Check out this new article from Autoweek. Anyone get the mints?

Special Service Mini owners no longer have to be lumped in with BMW service
By DIANA T. KURYLKO | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS

AutoWeek | Published 08/21/06, 11:46 am et


Mini USA executives say they should have known.

The more than 10,000 owners who give their cars cutesy names such as "Peaches" and "Spike" and treat them like pets felt awkward having their tiny cars wedged between costly BMWs at dealership service lines. A BMW executive says Mini owners "felt like second-class citizens."

So when the first J.D. Power and Associates Customer Service Index ranked Mini 39th in 2005, headquarters knew something had to be done. It was the first year Mini was eligible for the highly regarded survey since the brand went on sale in the United States in March 2002. The survey measures satisfaction with dealership maintenance work in the first three years of ownership.

The solution wouldn't be simple. Only eight of Mini's 80 dealers are stand-alones. The rest are within BMW stores.

So Mini borrowed practices from the hotel industry, such as leaving Mini-branded mints on the seats after service. And it urged dealers to separate Mini service from BMW -- but in a way that would not require a major investment.

Big jump in score

The program called for Mini signs, new clothing for service technicians and special service and waiting areas. Most dealerships also added dedicated Mini service personnel.

After 25 to 30 percent of Mini dealers made changes, the brand's Customer Service Index score jumped to ninth in the 2006 J.D. Power survey, which was released last month. Mini was the most improved brand in this year's rankings, moving up 46 points, to 890 out of 1,000. The industry average was 873.

"When we first launched, we knew we had had a good brand and purchase experience. But Mini owners felt they were second-class citizens in the service area," says Richard Steinberg, manager of aftersales and product strategy for Mini, in Woodcliff Lake, N.J. "We were getting dinged by quality at the service level."

The shared service areas were a fact of life Mini had to deal with, says Steinberg. "We knew we could not do brick and mortar," he says. "So we looked at facilities, personnel and branding."

The changes were aimed at the attitudes that Mini owners have toward their cars, Steinberg says. "A Mini owner wants to be involved and acts like he is taking the dog to the vet," he says.

"We didn't add any dealer points but were able to improve within the existing physical structure. We tried to knock off each one of the symptom areas on J.D. Power, one by one."

Even the waiting area made a difference, he says.

"A lot of the Mini guys didn't like waiting in the white-and-gray BMW area watching the BMW guys watching CNN, so they'd wander back into the Mini showroom."

Tom Schwartz, owner of Cincinnati Mini in Cincinnati, says he has radically changed how Mini owners are treated. He started before Mini began its program and was the inspiration for some of the ideas.

"It is working very well -- Mini is now 25 percent of my total business," says Schwartz. "People who name their cars need to be treated much better than someone who throws you the keys and says, 'I'm late for a meeting.'"

Cues from hotels

Mini didn't stop there. "We took tips from the hospitality business," says Steinberg.

Leaving mints on the seat was one step. And, as hotels wrap toilet seats with paper to show that they have been cleaned, Mini now wraps vehicle steering wheels with paper.

Instead of putting a sticker on the windshield indicating when the next oil change is due, Mini has developed a series of stickers that go in the same place. The sayings include: "Don't be afraid of nicks and dings. Scars are sexy."

Mini still has to deal with problems such as geography. Between 10 and 15 percent of its owners have to drive 50 miles to the dealer, says Steinberg.

Because Minis aren't as scarce as they were two years ago, many dealers now provide Mini loaner cars, he says.

But some dealers have come up with even more innovative solutions.

Schwartz offers to drive Mini owners back to work or home and then bring them back to the dealership when the car is ready.

 

No mints; no paper on steering wheel; no sticker on windshield.

Plenty of big BMW's in the way.

 

Back in April, I got a vinyl white electrostatic decal that states, "Always keep the tank half full. Inspiration may be at the next light." They put it up where the oil change information usually goes, and I was surprised to see it. No mints, though.

 

Biggest difference I see at my dealer between MINI and BMW service are the working hours. BMW techs have to work in Saturday where as the MINI techs have off.

 

At my local dealer, the MINI building is separate from the BMW building. Actual service is done in the BMW shop, but your car is picked up and delivered back to you at the MINI shop. I kind of agree with the original article's take on MINI versus BMW owners. Many Bimmerphiles are quite attached to their cars too, but there is also a high percentage of poseurs who just bought for the prestige and treat their cars like appliances.

 

That would be me.

My dealer apparently threw out the memo. They told me once that their loaners are for BMW customers only. But they do include a free swirl mark carwash.

 

Is no where near a bmw dealership. There's a separate waiting room with a nice plasma tv, free coffee and plenty of mags. The only thing missing is a place to buy snacks within walking distance. Great place.

 

No mints with my service in early August. No paper on steering wheel. Did get a 5 series BMW loaner, but couldn't wait to give it back. Will request Mini loaner specifically next time.

 

East Bay is laid out...oddly. The MINI and BMW buildings are seperate, but they are on the same lot and for all practical purposes, they don't "feel" seperate to me. And every time I've been there, you have to dodge Beemers that take up all the "customer"/"visitor" spaces AND all the room curbside. And when you purchase a MINI, they tell you there are no loaners and you have to sign an agreement acknowledging this. I don't know if that applies to non-regular maintenance though.

I love this quote: