I have been dealing with MINI UK and the BMW Group of North America for a few weeks now, due to poor service from my dealership. After about six or seven calls to the BMW Group, my case manager and I have come to the conclusion that MINI USA \ BMW Group of North America can do nothing to a dealership for poor handling of a sale, or anything to do with sale, for that matter, other than call them and ask them to fix the problem... (I will take care of that when I get my MINI after the sale survey)

Fast forward, I told the case manager that we want our MINI Adventure kits, which might make my wife happy with MINI again. (not really, but it's some neat trinkets she can fiddle around with) Since we purchased two MINIs at the same time, it's the least they can do, after the horrid treatment we got from our dealer. He told me that we cannot request a replacement Adventure Kit until nine weeks after the purchase.

This was news to me, as I didn't know you could request them at all! So, if you haven't received your Adventure kit, call 866.ASK.MINI and let em know!

Gluck

 

Is the Adventure kit really enough to keep you a customer? I found most of the stuff in there to be kinda worthless. Pen and pad were neat...

What happened during you sale? (Link to thread?)

 

Well, the unusual thing about diehard MINI owners is that we love our cars even though we've had poor service. Is it enough to get me to go back to Ralph Schomp? Hell no. But it's still a neat after the sale buncha gifts that I have yet to see from any other manufacturer. I still use my pad from my 2005 MINI, simply because it has a picture of my favorite car on the cover, lol.

With regards to what happened with my sale... I will just list a few things.

1) They took our Expedition in trade, and then failed to pay off the loan, and asked us to cover the difference in daily compound interest.

2) They sold us our first Clubman, with all the paperwork signed and out the door, and called two weeks later to tell us they did the loan wrong and we had to return the Clubman with Navi for a Clubman without Navi. (wife was REALLY mad about this... I was actually surprised by how emotionally attached she got to the Navi, lol)

3) They promised to overnight us the Navi DVD, as they couldn't find it for the Clubman the night we bought it. Never was mailed. Then, a week later I got fed up and drove up to Denver (100 miles or so) and picked up the disc. Got it home, it didn't work.

4) They promised to get us a brand new Navi Disc. Ordered it, came in two days later, promised to have someone drive it down to us and personally make sure it worked... Never showed up, never called to say they couldn't make it, etc.

5) Promised us a NEW Clubman at a better price and better rate than the original Clubman, minus the Navi. When the Hot Chocolate Clubman was done with detail, we checked it out, and my wife immediately noticed 6k miles on it. We were assured it was an "executive demo" and never titled, so it was new. New to me is not what I concider "New".

6) Offered to give us back our Expedition and start over. When I said yes to that, they realized they had already sent it to auction, and our sales lady told me we couldn't get it back...

7) When we were up to exchange the MINIs, the Sales Manager and finance specialist who messed up our original transaction, and promised us a "new" vehicle in exchange never once stopped by to apologize, say hi, tell us about the "new" vehicle, etc. The cowards stayed in the back of the dealership and wouldn't even make eye contact.

8) It took MINI UK contacting the BMW Group of North America, and then BMW contacting the MINI dealer to finally get to speak to the General Manager of the dealership. This was after a threat to BMW that if our Expedition loan wasn't paid in full by the end of the day, I was going to the Colorado Attorney General. Then, miraculously, the General Manager called my wife directly and told us it was taken care of.

9) This one really made me chuckle... when we went up to the dealer to take delivery of the "new" car, our saleslady came out and said "Hey, what's up? My sales manager said you guys were coming up to get a new car, and that you were a little upset... what happened?" I felt bad for her, because she did a great job selling us the vehicles, knew the cars, was extremely friendly, even gave us a few items after the purchase of two MINI Coopers... just to be blind sided with my anger that she had no idea why we were there to exchange cars.

So, will I ever go back to Ralph Schomp MINI? Nope. But, as Karma would have it, MINI of Loveland Colorado opens on the 26th of this month. I am going to be their biggest proponent, as I still love the MINI!

 

WOW, What a story. That beats all.!!

 

Y'know, I couldn't wait to get my Adventure Kit in the mail. When it arrived, I was pretty underwhelmed The only item worth keeping IMO is the ink pen. The notepad would be okay, had they not bound the paper upside-down / backwards in the cover.

The antenna topper is cool, but I anticipate it'd last on my car <24 hours before someone with sticky fingers took it.

And FWIW - when I called Mini USA to just ask if they still sent them out, I was told to give it 4 weeks.

 

So the reason why they give Adventure Kits is because of poor service? So I guess MINI did get my complaint email. I have to agree that I was underwhelmed by what I received. Even the ink pen was poor quality. OH well...

 

Thats is an amazing story! I guess being from the NY metro area and having 4 dealers within 1 hour keeps them all working for your business. Both of my sales experiences at Prestige Mini were fantastic and when the car needed service the service department is top notch.

 

That's horrible! It's incredible that a dealership can be that inconsiderate. Well, I'm glad that they will finally have competition. My major was econ and, with the exception of a few very rare instances, a monopoly in one area is never a good thing. It sounds like this is the case for that dealership. I hope that you enjoy your Mini's and that after owning her Mini for a while your wife will forget all of the pain that y'all went through to get them!

 

Oh how I wish there was another dealer anywhere close... this would have never happened. The next closest dealer is down in New Mexico, roughly six hours away. And I totally agree that monopolies of this nature are really bad for the consumer. But, MINI of Loveland sounds neat so far, and isn't a terrible drive from us, so it will be our Preferred dealer in the MINI Owners Lounge from now on. We were even invited to the dealership for the grand opening \ MINI 50th celebration, so I am excited.

Regarding the Adventure Kit, I know it's full of trinkets, but, to be honest, I think its one of the things that makes owning a MINI neat. Now, when I purchased a Dodge Magnum SRT-8, it came with a free day at the track where you get to take out every Dodge vehicle that is SRT-8 and take em out on the track for laps, 1\4's, etc... but that was a 50k car, lol. No one ever waved at me in my Magnum, cept for maybe the gas station owner who loved the way my car drank gas!

Another neat fact I found out... every person who I spoke with at MINI USA (866.ASK.MINI) actually works at the BMW Group of North America... and each and every one drives a BMW. Made me semi irritated, as the two case managers from MINI UK have been driving MINIs since 03!

 

Hmmm, that is quite a story...WOW! I did have something simular to you. My dealer Ferman mini in Clearwater Florida had some trouble paying of my BMW X3...that is until I threatened to get the Attorney General involved and I produced the paper work to BMW financial. No one from Ferman Mini has even called to check up with me after the sale.

I just got the survey in the mail plus another survey from JD Power arrived....hummm guess how I am grading this dealership?