Final update (I hope)
Right - some 'closure' for this issue.
On Tuesday of this week I sent an email to the ServicePlus team at Mercedes. This email documented all of the issues I'd faced so far, explained that I'd received informal legal advice about the coverage of the contract, and requested a response by Wednesday as my car was booked in for the work then. (If it came down to it, I was prepared to get my car fixed and then chase them for costs afterwards)
On Wednesday my car was collected for the service and repair. My dealer contacted SP to confirm my service was covered and called me to confirm that this was the case. He also mentioned that someone from the directors office had contacted him and assured him that my car was fully covered for all of the repair work and that they'd be sending me a letter/email to confirm this also.
I have been told that my claim had been denied due to an error caused by a change in the way service contracts were processed. I've received an apology and confirmation that these repairs were covered (there was no mention of making a special case or putting this through alternative funding such as goodwill payments).
I'm hoping that this means I won't have any issues in future, should I need to make other claims (which I hope I won't).
Incidentally, after sending the email I received the kind of service I'd expected when purchasing a Merc, rather than the poor level of service I've received up to this point.
I had frequent updates from my dealer regarding progress. Whenever I called there was someone there to take my call (I didn't once have to leave a message in the vain hope that someone would call me back, sometime in the future, maybe). When other problems did crop up (I needed further repairs, which meant my car was needed for a second day), I instantly got a call updating me of the situation and stating that I didn't have to worry, it was all being handled, and that they would be sending a courtesy car out to me immediately, a brand new C-class, and that they would be picking up the tab for the insurance (which is a first!).
Honestly, if I'd received such a high level of service from the day I'd bought my Merc then I'd never consider changing brands. In fact, if I continue to receive such high levels of service I'd certainly be looking at other Mercs for future cars. If it returns to previous levels then I'll be changing cars at the earliest opportunity!
As it stands, it looks like my SP contract has already paid for itself.
The following work has taken place already:
-Condensor replaced
-Aircon unit regassed
-2 rear brake discs replaced
-B service (including all filters, auto gearbox oil replacement, spark plug change etc etc.
I'm finally happy, it's just a shame it took so much hassle to get to this point.
Right - some 'closure' for this issue.
On Tuesday of this week I sent an email to the ServicePlus team at Mercedes. This email documented all of the issues I'd faced so far, explained that I'd received informal legal advice about the coverage of the contract, and requested a response by Wednesday as my car was booked in for the work then. (If it came down to it, I was prepared to get my car fixed and then chase them for costs afterwards)
On Wednesday my car was collected for the service and repair. My dealer contacted SP to confirm my service was covered and called me to confirm that this was the case. He also mentioned that someone from the directors office had contacted him and assured him that my car was fully covered for all of the repair work and that they'd be sending me a letter/email to confirm this also.
I have been told that my claim had been denied due to an error caused by a change in the way service contracts were processed. I've received an apology and confirmation that these repairs were covered (there was no mention of making a special case or putting this through alternative funding such as goodwill payments).
I'm hoping that this means I won't have any issues in future, should I need to make other claims (which I hope I won't).
Incidentally, after sending the email I received the kind of service I'd expected when purchasing a Merc, rather than the poor level of service I've received up to this point.
I had frequent updates from my dealer regarding progress. Whenever I called there was someone there to take my call (I didn't once have to leave a message in the vain hope that someone would call me back, sometime in the future, maybe). When other problems did crop up (I needed further repairs, which meant my car was needed for a second day), I instantly got a call updating me of the situation and stating that I didn't have to worry, it was all being handled, and that they would be sending a courtesy car out to me immediately, a brand new C-class, and that they would be picking up the tab for the insurance (which is a first!).
Honestly, if I'd received such a high level of service from the day I'd bought my Merc then I'd never consider changing brands. In fact, if I continue to receive such high levels of service I'd certainly be looking at other Mercs for future cars. If it returns to previous levels then I'll be changing cars at the earliest opportunity!
As it stands, it looks like my SP contract has already paid for itself.
The following work has taken place already:
-Condensor replaced
-Aircon unit regassed
-2 rear brake discs replaced
-B service (including all filters, auto gearbox oil replacement, spark plug change etc etc.
I'm finally happy, it's just a shame it took so much hassle to get to this point.
