'm sure they still charge BMW UK for every time it's in.

My local dealers have never provided a courtesy car (sometimes they rent you a car); never clean the car; and often have you wait 2 weeks before they can book you in. On two occasions they kept the car for one week without actually getting round to looking at it. On two occasions I had to get a bus home (2 hour journey, including connections, to go 15 miles - isn't public transport great!) because they couldn't get to it in the one hour they had booked it in, and asked to keep it overnight. On all other occasions I had to get a friend to give me a lift.

Does that sound like a premium brand dealer looking after a £35k car??

No more BMWs for me.

Wow. Just wow. My dealer treats me like a queen. I negotiated hard to get the price I wanted, but in the end, I got it. Car was detailed to the nines and covered with a silver, nylon sheet. It was "unveiled", salesman went over everything then drove it outside for me. Service manager is the same one I had with my 325Ci. He's very knowledgeable and doesn't push any of the extra stuff. He has an older M3, so he's a BMW driver as well. My car is washed each and every time I take it in. They have 2 shuttle vans--one drives to the Durham/Duke University area and the other to Chapel Hill/UNC area. They drive me to work then come pick me up when I tell them to after service is completed. The ONE time they have not had my car ready as promised, they gave me a loaner 330i (I was driving the 325Ci at the time). If it is to be a short service, they have a very nice lounge with a large LCD TV, and coffee/tea/sodas. They even have a small play room for the children. I can't imagine a better experience with a car dealership.

[lacroupade]

Wow. Just wow. My dealer treats me like a queen. I negotiated hard to get the price I wanted, but in the end, I got it. Car was detailed to the nines and covered with a silver, nylon sheet. It was "unveiled", salesman went over everything then drove it outside for me. Service manager is the same one I had with my 325Ci. He's very knowledgeable and doesn't push any of the extra stuff. He has an older M3, so he's a BMW driver as well. My car is washed each and every time I take it in. They have 2 shuttle vans--one drives to the Durham/Duke University area and the other to Chapel Hill/UNC area. They drive me to work then come pick me up when I tell them to after service is completed. The ONE time they have not had my car ready as promised, they gave me a loaner 330i (I was driving the 325Ci at the time). If it is to be a short service, they have a very nice lounge with a large LCD TV, and coffee/tea/sodas. They even have a small play room for the children. I can't imagine a better experience with a car dealership.

But thats the difference between a country that understands the service economy and one that only thinks it does.....we europeans might laugh at the old "have a nice day" routine but then we seem happy to let ourselves be treated like s**t by people we are paying our hard-earned money to keep in a job.....

[mikedav]

Smokin, that's how it should be IMO - whether you are buying an M6 or a 123D, the dealer should treat you and the presentation of a new car like you are royalty - you are the customer and you have just spent a fair bit of cash. Sadly in the UK, all we really hope for is a smile, some attentiveness and a call back when you leave a message! The unveiling might be a bit less popular over here though - I get bored of the 'hand over' while the salesman explains to me how to turn the lights on...yes, thanks, I get it it, give me the keys.

Most of the BMW dealers I have dealt with have been ok...Mercedes are much worse. Though it does vary alot, I agree. Berry Chiswick are a bit weak; on one visit the salesman wasn't even interested in showing me a car...on a second, I booked a test drive in a Z4 SDrive 35i on the net and was directed to an SDrive23i. When I explained that's not what i wanted to drive, the salesman looked and me and said 'well, that's what we've got - try this one and just picture it a bit faster'. Right. Other than that though most have been pretty good...some pushy salesman but nothing you can't laugh off.

Wood BMW in Bournemouth are pretty good though their used stock is generally overpriced. They let me drive the Z4M home to check it would fit in my garage - apparently they do that a lot - and sorted a 120i M Sport for me while the Z4M was PDId. A good story actually because while I was waiting for my salesman to sort it, the sales director (back from lunch) wandered over and saw me looking at a Z4M in the showroom. 'Nice car isn't it, save up and one day it's yours'. I smiled, just as my salesman returned...and promptly asked the sales director for the keys to his 120i as I would be needing it for four days while they prepped my Z4M



They've also given me Z4 3.0 Roadsters as loan cars occasionally while it's serviced rather than the standard 116's, so that's nice.