Extremely frustrated...

[Amir]

Got up at at 6:00 am this morning to get to the dealer to drop off my LR3 for a few things, only to find out that they had no loaner LR3s available, instead they would do a rental. This is after yesterday' phone conversation with both sales and service to assure that they would have a loaner LR3 available. The ******* the phone yesterday and today at the counter (service) was extremely rude. I felt like as I was at a local DMV office. I had cancelled my trip this long weekend as i didn't wanna drive my LR3 with problems like car pulling to the right and knocking/clunking noise from the front end, etc. And today was the earliest appointment I could get since the time I had asked for it about a month and a half ago when i bought the truck.

Not good. There was no one in sales yet since it was like 7:30 am. I basically cancelled the appointment and came back. My sales guide had told me that as long as i had an appointment in advance, i would have a loaner LR3. And this appointment was made more than a month in advance. When i got a confirmation call from service yesterday I told them that I needed the loaner LR3 to be able to drive and compare a few things otherwise I would have been ok with the rental. After talking to the service yesterday, i found out that the service was saying one thing and the sales dept. was saying another...Is this what I will have to deal with in the future? My frustration has just built up by the combination of service dept.' attitude and the fact that I am not able to enjoy the car since mine apparantly has problems.

sorry folks, didn't mean to vent. But I was so ****** off this morning, I felt like leaving the keys there and letting them know that they can keep the truck...

 

[Houm_WA]

Amir,

This sort of thing happened to me at my dealer service dept. until I bombed them with a bad survey. They take that stuff seriously. Oddly enough, though...I haven't received another one to fill out ! Too bad (for them) because they've been good since, so I'd probably give them a good review.

Point being, ask for one of those surveys and tear them a new one on it...see if that helps. You paid a good buck for that vehicle and the service experience ought to be better than what you're getting.

 

[LR3_Magic]

Houm WA,

Interesting when you mentioned about telling them what you think in their survey. I just got back from the dealership this morning after dropping off my 05 LR3 HSE for some warranty work. Three weeks ago I was in for my 7500 mile service and mentioned to the service advisor that I had never gotten any information from Land Rover acknowledging my purchase or any surveys as to how happy I was with Land Rover. They looked it up and said that all coorespondance was being sent to an address elsewhere in the USA and I needed to update my address after moving. I purchased my 05 back in July after placing an order back in December 04 and all information collected by Land Rover through ordering and taking delivery had been at the same address that I've had for the last 5 years. They didn't know how the incorrect address had been asigned to me, but would correct it in the system. Today I mentioned that I still hadn't recieved any information/surveys and they said it was in the system, but that I had replyed back with 100% satisfaction on the surveys sent to the wrong address. I have never gotten or sent in a respones to a Land Rover/JD Powers survey! Would have given them my thoughts on how to do things better if I'd been given a chance.

Hmmm... Wonder why someone would take the time to respond back to a survey sent to the wrong address and then reply with a positive response? Wonder how many others are not getting a survey, but are showing a 100% satisfaction.... just curious as this in my first Land Rover!

 

[roverdawg]

LR3 Magic,

Wow! Now that's just more than a bit shady esp. since bonuses are linked to 100% satisfaction surveys. Very interesting. I've had my LR3 for just over a year and just rec'd my service survey. Looking fwd to filling it out. It won't be very flattering....

PS I'd contact LRNA & JD Powers and tell them what happened, and ask to have the survey sent to you pronto and the old ones "wiped out" as you can assure they were not filled out by you. Whether it's a scandal or an honest mistake, it certainly deserves further investigation by LRNA/JD Powers to determine the extent of the problem i.e. isolated incident vs. widespread practice and localized vs. regional.

 

[Amir]

i just remembered that i had received a survey form in the mail which i never filled out, i think now its time to fill that puppy out. Although there is no mention of the service dept. in the survey, its all about sales, but i am sure i will find an area to include my thoughts...

What do you guys suggest i should do now. I guess I will talk to my sales guide again and see what he does. The funny thing is that the girl behind the counter at the service was so rude that she even said things like "no matter what you do, whatever manager you talk to, this is our policy and nothing is gonna help". And I got all this without even mentioning the manager or raising my voice even a little...

 

[roverdawg]

Personally, I'd write a letter to the Dealership owner, documenting your conversation with the salesperson and what you were promised, how you stuck to your end of the agreement re: loaner car, and how events unfolded incl. the service dept. mis-communication/attitude. At the bottom cc a copy to LRNA and send both. Nothing may come of it, but you'll feel a little better and hopefully, somewhere it'll be documented. The dealer will/should likely apologize and will probably say/write something to the effect of, "...in the future we will strive to do better...". Probably, even has a form letter to that effect. btw I'd also mention the service survey shena****ns and see if that doesn't get a more formal response. If the service survey never went to you, but was deliberately filled out and sent in as "100% satisfied" AND if someone rec'd a $ bonus as a result, that's FRAUD. JD Powers stakes their legitamacy on verifiable results and will likely look into it further if you filed a formal complaint. As far as LR goes, it sounds like that you're in a region, like myself, where the LR dealerships are owned by the same person. Unless, you make your case known at a higher level, little may come of it.

 

[Amir]

thanks roverdawg and houm. I just called the dealer (not my original sales guide as he wasn't available at the time I called) he was apologetic and said that I would get a call from them. Lets see what happens. Roverdawg, you are right, I live in the NYC area and i purchased the truck in long island and all dealerships on the island are owned by one owner. I have a feeling the dealership will try to help, but if nothing comes out of it then I am going to pursue with what you have suggested.

I am just annoyed as hell that my LR3 is not 100 percent yet and the fact that its a brand new vehicle but is having issues. Had a few days off this week, would have totally enjoyed a trip out of town. Bummer...

 

[kmurphy19662003]

I am a salesperson at a dealership. I do not think everyone here understands the sh** a salesperson has to put up with to make a living. For every person that buys a vehicle we have to spend time with 15 people who have no intention of buying anything . We almost have to get on our knees and beg for a sale, especially if there are several dealers with the same vehicle nearby.

A salesperson can do everything right and still get a bad survey. A lot of things are out of his control and some customers are unreasonable anyway. If a dealership does get a bad survey, I can assure you that everybody at that dealership knows the customer that sent it in. The customer that beats us up over price and still sends in a bad survey will be singled out and will be last on our list for any favors.

A bad survey does not affect pay in most payplans. But believe me, if you send in a perfect survey that will get you much further than just being spiteful and sending in a bad one.

Most people are far too emotional about vehicle transactions. You only go around this world once, so calm down and enjoy it.

 

[Amir]

Wow...so basically you are saying that I should just ignore the bad treatment that I got from a service person sitting behind the counter and should just suck it up because, well, thats just the way it is. I shouldn't have but FYI, thats just what i did this morning without creating a scene, where I know most people would have. And as for the hard work that you guys have to do to sell a car, with all due respect (I mean it), you know what, there are a lot of people out there who work just as hard as you do to make ends meet. And for the problems that you have described for a sales person, they just come with the territory/business that that sales person have chosen just as thousands of other job categories would have related issues as well. If every person who walked into the showroom bought a car then we all would have been in the same business. And nobody really got on their knees to sell me the car and thats not what I expected either. Its just not LR style anyway. And I didn't beat up anyone on the price either.

Having said all that, I do respect the fact that a sales person has to walk that fine line of helping/informing a potential customer without appearing as overbearing.

In my specific case, I haven't even had a chance to speak to my sales guide yet and I have nothing against him at all. He has done his job well. I am just waiting to see the service dept. do their. And I am yet to put out any "sh**" for anyone to put up with yet. Will keep you posted and will start enjoying my vehicle as soon as it is FIXED.

 

[roverdawg]

Kmurphy,
Get over it. My salesperson was GREAT and the sales survey was OUTSTANDING for him accordingly. Some SERVICE depts. have been known for consistent meager repair work to outright rude customer service. Those service surveys should be filled out accordingly. I'm not gonna kiss my service dept.'s rear to get good service or for fear of being "singled out". I do understand the "sh**" as you say you have to put up with just to make a living. In fact, I was sitting in the waiting area when a LR employee got into a LOUD conversation (everyone sitting in the waiting room could hear) with a co-worker about how they make little $ on the Rover "packs" and how it was unfair that only one guy at the dealership was allowed to sell the Aston Martins and make some "real money". Said employee went on to do some rude impersonations of well-to-do customers who come in and write a personal check for their cars and, over the next 15 minutes, did a great job of singling out every type of customer they got and bashing them. Hopefully, you restrict your comments to online forums and have more class than that employee had in front of clients. Like I said, my salesperson was great and so was his survey. The service dept. is lacking and will be graded accordingly. On those issues where I feel it is not the service department's fault, but rather a lack of support from LRNA to the dealer/mechanics, I note that, as I only grade them on what they can control. "A bad survey does not affect pay in most payplans". Perhaps, but a 100% Outstanding does affect quite a few as far as bonuses. As far as the LR3 and Range Rover Sports go, I doubt there was much of the "we almost have to get on our knees and beg for a sale...". That being said, Yes, car sales are often a cutthroat business as are most sales type positions, if you lament the fact that you have to go sit with a lot of potential customers just to get a sale, man are you in the wrong business.