Another Porsche Dealer Drops the Ball...
06-04-2011, 02:48 PM
#106
Well, i bought my 997.2 about 4 months ago from a dealer up in ohio (bought in ohio for several reasons, better price, better service, better overall attitude) had a 997.1 before that and was a good car so decided to upgrade...
since i bought it i've been having little problems here and there, nothing insane but bothersome to say the least... in the past i took my 997.1 to "bert smith" porsche in St. Petersburg but i was never really happy with the service and the loaner system really stunk (crappy VW's)... I am single and i daily drive the 911, so i need a loaner when i take the car in for service.
so on my latest problem (leaking coolant) i was up in NC and while driving making calls to the other local to me dealers....
called Reeve's porsche in Tampa and told them my 2 qualms about Bert Smith (Lack of porsche loaner, and very slow getting things done), Reeve's reply was "well we dont even really give loaners, we use the rental car company down the road... so.. cant help you there"
called Suncoast porsche in Sarasota and told them my 2 qualms about Bert Smith, IMMEDIATELY the service manager replied that eventho their policy is porsche loaners for people that bought cars there, that he would go over and above to put me in a cayenne (i told him i had currently been eyeing cayenne's and wanted to buy one when they adopt PDK (which is true)) he also said they they are superb in their service and it would be worth my drive (2 hours)... i recapped my problems... recapped the porsche loaner bit.. recapped the cayenne bit, everything was agreed' upon and he said to come in the following week as he should be getting a cayenne back then..
this morning i woke up around 10, and before even getting out of bed i called the service manager and asked if everything was good to go and the cayenne came back in, basically saying that its a 2 hour drive so i wanted to make sure before getting on the road... he quickly again replied everything was good to go and he'd see me in 2 hours.
arrived at suncoast porsche around 2 hours later, the service manager was away from his desk so i talked to a service rep (great guy, very nice.. ) we went back over all the problems, writing them down.. etc etc etc... great and patient guy.. then he handed me a key to a VW... i said, "well i talked to the service manager and he said he was going to put me in a cayenne" his reply was "the service manager told me you were to get a VW"...
so we got the service manager and his reply was "welp, sorry... ur getting a VW" i then replied... we talked about this all last week, and you were immediately trying to get my business both in service and in future car sales and said repeatedly that you were going to take the time to shine and put me in a cayenne so i could get to know the car to decide to buy in future over the other competing vehicles and also so i can enjoy driving the car which is why i bought my 911 to begin with... his reply was, thats what ur getting and he was very short and very different than on the phone...
i expressed my dissatisfaction, not because i am spoiled and NEED a cayenne, but the main point was that on the phone he was so quick to make me happy and get me to drive the extra 90 minutes, but in person it was basically a bait and switch and the same exact result i could have gotten 30 minutes from my house... he did not care, and then left... i mentioned that to be honest i would rather not even have the service done there and would just like to be on my way, and if something broke as a result then i guess ill call 1-800-PORSCHE then and get the roadside that came with the car, because id rather ride in a tow truck then sit there and be bait and switched and lied to as if i was at a used car lot...
the service rep (not the service manager) then went over and above to move around some cars to get the needed service items done ASAP... and we got most of the items done within 2 hours time... which was nice, but still the fact remained the service manager really went over and above only to sell himself VERY short after a 2 hour each way drive.
just thought i would express my feelings on here.. like i said, if they had told me in advance a VW loaner i would have said ok and then called the next closest dealer in ocala or orlando and seen their policy, but the service manager was very quick to grab me and tell me he would go the extra mile to get me a porsche loaner to earn my business and i even called this morning prior to leaving to make sure all was ready and well. (im used to stuff not working out so called before even leaving my bed)... and as soon as push came to shove the porsche loaner was a no go and wasnt even available to anyone...i even offered to pay to use a cayenne and the answer was no, which really left a sour taste in my mouth... and beg's me to take another look at the cayenne...... i also find it very odd that the dealers here in florida who are still selling cars and not desperate deny porsche loaners whilst the dealers up north that are hurting more and pushing cars at deep discounts to make everything stay in play are more than happy to give porsche loaners to keep people happy and coming back (dealer where i bought my car is where a friend of mine lives and they always give him a porsche loaner, even considering he bought his previous porsches elsewhere and just recently purchased a porsche from them)
i guess thats the end of my rant, im happy that 60% of my service work was completed, but i am very unhappy in the bait and switch and loss of 4 hours today driving on the highway to get the same result i could have and would have gotten locally.
since i bought it i've been having little problems here and there, nothing insane but bothersome to say the least... in the past i took my 997.1 to "bert smith" porsche in St. Petersburg but i was never really happy with the service and the loaner system really stunk (crappy VW's)... I am single and i daily drive the 911, so i need a loaner when i take the car in for service.
so on my latest problem (leaking coolant) i was up in NC and while driving making calls to the other local to me dealers....
called Reeve's porsche in Tampa and told them my 2 qualms about Bert Smith (Lack of porsche loaner, and very slow getting things done), Reeve's reply was "well we dont even really give loaners, we use the rental car company down the road... so.. cant help you there"
called Suncoast porsche in Sarasota and told them my 2 qualms about Bert Smith, IMMEDIATELY the service manager replied that eventho their policy is porsche loaners for people that bought cars there, that he would go over and above to put me in a cayenne (i told him i had currently been eyeing cayenne's and wanted to buy one when they adopt PDK (which is true)) he also said they they are superb in their service and it would be worth my drive (2 hours)... i recapped my problems... recapped the porsche loaner bit.. recapped the cayenne bit, everything was agreed' upon and he said to come in the following week as he should be getting a cayenne back then..
this morning i woke up around 10, and before even getting out of bed i called the service manager and asked if everything was good to go and the cayenne came back in, basically saying that its a 2 hour drive so i wanted to make sure before getting on the road... he quickly again replied everything was good to go and he'd see me in 2 hours.
arrived at suncoast porsche around 2 hours later, the service manager was away from his desk so i talked to a service rep (great guy, very nice.. ) we went back over all the problems, writing them down.. etc etc etc... great and patient guy.. then he handed me a key to a VW... i said, "well i talked to the service manager and he said he was going to put me in a cayenne" his reply was "the service manager told me you were to get a VW"...
so we got the service manager and his reply was "welp, sorry... ur getting a VW" i then replied... we talked about this all last week, and you were immediately trying to get my business both in service and in future car sales and said repeatedly that you were going to take the time to shine and put me in a cayenne so i could get to know the car to decide to buy in future over the other competing vehicles and also so i can enjoy driving the car which is why i bought my 911 to begin with... his reply was, thats what ur getting and he was very short and very different than on the phone...
i expressed my dissatisfaction, not because i am spoiled and NEED a cayenne, but the main point was that on the phone he was so quick to make me happy and get me to drive the extra 90 minutes, but in person it was basically a bait and switch and the same exact result i could have gotten 30 minutes from my house... he did not care, and then left... i mentioned that to be honest i would rather not even have the service done there and would just like to be on my way, and if something broke as a result then i guess ill call 1-800-PORSCHE then and get the roadside that came with the car, because id rather ride in a tow truck then sit there and be bait and switched and lied to as if i was at a used car lot...
the service rep (not the service manager) then went over and above to move around some cars to get the needed service items done ASAP... and we got most of the items done within 2 hours time... which was nice, but still the fact remained the service manager really went over and above only to sell himself VERY short after a 2 hour each way drive.
just thought i would express my feelings on here.. like i said, if they had told me in advance a VW loaner i would have said ok and then called the next closest dealer in ocala or orlando and seen their policy, but the service manager was very quick to grab me and tell me he would go the extra mile to get me a porsche loaner to earn my business and i even called this morning prior to leaving to make sure all was ready and well. (im used to stuff not working out so called before even leaving my bed)... and as soon as push came to shove the porsche loaner was a no go and wasnt even available to anyone...i even offered to pay to use a cayenne and the answer was no, which really left a sour taste in my mouth... and beg's me to take another look at the cayenne...... i also find it very odd that the dealers here in florida who are still selling cars and not desperate deny porsche loaners whilst the dealers up north that are hurting more and pushing cars at deep discounts to make everything stay in play are more than happy to give porsche loaners to keep people happy and coming back (dealer where i bought my car is where a friend of mine lives and they always give him a porsche loaner, even considering he bought his previous porsches elsewhere and just recently purchased a porsche from them)
i guess thats the end of my rant, im happy that 60% of my service work was completed, but i am very unhappy in the bait and switch and loss of 4 hours today driving on the highway to get the same result i could have and would have gotten locally.
However within the last year or so Suncoast Porsche in Sarasota has changed management and for the better.
I bought a 2007 911 coupe 4 months ago in Richmond Virginia. Since I live in Florida, I took a chance on Suncoast Porsche's service department because I know they are nationally known for their mail order parts department.
Soon after I bought the car, the major service interval came due. I called up Suncoast and the SA was very friendly and helpful. He told me I would be getting a loaner for the day. To my shock and delight, the loaner car was a beautiful black 2010 Cayman S PDK with sport chrono! Very nice! This was provided to me even though I bought the car in Virginia.
Since that time, I had 2 front tires replaced by Suncoast along with a 4 wheel alignment. Again they provided me with a loaner-a 2011 Porsche Boxster PDK!
In sum, I highly recommend Suncoast Porsche in Sarasota for service. The new management has done an excellent job in making me feel welcome there even though I bought my 911 out of state.
One more thing, since my major service, my mpg had immediately improved from 18.5 mpg to 20.5 mpg which I thought was incredible! .
I have absolutely no connection to Suncoast Porsche and am not related to anybody working there.
06-05-2011, 02:22 AM
#107
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I would be annoyed as well. They should stick by their word, and if they can't do that, they should at least provide a good excuse, "sorry can't do it, just found out the engine in our loaner Cayenne blew up".
06-05-2011, 02:38 PM
#108
Suncoast is a dog and pony show. Last year, drove across the state (3hrs.) to look at a 997/2 they had on the floor. The sales rep. I had been in contact with wasn't even there, another salesman finally found the car. It was filthy, had a dead battery, G.M., some guy named Sirvideo tried to save the deal. Wanted me to wait for rep. to come from his house, they would wash the car, replace batt., yada, yada... Explained "No, I've been standing here for over an hour...".
Got back into my car, drove the three hrs. home. Bought my current 997/2 S at another dealership the next day. E-mailed the guy a photo of my new car. Funny, he never got back with me, but the day before he wouldn't quit calling.
I am not, nor will I ever be associated with Suncoast, in any way. When you are in the business of selling $100k+ autos, maybe you should be there, maybe you shouldn't make the G.M. look like Bozo the Clown.
That was my 1st and last dealing with Suncoast Porsche.
Got back into my car, drove the three hrs. home. Bought my current 997/2 S at another dealership the next day. E-mailed the guy a photo of my new car. Funny, he never got back with me, but the day before he wouldn't quit calling.
I am not, nor will I ever be associated with Suncoast, in any way. When you are in the business of selling $100k+ autos, maybe you should be there, maybe you shouldn't make the G.M. look like Bozo the Clown.
That was my 1st and last dealing with Suncoast Porsche.
06-05-2011, 05:33 PM
#109
Nordschleife Master
+1. To those who don't get it, riley isn't bitching about the kind of loaner he got. He's bitching about a service manager who told him to pass up his local dealerships in favor of a 3 hour drive to his where he would give riley exactly the kind of loaner he wanted. Why riley wanted a specific loaner or why he thought it was worth the drive is irrelevant. Amazing how many of those responding not only think the service manager's actions were completely acceptable but also crap on riley for thinking they were unacceptable. No wonder the marketplace delivers ****ty service more often than not. Going by this thread, more than half of all consumers seem to think their role in dealing with a merchant is to be submissive and just go along with what's offered.
06-07-2011, 10:50 PM
#111
Instructor
Reminds me of dear old Dad's saying "Screw me once shame on you. Screw me twice shame on me."
In these situations, move on and don't let them screw you twice. But let it go. Life is too short to dwell on such things. Or read threads like these
In these situations, move on and don't let them screw you twice. But let it go. Life is too short to dwell on such things. Or read threads like these
06-08-2011, 04:37 AM
#112
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Update
1) Negative response to post service survey has elicited encouraging response from PCNA, so now feeling a little hopeful this will be resolved satisfactorily
2) Interestingly, my multiple negative posts to Rennlist, Renntech and FB disappeared (though obviously not this one!) very quickly...
3) Having done some research, this dealer's service dept has a very positive reputation: so I believe they (service) didn't do anything malicious. Nonetheless, something happened whilst the car was in their care - could steam-cleaning the engine have screwed a sensor somewhere?
06-16-2011, 05:14 PM
#113
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Now I'm worried...
An update...
1) Negative response to post service survey has elicited encouraging response from PCNA, so now feeling a little hopeful this will be resolved satisfactorily
2) Interestingly, my multiple negative posts to Rennlist, Renntech and FB disappeared (though obviously not this one!) very quickly...
3) Having done some research, this dealer's service dept has a very positive reputation: so I believe they (service) didn't do anything malicious. Nonetheless, something happened whilst the car was in their care - could steam-cleaning the engine have screwed a sensor somewhere?
1) Negative response to post service survey has elicited encouraging response from PCNA, so now feeling a little hopeful this will be resolved satisfactorily
2) Interestingly, my multiple negative posts to Rennlist, Renntech and FB disappeared (though obviously not this one!) very quickly...
3) Having done some research, this dealer's service dept has a very positive reputation: so I believe they (service) didn't do anything malicious. Nonetheless, something happened whilst the car was in their care - could steam-cleaning the engine have screwed a sensor somewhere?
1) Dropped the car off whilst on 10 day business trip (again!)
2) Called today to 'confirm' car would be ready when I got home tomorrow.
3) Dealer..'Erh...let me call you tomorrow to confirm it's fixed'...
4) Now: I think I was really stupid to give these guys (Porsche Livermore, CA) a second chance...
5) Feeling paranoid: all (including recent PCNA requests for feedback) for past 3months have been disappeared...
06-18-2011, 02:15 PM
#114
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[QUOTE=A34735;8642650]
1) 12 Jun: Dropped the car off whilst on weeklong business trip (again!)
2) 16 Jun: Called today to 'confirm' car would be ready when I got home tomorrow.
3) Dealer..'Erh...let me call you tomorrow to confirm it's fixed'...
4) Now: I think I was really stupid to give these guys (Porsche Livermore, CA) a second chance...
[QUOTE]
Updated 18 Jun:
5) 18 Jun. As I feared, car wasn't ready when I went to collect it. (a new kph cluster couldn't be reprogrammed to mph) 'We fixed one fault - the rpm gear mechanism was broken and has been replaced. So your rpm readings are correct now. But the board (PCB) was a European version. We've ordered the right part, please drop by next week to exchange.'
6) Interestingly, the junior Service Manager (John B******t), when outside, out of earshot, admitted lieing about the sequence of events. When I said 'Can I quote you on that?' He said "You can, but I'll deny it..." - all with straight face and a smile!
7) Good news is the Senior Service managed accepted 3 visits to fix this was unacceptable, waived the bill down from $800 to $100. And they'll pick-up/drop-off the car when the new board arrives. At last, a sensible approach to customer service.
1) 12 Jun: Dropped the car off whilst on weeklong business trip (again!)
2) 16 Jun: Called today to 'confirm' car would be ready when I got home tomorrow.
3) Dealer..'Erh...let me call you tomorrow to confirm it's fixed'...
4) Now: I think I was really stupid to give these guys (Porsche Livermore, CA) a second chance...
[QUOTE]
Updated 18 Jun:
5) 18 Jun. As I feared, car wasn't ready when I went to collect it. (a new kph cluster couldn't be reprogrammed to mph) 'We fixed one fault - the rpm gear mechanism was broken and has been replaced. So your rpm readings are correct now. But the board (PCB) was a European version. We've ordered the right part, please drop by next week to exchange.'
6) Interestingly, the junior Service Manager (John B******t), when outside, out of earshot, admitted lieing about the sequence of events. When I said 'Can I quote you on that?' He said "You can, but I'll deny it..." - all with straight face and a smile!
7) Good news is the Senior Service managed accepted 3 visits to fix this was unacceptable, waived the bill down from $800 to $100. And they'll pick-up/drop-off the car when the new board arrives. At last, a sensible approach to customer service.
06-23-2011, 03:23 AM
#115
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1) 12 Jun: Dropped the car off whilst on weeklong business trip (again!)
2) 16 Jun: Called today to 'confirm' car would be ready when I got home tomorrow.
3) Dealer..'Erh...let me call you tomorrow to confirm it's fixed'...
4) Now: I think I was really stupid to give these guys (Porsche Livermore, CA) a second chance...
Updated 18 Jun:
5) 18 Jun. As I feared, car wasn't ready when I went to collect it. (a new kph cluster couldn't be reprogrammed to mph) 'We fixed one fault - the rpm gear mechanism was broken and has been replaced. So your rpm readings are correct now. But the board (PCB) was a European version. We've ordered the right part, please drop by next week to exchange.'
6) Interestingly, the junior Service Manager (John B******t), when outside, out of earshot, admitted lieing about the sequence of events. When I said 'Can I quote you on that?' He said "You can, but I'll deny it..." - all with straight face and a smile!
7) Good news is the Senior Service managed accepted 3 visits to fix this was unacceptable, waived the bill down from $800 to $100. And they'll pick-up/drop-off the car when the new board arrives. At last, a sensible approach to customer service.
8) Mid-day 22 Jun (Wed). No call from dealer. Call John B. "Oh, we didn't want to have your car here if you weren't present. It'll only take 15 minutes - can you pop in during your lunch hour?" (a 70 mile round trip). So these guys are lying - again.
9) Which is a shame. My 911 is the nicest car I've owned. But not that nice.
10) A new bumper sticker for the 996: "Not bought from those Bozos at PoL"
11)) Sadly...Dodge Charger is starting to look good next!
06-25-2011, 02:53 PM
#116
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Updated 22 Jun:
8) Mid-day 22 Jun (Wed). No call from dealer. Call John B. "Oh, we didn't want to have your car here if you weren't present. It'll only take 15 minutes - can you pop in during your lunch hour?" (a 70 mile round trip). So these guys are lying - again.
9) Which is a shame. My 911 is the nicest car I've owned. But not that nice.
8) Mid-day 22 Jun (Wed). No call from dealer. Call John B. "Oh, we didn't want to have your car here if you weren't present. It'll only take 15 minutes - can you pop in during your lunch hour?" (a 70 mile round trip). So these guys are lying - again.
9) Which is a shame. My 911 is the nicest car I've owned. But not that nice.
10) On 24 Jun, took car in at 0700. In 30 mins they pulled the cluster, changed the board and I was on my way. So far, seems to have fixed the problem. The bill ($800-ish) was finally waived (the 'never want to see you again' feelings are entirely mutual!)...
11) I'll never accept a free valet service from anyone again....
06-25-2011, 06:05 PM
#118
Three Wheelin'
+1. To those who don't get it, riley isn't bitching about the kind of loaner he got. He's bitching about a service manager who told him to pass up his local dealerships in favor of a 3 hour drive to his where he would give riley exactly the kind of loaner he wanted. Why riley wanted a specific loaner or why he thought it was worth the drive is irrelevant. Amazing how many of those responding not only think the service manager's actions were completely acceptable but also crap on riley for thinking they were unacceptable. No wonder the marketplace delivers ****ty service more often than not. Going by this thread, more than half of all consumers seem to think their role in dealing with a merchant is to be submissive and just go along with what's offered.
06-25-2011, 06:09 PM
#119
Three Wheelin'
