Found these clips while reading www.autoextremist.com:

"Ford, Chrysler, Toyota. The big losers in the J.D. Power Customer Service Index Study? Ford, Chrysler and believe it or not, Toyota, were all under the industry average. The Chrysler Group really took it on the chin with its four brands. Mazda, Land Rover and VW can't be thrilled either. The bottom eighteen: Ford 859, Chrysler 858, Subaru 850, Jeep 848, Nissan 847, Plymouth 847, Toyota 845, Dodge 843, Mazda 843, Land Rover 841,--> MINI 838<---, Mitsubishi 834, Hyundai 832, Volkswagen 821, Kia 813, Suzuki 809, Isuzu 786 and Daewoo 754."


"MINI. Yeah, the advertising is cute and occasionally clever, and Crispin Porter + Bogusky is doing its best to maintain the momentum and the Mini "buzz" - but at the end of the day if your core customers aren't being taken care of in the service bay, none of the clever advertising matters one iota. Brand loyalty has become so precarious in this market, and people have such notoriously short attention spans, that if they have one bad experience, they just don't come back. Period. Mini will have to fight to make sure they don't create a legion of nothing but first-time buyers - and right now, we're not optimistic they can do it."


I hope MINIUSA is paying close attention to these low scores and begins to shift away from their current policy of "Its between you and your dealer and whether the dealer screws you up or not, is not our problem". This policy is quickly catching up with MINIUSA and could have serious future repercussions.

The time has come to roll up the sleeves and crack down on dealerships that provide less than acceptable customer service.


The sad thing about these statistical studies is that the "Good Guys" and "Good Apples" never get to shine through.


Comments?

 

Unfortunately, I have become so jaded with my treatment by dealership service departments (not just MINI) that I have learned to expect to absolutely despise the companies that sell me the cars I love.

My feeling is that BMW really doesnt want us to buy MINI's. They want us to buy one MINI and then upgrade to a BMW. That would be a good marketing plan to get people that might normally not look at a BMW into the showrooms, but if we are treated poorly then we will end up less likely to buy their more expensive cars.

But nobody else makes a MINI, so I will just have to be content with the service I do get.

Makes me think that I should let the service advisor know that they are starting off with a 1 star customer service rating and they have to earn the other 4 stars if they want me to give them positive feedback when I am called for the customer service survey.

 

Not to take the side of the dealers, but you've got to keep one thing in mind with a survey like this. It's a lot like my job as a computer techboy, you're usually catching people at their worst. When they are having a problem, and so many people these days don't have any tollerance for problems. "It's a computer, it should work perfectly 100 percent of the time"! Same with cars. From the looks of that poll, there aren't many cars left, it seems most of the ones left are very high priced vehicles, and when you spend that kind of dough they better kiss your bottom when you take it in. And from there numbering, does that mean there's still 700+ brands to be counted??

I know, i too have had some horrendous trips to the dealer, it just seems this poll is heavily lopsided! I had an awful experience when i went to my local MINI dealer to buy a car, so i went to the next closest dealer 2 hrs away and bought one. You hear this happening all over the place, but it doesn't seem to hurt or affect the dealers that aren't getting the business!? And when it has to be serviced, i'm gonna have to go to the closer one as opposed to the one that's 2 hrs away. I'll have to deal with lousy service too i guess, but what are my options? It's a don't care thing, if they WANTED to give good service, they would. If they WANTED happy customers, they would make us happy! But they've learned that they don't have to try and we still have to bring our cars in, so why SHOULD they try?!

I'm not the expert here, this is just my humble opinion, and it's sticking to me.

 

Me too. I had a pretty bad experience at my dealer's service dept as well.

It was the BMW guys that left a bad after taste. The MINI service advisor
was 'okay.'

 

bmw has always been terrible at service.. i've had the priviledge of working with a dealership that's actually detatched from a bmw one (mini woodbridge) and their service advisor, their services and their promptness is almost unreal compared to the dealer treatment i got when i had a problem with my S at a dealer where bmw service guys are in charge

 

I think you bring up an excellent point: BMW and MINI service bays should be fully segregated from each other.

 

Mini scores poorly in customer service? What a surprise!

I don't think BMW really cares as long as their distributor, MINI USA, moves product. (Which they do exceptionally well...)

 

I've been lucky that my local MINI dealer has provided me with very good service so far. This is not a criticism of them at all. But I think there is a problem in the industry, that I've seen at the MINI dealership, and a local Honda dealership where my daughter got a car recently.

Both dealerships have programs to contact you after the fact and get feedback on how you were treated. But they don't really want to know! At both locations I've been told (in one way or another) that any mark below excellent will have dire results for the person that I've dealt with. Its clear that they don't want to hear what was good and what could be improved. They just want to hear that everything's wonderful. I don't want the decent individuals I've dealt with to be punished because their employers have flawed systems. So, when they contact me, I just tell them what they want to hear. And so, cluelessly on they sail...

 

MINI didn't lose me as a customer due to poor service - I was lucky enough to have 2 very good dealerships within an hour or less from me. They always came through IMHO and I would recommend them highly. But it's clear that not all owners are so lucky, and continued trips to a dealer for the same problem is enough for some people to abandon the brand.

 

I have had nothing but the best of service from the Two MINI dealers I have used. MINI of Nashville is who I normally use, but I did use Hank Aaron in Atlanta while on a trip. Both are super.


What I do see a lot of in East TN is people buying used cars off of lots and getting skinned. They are often given misinformation on warrenties, etc. forced/blinked into going to non-MINI dealers for unneeded work only to find they may have vioded the warrenty when something really goes wrong, or when the meet a MINI owner that can set them straight.

Who gets the black eye? MINI. It is shameful what car lots are doing to MINI.

Motor on

 

I go to Motor City MINI, which most people have a problem with. However, I have been there numberous times and have only had one bad experience. Their service techs are friendly and helpful. The last time i was in for service, I was scheduled to be dropped off by their shuttle service, however the manager saw me waiting there and had them give me a loaner, even though I didn't ask for it. That was a very nice gesture in my eyes.

 

That is manipulative and they should not be setting this sort of expectation on a customer. "dire results" is also b/s. That implies being fired or sent to the woodshed. I just don't believe it.

I got that same line from the guy at the dealer where we purchased a 2004 325ci (my wife's car.) Buying the car was easy, a nice experience (for once!) However, I thought about that pitch for a while, and when BMW sent the survey, I decided to tell the truth, from my view. I almost never give anyone a "10" on anything. No one is that perfect. So screw them if they ask if something could be a 10 and I give them an 8 or 9. Tough luck, that's life.

Now, on the other hand, if the service advisor is female and she asked me to give her an excellent rating, I'd respond with "put on the knee pads."

:smile:

Phil

 

Well, I am really speaking from a limited experience being that I've only had my MINI for a couple of weeks. However, my experience with the MINI Service department here in Oklahoma City has been superb. I had a laundry list of items to be installed by them which they handled extremely well. They sub-contracted the application of the Invisishield and sent it back three times when the quality of the work didn't match the dealer’s expectations. Additionally, while all this was going on they gave me a 2001 325 CI to drive around in. I think there is a real range of quality in the dealerships. Because there are so many fewer BMW dealerships (not to mention MINI dealerships) in the US I think the rotten apples glare out a bit more than with let say with any one Ford dealership.

Objxs

 

MINIUSA is monitoring these surveys and websites and cracking down on dealers. I know a few reps from MINIUSA came down to MINI of Hawaii as a result of postings on NAM. The result? It seems MoH has made strides to better their customer service.

As for scoring poorly, I wouldn't doubt it as there were lots of QC issues with the early release models. These problems continue with software issues that have been in existence since MINIs US release. However, IMHO, the biggest challenge has been the sudden increase in service volume for dealerships and training their techs in a new vehicle and getting them proficient.

Hopefully, as the years go by, techs become more and more proficient and MINI will get most ofthe "bugs" out.

 

Doesn't surprise me at all. It also definitely seems like there's some problem areas, e.g. Southern California


I must say though, that MINI of North Scottsdale has been nothing short of fantastic. It helps that they have an in-house MINI racing team.

 

My local dealer is SO BAD, I chose to drive 350 miles to buy my Mini in Oklahoma City at Jackie Cooper Mini. The local guys here in KC offended me even before I bought!!!

 

Service at my MINI dealer has been excellent I must say, but I never deal with the BMW side of the dealership. Don't care to.

 

They have managed to truly mess up their survey system. You are right that no body gets fired, but car allotment, bonuses, and other very important things (to the dealer) hang on the rating. Thus, they are all afraid to get less then a 10. My dealer even offered me free car mats if I would give them all top ratings! Leaves no room for anything constructive. Stupid,Stupid!

 

Fortunately I have only had one experience with my dealer's service department, Jackie Cooper in OKC, but they treated me very well. They were actually enthusiastic about my car. It was a very minor problem but they couldn't have taken care of it better. :smile:

 

Hey Everyone,

I've had mixed experiences w/ service at BMW of Nashville. I think some of problems are due to being overwhelmed by work. I've never seen a lull in the amount of folks waiting. The service advisors are all friendly.

Coop.

 

I dread MINI of Pittsburgh's service dept. They never call me when my car is done--I always have to call them. The one time I made an appointment specifically so that I could have a loaner car, as I absolutely needed one, and lo and behold there was not a loaner in sight when I got there. The last time I was in for a software upgrade they STILL denied knowing anything about any stumble. They performed a state inspection which I specifically asked them not to do (I was taking it to my uncle's shop) and then the service guy got cranky with ME when I informed him that I wasn't paying for it. And I've never ONCE gotten a customer service call, as I'm supposed to (possibly because they know what I'll say?).

To the person who said dealers get people when they're at their worst: true. But the last time I checked it didn't cost a service department anything at all to make the customer feel like they and their vehicle were going to be taken care of. I'd be inclined to be more friendly about the crap service that MINI offers if I ever got anything more than denial of a problem and feigned ignorance.
Curious that MINIUSA remains entirely silent in this thread...

 

I haven't taken delivery of my MINI yet, but I've had the same experience when my wife bought a new Mitsubishi about a month ago. The salesman kept reminding us, at least a half-dozen times (with his boss reiterating the point), that we'll be getting a survey in the mail, and that if any mark was below excellent we basically were screwing their chances at their bonus. They kept saying "if you thought you were treated fairly/well please mark everything excellent." I liked the guy we dealt with, and don't want to deny him his bonus, but just filling in two pages of "excellent" isn't true and isn't constructive.

 

Marc Casteel and Tim Fisher - my two service advisors and John Witt the Service Manager at John Roberts MINI in Dallas, Texas have always gone out of their way to treat me right. I had a few rattles, the stumbles and a cracked windshield and I could have got bent out of shape, but these gentleman along with my technician, Tom Jupiter have done a magnificent job fixing my MCS properly and treating me like a million bucks. I didn't even buy my 2003 MCS from John Roberts. I've been so impressed, that when I sold my 2003, I put down my order for a 2005 with John Roberts. By the way, my motoring advisor, Jeff Miller has also done a splendid job making sure I am happy with every aspect of the transaction. My new hyper blue/white MCS just left the factory Tuesday for its long journey across the ocean. I can't wait, it's been a month since I sold my other MINI and I'm definitely going through withdrawal.

So in closing - John Roberts MINI in Dallas, Texas is a great place to buy a MINI and service a MINI, and even though I had a few problems with my 2003, I realized that it was a new product and it would take some time to work out the problems. I was patient, the build qualities have continued to get better and I can't wait to get my hands on my new MCS.

 

No! That's their score silly!

 

The best story is when I bought a new mustang GT 10 yrs ago. The guy offered me a free oil change if I gave my survey to him so he could fill it out!!! He was a very shady guy at best. During the negotiations, he offered to loan me his car when I bought mine in for an oil change!!!!