Charge for courtesy car

[Meldrew2]

I've paid a small fee for years - originally it was to cover the dealer's insurance and there was the alternative to obtain extra cover from my own insurer. I thought the £10-15 charge was a better option than spending an hour on the phone.

Most recently, my local dealership has been offering a complimentary local taxi which has often suited me better... no need to book several weeks ahead for a car and I can generally use my wife's X1, then get her to drop me back to pick up my car.

 

[DSM10000]

Exactly this. Having had this free for the last 12 years, I regard having to pay for it as a downgrade.

It’s one of the reasons I’ve continued with main dealer servicing for so long. After this service, I’ll have one more service under the monthly paid service plan. I know that £30 is very little compared to the service costs, but it’s the principle. I’ll probably be looking for an indie when the Service Plan is over.

There is no principle here. There was always a cost that had to be picked up. It may well be a way of not increasing service costs by extracting this and making it a standalone payment for those who choose to use the fsvili

Surely a "Courtesy" Car is free; otherwise it's a Hire Car.

The provision of the car is free, the payment for insurance is chargeable.

 

[MSG2004]

My local dealer started doing that some years ago IIRC

 

[BIGDOG]

I usually get my mate to meet me at the dealer, we go for a big fry up breakfast, he drops me off and I wait for the car to be done.

Even though I’m self employed I choose to do this on a working day, clever eh?

 

[TC350]

There is no principle here. There was always a cost that had to be picked up. It may well be a way of not increasing service costs by extracting this and making it a standalone payment for those who choose to use the fsvili

For the last 12 years I've been paying top price to get my car serviced by MB. I've been prepared to pay the higher price because of the benefits I've received, including a free to use courtesy car. If those benefits are being withdrawn, it makes it harder to choose them to service my car.

 

[Petrol Pete]

Here is another scenario , you obviously live close to the dealership .

Maybe over the years they have seen you (and maybe others) put next to no miles on the CCars despite it being gone for maybe 8 to 24 hrs and have decided to give them to other customers who really need one for business for example , not saying you do not deserve a free Ccar as you are obviously a good customer..

On one occasion I needed a Ccar from my indy as I had work commitments , and on another I told him to keep his Ccar and I Ubered .

Does sound a bit mean from them though.

 

[DSM10000]

For the last 12 years I've been paying top price to get my car serviced by MB. I've been prepared to pay the higher price because of the benefits I've received, including a free to use courtesy car. If those benefits are being withdrawn, it makes it harder to choose them to service my car.

Irrelevant.

You chose to use MB for servicing, no one forced you.

It was never "free"

Some part of the organisation picked up the cost. You are conflating a number of things here.

 

[st13phil]

I've just booked my car in for its next service & MoT at my local MB dealership. I've been using them for 12 years and they've always provided a courtesy car with no charge. This time they want to charge me £30, saying it's because it's an insurance requirement.

As a guess, your local dealership has changed ownership since your last visit and is now owned by Group 1 Automotive?

I've used Mercedes-Benz of Oxford for servicing for years and when they were part of the Inchcape Group they provided a courtesy car without charge if your car was on a Mercedes Servicecare Plan (they did make a charge for the CC if you were a PAYG customer). They discounted the MOT test fee to £40 for Servicecare Plan customers too (yes, I know that if you take out a Servicecare plan now it includes the annual MOT Tests due over its lifetime).

Yesterday was my first encounter with them as part of Group 1 Automotive and when I dropped my car off I was informed that I was going to be charged £30 for the pre-booked CC and also that the MOT Test was going to be charged at full price. I pointed out that at no time during the booking process had I been told that there was now a charge for the CC, and also queried the full price for the MOT. The guy I was dealing with was very apologetic and agreed to discount the MOT Test and waive the CC charge on this occasion.

As Group 1 seem intent on screwing every penny they can out of their customers I will most likely not renew the Servicecare plans on both my A-Class and Angie's SLK55 when they expire (both have one service left to go) and put my business with a good Indie instead.

 

[TC350]

Irrelevant.

You chose to use MB for servicing, no one forced you.

It was never "free"

Some part of the organisation picked up the cost. You are conflating a number of things here.

I appreciate that you’re trying to wind me up, but I’m not going to play.

Nothing is free.

I chose to use MB for servicing based on several factors, one of which was the convenience of being able to have the use of a courtesy car at no extra cost. The car being serviced is the only one in our household, so immediate access to an alternative car in case of an emergency is fairly important.

 

[TC350]

As a guess, your local dealership has changed ownership since your last visit and is now owned by Group 1 Automotive?

I've used Mercedes-Benz of Oxford for servicing for years and when they were part of the Inchcape Group they provided a courtesy car without charge if your car was on a Mercedes Servicecare Plan (they did make a charge for the CC if you were a PAYG customer). They discounted the MOT test fee to £40 for Servicecare Plan customers too (yes, I know that if you take out a Servicecare plan now it includes the annual MOT Tests due over its lifetime).

Yesterday was my first encounter with them as part of Group 1 Automotive and when I dropped my car off I was informed that I was going to be charged £30 for the pre-booked CC and also that the MOT Test was going to be charged at full price. I pointed out that at no time during the booking process had I been told that there was now a charge for the CC, and also queried the full price for the MOT. The guy I was dealing with was very apologetic and agreed to discount the MOT Test and waive the CC charge on this occasion.

As Group 1 seem intent on screwing every penny they can out of their customers I will most likely not renew the Servicecare plans on both my A-Class and Angie's SLK55 when they expire (both have one service left to go) and put my business with a good Indie instead.

Interestingly, or not, my local dealership changed to Group 1 a few years ago.

When I tried to book online this morning, the Group 1 website didn’t offer me the option to get the car serviced at my local dealership, instead offering various others in the group. I had to phone my local place to make the booking. I queried the CC charge and was told it was because of insurance changes. I should have asked if they were no longer part of Group 1.

 

[kam09]

My courtesy car was free under the service plan on my last service and that was with a group 1 dealer.. Previous to that it was also free under inchape (they did say it would be charged tho)..

 

[DSM10000]

I appreciate that you’re trying to wind me up, but I’m not going to play.

Nothing is free.

I chose to use MB for servicing based on several factors, one of which was the convenience of being able to have the use of a courtesy car at no extra cost. The car being serviced is the only one in our household, so immediate access to an alternative car in case of an emergency is fairly important.

You appreciate nothing
.
I am not trying to "wind you up." I am trying to get you to recognise that your argument here is invalid.

It should be obvious that the car was never free. Anyone with any knowledge of business would be aware of this fact. There is a cost involved in providing it

The only thing that has changed here is how the cost is recouped. Read the responses from many other members who agree with me, especially those who have personal knowledge of the motor trade!

I can explain it to you, I may not understand it for you.

 

[Dryce]

The only thing that has changed here is how the cost is recouped. Read the responses from many other members who agree with me, especially those who have personal knowledge of the motor trade!

Or more bluntly if the cost of the service is the same or more than before - then the underlying cost of the service has simply gone up and the breakout cost of the courtesy car is just a means of either presenting the cost increase in a different way - and a means of allowing the customer who is not using the CC to get a small discount.

 

[MSG2004]

An important point re "courtsey car."
As I said in my earlier post, my local MB started charging a few years ago.
The last service 4 services were three times car was called Foc and one time I
waited -over the 20 years I've waited most of the time, and always got a c or e (recently gls)class but one time
got a A class.

Some also dish out a Smart car.

MB is like all other traders, they are there to make profits but it is getting harder as my local MB's are only charging 230 an hour the last time I checked for repairs/investigations and I guess their prices for a service mirror the aforementioned price per hour labour rates.

 

[fourwheels]

My local MB dealer have charged for a number of years basically to cover insurance.
Fuel always seemed to be on empty too so I always decline a courtesy car.

Mines booked in next week for a service with the dealer I bought it from. Annoyingly the same dealer keeps emailing me (no reply email) reminding me to book it in as they have been notified by the MB Digital Maintenance app. I know it’s automatic but can’t they just check their own records first, all it does is introduce doubt that it’s booked in.