I called up on Saturday as I got a tire warning light (I reset it and it seemed fine). Called back Monday around 11:30 as I hadn't gotten a call back. Decided to go there to make sure there wasn't a probem.

When I got there I was told service moved, go to the orange cone. Parked, went inside. All the sales reps on the phone, no signs about service. Someone got off the phone and after waiting a minute (with them staring intently at their computer) I asked what to do about service. They pointed to the corner. And said to talk to the person at the desk. I went there, and no one was there. So I go back and ask if they are on lunch. No he'll 'be right back' was the response.

I wait for 10 minutes and no one shows. So I ask again. They give me some grief and finally agree to page him. I wait another 10 minutes and the service person comes in. This is when I find out that Adam is gone, no idea why, and the new person doesn't bother to introduce himself or apologize for the delay.

They checked it out, no problems and I left.

Anyone know where Adam went? Service at Patrick sucks without him, if I want to be treated like crap I'll go back to Audi. Are there any other mod friendly dealers around the suburbs?

 

That really sucks to hear. Adam was real cool.

I wish Motorwerks (Barrington) would carry MINI's... i bought 2 of my
Infiniti's there and they have yet to dissappoint. they always have
free loaners too, if you let them know before hand.

i know i'll be getting my future 3-series from there.

 

My first new car was bought from motorworks, a Honda. Every time I went in there I felt like the red headed step child. When my dad bought a Porshce there it was like night and day, service was impeccable for him. Same thing seems to happen at Patrick lately, you have a BMW and are treated well, get a Mini and get ignored. I hated the days when Adam was off, now he's gone, it stinks.

 

^^ Got a response from Patrick that the service department issues
were taken care and Blake along with Shane are the new team.

so, give them another try... i suppose.

About MW, it's like going to Tiffany's. wear appropriate attire. jk
ive always been treated well there.

 

Are you sure he's gone? as in not working there anymore? Perhaps he was just not there that day. Seems odd since they just started to send out mass emails to MINI owners from Patrick saying to go see Adam.

it does stink if it's true. he was really cool with me.

 

Yes, he's gone. And this incident happened yesterday, so apparantly their problems are just beginning.

The sad part is it wasn't just their service, the sales team was too busy surfing the net and deciding what type of salad to have for lunch (yes when you talk across the room everyone hears you), and making calls to even look up or acknowledge my presence. Initially they didn't know if I was there for service or to buy a new Mini and left me standing there.

 

My car is there for service now, see my other thread. I asked for adam Monday morning to see what the deal was. I was transferred to Blake's VM without being told Adam was gone. I was confused, same thing. I left a message. Never got a call back. At 1pm I called again, mind you AAA had my car and were supposed to drop it off in the morning, and that's when they tell me Adam is gone and my car just got there.

I talked to Blake about the problem and told him about some warranty issues the car had and if they could work on it at the same time since the car was already there. He said sure.

If I hadn't called at 5:30pm, I wouldn't know what was going on. He seems very out of it, there were no notes on my car. It's tuesday almost Noon. No one has called me back today when I can pick up my car.

This is very dissapointing and hope it's not a trend.

 

hope its not a trend. I certainly know how it feels to be ignored, but at least i knew things were improving dramatically with Adam. He was getting way better at answering voicemails.. quickly... and staying at his desk instead of running around.

I do think the service desk should not be in the show room though. Just adds to the confusion of what your there for, sales or service.

 

is yours red with white stripes? I saw the truck arriving around noon yesterday.

 

Yep. That's mine...go check on it for me! I wish.

Sad part is that AAA told me it would be there by 9AM.

 

The Drive to Naperville will be well worth it, Trust Me!

 

but are they mod friendly? Thats important... for various reasons. Its also quite a drive for me.

 

As far as MW goes I have sen several used MINIs there (even stopped by just to stare some nights before I owned a MINI).

I've been vary pleased with Knauz, mod friendly (not a word about my ALTA and I regularly see a MINI that has more aftermarket than OEM there). And I can always go test everything out with a cruise down Sheridan Rd.

I've never had to leave a VM with them and If I email I get a response within 30 min, usually much less.

I typically got to Matt or Rick for an SA and Ceaser has done most (if not all) of the work on my car there. Very pleased, give them a call.

 

Okay folks - time for some damage control. Adam is in fact no longer with us. Yes, some degree of transitional pains will inevitabley occur when there is staff turnover. This holds true for most any business. Some of you were obviously attached to Adam and have taken the change personally. Patrick prides itself on the relative longevity of it's employee retention. I personally drive 40 miles one-way right past Naperville and Westmont and could easily find employment closer to home. I choose to drive to Schaumburg. I've worked in those other locations but no operation comes close to the integrity of The Patrick Dealer Group (IMHO).

I'm not making any excuses for anyone - I'm just saying this situation was anticipated and every effort was made to minimize the impact.

The two Service Consultants in place are sincere and will in time earn your respect and loyalty. I agree it is awkward with the Sales & Service all under one roof for the moment. We've made evry effort to make a clear distinction between "showroom" and the designated Service Reception and waiting area. More often than not, we (Sales) do in fact recognize the difference between a potential prospect and Service Customer so the approach needs to be tailored to each individual's expectations. That is a fine line we walk in Sales as many folks feel intimidated or pressured. Sorry if we've offended anyone - we do in fact appreciate the feedback and will use it to our advantage for improvement.

 

I had good luck with Adam, he was quite attentive to detail and did enjoy having him as a service advisor. I haven't had much work done with Shane or Blake, but i will have to agree that the phone call issue is a problem. I've left a few voicemails that took a day or two for him to respond, or not at all when i gave up and called back. To be honest, i did have the same problems with Adam, it seemed i had to be aggressive about constantly calling to get a question answered or an update on the progress on my service. I don't know if it's the volume of work being done over there or what, but it does get frustrating at times.

 

hummm.. interesting. I guess this might explain why there was a butt-load of MINIs at Knauz for serious work, bumping my MOT tune-up to today.
Great guys there, and plenty of MINIs to peruse in the lot!

 

I second that!!! I bought both of my Coopers at Bill Jacobs when I lived in Naperville. Now that I'm in Schaumburg, I'm 2 minutes from Patrick, but this isn't sounding good. May have to make the trek back down there!

 

I never had my MINI serviced at Patrick, (I do buy my parts there because its closer to home) but at Knauz I have never had a bad service experience. It's always "What can we do for you today", "Anything else you need", "Lets change those wiper blades while you're still under warrenty". However when I was rear ended last summer I had the body work done there, and when I was tracking down this infernal squeek from the trunk area I found that I was missing 2 plastic expanding rivets, and 2 others were broken but still reused. It was a $0.11 part, I replaced them for $0.44. I don't know if they were overlooked (possibly if they were busy), or just trying to save half a buck. Ahhhh much better, I needed to vent that out. At least im glad that they forgot a bolt that keeps the bumper from squeeking instead of a bolt that keeps the bumper from falling off.

 

Kevin, I appreciate the post. I fully understand that people move on for any number of reasons, that’s not the issue. The issues are:

Treat your customers with respect, that means keeping them informed and having someone available to talk to them. A lack of signage about where service is and what to do, not returning calls for days, no one manning the service desk, and failure to greet people that walk in the door, regardless of their reason for being there, doesn't cut it. This is especially important as BMW and MINI send out surveys asking for our, the customer’s, opinions which, if I'm not mistaken, have an impact on your MINI allocation.

Personal relationships. Obviously MINI owners have a sense of community, these forums are an example. One thing that Adam did that made him well liked was to talk to people, he made sure you knew who he was. I had not experienced this in any other dealership that I’ve visited before, it was a welcome change. He went out of his way to help and reassure me when I had problems, and I had a few (pulley squeal from day 1, blew a tire, and other misc ‘quirks’). That just didn't happen with me the other day. I felt more like I was an inconvenience, there was no personal touch. They didn’t even ask if I wanted my car washed, something that You guys always used to do, even if I just stopped by with a question.

When I was sold my car I was told about Patrick's excellent service, up until my last visit I got it. I'm hoping to see it again because I do have a choice of who gets my business and if I don’t find it at one place I will go to another. That said I’m sure I’ll be in sometime this summer for my 10k check up. We’ll see how it goes. To anyone else, don’t judge them by my words, see for yourself. I may have just caught them on a bad day. Rest assured I will not hesitate to give praise or comment on a bad experience.

 

I do appreciate Kevin's efforts. Last night I was in a bit of jammed and he stayed late waiting for me in order to help me resolve my situation with my car.

I've never had any problems with my car in the past at Patrick and I'm not sure how long have the issues been going on. But I understand how it is when theres a transition. I will give Patrick Mini every chance in the world. It is convenient for me and I enjoyed the experience I had when I purchased my car 2 years ago. But if the service has gone down and it's not corrected then I will take my car somewhere else. I hope that's not the case.

 

I had to drop off my Mini yesterday for a quick look at the "thump"....er ok listen I guess. It was the half shaft problem and they got me zipped up much quicker than I anticipated. I had a loaner thinking overnight repair and they had my car available later that eve. I was able to shoot back over there in the loaner convertible and enjoy a little extra evening ride. Shane had set up leaving the keys at the bmw desk since I was going to be getting there after the service dept close. I walked in the door just before 9:00 and after briefly being handed the wrong key by the desk was off and running after Kevin grabbed the right one for me. I think the visibility of the service "section" is much better than when I was in there a couple of months ago. Perhaps because I was more specific in looking for it? Either way no complaints. Shane seemed on top of the situation. I really like the e-mail update when the service was completed. Thanks...

 

^^ Excellent! im looking forward to my visit in a few months.

 

Actually, had to go there this week as my a/c started blowing hot air.
took my MCS in Mon where Blake helped me out, got the replacement
part yesterday, and a/c line replaced this morning. Shane did a good
job, the warranty service itself was quick, they have a nice waiting
area too. I was treated very well and my car is fixed. thanks to
the techs too.

Their service dept can probably use a receptionist who can take down
service appointments via phone to help Blake and Shane out. Customers
tend to come in crowds so their hands get tied sometimes.

Also, while I was over there, i over heard some customers that are
very demanding. They selfishly hog up Blake and Shane so it's difficult
for them to pickup the phone.

I look forward to getting my Inspection1 done there along with a coolant
flush... maybe i'll throw in an alignment too.

Well, that's my review of Patrick's Service.

 

Adam here..

First off, thanks for all the love and support. I miss my customers very much...you know who you are!

Patrick tries to keep up with their clientele as best as they can. MINI owners are unique individuals and in my eyes are treated better than BMW customers. Give Blake and Shane a chance, as you know, my shoes are very big and can't quite be filled in the same way. (Although they will try!) I've had a rough last year personally, I wish that had not gotten in the way of doing what I do best...taking care of awesome customers like yourselves. The coordination and customer awarreness skills that Kevin (Sales Manager) posess makes him indespensible to the delearship and you. He is THA MAN. If he can't get it done, he will find someone who can. I know many of you have not had the pleasure of working with him because that was my job, to keep it from going to that point. But he can and will make you as happy as I did.

This overdesigned and thrillseeking automobile is something that has touched me in a way I will never forget. In my daily routines I catch myself waving at other MINI owners, you should see the look on their faces when I'm driving by in my Mitsubishi. (I'm so jealous!)

I've yet to find another car that can outhandle a MINI. (Sorry Porshe) I really tried...I took one out for a spin-NO CONTEST!

MNI is not really mini at all...

MINI is...

"Home of the flying turns!"

I never thought when I first started off with this company that I would understand MINI's and their owners, now I know, MINI is a way of life!
I will always love the time I had at Patrick and will miss it dearly.

Good luck to you all - hope to see you again. Keep Motoring!

 

You are very sorely missed, Adam. Best of luck to you and if you end up at another MINI dealership, please let us know so I know where to bring my MINI. I'm originally from NJ and you took care of me a few times, most notably on an occasion when my clutch failed on a roadtrip through Chicago. Most importantly, you always treated me like my MINI was special, going above and beyond (as i'm sure you did with all your customers). Take care brotha.

ps - i just spoke to Patrick MINI trying to reach Shane for service and now apparently Shane is gone as well. What's going on over there? I'm gonna start another thread about this and hope that WindyCity can clear things up.