UUronL

I have a bit of constructive criticism for BMWNA. Do away with the color-coded teams for service. I just sat in my car waiting for my service tech for 40 minutes - actually a bit more than 40 this morning.

I arrived at Passport BMW at a little past 7:15AM (I had an appointment). It was not until 8AM that my service tech was told that he missed a car (mine) in the lineup. I had received the windshield card (blue) immediately upon arrival, but apparently he did not see it. I was courteous and treated the service department with respect. Rather than make a fuss and demand attention, I assumed that he had seen my car and the colored tag (I had certainly seen him). Clearly this was the wrong approach and I should not have assumed I was dealing with a functioning operation.

What really really strikes me as being incredibly customer-apathetic is the sheer number of technicians and service advisors who walked right past my car, some with seemingly nothing to do. Many were simply moving cars - housekeeping type duties. How could this kind of activity be prioritized above a waiting customer? How was it that none of them approach me and asked if I had been helped? It was not until my car was impeding their housekeeping duties that I was finally attended to.

While keeping the ingest of service customers isolated to a single person and team probably makes it easier for BMW to track performance of its personnel, the fact that this compromises the customer experience is a bit ironic. How can anyone who knows a thing about customer service build a system like that? Such a system creates situations where idle personnel -can't- help customers.

I also waited nearly 20 minutes for a service loaner. There was an inexplicably long wait (behind a customer who I should have been serviced ahead of), and a question about cars not having gas. In all, I didn't leave the dealership until an hour after I arrived to drop the car off. I was the last one out, and there had been a slew of cars in two lines whose drivers had arrived after I did but were serviced before I was. I was stuck in heavy traffic as a result, traffic that I would not have been caught in otherwise.


I have been generous with my praise of BMW - its service, its automobiles, and its practices. No more. This burned every last shred of goodwill that I have for the marque.

I drive a lot of rental cars when I travel for work, and I think I know what basic transportation needs to do. For a while now, I have been driving in a rolling embarrassment that gets "outdone" by rental cars on a regular basis - at least when it comes to automotive basics. I use my car for business, often with clients as passengers. The tires sound like I'm in a monster truck and regularly disrupt conversations. The brakes are so obnoxious (and have been for 1yr +) that people actually jerk their heads around from inside other cars when I stop alongside. This is not the kind of attention I want or should be getting. A BMW should be at least as livable as a common rental car. Quiet tires, silent brakes, and windows that go up when you want them to.

If BMWNA values my current and future business, it will open a channel to Passport BMW and ensure that my issues are corrected and that they correct the issue with their service department.


PM me for details.

slickrick

Damn, sorry you had a bad one today. That's how I felt when I found my fender was hit (x3) but i'm over it now and just can't wait to get it fixed and get my new car. Take it easy and good luck......

Rudy

Bummer that you had a bad morning Ron. :thumbsdown:

All I can say is the color coded system you speak of is something I've never heard of or seen so it's likely something that Passport does on their own. It sounds like a very busy dealership.

I realize my dealership may be somewhat smaller but each time I make a service appointment, I go there the night before and do the drop off/pick up of the loaner so they can start working on my car right away the next morning. Also, most times I pick my car up after the service dept. is closed (cashier still open) and it's quite painless...

Hope you'll feel better once you get your new tires, etc. Good luck!

UUronL

Yeah, they have a "red team", "white team", "silver team", and "blue team", with each service advisor at the helm of a color. A guy walks down two lines of cars every morning and sticks a laminated card with your team's color (he asks you) and then each SA walks up to his color of cars with his clipboard and signs you in after a brief discussion. The SAs all eventually go inside and do the computer-oriented aspects of the customer ingest.

I just naturally assumed all the dealerships did this.

I have salvaged my morning - it was cathartic to write it all down.

amigo525

Driving bmw for less than most of you (for only 7 yrs or so) I am not impressed a bit with BMW service. (hey that is me). I know that many of you have much better luck.


So why do i keep on driving those machines??

HPLouis

I used to go to Passport when I lived in MD. I've only seen that system with Passport though

BMWNA

I'm with BMW of North America, LLC. I've passed this message on to a BMW NA Customer Relations Representative who will be in touch with you soon.

tbal

im trying to get a hold of someone too grrr

lawguy

It sounds like a dealer specific issue. I have been elated with Swope BMW in Lousiville.

I left a message for my SA (Edwin) a few days ago with a silly question and he has called me 3x, leaving messages each time, trying to reach me to make sure my question was addressed.

BMW will keep my business as long as I am treated so well!

- Pete

cobradav

This system is sure not used by my small dealership. Of course I do not wait at all most times as the SA comes to the house to drop off loaner and take 6er in for service. However, this only started after a carefully worded (had to reread and rewite several times so my anger did not show through) letter to the dealer service manager on a bad experience. It was them not ordering the right quantity of repair parts necessitating an additional 100 mile round trip to dealer to effect the proper repair. Since that time I think I have been tagged with the "valued customer" tag as I also have had some fair sized ($$) "goodwill" repairs.

I have visited much larger BMW centers under the Fields brands and did not notice them using such a system either.