Dealer Experience

[Arianne]

Good for you! Nice colour - passion red, I think I would like that in R-design!

Arianne

[XC60Keeper]

Originally Posted by Tolgusvolvo

I do not think it is a case of Volvo v Audi v Ford etc. in the case of dealerships. Clearly the manufacturer has the opportunity to exert influence over dealerships. The biggest influence is the managing director of individual dealerships, and like in all walks of life they are human. Some take great pride in building a reputation of quality of service and customer satisfaction. Some put the bottom line before anything else.
I considered other manufacturers before placing my current order, but I couldn't get over the barrier of going into the unknown with a new dealer. I have had my current car for 16 years and I have been looked after exceedingly well by my current dealer. When I lived in Docaster, I had to travel to Rotheram to get a dealer I could trust, despite my local one being less than 1/2 a mile away. (that was in my Austin/Rover days).
In the same way I considered Autoebid, Drive the deal etc. but could I risk dealing with someone I didn't know maybe at the other end of the country. My dealer has given me a generous discount but not quite matching the internet. I have decided to look after them as they have looked after me.

Richard

I would agree about it not being as easy as saying it is to do with the manufacturer. I don't think it is down to the franchise either but as mentioned it is the manager of the site. Years ago we had a 5 year old MX5 and had it serviced at the Mazda garage in Aberdeen which was Arnold Clark. I would have to say that the service was second to none. My company car was a Mondeo which was serviced by the Arnold Clark Ford franchise in Aberdeen however the service was shocking, and still is.

My current company car is a Passat and after receiving very poor service from the VW dealership in Aberdeen now go to Barnetts in Dundee where the service has been faultless. Fortunately Barnetts also have the Volvo franchise and that is where will be going to have it serviced although it is more inconvenient for us. Unfortunately they couldn't manage to match the best deal we could get for purchasing the car.

I have also had poor service by Porsche although this was more down to Porsche themselves rather than the dealer. Just goes to show the cost of the car doesn't dictate the level of service.

[RoyMacDonald]

Originally Posted by AngloScot

I know there are a few people on here that are very happy with their "dealers". But looking on these forums for over a year now, I think (don't time pass fast) it seems to me that the majority are Not Too Happy with their Dealer Experiences. I find this pretty amazing and sad that a Premium company like Volvo can't get customer service right. What are your thoughts?

The forums are bound to attract people with a problem to solve so the number of complaint is bound to be in majority. Remember Volvo sold 7 new XC90's a minute during their recent online sale. Total car sales will be in the millions and there are only a tiny percentage complaining on here. One badly run franchise will generate a lot of complaints though.

[Craigy]

Out of interest I took a look here:

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-new...and-worst-2014

I was slightly dismayed to see that Volvo came a fair way down the list overall. However they do well in all categories apart from value for money. This slightly better (if costly) news does suggest that the Volvo dealers on the whole are doing a good job, just charging more than people really wanted to pay.

It's no surprise to me that the cost of Volvo ownership is high, it's an expensive car really for what it is.

[volvorocks]

Originally Posted by Craigy

It's no surprise to me that the cost of Volvo ownership is high, it's an expensive car really for what it is.

So what are you saying exactly?

Regards
(not meaning to sound abrupt, just can't think how to word it otherwise!)

[Craigy]

Originally Posted by volvorocks

So what are you saying exactly?

Regards
(not meaning to sound abrupt, just can't think how to word it otherwise!)

I do think Volvos are slightly overpriced considering the specs of the cars on offer, every class of car they do is certainly in the "Premium" sector. This is surely backed up by the large discounts available at the dealerships.

What I'm trying to say is that due to these high list prices I would expect (possibly wrongly I haven't checked) that the servicing costs are also in the "Premium" price bracket for dealers.

Obviously I'm unperturbed by what I see to be slightly high costs as I'm waiting for mine to arrive (yes it's a company car but that doesn't mean I get it for free, I have to pay substantially more to get the car I want).

[andymcp]

I do think you need to look at the results in terms of sector though. Who does Volvo compete against, really? BMW, Audi, Merc? It beats them all. And the margins are so small that they don't suggest a significantly worse experience that you would actually notice. Some of my relatives would never buy anything but an Audi - they love the local monster glass warehouse for the dealers, that screams money and keeps the riff-raff away. The Merc dealer is impersonal and actually quite out of the way. The Volvo dealer is stuck between Jag and JLR, in a slightly odd part of town. When you walk in the door of any of them though it becomes about the person you deal with (with the exception of Audi who seem convinced it's about the experience, not the car or your requirements. Locally Volvo seems to have held onto their staff for longer (and have better knowledge to share with you). They also subtly accept they are the underdog against the PR machines of the German trio and realise that you might not be there other than you're open minded enough to consider options.

I guess what I'm saying is that while the don't win first place against everyone, it doesn't surprise me they win first place against their main sector competitors. Appreciate not all dealers are the same, but when buying our latest Volvo the sales guy was adamant that we test drive everything on the short list before deciding - he didn't want to sell us a car we weren't certain we wanted. That's customer service.

[AngloScot]

It was nice of the Volvo salesman telling you to test drive all the models on your list before buying the Volvo. I wouldn't call it "customer service". I would say more like common sense.

[andymcp]

Common sense for the buyer, yes. Common sense for a dealer who ultimately wants to sell cars? Not so much. Maybe customer service was the wrong description but I meant the dealer didn't have to step back at that point (Mrs McP would probably have put the deposit down that day).

[RoyMacDonald]

Originally Posted by Craigy

I do think Volvos are slightly overpriced considering the specs of the cars on offer, every class of car they do is certainly in the "Premium" sector. This is surely backed up by the large discounts available at the dealerships.

What I'm trying to say is that due to these high list prices I would expect (possibly wrongly I haven't checked) that the servicing costs are also in the "Premium" price bracket for dealers.

Obviously I'm unperturbed by what I see to be slightly high costs as I'm waiting for mine to arrive (yes it's a company car but that doesn't mean I get it for free, I have to pay substantially more to get the car I want).

Volvo service cost hourly rate is approximately 66% lower than Land Rovers in my area.