A BMW shop in Vancouver Rant....

[VFX]

I serviced my car at a Vancouver BMW shop today.

They were busy when I dropped my car off around 8.30am & I had to wait whilst some of the SA's were chatting.

They said my car should be ready in a couple of hours & took my number.

I call before lunchtime but the SA doesn't return my call. 3pm comes round so I call them again and they say my car was ready & could I pick it up by 6pm. Well, I now had to leave work an hour early to pick it up instead of picking it up during my lunch break - not great.

When I arrive at the shop, I waited about 30 mins before ANYBODY even acknowledged me. Several managers (service manager, sales manager, finance manager) all walked past me looking at me as though i was a piece of dog $h!t that walked off the street & into their showroom.

There were quite a few p!$$ed off customers milling around.

Once I finally spoke to someone, I found they charged me for what I thought was a quick check ($70 + tax to tell me my front brakes were 50% worn!!?!?!) - they even managed to take over 10 mins to charge my Visa.

Once I'd paid, I had to wait a further 45 mins for them to retrieve my car & hand me the keys. Not once did anybody ask me if everything was ok, if I needed anything or update me on what was happening. Again, the managers were giving me the 'get the dog $h!t off my showroom floor' stares. What was I supposed to do wait outside in the rain? It's not as though I wasn't dressed smartly.

When some guy finally handed me the keys I asked what the delay was. He said he had to remove about 20 cars before he could get mine out. He said it like it was my fault that I put him through so much hassle! How about next time you get the car ready when I call to say I'm on my way?

Well, evil stares, no apologies, $100+ for a supposedly free maintenance visit and a wasted hour & a half later, I'm on my way.

Anyway, I will NEVER deal with that particular BMW shop again and advise anyone who does to think twice.

Meanwhile, I will probably take it further with the service manager. Maybe I should even charge them for an hour & a half of my time?

I can't believe my 1er ownership has been so $h!tty so far

I was beginning to really love this car

.

[Garduna]

Damn man, that sounds totally bullshit. Worst still knowing what you do for a living.... Leaving early is usually a bad idea when it comes to our profession -_-;

When I make my way to Vancouver eventually with my own 128i, I'll be sure to stay the hell away from that specific dealership. I can't believe they treated you like that. Did they even offer water or something for you to drink while you were waiting?

[Lester]

So who was it? If you don't want to mention them by name, you can give initials. It doesn't sound like it was The BMW Store, since their service dept is across the street from the Showroom, and they do have a lounge for waiting with a TV, and a coffee machine.

I know what you mean about the salesman 'stare' - but how were you dressed? Were you wearing an Armani suit, or do you work in construction? I love wearing beater clothes when shopping, then I pull out my platinum Amex to pay.

[1HungryMan]

Sorry VFX, but you GOTTA name names now!

I was just at BMW Toronto and they were terrific, and this is in stark contrast to the notoriously AWFUL BMW Toronto that existed before the ownership change. Amazing the difference. Night and day.

Anyway, sorry about your experience but you gotta shame them out.

[warmtoes]

Yeah, share initials at least. That sounds particularly brutal. I've brought mine in 3 times for various things and have never been met with anything but immediate help.

[VFX]

1HungryMan - No names, but lets just say the initials BS is appropriate in more ways than one!

The ironic thing is, I work 5 mins walk from Brian Jessel so I could've just gone there instead.

Lester - I was wearing a smart long black cashmere over-coat, Rock & Republic Jeans, Armani sweater & smart looking shoes. Not exactly what you'd wear to a board meeting but not what you'd call shabby looking.

I also get a kick out of dressing like I'm about to do yard work & then whipping out the Platinum for a big spend. Perverse I know, but so satisfying!

Garduna - it's the closest BMW Stealership to Rainmaker/CIS, Image Engine, Atmosphere etc. so unfortunately, when you eventually get to Vancouver it's your best choice.

warmtoes - have you been there since they crammed the service dept into the space next to the showroom? It's like Grand Central Station there now!

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[alanchan]

hey Viv,

sorry to hear that Sh!T happens to you
and this is your first service.
Not very impressive to a new customer huh....
The correct name is TBS (The BMW StXXX) and I know what dealership you are talking about.
Richmond dealership is as bad as TBS too.
can you switch to BJ for service in the future?

[warmtoes]

I can say that my limited experience with BJ has been pretty good. With their valet's in the drive in area it only takes seconds before they get to you. And, when I've walked in to get my car they have people at the desk to immediately help you.

I know of other who haven't had good experiences there but it was more with the volume of people they pump through.

[VFX]

I'll give BJ a try next time round & I've spoken to BMW Canada about BS.

I heard about the patchy customer service at BJ but at least I can just walk the 5 mins back to work if they're not ready for me & not waste time hanging around.

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[alanchan]

hey Viv,

I didn't know you can complain to BMW about XXXX dealer providing shitty service.

hey I saw US release new lease and finance rates for the 1 series, wonder Canada will follow soon?

[VFX]

Originally Posted by alanchan

hey Viv,

I didn't know you can complain to BMW about XXXX dealer providing shitty service.

hey I saw US release new lease and finance rates for the 1 series, wonder Canada will follow soon?

I called the 'Contact Us' number on BMW.ca - they seemed genuinely upset that a dealer would treat a BMW customer like that & would speak to the dealer on my behalf.

Low finance on the 1er in Canada? About 7 months too late for me

Hey it's about time you bite the bullet & get a 1. You know you want to...

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[Garduna]

Lets hope that ur little chat with the person on the "contact us" number helps. Nobody should be treated like that.

I'm surprised that with ur attire, that someone didn't ask to help u out sooner. It's not like u were wearing ripped jeans and a wife beater -_-;

[bimmerfile]

OP;
I believe you generally get a call within a week or 2 from BMW Canada asking you to rate the dealership service on a scale of 1 - 10 - at least that has been my experience.
Dealerships don't like anything less than 10, so you'll get your "at bat"...

[alanchan]

Originally Posted by VFX

Hey it's about time you bite the bullet & get a 1. You know you want to...

Viv,

I know I want to but my wallet does not seem to work the same way.....

[Garduna]

Originally Posted by carnut

OP;
I believe you generally get a call within a week or 2 from BMW Canada asking you to rate the dealership service on a scale of 1 - 10 - at least that has been my experience.
Dealerships don't like anything less than 10, so you'll get your "at bat"...

Hmm I only got that call after 2 weeks of getting the car. I have on service but they didn't call me for that.

[1HungryMan]

Originally Posted by Garduna

Hmm I only got that call after 2 weeks of getting the car. I have on service but they didn't call me for that.

They called me the next day after my last visit to BMW Toronto. I told them I thought the front desk girl was HOT but the service sucked.

[aintgivingnoname]

well first off you shouldnt have paid, i wouldn't have...didnt have to service the car yet cuz its 2 weeks old, but i've already had some trouble with the service at Canbec in Montreal so i get what you mean...and honeslty guys, if they treat you any differently by the way you dress there's a problem. I'm 23 and it's not because im going to BMW that i wont wear my hoodie! I'm a customer and there's no one there at the dealership that can claim he is better than me in any respect, they can bring it on! Plus, never had any problem with getting respect walking in with jeans on and a t-shirt at Merc, Lexus, Audi or Infiniti...BMW really needs to change their attitude!

[Garduna]

Originally Posted by 1HungryMan

They called me the next day after my last visit to BMW Toronto. I told them I thought the front desk girl was HOT but the service sucked.

haha very nice Just how did they respond to that?

[Lester]

OK - everyone can have a different experience. I took my car in today to The BMW Store service dept to have them look at the driver's window (it wouldn't close properly). They have temporarily moved the service desk area into the Sales Floor, as they expand the Service and Parts building across the street. That has been going on since December. They do have a comfortable lounge area with a TV and coffee machine, which is out of the way of the sales floor. The SA offered me a ride home - but since I live only four blocks away, that wasn't necessary.

My car was repaired within 3 hours, and when I arrived to pick it up - it was washed and waiting for me just outside in the parking lot. Everyone was courteous and I had no one give me an evil eye. I was dressed in my Saturday jeans and old runners.

The window had to be "de-initialized", then "re-initialized".

[VFX]

Originally Posted by 1HungryMan

They called me the next day after my last visit to BMW Toronto. I told them I thought the front desk girl was HOT but the service sucked.

I like!

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[VFX]

Originally Posted by Lester

They do have a comfortable lounge area with a TV and coffee machine, which is out of the way of the sales floor.

Unlucky for me, I was there the coffee machine wasn't working (drip tray full or something), there was only a few cans of Diet Coke in the fridge & the comfy seats were full of disgruntled customers waiting for their cars.

I must've picked a busy busy day & busy busy time (mid-week & after 4:30pm)

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[VFX]

Originally Posted by alanchan

Viv,

I know I want to but my wallet does not seem to work the same way.....

Shame, there's some great deals to be had in today's economic climate.

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