V50 General : selling Volvo after poor customer services

[Nunchukhamster]

Originally Posted by Kostas

IMHO Ford are very reliable cars, so I am ok with the idea that new small Volvos are premium Ford group cars. Just like Audis are premium VW group cars. And Saabs are premium GM-Opel group cars. There is nothing bad at it.

However, the poor customer service is something to blame.
I am sorry that you had a bad experience with Volvo, hopefully your next car will be much more reliable.
And I hope my future experience with the V50 will be problem-free.

You're spot on with that. I've owned many Fords, and have had little or no trouble from any of them (and that includes the Ford Probe which my wife currently uses as her daily driver).

I find it remarkable that some people blame Ford for all of the problems they experience with their Volvo. From memory Ford bought Volvo in 1999. So, any problem with any car manufactured after this date is exclusively the fault of Ford? None of the current models were already well into design and testing at this stage? Of course not, much of the work had already been done. Quality of manufacture? How many of the technicians on the assembly were still the same the day after the takeover? The week after? The year after? I would guess at the vast majority. Same with parts. In fact, it was AFTER Ford took over that the ETM's were replaced with the Bosch units. So, was that change a bad thing? Would people rather that Ford reverted to using the flawed Magnetti Marelli units?

The customer service issue is I think a secondary issue. I've noted a general decline in the quality of many firms customer services over the last ten years, in a wide range of industries. Ok, Ford shouldn't of allowed themselves to follow the same path, but it is not unique to them. Even within this thread other car manufacturers are cited as having poor customer relations.

[Abbiecass]

Regarding Claire Parsons,

Vehicle: Volvo S80 D5 SE LUX

I got ripped into her out of sheer frustration regarding Volvo having fitted the wrong brake pads during a service, never being noticed despite subsequent services and checklists being ticked off. First day my wife is able to drive and we all go out with our new born daughter, and a brake pad falls out. Luckily we were not at any speed or we could have been injured or worse.

Claire Parsons, is aloof, incompetent, insensitive, unmotherly ignorant etc. etc.

Basically she sugar coated the dealership here in N. Ireland whom were liars and crooks. The dealership and Claire Parsons especially was not interested in making a humane gesture and sorting the matter out. She praised SMW Belfast and their high standards and loyalty to customers! Bollucks! They wanted to charge me £900 saying that the wrong pad had caused so much to damage to the components in the braking system, from memory the caliper, disc etc. etc.

After a heated debate at SMW the car was taken back from them and a local mechanic put new brake pads in and I believe released the seize on the caliper. There was no damage on the brake disc as the car was stopped immediately during the incident. All costing £150.

My professional mechanic told me that this was a serious issue at Volvo dealers not knowing their own cars and it not being picked up on. He said not to take it lightly and agreed that Volvo 'owed me one'.

Of course Claire Parsons should have apologised on Volvo's behalf in a courteous manne and had the minor repairs made at Volvo's expense being 'Volvo for Life'. Instead I had to get ripped into the fecking woman.

She has now 'barred' me from all Northern Ireland dealerships. Breaking data protection and ethical codes of practice, sharing my correspondence to her with the dealerships.

Now I have recently bought a Volvo Selekt used V60 in England (a wonderment) after Claire Parsons! They are still my car of choice!!??

Claire Parsons, Escalations Manager, Customer Services, Volvo UK, stabs the heart of 'Volvo for Life' and rips Volvo's Mission Statement a sunder.

If she were in Sweden or Germany she wouldn't have passed her first six days never mind six months probation period and would be discharged on the spot.

Regarding SMW, Belfast they showed no loyalty after I had been in the dealership previously and spent a small fortune in servicing, accessories inc. a new sports steering wheel, front sensors fitted and even a Volvo dummy and duck for our baby's bathtime. I even bought the S60 launch wris****ch and sunglasses. All that beforehand was a lot of money spent by a bona fide customer, me. They're guilty of breaking the law to make money. If they see you coming and think you've money, they will try to 'lay it into you'!

Also there's too many Indians and not enough chiefs. How does Claire Parsons know SMW in Belfast and how they treat their customers. She's in England and we're over the Irish sea. She may not even have ever been in any part of Ireland before. How does she know 'how nice and friendly and loyal' SMW Belfast are?

Dealerships here need to be vetted and 'caught out' trying to break the law to make more money and get a slap on the wrist and put right! Better training and stricter Codes of Practice should be in place.

They should be what Sweden wants and maybe believes they are, assuming that Sweden.se truly supports 'Volvo for Life' had this problem arisen there.

As for the like of Claire Parsons she should be sharing the handcuffs with SMW Belfast. Her Dept. needs the same treatment as aforementioned.

I'm saying no more folks, I guess you get the picture. Thanks for reading.

[Bendolfc]

Must be some sort of record for delayed reply to a thread.