Customer Care - who cares?

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RGC

New Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2005
Messages
4
Location
London
Car
Mercedes S500L
I bought a 2003 S500L with integrated phone cradle. Now, 18 months on, the Mercedes dealerships say that if I want a new phone, then fit an after-sales kit, i.e. it will not be integrated with COMAND, there will need to be a new microphone and speaker. So, the telephone pre-wiring and cradle had a life time of 18 months - pretty poor value. I've discussed this as a separate thread (Electronics:Cannot Upgrade Phone!).

When I contacted Mercedes Customer Care, they said that there was no solution. So, I raised the point about an 18 month lifetime and they commented as to whether I was saying that the car was mis-sold.

When I said yes, they then stated that I must contact the dealer. I did so and they are looking into this.

I am also surprised that the only way of raising this is by phone. There is no route to Customer Service on the Mercedes web-site!

Interested in other people's comments.
 
Hi,
why not just use your old phone in the car? then get a copy of your sim card made so that you can have your new phone to carry around? I think that that's the simple answer...

But the question is why haven't MB designed a newer version of hardware / software for the newer range of phones by now? The 6210i has been out of production for years, with only factory refurbed units left on the shelf...

If you were going into MB today to make the same purchase what would the sell you?

Regards,

Peter
 
peterchurch said:
Hi,
why not just use your old phone in the car? then get a copy of your sim card made so that you can have your new phone to carry around? I think that that's the simple answer...

But the question is why haven't MB designed a newer version of hardware / software for the newer range of phones by now? The 6210i has been out of production for years, with only factory refurbed units left on the shelf...

If you were going into MB today to make the same purchase what would the sell you?

Regards,

Peter

Morning Peter,
An excellent reply, the 6310i is in my opinion an excellent telephone, the Mercedes-Benz hands free system is excellent. I am a very satisfied customer and certainly have no complaints.. The telephone does exactly what it is designed to do and marries up to the COMAND.

However if the 6310i is no longer being produced then where do Mercedes-Benz get there telephones from, and where do they expect customers that just buy the cradle to get their telephones from?

I do know however that the 6310i is a premium product that is holding its price very well indeed, just look at the price they realise on E-bay, compared to more modern secondhand mobile phones with "all the bells and whistles"?? Has Nokia made a mistake in discontinuing such a popular product?

Those customers that purchased vehicles with COMAND's that take CD's would have a fright if they wanted to change over to the new DVD COMAND. I don't know if the two points are comparable, but it is something that I personally have no opinion on apart from your point about the product no longer being produced.

Regards,
John
 
Hi John,

I know the 6210/6310 series phones are excellent reliable phones, but regarding their value - other than the fact that they are good, reliable workhorses, you don't suppose that one of the reasons they may be so popular secondhand is because of the amount of vehicles fitted with these hands-free kits?

Just a thought... :)

Will
 
The idea of the SIM card is great!

However, to extol the virtues of the 6310i is missing the point. MB have a web-site with no customer service link. Complaints about Mercedes are being palmed off from MB and the dealerships, yet it is within the umbrella organisation.

Surely, I should not have needed to use this club to find answers. MB should have had such suggestions for their clients.

I am annoyed at this level of service. Whilst the 6310i is described as "premium" I would think that the Mercedes brand is premium and therefore should attract a premium after-sales service. I don't know about others, but I am not receiving that.
 
Will said:
Hi John,

I know the 6210/6310 series phones are excellent reliable phones, but regarding their value - other than the fact that they are good, reliable workhorses, you don't suppose that one of the reasons they may be so popular secondhand is because of the amount of vehicles fitted with these hands-free kits?

Just a thought... :)

Will

I totally take your point and I had already thought of it. I think a lot of 'reps' also like the 6310i because of the very long battery life?

But.. reps have cars. Yes they should have a hands free system, but I very much doubt it will be such a sophisticated operating systems.

Regards,
John
 
As a matter of interest the new CLS has options for: -

Nokia 6210/6310/6310i/6220/6230/6100/6610/6610i/7250i
Siemens CX65/CXT65/CX65V
Sony Ericsson T610/T630/K700i

So it can be done if they want to? :rock:
 
Will said:
Hi John,

I know the 6210/6310 series phones are excellent reliable phones, but regarding their value - other than the fact that they are good, reliable workhorses, you don't suppose that one of the reasons they may be so popular secondhand is because of the amount of vehicles fitted with these hands-free kits?

Just a thought... :)

Will

I was amazed at howmuch they cost second hand :( I can't believe that I gave mine back when I left my old company :(

Does seem odd that MB were so slow about doing somthing so simple...
What is the fuctionality of COMMAND and the HF kit ??
Is there any reson for them to make an issue out of this?
 
Brian WH said:
As a matter of interest the new CLS has options for: -

Nokia 6210/6310/6310i/6220/6230/6100/6610/6610i/7250i
Siemens CX65/CXT65/CX65V
Sony Ericsson T610/T630/K700i

So it can be done if they want to? :rock:
That's UHI of course. This is addressed in the other thread - it is possible to replace all the phone hardware with UHI equivalents and then you can use any phone they see fit to make a cradle for.

I'm hoping they will make a cradle for the new nokia 6021; supposedly the much-anticipated replacement to the 6310i.
 
Brian WH said:
As a matter of interest the new CLS has options for: -

Nokia 6210/6310/6310i/6220/6230/6100/6610/6610i/7250i
Siemens CX65/CXT65/CX65V
Sony Ericsson T610/T630/K700i

So it can be done if they want to? :rock:

What a pity then the cradle is not an easily replaceable item?

RGC said:
Complaints about Mercedes are being palmed off from MB and the dealerships, yet it is within the umbrella organisation.

I have had complaints about both my present Mercedes-Benz and previous ones, but in all fairness they have been dealt with in a most satisfactory manner.

I am not a legal person, but surely complaints must be made with the dealer and not the manufacturer? The dealer should then take on your case and take it up with the supplier. There have been any number of complaints about poor dealer after sales service and I wonder how many of these complaints are from the London area. Are London dealers not giving a proper Mercedes-Benz service? Or is it just the odd dealer?

When I had a very serious complaint, my dealer suggested that I write to a certain address that he supplied because he had to go through long drawn out formal channels! I took this advice, wrote the letter and from then on I became actively involved in all the future aspects of the problem. The dealer would receive instructions from Milton Keynes and the problem was resolved in a most satisfactory manner.

I do believe though that the complaint must be made firstly with the dealer. (If it is poor service though that might be a different issue ;)

Your phone problem though is personally not an issue to me as an individual.

The new CLS is obviously showing that Mercedes-Benz are keeping up with the times.

Regards,
John
 
Where can you get SIM cards copied???? I didnt think this was possible.

...and when you do, what happens when both phones are switched on at the same time?
 
Sp!ke said:
Where can you get SIM cards copied???? I didnt think this was possible.

...and when you do, what happens when both phones are switched on at the same time?

Yes it can be done its just a question of finding a nice sleazy little shop that will do it for you... ;) or you could just go on the net and buy the software and a reader/writer box and try it for yourself :D

You cannot have the two phones on at the same time otherwise the network will spot you and lock both phones off the network...

I don't believe that it is illegal to clone your own phone but many networks get the hump when you start phreaking their kit :D

Best plan of action is to start off by talking to the network company... don't ask about cloning just say you need the same number on two separate phones and you don't want to keep switching the one sim card...
 
peterchurch said:
Yes it can be done its just a question of finding a nice sleazy little shop that will do it for you... ;) or you could just go on the net and buy the software and a reader/writer box and try it for yourself :D

You cannot have the two phones on at the same time otherwise the network will spot you and lock both phones off the network...

I don't believe that it is illegal to clone your own phone but many networks get the hump when you start phreaking their kit :D

Best plan of action is to start off by talking to the network company... don't ask about cloning just say you need the same number on two separate phones and you don't want to keep switching the one sim card...

As far as I know Vodafone is the only network to provide an official solution with their Multi-SIM. This allows up to 10 SIMs with the same number. All can be use to make calls at the same time but you have to nominate one to receive calls. Changing which SIM is nominated is done by sending a key sequence. I can't remember what the sequence is off the top of my head as I have them programmed in to speed dials.
The only down side is I sometimes forget to re-nominate a phone so I don't get incoming calls when away from the car (I normally notice after a couple of hours when I realise the wife has not nagged me for a while :D ). If they had an option to automatically select the next SIM when the nominated one dropped off the network it would be perfect as the car phone switches off after the car is locked up. The only other down side (OK so that's two) is the tarriffs are not as competative.
 

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