The real difference between “Main Dealer” and an Independent

[Rory]

On my last visit to the dealership I purposefully inspected a nice cabriolet sitting for some time, yet not one person took the time to even acknowledge I was there let alone try to sell a car

I've said this before but in over 10yrs of service, MOT etc visits to my local dealer, inlcuding a fiar bit of browsing the showroom cars, the one and only time a salesperson spoke to me was to tell me off for parking in the wrong place.

 

[Tramper]

In my local dealer it's the other way, you only have to get out of your car and someone comes over and mutters " Hello Sir and what brings you to our dealership today" then they escort you in the showroom. Next hurdle getting past the two guards on reception normally covered in too much slap and unable to walk in their 6" heels, and roots that need doing.

You are then escorted to the waiting area and Offered upteen drinks and biscuits and wait for the appropriate person from the right department to come out to see you.
This is the first Mercedes I have brought, and personally I find it all over the top. When we picked up our car "The reveal" of pulling off the cover in the hand over area and taking about an hour for the hand over.

Even picking it up from service seems to take ages all I want to do is pick up the keys and go. It might suit some people but not me. This is all required by the manufacturer of course even down to how the showroom looks etc, which in the end, all gets paid for by customers.

 

[Mancstar]

On the contrary Mercedes Stockport are 100%
Never purchased of them but been in plenty of times for work and parts. All down to earth 'humans' and the new showroom is amazing (biggest Merc showroom in Europe I've been told me, may be wrong)? Someone is always there to greet you when you walk in through the door.

 

[Mancstar]

In my local dealer it's the other way, you only have to get out of your car and someone comes over and mutters " Hello Sir and what brings you to our dealership today" then they escort you in the showroom. Next hurdle getting past the two guards on reception normally covered in too much slap and unable to walk in their 6" heels, and roots that need doing.

You are then escorted to the waiting area and Offered upteen drinks and biscuits and wait for the appropriate person from the right department to come out to see you.
This is the first Mercedes I have brought, and personally I find it all over the top. When we picked up our car "The reveal" of pulling off the cover in the hand over area and taking about an hour for the hand over.

Even picking it up from service seems to take ages all I want to do is pick up the keys and go. It might suit some people but not me. This is all required by the manufacturer of course even down to how the showroom looks etc, which in the end, all gets paid for by customers.

Yes Tramper! Merc Stockport can feel like that! I dont mind it if im not in a rush..

 

[Rup328]

I’m not sure I want or need a call from my main dealer to see how I am or the car is. I’m quite happy if they just deal with me in a friendly and professional way when I contact them.

I have to agree - when I bought my W204 from Ridgeway Winchester (now Marshall Winchester) I got a bit fed up with the plethora of calls I received from them over the following 2 years. Eventually I requested they stop contacting me.

 

[JBD]

So next time wanting a different (new) vehicle, maybe consider the possible option of rather than buying brand new and suffering the MB lack of follow-up customer service, instead buying second-hand from a dealer as detailed in the first 2 posts. Basically someone who does give a damn about Customer Service! You may not get the vehicle/options choice you want but rarely anyone gets everything they want these days, @JBD may be the exception to the rule.

Cheers [emoji106]

It’s a hard balance to get in my experience and every customer is different. Some definitely don’t want me following them up and will contact me when they’re ready and some have an expectation that I keep in contact regularly. That’s the skill in knowing your customers, but it’s definitely not an exact science.

It’s the same dilemma in the showroom too. Some people want to be left alone to look around without being pestered and some complain that someone hasn’t walked out onto the forecourt to see them. Our showroom doesn’t have the best layout, but we’ve always got 2 or 3 receptionists on, but people do still manage to avoid them.




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[bpsorrel]

I've said it before and still stand by view that MB Mikton Keynes is rubbish.
I have never and will never buy from them and after the last fiasco with my SLC will never use tham for service again.

They seem to employ staff with the lowest IQ and yet go through the ridiculous American-esque nonsense of having someone to show you to a seat or someone to take you to a car and then leave you while they get someone else who knows very little abut the car to tell you some carp about it, one time spending a stupid amount of time telling me about the ambient lighting and "brill hifi" even though I clearly wasn't interested! Amazing eh!

Compared to my experiences with Lexus and my very good local BMW dealer, MB need to learn fast!

 

[Nat]

It’s a hard balance to get in my experience and every customer is different. Some definitely don’t want me following them up and will contact me when they’re ready and some have an expectation that I keep in contact regularly. That’s the skill in knowing your customers, but it’s definitely not an exact science.

It’s the same dilemma in the showroom too. Some people want to be left alone to look around without being pestered and some complain that someone hasn’t walked out onto the forecourt to see them. Our showroom doesn’t have the best layout, but we’ve always got 2 or 3 receptionists on, but people do still manage to avoid them.

I agree with this 100%. People are so different with expectations and it's very hard to please everyone. I was in the trade for quite a while until I realised it was no longer for me and I broke the family tradition and done other things outside of that circle.

I often look at how things how changed over the years and the recent'ish "cheesy" - meet, great, do the deal and handover and it isn't laughable. I find it quite nauseating. Now I'm on the other side of said circle. I find it hard to trust any place on face value until they've proved that they're actually doing a worthwhile job. All this nonsense with the meet and greeters in dealerships is like a willy waving contest or who shows the most cleavage or has the highest heels that make the most noise - none of them in fact actually listen to what you actually want as they're too busy yakking off a buzz words, they've been told to say, that apparently work to make you think how wonderful they are?

It's quite sad to think they get staff training specialist in for customer surveillance when in fact all they have to do is be honest and reliable with customers. Indy for me. I prefer grafters to illusionists with their over inflated prices ......

 

[splitpin]

I am just grateful that I do not have to visit one any more.

 

[MSG2004]

All depends on whom you deal with IMO.
What I have found is those right at the top at the showroom
usually, walk around, strut around and may see most customers
as plebs, if their car is more than a year old and costs less than 90k IMO

 

[David404]

When I walk into an MB main dealer the reception staff say "good morning/evening sir". When they know what I want they call somebody else for me to talk to...

When I walk into the Indi I use (WDM Cars in Birmingham) Wayne (the proprietor) says "hi David' and guess what he can answer all my questions.

Me I feel like the Indie gives better service oh and they are rather cheaper too!

 

[Deleted member 6183]

I don't mind the cleavage.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

When I walk into an MB main dealer the reception staff say "good morning/evening sir". When they know what I want they call somebody else for me to talk to...

When I walk into the Indi I use (WDM Cars in Birmingham) Wayne (the proprietor) says "hi David' and guess what he can answer all my questions.

Me I feel like the Indie gives better service oh and they are rather cheaper too!

Although that comes with a (relatively) long relationship. Most (of the front of house) people at the main dealer I use know my name, but that’s because I keep going back. If I had used them once before, then I couldn’t reasonably expect that.