re: Car dealership - taking care of the customer beyond the sale

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I always expect post sale service to be shite, so I try to get as much upfront as I can

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Maybe this can be flipped around. You get shite service because of all the shite you ask for at time of sale.

Customer: "I want you to basically lose money or break even to sell me something, AND want to be treated like a king after I acted like an arse."

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Situation. I bought a new vehicle about an hour north of me. We had it scheduled to get the work done. We take the vehicle up there the day before because the apt is early morning. It was supposed to be done at 12. When wife called (no pics) they couldn't tell her what the status was. So she went shopping and just waited. I call up frustrated that my wife is waiting because no one can give her an answer. When I call the "service department" the receptionist that handles this tells me she isn't even in the same building. This frustrates me further. I am on hold for 20 mins then she picks up the phone and says that it has been completed. I call wife to tell her, she shows up and they are unfriendly.

This is a large Auto park so I understand that they are busy, but why is this manager of the department/Auto park do this? I'm going to call the dealer I bought from and address it from there, but is there anything else I should mention? Just trying to fix this issue so it doesn't happen again.

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Found your problem. Large dealers that whore out vehicles don't need to even be par for the course when it comes to service because they'll get customers anyway. It's the small town dealers that have to go above and beyond in service because they don't have the sales numbers to get the incentives that large dealers use to counter the money lost selling their vehicles below dealer cost. Once a customer sees the service difference it's sometimes enough to earn a customers buying business on the next purchase.

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when I take my vehicle in to get serviced (a package that I paid extra for, and no I didn't get ripped off)

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Sounds like you overpaid and also are going to get crappy service.

We have a Lexus and Infiniti (both relatively new, but have been in for maintenance already). Service is impeccable. Lexus has been to 2 different dealers due to me working all over Houston. Both were top notch. Hell, the Mercedes dealership near me has a chef that cooks lunch everyday for people waiting.

Not all dealerships are created equal. JM Lexus in S Florida is by far the bet I've experienced. Really over the top.
JM Lexus

JM Lexus Service Lounge Amenities
Large, comfortable waiting area exclusively for JM Lexus service customers
Free pastries, cappuccino, lunch and snacks served daily
Free Internet access & PC's available
Quiet Room with Full Body Electric Massage Chairs
9-Hole Rooftop Putting Green
Multiple TV's for your viewing pleasure
Multiple iPads for guest use
Dedicated TV showing a live feed of vehicles being serviced
JM Lexus maintains 175-250 Lexus loaner vehicles on hand at all times. Any service exceeding 1.5 hours qualifies for a free loaner.

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I'm a GMC guy

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Probably why you have so much experience with the service department.

I always ask the service writer, and if they will ask mechanic what they drink, or something else like cialis, test. Donations geaux a long way.

they are shite salesman.

when i sold cars probaby... legit sixty percent of my sales came from repeat business or people getting oil changes. i sold four cars one saturday before noon and never even stepped foot on the lot all from talking to people getting their oil changed. i made about 5 grand that day

The BMW dealership where I live is shite. Everything about them is shite. Everyone I've talked to that also owns a BMW has said the exact same thing. I love the brand but the terrible service is one (of many) factors that have influenced me to buy Mercedes in the next few months, as opposed to BMW again.

I am an I.T. guy for an auto group of 17 New car dealerships.

Service managers are usually pretty busy and can be hard to find. Especially at a large busy service department. Best way to handle it is use your salesmen. Have him find out or get done what you need done. He will take care of you if He is worth a shite


ETA: if you want to frick the service dept. Bust their balls on the manufacturers Survey you get in the mail. It'll do way more damage than a call to the dealership or to the manufacturer. They keep records of the survey scores and it can cost a service writer and or manager their jobs if the survey % drops too low. Anything less than perfect across the board is a fail.