Dealer of Stealer?

[splang]

My Weston-super-mare branch have been EXCELLENT.

Really friendly and customer focussed.

 

[Dieselman]

I think my local dealer is very good. Not cheap but honest and skilled.

My car only goes in for Service work and the rate for that is Ok if you supply your own oil.

I only buy parts at the dealer as they are very helpful, the parts are known quality and they are usually cheaper than ECP anyway.

 

[Ian B Walker]

After my recent experience I have to say Dealer. However part of me wants to say Stealer, due to the inflated spares prices. As for help and assistance Preston Mb is faultless. There are two dealers 8 miles either side of where I work. Mb Blackpool, unfriendly and uncooperative. Mb Preston, cant do enough to help, have a sense of humor and keep telling me that my desk will be there next week, offer me good prices for the parts I require. Even sometimes suggesting that I use another outlet for parts that they cannot obtain within two working days.

 

[Dieselman]

After my recent experience I have to say Dealer. However part of me wants to say Stealer, due to the inflated spares prices.

I think the parts are cheap compared to other outlets and manufacturers.

 

[lil.smartie]

Can tell you don't use Exeter!

I use Bristol for the Parts dept, they are spot on but then we do put a hell of a lot of business their way from our company!

Service dept, both Bristol & Exeter have yet to learn what a phone is but Bristol do seem to know how to read a diagnostics report which is 1 step ahead of Exeter!

But they have had my Forfour for 8 weeks now (will be 9 cos someone at DCUK is on holiday!) this gearbox issue has been happening for 14 months and whilst it has been in this time they managed to split an alloy wheel whilst test driving it!

So sorry but Stealer it is!

Kate

 

[Brett]

I have a great relationship with my local dealer, Western Mercedes-Benz in Edinburgh. They provide me an excellent service at an excellent price (I take some credit for my negotiation skills). I have used them for the past seven years. I have always been straight with them in terms of my expectations (pricewise and servicewise) and they have never let me down. In fact, they have exceeded my expectations on a regular basis.

This is said after I paid for a B Service today!

 

[glojo]

Can tell you don't use Exeter!

What can I say? I use Exeter, and folks know my opinion about this dealership

Treat others how you would like to be treated, so yes I will vote dealer.

John

 

[LastMinute]

Mb Blackpool, unfriendly and uncooperative. Mb Preston, cant do enough to help

That shows that the service you get is down to the individual staff at each place, because they're both part of the same group.

Edited to add: My own experience of these two was the opposite, as it happened. That was in the days before I knew about 124 Works, of course...

Edited again to add: To answer the original question, I agree with John's sentiments and like to extend people and entities the common courtesy of referring to them by their proper name and title, whatever opinion I may have of them. (So that would be "Mercedes-Benz of Preston" and "Mercedes-Benz of Blackpool" ) I work in the world of computers and get similarly annoyed when people refer to "Micro$oft Windoze" and the like.

 

[Fandango]

I also vote dealer.

Mercedes Benz Giffnock in Glasgow treat you like you expect to be treated. I would even say above expectation on most occasions.

Karl

 

[lil.smartie]

What can I say? I use Exeter, and folks know my opinion about this dealership

Treat others how you would like to be treated, so yes I will vote dealer.

John

Mo, the Smart sales guy there is spot on. John Emery in service, spot on. anyone else I have had to deal with there, useless! Including the Merc sales people when we were looking for a bigger car! Probably saw us talking to Mo and arrive in a Smart.......

My car arrived with them on an AA truck Thurs, called them Mon and they told me they did a diagnostics on Thurs and found no problems. We arrived to collect the car and took a look at the STAR print out, 1st line 1st page there was the fault I was complaining about.........

Kate

 

[jeremytaylor]

I voted dealer. If that dealer turned out to be a stealer I would go elsewhere.

And I do have sympathy with their labour rates being a fair bit higher than indies - look at the investment they have to make in premises, training, etc. It's not as if other manufacturers charge any less!

 

[spitzkop]

And I do have sympathy with their labour rates being a fair bit higher than indies - look at the investment they have to make in premises, training, etc. It's not as if other manufacturers charge any less!

Germany is (or was) a much more expensive country for doing business, high wages, high social contributions, high holidays etc (a typicaly employee costs at a minimum 2x their salary). I havent been to London or down South in years, but the quality of the show rooms and service centres in Germany cannot be compared with those that I have seen in the UK. For example, Stuttgart has a 24 hour showroom (one of many showrooms) with 100's of cars on show, new and used, massive place. Yet still they can charge less for labour? less to buy the car? it doesnt add up, is Tony Blair really now costing the average UK business more overheads and costs than Germany? If he isnt, then the labour rates surely cannot be justified.

 

[ian_c_uk]

Dealer, as I am very pleased with mine in Sheffield.

Good purchase price, good service rates, keen to spot things that need doing under warranty before I do.

When I popped in to see if they had time to find a rattle, even though they were booked up, they took it round and had a quick look. Found the problem and fixed, also glued a door seal that they spotted was coming away, and valeted it while I grabbed a coffee.

 

[glojo]

Hi Shude,
Rather than take another thread way off topic

Would you like to be called a stealer or thief?

I fully 100% accept you are of the opinion that what your saying is said in jest, but surely the bottom line is you and everyone else is using the term not as an endearing pleasantry, but more of an insulting quip? Again I accept it is a common phrase used regularly on numerous forums, but that doesn't make it right? Swearing is common place on other forums, should we allow that?

I support Tottenham Hotspurs, there is a small following that call themselves the Yid Army, they also don't care if the remark is insulting, does that also make it right?

I am not deeply offended by either term, it is more to do with my old fashioned upbringing where I was taught to respect for my fellow man\person, or dealer (I hate political correctness) I would never dream of intentionally insulting someone I have never met, it just feels so wrong. Hence this post which no doubt will upset the stealer brigade.

Regards
John

 

[spitzkop]

Britain used to be a country of fairness, an equitable British trait. Unfortunately times have moved on, fairness demands that if you take a car in for repair and you get a call 'need new discs mate' when clearly you didnt, or 100quid per hour when other equivalent locally sited businesses are at 60quid per hour is not fairness.
Call them what you will, but some of them are not old school British in values, so no need to treat them with old school British values.

 

[glojo]

fairness demands that if you take a car in for repair and you get a call 'need new discs mate' when clearly you didnt,

I think if someone told me I needed new discs and this was not the case, then I would be a bit miffed, but as a customer you are entitled to see the condition of the discs, plus you can opt to take the car elsewhere.

My son has just had his car MOT'd at the VW main dealer. Last week he had new discs and pads fitted at a local National Tyre\Brake company.

The VW main dealer noted the spring clips on the pads had been installed incorrectly, should I now start slagging off this national company?

We contacted them, they stated what I was told was impossible, but as soon as they got the car up on the ramps they saw the problem.

If you or anyone else does not like using a main dealer then why on earth go there for the work?

John

 

[BonzoDog]

Germany is (or was) a much more expensive country for doing business, high wages, high social contributions, high holidays etc (a typicaly employee costs at a minimum 2x their salary). I havent been to London or down South in years, but the quality of the show rooms and service centres in Germany cannot be compared with those that I have seen in the UK. For example, Stuttgart has a 24 hour showroom (one of many showrooms) with 100's of cars on show, new and used, massive place. Yet still they can charge less for labour? less to buy the car? it doesnt add up, is Tony Blair really now costing the average UK business more overheads and costs than Germany? If he isnt, then the labour rates surely cannot be justified.

My Dealer, with whom, if you have read my posts, I am more than happy, charges 40 pounds per hour plus VAT (15%).
Pristine showroom and facilities and a 24 hour service.

 

[spitzkop]

My Dealer, with whom, if you have read my posts, I am more than happy, charges 40 pounds per hour plus VAT (15%).
Pristine showroom and facilities and a 24 hour service.

Post #12 - I live in Europe, you cannot compare from what I have experienced, a European dealer to a UK dealer. There are bound to be good dealers and the name stealership does them no justice, but the rogues, how do you suggest we refer to them?
Stealership - Bad Dealer
Dealership - Good Dealer

We have to differentiate, if only to prevent others from falling down the same trap.

 

[fuzzer]

before mb culled the independents , i would have said dealer.

Since turning into larger chains , deffo stealer.