The saga continues.....

[npuk]

They are my local dealership. Only been to them once and that was for a firmware upgrade for my Comand and I was unimpressed with them. When my latest service was due this summer I decided to go out of London for it due to the poor reviews of Brentford and other London main dealers.

 

[Rob77]

On that basis I would do the required work to make the car legal and give them the bill. If they refuse to pay take them to small claims court. Its only an online form and a £35ish fee plus you can include the fee in your case settlement so no cost to you.
Bottom line is that its your licence that's on the line!

If it isn't safe it shouldn't be driven but I wouldn't go fixing someone else's car without their authority - and if I did I certainly wouldn't expect to be entitled to payment

 

[OneCarefulOwner]

If it isn't safe it shouldn't be driven but I wouldn't go fixing someone else's car without their authority - and if I did I certainly wouldn't expect to be entitled to payment

+1! You have no obligation to repair their car, you also have no right to fix it at their expense without their prior authorisation - same as if you took your car to them and they found something that would render it illegal to drive; they'd still have to contact you for your permission to repair & bill, and if you declined they wouldn't be able to stop you removing it. They would of course be able to notify the constabulary if you drove it away rather than having it towed...

For them to expect you to use an unsafe vehicle as a courtesy replacement? That's a whole different ballgame. If they cannot or will not exchange the vehicle, you should start taking cabs and bill them for the expense.

 

[BlackC55]

I have sent the MD and CEO of Mercedes-Benz an lenthy email.

Lets just see what happens now.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

OWNERS HIT THE ROOF

Today Brentford came to a standstill as angry protestors descended on the local dealership. Protestors and Police clashed on the forecourt, spilling out into nearby roads, as negotiations continued inside.

A spokesman for the protestors said "All of this could have been avoided if they'd given Ollie his car back in a reasonable timeframe, and with the headlining replaced. After the dealership refused to return Ollie's calls supporters of Ollie's cause turned out in a show of strength".

The angry crowd was made up mainly of members of a popular UK-based Mercedes-Benz club and Internet forum "MBClub". As a result of it's members being in Brentford today, the Internet has seen a 98% reduction in traffic, and employers across the UK have reported record productivity.

Some protestors are still present although the mood has calmed since the dealer principal offered a 10% discount on the parts necessary to perform the offical MBClub "mod" pedal upgrade.

Negotiations will continue into next week, but mediators hope to draw this sorry to situation to a close very soon.

 

[vijilants]

I have sent the MD and CEO of Mercedes-Benz an lenthy email.

Lets just see what happens now.

That usually works. Ive done that before with MB when I've had seriously poor service such as you have and from then onwards his people taken over the case.

These dealers also seem to have a habit at looking down their nose at you if you bring in a Merc that is older than few years.....ie "its an old model....who cares" attitude.

Good luck as they really do themselves no favours with poor service, but to be honest, this situation does not seem to have improved in years !

 

[Howard]

I would rather stick hot needles in my eyes than ever set foot inside that place again.

 

[C43AMG]

i would rather stick hot needles in my eyes than ever set foot inside that place again.

+ 1

 

[BlackC55]

got the car back and very pleased.

Pics to follow.

 

[Burger]

Excellent news. Pleased for you.

 

[markjay]

I have sent the MD and CEO of Mercedes-Benz an lenthy email.

Lets just see what happens now.

It is very sad that it took a letter to MB's MD / CEO to get this result... but I am glad it has been resolved.

I suppose that we will hear no more about it as no doubt they made you an offer you can't refuse that included you signing an NDA which is even more restrictive the Bill Gates' notorious EULA?

 

[Sp!ke]

I am happy that the matter is now sorted to your satisfaction Olly.

I'd like to bring up another small point as it is rather valid for this thread. I just think people need to be a little it more mindful of what they say about other businesses on the forum as it greatly increases MBClubs exposure to lawsuits as publishers of said information it is possible to be held liable for damages.

If you have direct experience of something bad that has happened to you and you repeat it in public then as long as this can be supported then that is fine. But if you say something like "company X is the worst ever", then this kind of thing can and does sometimes cause us headaches and results in threats of legal action and demands of compensation.

Whilst I believe the Internet shouldn't be censored, unfortunately, it doesn't tend to work like this and the big boys who have much deeper pockets than us much have the power over what we can and can't say. (We are currently facing something just like this.)

So if you sometimes see the odd post be toned down or disappearing completely and you wonder why, the simple answer is we now have to be rather careful of what we say as our page rank means it has lots of exposure.

Basically, use facts and substantiate and we should be OK but generalising can sometimes land us in hot water.

 

[Howard]

OK , here we go ...

When i bought my w124 , i had no alarm remote . I phoned MB Brentford , and explained the situation to them. The man was extremely helpful and told me to bring the car down.

I took the next day off work ( so using a days holiday ) and took the car down to them , eventually found someone who could be bothered to talk to me. Then basically have them laugh at me , and tell me that there was no way they can get a remote and then effectively call me a liar when i said i had spoken to someone at MB Brentford who has asked me to bring my car down.

If that isn't what you would class as the worst service ever , then i'm not sure what is.

If you would like me to swear an affidavit to that effect , i am happy to , and that is why i tell people that they are the worst ever..

 

[BlackC55]

It is very sad that it took a letter to MB's MD / CEO to get this result... but I am glad it has been resolved.

I suppose that we will hear no more about it as no doubt they made you an offer you can't refuse that included you signing an NDA which is even more restrictive the Bill Gates' notorious EULA?

MB's CEO did not even reply and neither did MB's customer service.

 

[whitenemesis]

Pictures Olly??

 

[lopes80]

Wow didn't know Brentford are this bad..

A while I was lucky enough to be introduced to a technician at MB in Park Royal (North Acton) I now deal with him and his manager and could not be happier with the service, no BS or poor excuses, just facts and solutions.

 

[James1976]

Jesus Olly.

Just read this thread and that's horrific. I had similar issues with a previous new BMW which was not of expected quality - went straight to the top of BMW with a carefully worded letter and bobs et votre uncle a new car arrived after a brief battle.

I never take these things lying down and generally now, running an older car, get spares only from MB, service from an indie. Have to say, for what it's worth, that Chelsea parts are always very helpful - and I've had some stranger requests recently. Not going anywhere near MBB after seeing this lot though!

J

 

[ShinyF1]

Jesus Olly.

Just read this thread and that's horrific. I had similar issues with a previous new BMW which was not of expected quality - went straight to the top of BMW with a carefully worded letter and bobs et votre uncle a new car arrived after a brief battle.

I never take these things lying down and generally now, running an older car, get spares only from MB, service from an indie. Have to say, for what it's worth, that Chelsea parts are always very helpful - and I've had some stranger requests recently. Not going anywhere near MBB after seeing this lot though!

J

All MB Chelsea bodyshop work is done at Brentford (in case you're not aware)

 

[trainer]

Shame about your bad experience. It doesn't have to be that way but it seems that some people can't help but be awful at customer service. I am sure if they had kept you informed all the way your reaction would have been different and you would have been prepared to wait.

I had similar problems with the bosses wife Mini where I had to chase to be kept informed of the progress.


Look forward to seeing the pictures now you have it back