Communication with Dealer

[Niborn]

I was just wondering it its usual to have to chase the dealer for information about ones order ? I know now that the Cali is on its way, but it was a hard job getting updates and trying to get hold of the salesman after the sale was made is hard and just now I spoke to the manager to ask him if he knew ( same question I put in an email to the dealer salesman 4 days ago to which I have had no answer ) if the service will be set up on 20,000 miles or 12,000 ( as I want 20,000 as I will only be making long journeys ) . The manager just said " I dont know".
I asked him if he can find out and he passed the buck to the salesman who he said will be in on Monday.

Really weird service for a £60,000 ( after discount ) spend .

Grateful if any one knows the answer to the service question and has a view about dealers , I am a bit worried now about the collection of the Cali and if there are going to be other problems if the attitude is like this, in my business experience , attitude and company culture and customer service are often very related .

 

[calikev]

Yes im afraid this is very common for vw

 

[GrannyJen]

With the exception of a few Cali dealers can be considered the enemy. Therefore use every weapon at your disposal. Email, snail mail, hand-delivered mail and if all that fails, chain mail to bang them over the head with.

 

[Niborn]

Yes im afraid this is very common for vw

Hmmm, I have a Mercedes as my main car ( not that wealthy it is old - 7 year ) , however whenever and however ( even dressed terribly ) I contact the garage the service is amazing , I don't like the contrast at all with VW . Very worrying

 

[Niborn]

With the exception of a few Cali dealers can be considered the enemy. Therefore use every weapon at your disposal. Email, snail mail, hand-delivered mail and if all that fails, chain mail to bang them over the head with.

Is there a poll to rate the dealer experience ? that might help ?

 

[T6 CFO]

I was just wondering it its usual to have to chase the dealer for information about ones order ? I know now that the Cali is on its way, but it was a hard job getting updates and trying to get hold of the salesman after the sale was made is hard and just now I spoke to the manager to ask him if he knew ( same question I put in an email to the dealer salesman 4 days ago to which I have had no answer ) if the service will be set up on 20,000 miles or 12,000 ( as I want 20,000 as I will only be making long journeys ) . The manager just said " I dont know".
I asked him if he can find out and he passed the buck to the salesman who he said will be in on Monday.

Really weird service for a £60,000 ( after discount ) spend .

Grateful if any one knows the answer to the service question and has a view about dealers , I am a bit worried now about the collection of the Cali and if there are going to be other problems if the attitude is like this, in my business experience , attitude and company culture and customer service are often very related .

It seems to be hit and miss and down to tracking down a dealer in a dealership who you trust. At the end of the day they are a franchise. To date I have had a good relationship with my dealer, others who have dealt with the same dealership have expressed dissatisfaction. It's down to to many factors to give any reliable guidance.
Assuming a good service because of what you pay would be a mistake I'm afraid.
It is in my experience well worth trying to build a relationship with the dealer. I don't know which dealer you are using but it may be quite possible that your particular salesman is the only one with in depth knowledge of the vehicle. Trust me there has been lots of discussion on this forum about dealers, dealerships and the level of service.
In relationship to your servicing you should be able to get this sorted out when you pick up the vehicle.


Mike

 

[WelshGas]

I was just wondering it its usual to have to chase the dealer for information about ones order ? I know now that the Cali is on its way, but it was a hard job getting updates and trying to get hold of the salesman after the sale was made is hard and just now I spoke to the manager to ask him if he knew ( same question I put in an email to the dealer salesman 4 days ago to which I have had no answer ) if the service will be set up on 20,000 miles or 12,000 ( as I want 20,000 as I will only be making long journeys ) . The manager just said " I dont know".
I asked him if he can find out and he passed the buck to the salesman who he said will be in on Monday.

Really weird service for a £60,000 ( after discount ) spend .

Grateful if any one knows the answer to the service question and has a view about dealers , I am a bit worried now about the collection of the Cali and if there are going to be other problems if the attitude is like this, in my business experience , attitude and company culture and customer service are often very related .

Unfortunately you are not alone. Because the California is sold through the commercial arm we, as owners, ask too many questions and I don't believe they have any significant training in this vehicle or Customer Service. You don't have to use this Dealership for servicing or anything else for that matter. Read the Dealer Review Section on this Forum and see if there is one near you that has half decent reviews and check them out personally.
It might be a good idea to Download the New Vehicle Checklist from the VIP section and email a copy to the Salesman and Manager beforehand and just say you're looking forward to going through it point by point on handover. Also make sure that the Mains Circuit is working, the kitchen Mains socket is live when hooked up and the Charger is charging the Leisure batteries. There have been too many instances where the Mains lead has not been plugged into the charger. They'll say "It's not part of the PDI, Sir" my response would be " Well it is now - show me ". I assure you the enjoyment far outweighs the Dealership shortcomings.

 

[Niborn]

Unfortunately you are not alone. Because the California is sold through the commercial arm we, as owners, ask too many questions and I don't believe they have any significant training in this vehicle or Customer Service. You don't have to use this Dealership for servicing or anything else for that matter. Read the Dealer Review Section on this Forum and see if there is one near you that has half decent reviews and check them out personally.
It might be a good idea to Download the New Vehicle Checklist from the VIP section and email a copy to the Salesman and Manager beforehand and just say you're looking forward to going through it point by point on handover. Also make sure that the Mains Circuit is working, the kitchen Mains socket is live when hooked up and the Charger is charging the Leisure batteries. There have been too many instances where the Mains lead has not been plugged into the charger. They'll say "It's not part of the PDI, Sir" my response would be " Well it is now - show me ". I assure you the enjoyment far outweighs the Dealership shortcomings.

Brilliant advice many many thanks .....

PS are you in Norway at the moment ?

 

[hirsty]

As above, there's a big discrepancy between what one would normally expect (particularly after spending big money) from a Dealer vs the reality of the Cali customer service experience - much of which is blamed on them being the Commercial / Van part, rather than the Consumer / Car part.

To compound this VW HQ are equally ambivalent, but as we're still queuing around the block (for the most part) I don't expect it to change any time soon. My Service Team at the local Dealer (Yorkshire) are pretty good, so the Sales experience where I bought it (Buckinghamshire) is more or less forgotten for me now.

On the plus side it's very much a recurring theme on the forum, so at least you can be reassured that it's in no way personal

 

[hirsty]

To add to that, and whilst remembering we're not a protest movement, I think we could have a pinned thread for VW Salesmen / Dealers / Service teams that go above and beyond? I'm not suggesting vilifying Dealers for one persons bad (subjective) experience, but there are some names that come up again & again as good 'uns.

I've read a lot about "Guy", I've bought accessories from "Steve", and the fella with the red van yesterday was v.enthusiastic about his Salesman too. I'm going to vote with my feet next time & make a trip to order from someone (recommended here) who'd value taking my money and do a decent handover.

 

[WelshGas]

Brilliant advice many many thanks .....

PS are you in Norway at the moment ?

Crossed into Sweden today, on my way home slowly and enjoying the sun with many coffee stops.

 

[Grumpy Mike]

The question on servicing.... I think it is a matter of setting it up as a variable service in the electronics. That way the systems in the cali determine based on your driving, the dust in its filters etc, when it needs to be serviced. Therefore a "good" driver, driving in non dust conditions will have longer service intervals. The info centre in the dash will tell you when to book the service. That rather than set it up as "fixed" service intervals.. I had that on a golf many moons ago... and benefited.


I have not taken delivery yet, but have had good service from the garage to date. Sometimes a delay in answering. But I still have faith and trust. It seems there is only one Cali specialist at each centre. They have to have days off. Then they have to sell. Then do lengthy handovers. Then answer questions from us.... And I am sure there are millions of questions... Perhaps like everything nowadays, not enough people to do the job??

 

[Niborn]

The question on servicing.... I think it is a matter of setting it up as a variable service in the electronics. That way the systems in the cali determine based on your driving, the dust in its filters etc, when it needs to be serviced. Therefore a "good" driver, driving in non dust conditions will have longer service intervals. The info centre in the dash will tell you when to book the service. That rather than set it up as "fixed" service intervals.. I had that on a golf many moons ago... and benefited.


I have not taken delivery yet, but have had good service from the garage to date. Sometimes a delay in answering. But I still have faith and trust. It seems there is only one Cali specialist at each centre. They have to have days off. Then they have to sell. Then do lengthy handovers. Then answer questions from us.... And I am sure there are millions of questions... Perhaps like everything nowadays, not enough people to do the job??

Thanks Grumpy Mike , it will be interesting to compare notes when our two Calis are finally arrived . I'm am an ex corporate business manager but now I run a small business , probably we don't have enough staff too ... everyone is very very busy , but we have a golden rule we are 24 /7 our clients and don't give up trying to satisfy our clients . We've never advertised and we've survived 15 years and continue to slowly grow despite a lot of competition and market pressures. We actually find it's extremely rare clients push us to any limit most are very respectful and kind so we don't often have to offer 24/7 and rarely actually go beyond the norm, but I think it's a question of attitude and culture and our clients can feel that .

In the end I guess the Cali dealerships are variable, probably there are great ones and your right of course we should have faith , but for £ 60,000 plus I want to be sure of a good product and service and not hope it's going to be ok ....

 

[Grumpy Mike]

Thanks Grumpy Mike , it will be interesting to compare notes when our two Calis are finally arrived . I'm am an ex corporate business manager but now I run a small business , probably we don't have enough staff too ... everyone is very very busy , but we have a golden rule we are 24 /7 our clients and don't give up trying to satisfy our clients . We've never advertised and we've survived 15 years and continue to slowly grow despite a lot of competition and market pressures. We actually find it's extremely rare clients push us to any limit most are very respectful and kind so we don't often have to offer 24/7 and rarely actually go beyond the norm, but I think it's a question of attitude and culture and our clients can feel that .

In the end I guess the Cali dealerships are variable, probably there are great ones and your right of course we should have faith , but for £ 60,000 plus I want to be sure of a good product and service and not hope it's going to be ok ....

Yep. I am from a similar background. I always trained my staff that if its done well and promptly you will actually spend less time than if you are picking up the pieces.

My experience with Range Rover was appalling. I actually gave up in the end. The service does not match the expectation they give you. Just hope my Cali dealership is better....

 

[Wind Witch]

Yep. I am from a similar background. I always trained my staff that if its done well and promptly you will actually spend less time than if you are picking up the pieces.

My experience with Range Rover was appalling. I actually gave up in the end. The service does not match the expectation they give you. Just hope my Cali dealership is better....

Since you are in County Durham, who did you go with? Was it Lookers in Newcastle, Guy in Preston or further afield perhaps?

 

[Grumpy Mike]

Since you are in County Durham, who did you go with? Was it Lookers in Newcastle, Guy in Preston or further afield perhaps?

I travel from Scotland to the Midlands with work and with a purchasing background.... well... so I visited many dealers, some I actually wouldnt trust, some I felt didnt care, some I think were incompetent or using very sharp / dodgy practice to get an order and after much deliberation... not really she stood out well above the rest.. Elisabeth at Parkway Leicester. Felt she was honest, could trust and believed in her deal.

Who did you use?

 

[Niborn]

Ive never bought a California before and as I live mostly in Kent so I went to my nearest van centre which was Euro Vans , part of the JCB group . I had previously bought a car or two from JCB and had a 'private' discount mailer which I used in EuroVans . I'm really hoping everything will turn out ok there . Certainly we had a lot of communication before the order and not much since, about 7 months ago . I was going to buy a showroom one but when I got the discount offer I changed and made a £2000 deposit on a new highly spec 204 x 4 motion in white , loads of useful extras added . 80 lt tank, anti roll, safe, torch , led lights , light package , heated front screen and rain / winter pack , removeable tow bar , extra keys, discovery sat nav plus , ACC , side scan , hill descent control and diff lock of course awning and comfort mattress too . The effective discount is considerable now after two VW price increases and my order discount but I'm afraid about the VW dealer back up in general. On placing the new order there was some price confusion as EuroVans , because there system didn't match what the congutator price said and I would have paid more if not for the info on this site and a contact in VW marketing who clarified things , but we got that resolved ok and EuroVans applied the right prices and were nice about it .

 

[Wind Witch]

I travel from Scotland to the Midlands with work and with a purchasing background.... well... so I visited many dealers, some I actually wouldnt trust, some I felt didnt care, some I think were incompetent or using very sharp / dodgy practice to get an order and after much deliberation... not really she stood out well above the rest.. Elisabeth at Parkway Leicester. Felt she was honest, could trust and believed in her deal.

Who did you use?

We went local in the end and went with Lookers.