Advice

[c63chris]

Wow, you couldn’t make that up! Given everything I would be writing direct to the MBUK CEO. It’s quite easy to find and if you google it there are websites listing names and email addresses. Can’t believe how you could be so unlucky and really they should help out better than this. Regarding the car, sometimes things are not meant to be, I’d be getting something else. The dealers do make or break the experience. Luckily my local one is half decent. Hope you get things sorted soon.

 

[MarkPGTS]

I already did that. I emailed Gary Savage UK CEO and he passed it to his secretary who then passed it back to the dealer. I also contacted Germany CEO who passed it back to the UK. If the CEO dont care why would the people lower down. I have re sent over the reports to him today so lets see If his he has a different approach this time.

 

[c63chris]

The only other thing I can think is to resend detailing your time and costs associated with it. State you only want a working car and do not want to get lawyers and media involved but without their involvement you will have no choice......

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

This reminds me of a thread from years ago which I can’t find, where a chap left his S-Class at a dealer because an issue couldn’t be resolved, which led to a legal case which cost a fortune. Can any members remember any better?

 

[grober]

moved

 

[Merkaholic]

Recently saw a Mercedes viano in central London with a message advertising the poor customer service the gentleman had received from Mercedes in regards to the faults with his people carrier. If it got my attention then im sure it would have got others also. Adverise the faults on the car and park it outside Harrods.......im sure that would get some publicity lol.

On a serious note........i think you need to get legal advice at this stage. Im quite surprised your finance company are not offering any support. The gentleman i purchased my London taxi from had finance with Lloyds. The cab developed a common fault at the same time the London taxi company went into liquidation. He used his finance company as a point of call and ended up having 9k worth of finance wrtitten off. Obviously each case goes on its merits but im sure Mercedes finance has to share some responsibility! Had it been a run of the mill Mercedes im pretty sure your issues would have been resolved with a like for like vehicle.

 

[Steveml63]

Hi,
I think you have two options - the expensive option and the cheap option.
The expensive option is to go legal - no idea how much that is likely to cost you.
The cheap option will require you to be very determined and a bit imaginative.
This will require you to write to every motoring magazine and the motoring section of the daily papers - hoping that some of them will take up your cause and the publicity would shame Mercedes into doing something.
You might want to get a bit imaginative and look on the Daily Mail online version at all the Brexit stories - look for the pro-Brexit stories and note the names of the journalists that are covering them.
Offer them a story along the lines that Mercedes are “punishing” British customers by supplying sub-standard luxury cars - as a result of the business they might lose after Brexit.
Take some photos of your car parked outside a Mercedes dealer with a banner showing “Mercedes revenge for Brexit” - don’t forget the glum face!
If you get the story angle right - I am sure the likes of the Daily Mail and the Guardian would love a bit of Mercedes bashing!
Cheers
Steve

 

[DoberMan]

I would contact 'Carbuyer' and see if they will take on your case.

For example, here is a list of cases they have taken on.
Car problems: your questions answered

 

[markjay]

This reminds me of a thread from years ago which I can’t find, where a chap left his S-Class at a dealer because an issue couldn’t be resolved, which led to a legal case which cost a fortune. Can any members remember any better?

That would be robertjrt.

 

[markjay]

That would be robertjrt.

He also created a website st the time detailing his story, but that's no longer working. If you just Google his username you'll find his various posts on car forums.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

That would be robertjrt.

That’s the fella, thanks markjay

 

[grober]

Fuming car owner drives new motor BACK INTO showroom in refund wrangle

Its always difficult to make a judgement on these situations because often we only hear one side of the dispute. Assertive protests like the above are difficult to recommend as the person making them may end up foul of the law. At a more pragmatic level I suspect that any settlement resulting from such actions if successfull ?? may be conditional on some sort of confidentiality agreement meaning the outcome will never become public knowledge.

 

[Abb]

Seems a RR customer did pretty much the same thing! Stickered the car up and left it outside the dealership!

Range Rover owner dumps defaced car outside dealership in protest over alleged issues

 

[MarkPGTS]

Thanks guys I really need to try and speak to this guy however I feel the only way to get this sorted is to do exactly the same as what he did but with all the lettering put on the car.

I would contact 'Carbuyer' and see if they will take on your case.

For example, here is a list of cases they have taken on.
Car problems: your questions answered

I will give them a call tomorrow thanks.

 

[MarkPGTS]

Fuming car owner drives new motor BACK INTO showroom in refund wrangle

Its always difficult to make a judgement on these situations because often we only hear one side of the dispute. Assertive protests like the above are difficult to recommend as the person making them may end up foul of the law. At a more pragmatic level I suspect that any settlement resulting from such actions if successfull ?? may be conditional on some sort of confidentiality agreement meaning the outcome will never become public knowledge.

I need to try and get hold of this guy to see how he got on, but I think I will get a response from the Ombudsman this week so I will go from there failing that the car will be outside there showroom very soon if nothing changes.

And yes you are right there are always 2 sides to a story however on this occasion all I have asked for is for them to have the car back on the basis it is not fit for purpose. Mercedes had this car for 4 months from November last year to investigate the problems with it why they were still taking the monthly payment out of my bank account. Yes they kept me mobile but the car I had wasn't justifiyable for what I was paying until the end when they gave me a GTR for a few weeks and even that broke down on me and that had to be recovered. The reports speak for them selves and again these reports have been done at my cost costing me £1600 and Mercedes Northampton have said they won't be refunding. If this is how they want to play it I will make such a scene outside there dealership they will wish they never sold the car to me. The dealer called me and said they would happily take the car back however MB UK won't support them.

 

[E55BOF]

On a somewhat lighter note (and a much lower scale), many years ago there was a musical instrument dealer's showroom (mostly pianos) in Darlington, Floggitt and Soddoff (not their real name). One day, parked directly outside their premises was a battered old big Ford estate with placards in both rear side windows: "FLOGGITT AND SODDOFF ARE ROBBERS AND TELL LIES". Unsurprisingly, it was not there the following day, but that's what I call direct action...

 

[wu56Shoozz]

Trading Standards anyone??

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Obviously there’s two sides to each story but I don’t understand how this car dealership let it get to this on a PR level because it’s disastrous publicity for them.

I think, in part, they simply forget or just completely disregard that if someone is spending six figures on a car then chances are that they’ll be in a job with responsibilities and power or they will be a company director and neither of those tend to just submit at the first sign of conflict and they’ll do everything in their power to achieve a satisfactory outcome.

On a side issue, the amounts of problems the OP had with not just his but the other two (?) GT’she drove doesn’t bode well for prospective buyers...

 

[markjay]

Obviously there’s two sides to each story but I don’t understand how this car dealership let it get to this on a PR level because it’s disastrous publicity for them...

During the firemen strike of 2002, those opposed to giving them a pay increase argued: "Why bother? There are 40 candidates for each fireman job anyway". I guess that (some) MB dealers apply the same logic to their business - people seem to want to buy their cars anyway, so why bother with PR?

 

[Deleted member 37751]

During the firemen strike of 2002, those opposed to giving them a pay increase argued: "Why bother? There are 40 candidates for each fireman job anyway". I guess that (some) MB dealers apply the same logic to their business - people seem to want to buy their cars anyway, so why bother with PR?

Oh I fully appreciate that sentiment Mark, I just find it baffling!