[rockinghorse]

Why is itthat when you approach your dealership with a problem they seem to point youin the direction of Renault customer services?
This is a time consuming and costly experience with very little positive outcome.

Surely the dealership should be dealing with these matters after all they were kind enough to take our money.

When you buy from a butcher and the meat is not ok -the butcher does not refer you back to the farmer.

 

[salmon44]

Very good point ,you would probably be better going and asking the butcher whats wrong with your car he would know as much as your dealer

 

[HTP99]

The problem is when an issue gets to the point that is beyond the dealers remit there is always more weight if it is the customer who makes the initial contact to Renault UK, it's just the way it is I'm afraid.

 

[TC Eddy]

At what point does the dealers remit stop??


If they sell you the car surely they should be able to fix it.....I always (probably foolishly!!) thought thats what MAIN dealers were for..................



Surely by referring to Renault UK just adds to the disapointment felt by a customer with sub standard goods..........exactly why Renault dont have a great name once people are given the run around thats when reputations are made or broken........



Its all very well taking orders and selling cars.....its what goes on in aftersales that can be damaging........have they not realised this yet.......it shouldnt be "The way it is"....

 

[Halin9]

Absolutely agree... It's always round and round in circles with Renault... Dealers refer the customer to Renault customer services, who in turn tell the customer to report the fault via their dealer..
NO ONE ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY....,!! Renaults idea of service is a joke..

 

[HTP99]

I gues it depends on the dealer in question; where I am we do as much as we possibly can without directing a customer to Renault UK, whether it be fixing the car or keeping a customer informed of delivery of their new car, however there comes a point where we can go no further if an issue escalates, in that instance we have to direct the customer to Renault UK.


Say a part is on backorder and we literally do not know when in will be in or we are told it is a month away, the customer is jumping up and down and wants "compensation" we have to direct them to Renault UK.



The same if a car delivery is delayed, maybe a strike in France, maybe a balls up by distirbution, what can we do, apart from being honest, there comes a point where the customer wants to go higher as they either don't believe us or they want answers that we cannot give, so they are directed to Renault UK.



Believe me in the grand scheme of things Renault UK are very good, I hear of many horror stories, particularly where BMW are concerned.

 

[Tyrfelin]

Why is it that when you approach your dealership with a problem they seem to point you in the direction of Renault customer services? 
This is a time consuming and costly experience with very little positive outcome.
 
Surely the dealership should be dealing with these matters after all they were kind enough to take our money.
 
When you buy from a butcher and the meat is not ok - the butcher does not refer you back to the farmer.
 
 
 
 

Got to say the we've always found Renault Cardiff great! Always eager to help - what all dealers should do!!!!!

 

[rockinghorse]

Hi HTP99
You present a case in defence of dealerships, but not one thatI totally agreewith-but can I suggest that you take off your sales hat and see things from a customers view point.

Bearing in mind that the purchase of a car is a contract between a buyer and aseller not a manufacturer -then surely the onus to rectify any problemsis on the seller.

 

[LynG]

The Customer is King and always should be
Its customers that keep companies going

The customer may not always be right but it is important to make sure they are happy and satisfied with there purchase

 

[HTP99]

Your car is late, it has been delayed again and is now on a block at Sothampton or worse is blocked in France, we the dealer are keeping in contact with you the customer, we are also talking to distribution to find out the issue and to get a reason and dates, yet they can't give us a time frame, you've had enough and want answers however we are unable to give them, what do you want us as dealers to do now we have exhausted all our avenues?

There is a problem with your car, it is electrical yet there is no solution as yet, we as a dealer can't magic something up yet Renault UK are aware as are France and they are working on the solution but dnt have a resolution date yet, what do you want us as dealers to do now we have exhausted all our avenues?

There comes a point where we as dealers can do no more and Renault UK then have to get involved.

 

[LynG]

its the way it's explained I would say

And I would suggest that keeping the lines of communication is all important Even if it is a phone call to say " we are still waiting for a resolve to the issue...."

Problems sometimes take time to resolve especially on a new product

Not knowing what is going on becomes frustrating ..... Phone calls . Text messages
Emails anything to keep in touch with people

 

[Capturman_Peter]

Your car is late, it has been delayed again and is now on a block at Sothampton or worse is blocked in France, we the dealer are keeping in contact with you the customer, we are also talking to distribution to find out the issue and to get a reason and dates, yet they can't give us a time frame, you've had enough and want answers however we are unable to give them, what do you want us as dealers to do now we have exhausted all our avenues?

There is a problem with your car, it is electrical yet there is no solution as yet, we as a dealer can't magic something up yet Renault UK are aware as are France and they are working on the solution but dnt have a resolution date yet, what do you want us as dealers to do now we have exhausted all our avenues?

There comes a point where we as dealers can do no more and Renault UK then have to get involved.

Problem is that the dealers are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Folk order cars in good faith but Renault just cannot deliver - strikes me the dealers are often as much in the dark as the customers are. My dealer was honest with me - he said he didn't have clue about a delivery date and Renault were not prepared to offer one.

Having said that, the customer only has the dealer to complain to, experiences here suggest that Renault aren't particularly interested. They don't have to be, for every cancelled order there are probably another two new ones. It will be interesting when supply meets demand and some of the wow factor has worn off and Renault have to work for sales....

 

[HTP99]

You get good and bad dealers and within those dealers good and bad staff, I like to think that we are good and our CS score on both sales and after sales back that up, we have an extremely good Servce Manager who has a very good relationship with Renault UK and quite frankly can get astonishing things out of customer services; he works very hard for the customer.

On the sales side I like to think that as a whole the three of us are very good, however there is one of us that does let the side down quite often regarding keeping customers informed of delivery issues and in general delivery even if there is no issue, anyway it can be very frustrating for us as we are on the sharp end, dealing directly with the manufacturer can be very frustrating as sometimes we just don't know the answer and we aren't told anything and what isn't appreciated by those people who sit in an office with no customer interaction at all is it is us that have to give the bad news to the customer and it is bloody frustrating and quite a hard thing to do, sometimes we just don't have a clue and we have to pass that on, we want the customer in the car just as much as the customer wants to be in the car and we want it to be a smooth and easy process.

I know there are bad dealers out there, there is one near us and we frequently take deals from them and we have people who have bought from them once and will never buy from them again, there are sales staff in the industry that move around every three years; many customers think that this is the norm, it's only the norm for a bad salesman as they move around to avoid the crap that inevitably catches up with them, I've been where I am for 8 years, my manager 11 years, and due to us staying we get many happy repeat customers.

Dealers blatently lie about delivery dates and availability in the hope that by the time the customer finds out that the car is going to be a month later than originally told then they think they've waited this long so what's another 4 weeks, I bet there are dealers out there taking factory orders for Captur and telling people early August, well I can tell you it will be late Sepetember and I tell each and every enquiry this too, there is even a thread somewhere on here put up recently with the OP saying that his car can't be ordered due to R-Link ordering issues this is rubbish, his Captur can't be ordered as UK production is no more until August, he is being told a porky, well it can be ordered it just won't be built until August.

I'm waffling now and going off on a tangent, good night. Edited by: HTP99

 

[TC Eddy]

Thanks for your honest answers HTP99 its good to see the view from the other side!!

 

[Halin9]

You have some good points HTP99, but please bear in mind the poor customer who seems to be bounced around between the dealer and Renault...! All we want is a satisfactory car, for which we have paid lots of hard earned..
Could I ask about the Dealer in Ayr who seems to have an answer to the 29.9problem.. See thread under 29.9 problem solve (joke).....it would be great customer service if you as aDealer could contact that Dealer for the solution and let us all know..!Thanks..

 

[HTP99]

I completely understand a customers frustration Halin9.

The funny thing is with this 29.9 mpg problem is we haven't seen the issue, when I'm back in tomorrow I'll ask service if it is anything that has been flagged up generally, if there are common issues that are flagged up by Renault all dealers get to hear about them and any possible solution.

 

[rockinghorse]

The problem is when an issue gets to the point that is beyond the dealers remit there is always more weight if it is the customer who makes the initial contact to Renault UK, it's just the way it is I'm afraid.

It would be nice to think that this weight theory may work.

If we could relate this to something that is taking place at the moment The World Cup.

We have the Referee (Renault) 70,000 supporters(Renault customers) -The referee makes a decision 70,000 supporters protest -resultdecision stands- numbers do not always mean a lot.

Whilst agreeing with some things HTP99says in his later posts I still thinkthat it is the dealerships who shouldtake responsibilityfor customer service- They are the people whoindividually or collectively have the ears of thetop personnel at Renault.


Edited by: rockinghorse

 

[Goldy]

I was a service manager within the Renault network back in the 80's and the after sales / customer service dept was very good, it would appear from comments on here that things have gone downhill since then. I hope I don't have any issues when I get my Captur.Re. delivery of new cars, back in the days Renault used to push cars onto the dealerships if you wanted them or not it would appear that this is not the case now :-(.
I have been guaranteed a delivery date and if it doesn't come keep your heads down as the dodo will hit the fan.

 

[Tyrfelin]

HTP99 - we've seen dissatisfaction at Tesco. People vote with their feet! Needs sorting! My son has a Dacia (your sister company) and contributes to their forum and has been able to talk to the head of Dacia UK regarding some problems with customers! Edited by: Tyrfelin

 

[LisaH]

I totally feel HTP99's pain if I am honest.

When i deal with SMC in Woking I get first class customer service. When i deal with SMC in Weybridge its a nightmare. It's the main reason that when i bought my Captur I went to Woking to do the deal. It was far less painful and I got all that I asked for and valued as a customer

I didnt put that down to Renault being awkward, I put that down to a lazy salesperson in Weybridge. On the times I have had to deal with renault Customer service, I have found them to be very helpful and they have always come back to me with a reply.

The dealer is basically an agent (unless you are buying direct) and you have to remember that the dealership (if an agent) basically wants your money and has no direct loyalty to the brand. Thats not to say that they are all bad, just some and like estate agents and lawyers they give the rest a bad name.

I bought a Rover 215 once from a local garage in Woking that had been around for years and years. The head gasket blew up 2 weeks after I bought it. When I tried to return the car, the dealer flat out told me to "get that sh*t box off of my forecourt" and threatened to set it alight.
To cut a long story short, i had to take him to small claims court to get the situation dealt with. I won and he scarpered off to France without paying me a bean. I was left saddled with the £3k debt with the finance company who equally refused to be moved. Even trading standards couldnt get the finance company to budge. It was a nightmare that consumed my life for 2 years in the end.

As a result I never bought new(ish) cars again until i bought my Clio from SMC 4 years ago. Needless to say they restored my faith in dealerships and i have been happy ever since.

When Renault delivered my Captur, the salesman drove it my house and parked it on my drive and sat in my kitchen to finish the paperwork. He then declined my offer to drive him back to the dealership and instead walked back in the evening sun. He even filled the car up with petrol because my delivery had been delayed by 2 weeks. He kept me informed all the way and went above and beyond in my eyes.

Its horses for courses I guess.