Yep, the best thing you can do is become best friends with your dealer so they will go to bat for you, either by good-willing the repairs at no cost to you or getting the mfr to cover it for you. The one thing that absolutely does not work is to go in there screaming and pounding your fist on the desk demanding things......when I had unreasonable customers like that I simply invited them to leave and never come back. And like the article says, if you have to lawyer up, you'd BETTER have your paperwork in order, every eye dotted and tee crossed.
This is absolutely true. I was good-willed on a repair long out of warranty. When I asked why I was told that I was a good customer. I asked what that meant & was told I had never bad mouthed them on this very forum. So yes folks some of them do read the forums. Yell & scream at anyone & see how they react. I know how I react if treated that way. You certainly would not be getting any favors out of me. Treat folks with the same respect that you expect to be used with you. Simple really. :yesnod:
A buddy of mine worked at a Honda dealership as a service writer. He had a customer who was very difficult, complaining about every little thing they did on her car, real or imagined. She was a local TV news reporter. Finally, the dealership had enough of her and the Service Manager told her that, as they couldn't please her, she should take her business elsewhere and that they would no longer work on her car. She broke down crying. It turned out that she had been banned from every other Honda dealer in the city and they were the last ones who would work on her car. You'd have thought that after getting eighty sixed the first couple of times she would have figured out it was her, not the dealer's fault.
The article say that people that are frustrated with their dealer go to the mfg. I have found it very beneficial to go to a different dealer. Lots of non-car people think that you are tied to your dealer. It is in the dealers best interest to keep you as a customer but it doesn't always work out. Also people that move to another city have to find another dealer just like a doctor or dentist. Unfortunately us with MINIs have a lot fewer choices. When there is only one dealer in town they pretty much do what they want.
There are some people that live in the clouds and reality does not exist for them. I have had to 'fire' a few customers over the years. I fix jewelry and for those customers...it gave me a great deal of pleasure. If you want to know how to be successful at resolving a problem...always go forward. Don't place blame...let the lawyers do that. There is a problem, ask their help in how to solve it. Don't fight....
Don't be this guy.... Too bad he backed up and took another run at it... He coulda claimed "sudden acceleration".... Maybe [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIDl7ZsmAe4"]Caught On Camera: Man crashes pickup truck through front office of Alva hotel in Oklahoma - YouTube[/ame]
I do not disagree with the article. In that type of situation I am well aware of how words can be twisted and am careful. But I do believe if you have a legitimate complaint you should try to resolve it before you lawyer up, and that may include calling the manufacture. Whether talking to the dealer or the manufacture you should be careful. I had bought my son a BMW, their was a class action suit that I did not know about due to problems with that model. This car turned out to have that problem. I called them and we came to an agreement that was fair to both of us, with out the use of a lawyer.
I also keep a 12ga shotgun in my shop. Just to remind Pepper that she better behave. She knows I have a temper....