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This has just happened. My sister decided three months ago to trade in her Mercedes C43 for a new C32. The old C43 had served well for nearly 5 years and the Mercedes took it from her and ordered a new C32 to her specification for January delivery. She was able to use another family car so didn\'t mind and was eagerly looking forward to her new blue C32. Lo and behold the Mercedes dealer (bona fide) rang today to say that Mercedes has now stopped production of the C32 to be replaced by a C55 mid next year. One new C32 was in a dealership somewhere but it was the wrong colour and specification. The garage offered to get this car for her but would be happiest to give her her old C43 back again three months later! No price or delivery date for the new C55 yet. Where does she stand? She doesn\'t want her old car back, doesn\'t want a black C32 with funny spec. The dealer has behaved most unprofessionally and very pink fluffy diced off!
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The dealers have known about the introduction of the new C-Class AMG for around 6 months now. They would have known all about this problem so they have acted very unprofessionally.
I would ring Mercedes customer care 0080017777777 and have a chat with them. I'm sure they haven't stopped production yet but customer care will tell you for sure. If you go on at them enough they might give your sister a discount on the new model to bring the price down to the C32. Pigs might fly too but it's worth a try.
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If the Mercedes dealer has known for six months about the demise of the C32 why did he take the order? And take her old car?
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As a testament to Mercedes service, ater 30 years of mercedes motring, my family have switched to BMW - why:
1: Canned local dealer in town and set up their own dealership to an inconvenient area of manchester
2: Servicing inconvenient, car never delivered on time
3: Poor part ex on a M reg 35000 mile C180 - BMW offered more and wanted out business
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I concur - call Mercedes Customer Services.
Let us know how you get on.....this is a wholly unacceptable situation.
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groups.msn.com/honestjohn/problems.msnw?Page=1 - Pictures say a thousand words.....
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off on a slight tangent all the local mercedes dealers down here in the south east are all calling themselves ie m b of brighton there a 4 of them and they have all been bought by hr owen so much for competition.
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My local dealer was bought by HR Owen too I think. The level of service has dropped to the point of me looking at using another dealer. I wrote a letter to them and one to MB customer services and saying that when it comes to buying my next car I would not be buying MB again due to the poor level of service I now recieve from the stealership.
I'm still trying to get their tongues removed from mr backside. Just shows what a word in the right direction can do.
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There is a lot of 'consolidation' going on. This started 3 or so years ago when it became apparent that Block Exemption would be going. Most MB outlets are in just a few hands now, many of them actually owned by MB themselves. BMW are taking the same approach.
MB owners may find this of interest:
www.ihatemymercedes.co.uk/hallofshame.html
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Have to agree with Ajit, BMW may not be the cheapest option but my experience of their main dealer servicing has always been first class.
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Classic site! Mercedes must hate it!
Shape up or ship out! No two ways about it..
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groups.msn.com/honestjohn/problems.msnw?Page=1 - Pictures say a thousand words.....
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We ordered a new A class Merc at the end of 2000 - just as the facelift was announced. Agreed a discount and signed the order stating delivery in March or April 2001. Two months later I phoned them (note) to ask how things were going and was told that old shape A class production ceased too early for ours to made so we'll get a new shape A in June.
No, I explain, wife is pregnant due end July so no chance of learning a new car when she's 30+ weeks gone. Can't keep the old car as it has no PAS so hopeless with a huge great bump other pregnancy symnptoms. Explained that we ordered the car then so that we would have a PAS car in time before baby bump a problem. Order says March or April, so I'll be in to collect then wno't I?
They whinged, the sales manager was drafted in, but I just kept pointing to the contract - "it says here one A-class, this price, this spec, this date". Eventually, they loaned us one of their own A class demos to a spec as close as possible to our order, from late April until delivery of the new car. No charge. I paid the price agreed for the old one (with discount)and they never dared mention the price rise that had been announced for the facelifted version.
Stick to your guns. A contract is a contract, especially if they knew or ought reasonably to have known of the change.
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Well it gets worse rather than better. Went to the dealer today to sort things out - some hope. They have another c32 sitting with a load of useless extras -sat nav and telly etc which do not work where we live. They want another £5000 to change her C43 into car she doesn't want!! Meanwhile in one ear the dealer is telling me thant he can't order another C32 (not being made) while Mercedes UK customer relations department are telling me that the car is being made and any dealer can take our order! Total incompitance!! So we drove back in my sister's old C43 which they have had for three months none the wiser. Who should I write to? Or just leave it and buy a Honda from our local dealer? Really is beyond belief. See her car in classified.
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DaimlerChrysler Services UK Ltd.
Burystead Court
Caldecotte Lake Drive
Caldecotte
Milton Keynes
MK7 8ND
Telephone: 0870 840 5000
Fax: 0870 840 9000
Email: enquiries.dcsuk@daimlerchrysler.comite
Write to the Managing Director, (after ringing above to find his/her name)
detailing factually and unemotionally your problem.. - a 1 page summary letter with backup..and giving them the URL of this thread so they can read it and see what damage their reputation is suffering..
I had similar problems with Mytrack - a supplier of data services - outages for months and their service department never fixed it.
After doing exactly as I described (I used email to VP Sales and Marketing) I got a reply from him within 24 hours and the problem was fixed in 48 hours...(I did send him a copy by email of all my complaints and replies over 6 months and posted them on a website.. and then posted on it when the problem was solved).
That's how it should be fixed..
madf
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This is VERY serious. Today I rang a MB dealer in Boston (England). A helpful, pleasant chap named Steve who told me he could access 8 C32 AMGs on the mainland for immediate delivery. He would do a deal for any of them and would consider the C43 in part exchange. Yesterday the dealer in PORTADOWN told us NO cars were available in the UK!! Then he sent me home in a car which had false number plates which we find have not been allocated to any car!!!! (We had transferred the personal plate). I tell you all that I have had a fair share of Arfur Daly type dealers to deal with over the years - none BUT none meets the audacity of this M-B main dealer. Be warned.
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Well she has finally bought a new C32 in Boston England. Much better deal and HONEST dealer! At least some still exist in the network! Thanks for all the advice. Me - I'll stick with BMW!
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Although I have never had any problems with MB dealers who also deal in smart cars I have read some horrendous tales on the smart owners website. The most recent was the inability for dealers to service and carry out diagnostics/ECU upgrades on the lastest smarts as they did not have the software upgrades - the car was launched in March 2003!
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