Palmball
MB Enthusiast
as I'm sure one or two of your are aware, I've been crazy enough to order a new C63 AMG to replace what was my old 9-month old example....just to get a different colour, the new PP+ and a leather dash! I also ordered this pretty much last minute but did secure the last one allocated for the UK before the next build slot in June.
The aim was to get the car before April so I avoided the extra tax increase but after getting a letter from MB confirming an estimated factory collection date of the 15th April, I'd sort of written off that idea.
Then, to my horror, Maff posted on here that his C63 order, also with leather dash, would be delayed by a further 8 weeks after the original build date due to said leather dash. On finding this out, I immediately contacted my MB dealer who said they, nor MB HQ had heard anything about this.
So, given I'm barely 2 weeks away from the original estimated collection date, over a week on from the quoted build date and had still heard nothing, I emailed my MB dealer for an update on Monday. After getting no response I called them today only to be told that they could not give me anymore information and I'd just have to wait until MB UK contacted me. I then asked for the number of the department that looks after factory collection at MB HQ so I could call them and chase it myself and after much reluctance, my salesman gave this to me.
On contacting HQ and speaking to the department that 'wasn't for customers to call' I was told that my car would indeed be held up by a further 8 weeks due to the Designo option and my dealer should have told me this when I ordered it as it affects all cars that have any Designo option (the car gets shipped from the main factory to the AMG factory for the Designo option to be fitted and is then returned to the collection centre or delivered to the dealer
).
They also said that if the dealer had contacted them they would have told them this
which infuriated me as it demonstrated that my dealer either didn't chase this at all with MB or were lying to me.
Basically, I told the nice lady at MB HQ that unless the car could be collected during April, I would be cancelling my order with the dealer. At which point she did some further investigation and then told me that the car could indeed be back at the collection centre for the 19th April and I could collect it a week or so later. So, I've now arranged collection for the 26th April and so long as the car makes it to the collection centre in Stuttgart for the 19th then I am happy.
What I am furious about is the lack of effort on the dealers part to get this sorted or even get the right information for me (even when, thanks to Maff, I gave them the information myself!) - I honestly think I would have been looking at the end of May for delivery had I not dealt with it myself. I find this quite amazing given that the salesman's (and I believe the dealers) bonus is highly influenced by getting a very positive customer satisfaction score, something I'm not very inclined to give after this experience!!
The aim was to get the car before April so I avoided the extra tax increase but after getting a letter from MB confirming an estimated factory collection date of the 15th April, I'd sort of written off that idea.
Then, to my horror, Maff posted on here that his C63 order, also with leather dash, would be delayed by a further 8 weeks after the original build date due to said leather dash. On finding this out, I immediately contacted my MB dealer who said they, nor MB HQ had heard anything about this.
So, given I'm barely 2 weeks away from the original estimated collection date, over a week on from the quoted build date and had still heard nothing, I emailed my MB dealer for an update on Monday. After getting no response I called them today only to be told that they could not give me anymore information and I'd just have to wait until MB UK contacted me. I then asked for the number of the department that looks after factory collection at MB HQ so I could call them and chase it myself and after much reluctance, my salesman gave this to me.
On contacting HQ and speaking to the department that 'wasn't for customers to call' I was told that my car would indeed be held up by a further 8 weeks due to the Designo option and my dealer should have told me this when I ordered it as it affects all cars that have any Designo option (the car gets shipped from the main factory to the AMG factory for the Designo option to be fitted and is then returned to the collection centre or delivered to the dealer
). They also said that if the dealer had contacted them they would have told them this
which infuriated me as it demonstrated that my dealer either didn't chase this at all with MB or were lying to me. Basically, I told the nice lady at MB HQ that unless the car could be collected during April, I would be cancelling my order with the dealer. At which point she did some further investigation and then told me that the car could indeed be back at the collection centre for the 19th April and I could collect it a week or so later. So, I've now arranged collection for the 26th April and so long as the car makes it to the collection centre in Stuttgart for the 19th then I am happy.
What I am furious about is the lack of effort on the dealers part to get this sorted or even get the right information for me (even when, thanks to Maff, I gave them the information myself!) - I honestly think I would have been looking at the end of May for delivery had I not dealt with it myself. I find this quite amazing given that the salesman's (and I believe the dealers) bonus is highly influenced by getting a very positive customer satisfaction score, something I'm not very inclined to give after this experience!!
