I haven't been to the dealerships up north, but i've got mixed feelings about Crown. Since i bought a courtesy car, i delt with some used beemer sales man... who knew nothing about the car. I'd feel sorry for anyone else that didn't know anything about MINI's that bought from him. We signed all the papers, and then my dad brought up a few problems with the car... and since it was later in the day, they wanted to detail it for me... but that wouldn't be til morning. They fixed the issues, detailed the car out SPOTLESS and SPARKLY, and even brought it to my work with a full tank of gas the next day. But the dude tried to explain the features there, and i ended up schooling HIM.

I've gone in for service a few times for various problems, and have come home with my bags having been rummaged around in, a tool between my alternator and header, one of the caps open under the hood (cant remember which one now), a ding, scratched boot handle, and maybe it's all in my head.. but my box of canned cola that i forgot in my boot seemed a little lighter. I've had to come in a few times for the same problem, or their missing a part and have to order it. I wouldn't be so picky if i wasn't stretching to have this wonderful, newish car specifically for a warranty... since i got a little tired of constant maintenance on my other cars. And having just gotten into an accident with my last car, i didn't feel like doing the repairs in such a saddened state.

They always give me a wash, which i don't mind since they've probably washed it a billion times there since it was their loaner... but it's definitely not the best wash. Whats amazing is my 25k service went perfect. (after i called one of the service guys on a monday, and was never returned a call...) i requested to speak with Shawn Peace, who i absolutely adore. He's always friendly, and keeps me on top of what's going on. He even gave me a card that said please give 5's on the survey! But i would have anyhow. If it wasn't for him being there, i'd be pretty upset with their service.

 

Props to Will @ Tate for addressing this staright up!

 

This is the main reason why I ALWAYS empty my car completely of any personal items - heck, anything that doesn't come with the car. That way there's less chance it will be "misplaced" (accidentally OR deliberately), and I get peace of mind knowing that all of my "stuff" will be at home waiting for the car to come back from service.

Sure, it takes a little extra time, but if the service visit is planned, you can be darn sure it will be as empty as possible when I drop it off!

Why tempt people unnecessarily?

 

I really really try to be understanding with Tate and the new staff person who I meet over the phone today - BTW he already knew me by name...

In any case, it's not Will's fault but here the scenario.

On Aug. 15th the day after I discovered my MINI a/c leaks I called Tate. At this time - as I did two weeks prior- I complained that my tire sensor was not working. I made an appointment for Sept. 2nd. When I took my Little One back from service on the 2nd, the two problems were still present. (remember my tire sensor was "fixed" according to the paperwork) I was told that Tuesday (last week) my a/c part will come in and they will schedule me for service sometime this week. "No problem" I was not angry just annoyed that once again I was told "it's fixed" when it was not. But since I am a woman I can of expect this kind of attitude.. Plus because I have a foreign accent is expected that my knoweledge of the English language is limited...

So here since July my tire sensor doesn't work,my a/c leaks inside and since Aug.30 my top doesn't close tight. If it rains I must drive with an open umbrella or take a taxi... no bad for a 8,350 mile car.

This afternoon to my surprise I found out that I must wait until Sept 27th to take the car in. Now how can I be understanding and keep an open mind about Tate... wait a second I am a customer and since May 2003 we purchased 3 MINIs from Tate: 1 MCS $26K, MCC $24K and MCSC $28K; the last two were purchased at Tate because I was guaranteed a loaner in case I needed to leave the car in. I believed Tate so much that I cancelled my MCSC order from Townson (already paid the deposit, too) to buy from TATE. Of course, every time I am there I buy something from the shop (floor mats, reading lamp, pin, mouse pad etc) , last visit it was $65.00 for the 1:18 Die Cast MCC.

I can take a day off from work and drive to Towson and probably get the car fixed right the first time, but why make life easy for Tate? Buying a car from Tate and bring it to Towson for repairs is stupid plus Tate made a good deal of money from my purchases the minimum they can do is repair the darn thing right in the first place.

I don't have a personal beef with the Service person (from Kelly, to another guy, to Chris, and now Will , to the next guy to be hired) but I can't take it when people try to "Fool" with me or "Fool" with my money.

MD STREGA2

 

Okay, okay, okay...

Here's the deal: I'm trying to sift thru all these posts, all of which contain legitimate beefs. In the instance of the 27th, it goes as follows:

The drain tube in question was released for shipping today from England or Germany (not sure of the point of origin-its irrelevant, though) & ETA on part to dealer stock is Thursday or Friday of this week. The evaporator drain tube is not in stock with any other local dealers (or at least that is what we are told when calling around) and none were available in the country at the Mini Parts Distribution Center. Given that no part is in hand yet I'm reluctant to set an appointment for a car that I can't guarrantee we'll even be ready for. Theres no sense in the car sitting around waiting in limbo. The top issue I'm not familiar with, so I need some time to research this to figure IF any parts are needed.

What I explained was that yes, I can see the car earlier, but I am running into a loaner issue. For whatever reason, Tate does not allow me to use Enterprise for rentals without jumping thru some major hurdles, first. I think this sucks, it pretty much ties my hands behind my back to try & help people out. Do I think they should step up to plate & offer a car sooner? Absolutely, especially given the fact that the car has been in for prior repairs for the same problem. Regardless of whatever I think, I only have a limited pool to draw from for loaners so I can't offer something I don't have. This is a classic Tate problem, one that has actually gotten better (if you can believe that!) with time. Sadly, we are woefully understaffed & ill-equipped to handle a large volume nessecary to deal with situations like this. As I mentioned before, this whole mess is going to take time to resolve, I've only been there for 2 days now.

On a lighter note: it looks as if Mini service is finally getting out of the BMW service lane soon, thank god! Projected date for switching is Monday but nothing has been finalized, we still have some logistical issues to work out (waiting lounge area, my phone & printer, etc). So things are looking a bit better.

Folks, I can't stress to enough how bad things are behind the scenes-trust me when I say I'm on the firing line getting flak from customers as well as from inside . There is still a lot to be done, all I can do is ask for a bit more patience & understanding in this matter. Opening up on me with both barrels is NOT going to help the situation. Oh, and the survey thing is another topic alltogether but I won't go into that now. In the meantime, relax, it's going to get fixed just work with me here. K?

Cheers!
Will Mitchell
Tate Mini Service

 

Will - thanks for taking the time to post on the forums - that takes a lot of cajones and is appreciated. You've earned yourself a lot of respect (in my eyes) by doing that.

I understand you're under a lot of challenges (a lot of them out of your control - old school mentality at Tate) - I think that by being honest as you are, being proactive we can work with you on getting Tate from being one of the worst places to get your MINI serviced to becoming one of best.

Now can you find out about that dang rear fog wiring harness for my early build 2005 MCS? Tate installed it but didn't realize that I am not equipped with the harness. :-)

 

I always leave my bag of stuff in there because it has tools and cleaning supplies. I'm a forgetful person, so i know if i take it out, it won't go back in for another few weeks Ok, it's happened before. After they questioned me on a product in there, and said that it does not belong in a mini, i left the bag in there the next time, but at the last minute put a do not touch sign on it. It was not touched.

But the last visit with the cans, i intended on taking the box with me to work with my ride... but i completely forgot since it was 6:15 in the morning when i dropped the car off, lol. No worries... i hope if anyone did take any, they were happy enough to do a great job on my mini with their thirsts quenched

 

I am happy to hear from the SA himself that at least he is not to blame for all the BS @ Tate :smile: . Welcome and I hope you can help straigten out Tate.

 

Aw Will, you poor guy. I guess some venting is inevitable. Thanks for taking the time to personally explain stuff and try not to take it personally. As you work towards rectifying Tate, we'll all calm down....I hope.

 

From what I can tell, no one here is mad at Will... Firstly Tate service, and secondly the situation they've been putting us in.

Will, I also appluad you for getting on the NAM forums here, and at least making yourself availible to the DCMM community. It shows a great deal of respect and initiative, and is very appreciated by all.

Good luck with Tate, as you are in the mix, and the rest of us are looking in from the outside. But if you need something from us as well, just ask. Tate is the closest dealership for many of us, and if theres a possibility to help make it better, many of us will.

r/
William/Wagnbat

 

Good for you for stepping up

One question. How many loaner cars do you have and if you have no MINIs to loan, do you loan out BMWs?

 

my bad experiences with tate service don't even involve actual service.

i'm a grad student, and throughout the summer i was bouncing around the country going to conferences. i tried to call and squeeze in a service appointment (my first, one-year service) and no one answered. left a message, no call back.

so i tried the online form. which i loved! ...at first. i'm en engineer. i love techie stuff and efficiency...

until they never responded to it. i filled it out twice. no answer.

once i finally got through, the only appointment i could get was a month away! and coincidentally, during another trip i had to take.

i asked about the online form, they said it works... sometimes.

and my engineering brain thought, "well if it doesn't work ALL the time, either take it down or fix it!"

...then i called towson, which is quite a haul from college park, and they answered both my online submission AND my phone message. and got an appointment for four days later!

then the carwash loosened up the right front moulding over my wheel. which flew off during the drive home.

although wayne was happy to have me drop in the next day and have it fixed... i still burned a lot of gas...

oh and, i too had a negative sales experience at sterling. they didn't seem to want to give me the time of day when i came in... and then didn't explain that the deposit for ordering was fully refundable (hey, this is my first new car... how was i to know?). it was like pulling teeth to get any info outta the dude.

 

Will,

Thanks a lot for stepping up, being honest, and explaining the situation! It's definitely a step in the right direction. And, as you said, you've only been there two days, it'll take a bit to fix things and make things right. But it can be done! (For example, in a lot of people's eyes, Sterling made a 180 degree turn from a dealership to avoid like the plague to one of the favored palces to go in the past half-year!)

Thanks for posting!

-Paul!

 

OK, this just BEGS the question... what was the product that "does not belong in a mini"? Inquiring minds want to know.

On another note, more kudos to Will for stepping up to the plate and checking out DCMM's little slice of NAM. Thanks a million - if only all of the SAs and MAs paid as much attention as you have already done!

 

gallon bottle of acetone (nail polish remover) left over from removing the airbag stickers??

 

Wow, that's a LOT of acetone. Can't imagine the stench (and damage) if the bottle leaked after taking a few hard corners. :smile:

I agree, shouldn't be in a MINI.

 

I can help you out by giving you the part numbers needed for this job...I just had it completed last week on my 05 MCS. I'm not sure if you only need the harness or the other parts as well, so here is everything I needed:

Rear fog light: 63-24-7-166-015 amt $20.75
Switch: 61-31-6-917-993 amt $75.00
Wiring Harness Rear: 63-12-0-406-620 $17.50

The labour was quoted as 3 hours but because my car went thru the evaporator hose issue as well and I was without my car for 12 days (my dealer was also waiting for the part to be released) I was charged 1 hr.

 

Excellent - Will can you assist in getting that part?

 

At the last visit I was given ( after pushing) a new BMW X3. Once I had the breaks issue (car needed new front and back) and while Tate told me " the first I can see you is in two weeks .." Towson told me to get in IMMEDIATELY and if they did not have a MINI will give a BMW, but ended up at Tate and got a MINI (RG) loaner

What I find surprising about loaners with Tate they own the Chevy dealer on the same lot. Loaners should not be a problem at Tate.

MD STREGA2

 

Funny how when the SAs answer the fone, it's always "Tate BMW". I feel like saying, excuse me for the wrong number, I was looking for Tate MINI.

 

Power steering fluid. Then they looked at me like i was a total moron when i said i only use it to shine up my plastic and rubber under the hood. I hadn't even used it on the mini... i used it on my miata since so much rubber was exposed under the hood. I just threw it in my supply bag in the mini. I'm sure if they noticed there were actually 2 bottles, they would have really freaked out.

 

I still have my airbag sticker on there. It's important when you look 12 for everyone to know that airbag could kill you

 

Towson put me in a 2 ton truck for a loaner because they have enterprise rent-a-car on site, and the enterprise rep said they were out of everything smaller. I wish I could have gotten a Mini or beamer...

 

Actually the other day when I called to talk with Will, I chat with sales first (coodinating the BBQ) and when I got transfered to the receptionist who - after I asked to .. :Talk to Will the new service mgr. " - questioned me by " Do you own a MINI?"
I felt like answering " No , I own an Alfa Romeo (I do miss her sometimes!!) and I was calling MINI sevice because I have nothing better to do" but I behaved ( I swear) and answered " No, I own two."

MD STREGA2

 

I got my 'Rate your Towson mini experience' survey today. All 5's except for 'convience getting to Towson for service'... Gave them a 3, since they're 6 times further from me than Tate, though that's not their fault.

They left a nice space for me to write some comments in at the end, but it wasn't unlimited. What I wrote is it, because it wouldn't let me write anymore.