Whats the best course of action here?

[Gullible]

As mentioned a while back i was a little bit dissapointed to find that maserati in Exeter had done a major service but had not done some of the things that i expected them to do.
Here are the problems and replies.
Power steering fluid 10mm below the high/low dipstick. A"we dont fill it to the dipstick level because sometimes as the fluid heats up it can overflow over the filler cap")
Coolant expansion bottle dry as a bone ("ah that is usually empty anyway but we can top it up for you if you wish")
Electric cable retainers in engine Bay broken and snapped"they were like that when we recieved the car but we can order some for you for £XXX if you want some")
Heater relay for "slow speed" not working( "thats a £150 repair sir")
Vents and pipes not conected again correctly ("sorry about that sir,must have come loose again")
PIS point at 8mm (if we were to reset it to the prescribed parameters then your wear level reading would be all wrong so best to leave it as it is).
Car has a "turbo whine" when flooring it (sometimes when we change the fluids this can reveal a problem that was not evident when the older and thicker oil was inthe car.We have no idea what it is thats making the noise")

I have now spoken to lancasters and they said this is "almost all or at the very least ...mostly Bull shift".
So without being confrontational how the **** do i get this all sorted out?
after all they had my £1500 and I have topped up most of the fluids myself because i didn`t want to run the car without the correct fluids in the correct amounts and i am not really happy with the degree of professionalism exhibited.
Lancasters said they would not dream of sending a car out after a service with all this wrong and expecially with an 8mm PIS!
should i complain?

 

[safrane]

I would!

All to often we hear of poor service from main agents, yet we all expect a nice stamped history book and lots of reciepts if we are to buy one of these cars.

My complaint would be directed to Maserati UK as I would have lost all faith in this dealer if they cant even get the basics right.

 

[GhostyDog]

should i complain?

**** right you should complain if they've done a shoddy job, you;ve pointed out their errors, givn them the opportunity to provide you with excellent customer service in which they have failed and left you with a car you couldn't trust.

Not good at all.

 

[mowlas]

Lancasters said they would not dream of sending a car out after a service with all this wrong and expecially with an 8mm PIS!
should i complain?

Were you do dealing with Mark Ware at Carrs? I am surprised by this attitude as I thought they were very attentive when servicing my car and sorting out warranty issues. Having said that, it sounds like they lack an experienced technical team there.

I think the main thing is to be clear about what you feel would be the right outcome in this situation. Last time this happened to me with a BMW main dealer, I got BMW UK involved and in the end they sorted out the costs of putting everything right between themeselves and their dealer. I think that would be a good outcome here.

I would then contact Paul Green, the Customer Services Manager at Maserati UK and explain you are not happy. Paul seems to be resoponsive to customer's concerns about the impact of these sorts of things on perception/loyalty to the marque. I have had quite a few dealings with him and my last one was actually complimenting HR Owen's great service mindset and capability (thanks to suggestion from Frank). You could mention to Paul that I suggested you speak with him after hearing about it on the UK Maserati Forum That would kill two birds...

I would hope that you and Paul should then be able to steer a similar course of action i.e. one that requires no more parting with your cash.

If there is a servicing standards issue at Carrs then Maserati UK should know and should care. Without necessarily beating anyone up, hopefully they can remediate any potential issues with Carrs and then everyone should be happy... including future masser customers.

Good luck

 

[Andyk]

Adam, you have been back and forward with this one and Carrs for the last few months....I would now do as mentioned above contact Maserati UK if you think you will not get any where.

 

[Parisien]

I would!

All to often we hear of poor service from main agents, yet we all expect a nice stamped history book and lots of reciepts if we are to buy one of these cars.

My complaint would be directed to Maserati UK as I would have lost all faith in this dealer if they cant even get the basics right.

Agree......I actually would ask a senior representative of Maserati to meet me with the service foreman and relevant director of Carrs to talk through just how shoddy, pathetic, un-professional and reflecting so very poorly on the marque and Maserati generally. Air your plain and obvious grievances in a non-confrontational and constructive manner, get Carrs to admit the error of their ways and let Maserati come to its own reflective conclusion.....coming down on your side.

See if they have any balls whatsoever....all the huff and puff about highly trained and movitated staff, working to the highest standards in the industry is just that.....huff and puff.

I think there are severe problems evident at a number of Maserati franchises, HQ must be aware of them, they are duty bound to take action and having read Shaks post we owe it to our automotive investments, to other marque enthusiasts and the marque itself...................to be in effect protectors of its current heritage and well being.

Now, I know this may sound a bit......airy fairy, but I genuinely believe in the power of organised groups or informed opinion makers in improving things.

Love live Maserati!


P

 

[Gullible]

Just get excuses as to why something was not... or cannot be done and they are lame excuses at best.
I would have thought that for the major they would have treated the car with more respect and done everything to the highest standards.
I of course will be going the way of the indy from now on but i wanted to give Carrs the oportunity to do the job to see what they were "all about".
I really liked the salesman nigel as he was a no nonsense kinda guy who didnt come across as a "second hand car salesman" at all..But strangely the service manager has been nothing but a "well i would like to help but if we are not going to make any money out of it..." which was what he was at the begining and more "second hand car salesman like" and tried to fob me off with a litany of lame excuses for a poorly effected service later.
I would like the whine eleiminated again.
The clips on the engine replaced and the PIS set to 5mm,then i would like to have the fluids done again correctly.
I have noticed a real drop off in service levels in many areas of life this year and late last year.the recession is ringing out the owrst in production as well.

 

[Gullible]

how do i contact paul green?
P.s I had about 5 technicians drive the car around the block trying to determine what the whine was and they could not be sure so hazarded a guess at maybe the thrust bearing or a belt tensioner.
Lancasters said if it were the very common fault of the bell housing Bearing? (thingy) then the technicians should have been able to confirm this immediatly as they would know what that sounded like,so it cannot be that bearing.
Yet maserati Exeter could not confrm or deny it was this bearing with 5 technicians driving it!!!
(its covered by the parts warrenty as lancasters did the thrust spigot and clutch last sept and they have a 12 month warrenty.)
Anyway i sent an email asking them to do the things this week so lets see what happens but i expect to be fobbed off with too busy or something and be given another date that i cant make.

Still enjoying the car though..so alls good there.
I do get some very random glitches with it now and again like the gears not actually doing anything when cold very very occasionally (car stays in N) But today it was the turn of the MSP to turn itself off until i turned the ignition off.
I also had the other day a CEL that again turned off a short while later.I have sourced this to the battery though as it seems to hover at 10 amp on starting (with little red warning light lit) but driving its approx 14amp.
I also today had the little Red Boot open light up for a short mile.these things happen when days are "damp"
Thats Italian electrics for you i guess!!

 

[Parisien]

how do i contact paul green?

Shak no doubt has his email...........................

P

 

[Gullible]

Adam, you have been back and forward with this one and Carrs for the last few months....I would now do as mentioned above contact Maserati UK if you think you will not get any where.

yeh dull as dishwater andy and really boring.
I just dont want to be a moaning Minnie all the time ,I have better things to do (like drive my spyder all over the place smiling inainly at everyone i see) but i feel i have little choice either i become victor meldrew or i bend over and take it up the jacksie.(and in my house... if you drop the soap... you kick it out the shower room and use the shampoo instead)

 

[dem maser]

i also had problems with my car when it went to main dealer which i cant name but from now on its indy for me found verdi good and grimaldi excellent

 

[conaero]

Adam, I warned you about Carrs did I not. Oh well, too late to cry over spilt milk.

What I suspect happened to your car is nothing!

The dealer you bought the car from probably contacted Carrs, told them they had £200 to spend and Carrs gave it a wipe over, hence your problem. Main Dealers rarely expect you to lift the bonnet, you did and found out the true extent of the £200 service.

I think in this situation is to never trust anyone else paying for work on your car, find a local indie and move on.

 

[Gullible]

Adam, I warned you about Carrs did I not. Oh well, too late to cry over spilt milk.

What I suspect happened to your car is nothing!

The dealer you bought the car from probably contacted Carrs, told them they had £200 to spend and Carrs gave it a wipe over, hence your problem. Main Dealers rarely expect you to lift the bonnet, you did and found out the true extent of the £200 service.

I think in this situation is to never trust anyone else paying for work on your car, find a local indie and move on.

Matt ...I am shocked by the total lack of trust you place in main dealerships like Carrs!!! LOL
You did say..... but then i had to find out for myself anyway....(I have heard that RED is the new black but then until i see it for myself....)
No they did actually do the belts and plugs etc as i can see that.... but they left out a great gap in servicing and did not do the pis correctly.then when confronted they basically tried to baffle with Bull.
this is... as i said.... a sign of the times.
Bought a HYundai generator about a month ago and used it once and it sprung a huge oil leak.sent it back to the supplier who said he had ordered a new one and it was on the boat on route to UK and to us...called about a week later and yes it was still on the way...about 4 days later and "almost here sir" and 2 weeks later our original generator comes back (it will be better than the one from hyundai as its been taken completely apart by an Ex Rolls royce engineer.Hmmm opens box to see a generator almost bathed in oil,the box is soaked and the generator is literally dripping oil from its base.didnt eben wipe off the spilled oil and the plastic casing looks like it has been kicked around the workshop floor its that badly scratched and abraded.We paid over £750 for this item and it was as new and now we have an aged leaky pile of junk RR engineer my ****...no wonder he is in EX RR engineer.
Rejected it under the sale of goods and got monay back after a lot of hassle and delays.
went to somerset caravans sunday and picked up another one,started it up and hoorah...no leaks...But....No power either..just a generator that does not ...Generate anything.
so reported it to shop and "yes sir a replacement will be sent out"...monday and a phone call.."this is Genpower here suppliers of Hyundai,we would like to collect the generator"
" i expect you are sending the new one out as we speak" said I...."No sir we will have the generator back and diagnose its faults and fix it and return it to you" ..".But we dont have the box for it as it would not fit in the spyders boot so its with someraet caravans" said I.
"thats alright just stick a label on the handle" said he. so its gone back to genpower to be fixed within one day of owning it and it will be returned scratched and bashed up from travel unboxed (at there instruction) in the back of a couriers van.
and for this we paid another £750. LIke is said...No build quality and no pride in there work anymore.
If it comes back scratched and old looking then it makes our business look cheap and nasty and i will not accept that.I bought a pristine new generator and if its anythin short of that i`m gonna get a honda.
Had one of my japanes swords fail to sell at auction last week and went to collect it today.
Values in the region of £2000-3000 but resurved at £1200..but it didnt sell which was strange...that is until they gave it back to me...covered in rust and with the tip (kissaki) broken off!!!
apparently they did not know that fingers have acids and can cause a blade to rust and that they didnt see who dropped it hard enough to break the tip off...I advised them that the item was flawless and described in the listing as so and that i would not acept it back in that condition and to file claim with the insurers for its full value as i had just paid over £800 to have a professional japanes sword polisher restore it!! again poor levels of service..
Man i am one unlucky buggrer at the moment!!! Rant rave rant!!!!

 

[conaero]

Oh dear Adam, not having much luck at the moment. I feel for you there is nothing like bad service.

 

[mowlas]

Adam, have PM'd you with Paul's contact details. I would recommend speaking with him first (establish your relationship and all that ) before following up with a detailed e-mail. I am sure you will find that he will show concern and will want to hear what you have to say.

Concerning main dealers, I said it before and will say again that I found HR Owen to be quite exceptional. I think it's down to 3 reasons: firstly their business model seems to be based on "do a good job and you get repeat business"; secondly they have a very strong technical team (their head technician has been working with Ferraris and Maseratis for about 14 years and before that, with other italian marques - he knows these cars inside out); thirdly they have nearby competition from at least one other main dealer.

I have invested in developing a relationship with them and it is reciprocated - always a good sign that something is going right in a business.

I bought my car from Carr's and confess I have a bit of a soft spot for them, and Adam you are right, Nigel in sales is a gem (old school). It would be great if the outcome of this is your car gets sorted right at no extra cost and Carr's see the benefit of developing their capability to do things right first time. As Frank says, much better for everyone...

 

[dem maser]

dealers like them are big, have to make money anyhow but an indy needs you to keep coming back

 

[Gullible]

Oh dear Adam, not having much luck at the moment. I feel for you there is nothing like bad service.

Just the tip of a huge iceberg of poor quality service and items matt.....I wont even bother to bore you with any more examples of similar crup i have had over the last 12 months or so....As i said ..this is a sign of the times we are living in and its gonna get worse as people try to save money on parts and time etc....

 

[Parisien]

Adam, have PM'd you with Paul's contact details. I would recommend speaking with him first (establish your relationship and all that ) before following up with a detailed e-mail. I am sure you will find that he will show concern and will want to hear what you have to say.

Concerning main dealers, I said it before and will say again that I found HR Owen to be quite exceptional. I think it's down to 3 reasons: firstly their business model seems to be based on "do a good job and you get repeat business"; secondly they have a very strong technical team (their head technician has been working with Ferraris and Maseratis for about 14 years and before that, with other italian marques - he knows these cars inside out); thirdly they have nearby competition from at least one other main dealer.

I have invested in developing a relationship with them and it is reciprocated - always a good sign that something is going right in a business.

I bought my car from Carr's and confess I have a bit of a soft spot for them, and Adam you are right, Nigel in sales is a gem (old school). It would be great if the outcome of this is your car gets sorted right at no extra cost and Carr's see the benefit of developing their capability to do things right first time. As Frank says, much better for everyone...

Ok, good way to go about it Shak, hopefully things can be sorted, good points commended and poor points highlighted and then an effort made to put right over a 3 month period.

Building up a solid relationship with any supplier is useful in all aspects of life....ie if you find a gud 'un hang on to him.

A crucial point in Shaks post..................stability of the workforce where experienced well trained staff are there for extended periods and are highly thought of by their bosses...vital to a high end marque like Maserati.

Anyway steady as she goes, hopefully a positive outcome can be arrived at...its a pity Adam, that its all left to you to get some satisfaction, and hopefully Maserati UK, will try to sooth your pain too........after all it reflects very, very poorly on them, if one/two/three members, of their quite small team.....are complete liabilities!


P