It just seems like there are two levels of MINI dealers - those who really go out of their way to make you feel valued (and who understand the value of referral business) and those who look at the statistics, know that they will sell every MINI they have to SOMEONE, and don't see the need to provide a high level of service.

 

mine seems to be somewhere in the middle to later. they've got 2.5 months of production slots filled when i ordered. they are nice dont get me wrong, they offered drinks and went over the order, not pushy at all. but at the same time, not exactly informative. It could just be that my MA knew that I knew exactly what I wanted and didn't bother talking me into or out of anything (except for the ipod adapter). He did specifically mention that i'd get a choice of rubber or carpet floor mats. LOL

At least it wasn't like when i went into the local Lexus dealership, maybe i dont look like I have enough money to afford one, but they never bothered with me. I made eye contact with 4 sales people and even pointed to the IS250 in the showroom. They all ignored me while doing nothing in particular, so i said very loudly, "THANKS FOR NOTHING, have a nice day" and promptly walked out ignoring all calls from suddenly attentive sales people.

 

This has been in the back of my mind since I first decide to look at MINIs when purchasing a vehicle. As a child of the 90s, I'm addicted to the internet and did EXTENSIVE research into the car, the options, the value, the price, etc. etc. online. But for the life of me, I could not find any "ratings" about the various MINI dealers in my area and/or around the country. It would be a massive undertaking for someone to organize and retain information as part of a thread about so many dealers, but I think there are several other functional ways of doing this type of data collection and storage. I'm not sure how NAM's leadership feels about that sort of thing but I think it would fill in a gigantic information gap to have a 3rd party reporting out customer satisfaction and experiences.

Case in point: The reason I used the dealer I did is because someone actually returned my call within 24 hours of my first contact and they have a presence here on NAM. I didn't find out until delivery but my MA is even a member here with 14,000+ posts (though he was still surprisingly unfamiliar with the ordering and deliver process information I leveraged through the entire 6 weeks...). Those two points are ALL I had to go on and knowing that toolazy is also using my dealership, would have certainly thought twice about making my purchase there if I had the opportunity to see him rate them a 2.5 (putting words in his mouth) and me a 3.5 out of 5 and reasons why.

Yet, playing devils advocate, I'm not sure what this kind of information invites in terms of legal or harassment trouble. Certainly some dealers would not want this kind of information out there, mabye thats why it is so elusive?

 

I for one, would be a little hesitant in posting information like that. It could end up like the customer survey email/questionnaires. Also, posting things like mods could get you in trouble, especially if the SAs are monitoring the forum as i'm inclined to think they would if there was a thread like that. Word could spread pretty quickly i would imagine, "hey there's this web forum that's rating the dealers."

I've learned from another forum I'm on, never put "legal" information. especially the specialized and popular ones, and that district attorneys, BATF and LEOs can use google just as well as we can. I know it's not quite the same, but i'd err on the side of caution.

 

One of the miracles about the internet is anonymity

I, however, can certainly appreciate your entire comment and acknowledge that stuffing the ballot is also very difficult to detect with such loss of identity.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean here...

I meant legal in that some dealers could potentially go as far as lawsuits to have the information removed for the corporate version of slander (is there such a thing?!).

 

Definitely don't hate you for speaking your mind. I'm sorry though, I can't express how strongly I disagree with you. Yes, mistakes happen and cars can get lost. But when someone commits to something, whether verbally or not (such as rates, trade-in values, etc), that is set in stone. A business promises you a certain price... you go to pick it up and they say "oh, oops, sucks for you but that will be a few $100 more. Too bad for you!". You are suggesting you just accept it and be happy? You will get screwed throughout your whole life then. A deal is a deal. You need to fight for your rights. Yes, it's not freedom or world peace, but that doesn't mean you bend over and be happy about it. If the dealer does not honor a firm verbal commitment (ie. never told you that it's subject to change) for your trade-in, then you have been screwed!

 

I hope you're just kidding. You do know there really is no such thing as anonymity on the internet. You are always traceable on some level to anyone who wants to know who you are.

 

Let's not confuse straightforward customer service expectations with human crises. Of course, our complaints are trivial when compared with national and international problems, wars, poverty levels, health care, and famines. But I think the overall theme here is Mini's failure to follow through on promises made by the organization and expectations that have been raised from their own marketing hype.

Personal service, constant communication, and customer loyalty are supposed to be key elements (according to their own messages) of the Mini experience. Lost or delayed cars are not the dealers' fault, but they are certainly Mini's responsibility -- after all, the VDCs are not owned by General Motors or WalMart, they're part of Mini's operation. The Mini system in the UK seems to run smoothly, with excellent response on ASKMINI due to proximity to headquarters and apparent concern for quality control. The further away from headquarters, the lower the quality of the organization, service, and communication. That's a problem Mini needs to pay attention to, and soon.

I agree with several comments that some dealers (mine included) appear to have become complacent, and some perhaps even arrogant, since they have pre-sold production for so many months in advance. I think it would be hard for an MA to be overly-motivated for customer service when they are on salary and don't have to do work very hard to sell cars that are in such demand. For me, there are only 2 dealers within 400 miles, and none in my state. That geographic monopoly, combined with the limited availability of the cars, would encourage such an attitude.

I run a mid-sized consulting business that relies on client satisfaction, repeat business, constant communication with customers, and delivery on promises made. If we ran our business as Mini and some of these dealers do, we would have lost clients and gone out of business. Sure, in the hottest markets you can try being arrogant and ignore customers (look at real estate developers in southern CA for example), but over the long run it's a mistake.

In the big picture, delays and screwups are part of life. But if you simply accept them without pointing out the underlying problems, no one will be able to fix problems so they don't happen again to others. Unfortunately, it seems that timid, polite suggestions for change are often ignored in our society. Squeaky wheels get the attention, especially in the auto industry.

 

Prestige would not buy my floormats so my MA bought them for me. Big thanks to him (he reads this thread).

Another thank you. I have to tell you it's tough not going over 4000 rpm but I did take it to an elementary school and do a few laps around their circular parking lot

Getting tinted today.....Pics to follow!

Time to Motor!

 

There is certainly truth to that, however I think in this case, it would be prohibitively difficult for a MINI dealer to track down each individual poster of a review. The MINI survey is clearly tied to a customer number or some other identifying value. But posting on NAM or through some other survey mechanism that is not run by MINI or one of their affiliates would be far far more anonymous unless you took the liberty of posting your name, customer / production number, and address / phone number.

In order to be 100% certain of who you are, they'd have to subpoena the site for logs with your IP, then subpoena your ISP for your name (which from the RIAA trials we have learned is even still not foolproof). This is not likely something a MINI dealer is going to do based on any particular review no matter how bad it is.

MINIUSA however might take exception to the overall content of the site and I would definitely understand (from their point of view) why they might try to have such a set of information removed.

 

wow its intense in here today.

I am at ottos tight now waiting for my service appointment. I'm early so I have time to kill, and I can think of no where better. So due to my bad experience last time around I specifically requested a mini loaner. Well there is a whiteboard with all of the customers names. Next to mine it says Ent, which I think means Enterprise. I think I may loose my temper if that happens.

 

I used to locate property for insurance purposes using only a box number and name for my job, it really doesn't take a lot of information to figure out who someone is if you know what to look for. Some people do no blur out their license plates, or proudly display them in their signatures. We here are quite enthusiastic about our activities and all you might need is to post a photo of your MINI and the next time you go in they can match it up to your vehicle. While this isn't 100%, a dealer who suspects isn't going to file a lawsuit, and doesn't need the burden of 100% proof. This would be especially easy in places where there is only one dealer in the state.

As for the legal thing in my previous post, a few people got arrested and decided to post details of their arrest on the forum, lawyers have advised that all information be removed until charges were dropped.

 

i have a black justacoop convertible for the moment, much better than that ford focus that I did have last time. So far the service was much better.

 

Thank you, first of all for fighting for OUR freedom!!! I have high respect for anyone in our Services... thank you.

I agree with you, I did not purchase my MINI to get free stuff. I purchased my car becuase I really wanted one. The issue I have mentioned in a past post, get angry for them not calling you back but don't get angry if they are trying to solve the situation!...
Thanks for speaking your mind-mrmrsjackson.

 

Well, I have good news! My MA seems to have woken up, he was very helpful yesterday....maybe he reads our thread? I feel much better about him and my information. He said that they could expect my MINI in on Friday assuming all goes as planned, and then all my dealer installs will get done (roof graphic, mirror caps, and tinting), and I could expect to pick it up Monday or Tuesday!!!! Whoo Hoo!

 

(singing) DChaps is going topless enjoy the ride!

 

spidrz- awesome news! Can't wait to see pics of the roof graphic, better yet, bet YOU can't wait to see it!!!

 

haha, I was infact topless in the rain for a little haha

 

We picked up our new MCS (unnamed) last night. Had a minor hassle about accessories - man, if we'd know what they were really going to cost us we'd have skipped them - but the important point is - she's home! Took us over an hour and a half at the dealer to sign paperwork and get keys - WAAAAAY too long. But they got our car to us in record time, so they'll still get good feedback from us when the survey comes in.Had a lovely little drive around last night playing with low-end torque and the cool mood lights. Break in period? What's a break in period?

 

It's not an "S" but hey, a MINI is a MINI!! Glad you're finally Motoring eventhough it's not your baby yet. Buttercup is cute! Have fun Motoring with her!

 

DChap topless?? Now this, I've got to see!

 

CONGRATS on bringing your baby home! Post pics!!

..hmm.. you're in Pasadena? Looks like krim will get Yuko first, and then I'll get PeeWee next!

 

yeah seriously "topless DChaps" needs to take pictures, we want pictures!!!

 

California folk getting their babies!!

 

Our dealer was in Calabasas, about 30 miles from the VDC, so we definitely were first in line for the CA delivery!!!

The drive OUT to Calabasas in evening traffic was almost enough to make us regret our choice... but the drive BACK made it all worthwhile!