Good things come to those that wait. NouvaPanda - your 500 will be VERY GOOD!
More delay for my 500:(
- Thread starter Nuova500
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More delay for my 500:(
If it was me, and I'd waited so long, I would go for it, and make sure that they grovel and throw in some freebies. I hope it all works out OK in the end, and as others have said, there are other dealers you can use for servicing and warranty work.
OP
OP
Well, we went down this morning, the salesman I ordered it from bowed his head and totally ignored us.... however there was my 500 all shiny sitting in the showroom. After a few minutes of us looking round it, the MD showed up and we said who we were.
What happened next astounded me, he said here it is, do you want it, as if you dont we need a demo for our other dealer, Middletons in Bognor
I felt like telling him to poke it, but remained calm... then I saw it... blue overspray all over the lower, black part of the bumper. I pointed this out and he said the factory did that as it proably failed a quality check. He then said, its a cheap car what do you expect? So, I said if they could sort that, as the obviously repainted bumper looked fine... maybe a slightly different shade but so were two other blue ones there. I got a call back later to say they had sorted it and it looks perfect, they will PDI it tommorow and I can collect at 5pm.
Now for the really pants bit, bearing in mind it wasnt till last Saturday that I really got annoyed with them and they and Fiat have been chasing this car for a while, Fiat saying it left Bristol on the 12th.... well, it apparently arrived on the 13th but the head of sales, who has now been sacked didnt tell anyone, so for 6 days they didnt know it had arrived.
So, if they had told me on the 13th it was there, non of this would have happened.
Anyway, I left, well annoyed and went to another dealer, who were very helpful and tried to find me a car in stock so I could tell SGM to poke it, there were only around 8 diesel lounges available to them and non were what I wanted... a real shame. Anyway they will get my warranty and service work from now.
Wish me luck for tommorow, its going to be very trying... I want to tell them to poke it but my 500 looked so sad with his little chin covered in blue paint
What happened next astounded me, he said here it is, do you want it, as if you dont we need a demo for our other dealer, Middletons in Bognor
I felt like telling him to poke it, but remained calm... then I saw it... blue overspray all over the lower, black part of the bumper. I pointed this out and he said the factory did that as it proably failed a quality check. He then said, its a cheap car what do you expect? So, I said if they could sort that, as the obviously repainted bumper looked fine... maybe a slightly different shade but so were two other blue ones there. I got a call back later to say they had sorted it and it looks perfect, they will PDI it tommorow and I can collect at 5pm.
Now for the really pants bit, bearing in mind it wasnt till last Saturday that I really got annoyed with them and they and Fiat have been chasing this car for a while, Fiat saying it left Bristol on the 12th.... well, it apparently arrived on the 13th but the head of sales, who has now been sacked didnt tell anyone, so for 6 days they didnt know it had arrived.
So, if they had told me on the 13th it was there, non of this would have happened.
Anyway, I left, well annoyed and went to another dealer, who were very helpful and tried to find me a car in stock so I could tell SGM to poke it, there were only around 8 diesel lounges available to them and non were what I wanted... a real shame. Anyway they will get my warranty and service work from now.
Wish me luck for tommorow, its going to be very trying... I want to tell them to poke it but my 500 looked so sad with his little chin covered in blue paint
you dont have much luck with new cars, this sounding like your new panda all over again
OP
OP
I know, its not as bad as the Panda though!
I was happy not having it yesterday but after hours trawling the net for a different car, I just didnt fancy anything else Dave.
The MD reckons most new Fiats have these paint probs, if they had noticed the overspray Id never have known it had been done if theyd removed it.
Thing is, Ill always know its been resprayed on the front, I just hope it doesnt stonechip easily.
I was happy not having it yesterday but after hours trawling the net for a different car, I just didnt fancy anything else Dave.
The MD reckons most new Fiats have these paint probs, if they had noticed the overspray Id never have known it had been done if theyd removed it.
Thing is, Ill always know its been resprayed on the front, I just hope it doesnt stonechip easily.
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I've got a feeling I know which sarcastic salesman you are referring to. How he sells anything is a mystery.
you can get clear plastic stuff to prevent stone chips
And you didn't explode! You are a fantastically calm, tolerant chap is all I can say.
NO: it isn't a cheap car. A Perodua Nippa is a cheap car, a Hyundai i10 is a cheap car (and well made too), the 500 is a fair price, but not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. And if he really believes his product is merely cheap, and therefore who bl**dy well who gives a damn - he should be working at Primark, where the staff are brilliant actually! He is doing a disservice to his product.
Report him to the dealer and Fiat UK, and copy a letter to the CEO in Turin. This sort of service needs to be made known.
OP
OP
I know, but I dont really want plastic on the car... still have an uneasy feeling about this, I just wish I didnt like the car so much. My wife really doesnt want me to give them any money, but the only 500 mjt Lounge available from stock with ivory ambience is either a dark blue or the brown, and one has leather which Im not keen on.
It would be September time before I could get another, and they are more expensive now.
It would be September time before I could get another, and they are more expensive now.
OP
OP
No good reporting him to the dealer, he owns the whole dealership and others... his name is Steve Burrows and owns the Middleton group
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Know him well - had a six month argument about getting a real mess of a Stilo replaced. Been repaired at the docks. Umpteen shades of yellow. Did eventually win though. I would just make very sure that it is only the bumper that has been painted before you finally drive away. This was before he took over the Sarisbury dealership ( SGM )
OP
OP
Well, if its been repainted anywhere else its very good. The bumper is ever so slightly a different shade, but the one parked in front was too, and so was a yellow one.
I shall of course be writing to Fiats MD, and probably get my wife to contact the southern echo as she knows a reporter
I shall of course be writing to Fiats MD, and probably get my wife to contact the southern echo as she knows a reporter
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I was told my 11/12 grand car was a mass produced product and I should not expect it to be perfect. You could apply that to a toaster but... Actually it was never as mass produced as Fiat hoped it would be.
OP
OP
Yep, thats him exactly.... Im still 50/50 about it all. Its such a shame no one else has one for sale, been searching all over, the only one that comes close is 270 miles away
Nuova I have been reading this thread for the last few days I got to tell you I'm feeling sad for you and i got the hope everything will be sorted in the end!
I hope in a couple of days you'll be happily driving your new baby.
Finger crossed!!
I hope in a couple of days you'll be happily driving your new baby.
Finger crossed!!
Yep, thats him exactly.... Im still 50/50 about it all. Its such a shame no one else has one for sale, been searching all over, the only one that comes close is 270 miles away
Hi
I have also been following the thread, IMO I would be tempted towalk away, its too tempting to let your heart rule over your head.On the otherhand I can understand why you might want to take the car and draw a line under the whole matter and get on with enjoying the 500. Like you mention the paint might never be right and the comments on it been a cheap car are stupid, I actually think it's quite expensive for what is essentially a small city car.
If you do buy it I think you should put the whole fiasco in writing to Fiat and hope for some compensation. Some of these Fiat dealers seem terrible, luckily ours has always been ok so far........
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I have been following this thread too, I really feel for you.
I am sure you feel like taking this to the top. Can I suggest the following, which I have done with both BMW and Maplins and got to the very top.
Firstly find out who the MD is of Fiat UK. You can do this from google or even via Customer Services. Call Fiat HO and ask the receptionist what the domain for e-mails is, i.e. is it Fiat.com or Fiat.co.uk or similar, then casually ask what format the names take in an e-mail address, they will always tell you as it sounds innocent. From this you will have the MD's personal e-mail address.
Write the MD a mail, detail the facts, take the emotion out however hard it may be. Send the mail out of hours, Friday nights are good, they are bound to have a blackberry and they are very likely to read it. With both BMW and Maplins I had a return mail/call within 15 minutes on a Friday evening and resolution.
Good luck
and... all the bumpers seem to be mismatched so don't let that spoil your enjoyment !
I am sure you feel like taking this to the top. Can I suggest the following, which I have done with both BMW and Maplins and got to the very top.
Firstly find out who the MD is of Fiat UK. You can do this from google or even via Customer Services. Call Fiat HO and ask the receptionist what the domain for e-mails is, i.e. is it Fiat.com or Fiat.co.uk or similar, then casually ask what format the names take in an e-mail address, they will always tell you as it sounds innocent. From this you will have the MD's personal e-mail address.
Write the MD a mail, detail the facts, take the emotion out however hard it may be. Send the mail out of hours, Friday nights are good, they are bound to have a blackberry and they are very likely to read it. With both BMW and Maplins I had a return mail/call within 15 minutes on a Friday evening and resolution.
Good luck
and... all the bumpers seem to be mismatched so don't let that spoil your enjoyment !
The Fiat UK MD is Andrew Humberstone
When he talks he looks like Herman #Munster sooking a lemon.
If you take the car you might be lucky and Fiat will call you after a few days.
Do you know the true extent of the damage thats been repaired?
If you take the car you might be lucky and Fiat will call you after a few days.
Do you know the true extent of the damage thats been repaired?
OP
OP
Good advice there guys, it looks like just the bumpers painted... theres no overspray into the wheelarches at all, just the little chin piece. Rest of car, including the painted bumper does look good, couldnt see anything untoward underbonnet... my head is saying reject it but what happens then, I really dont want another 4 to 5 month wait for another one.
Going to speak with CS again tommorow, the guy whos dealing with the case is pretty good tbh.
I really think if it werent for the overspray I wouldnt have known. Thing was, some 500 bumpers do match well, others not so. The guys at Westover Fiat in Salisbury were great, I just popped in to see if they had any stock. We got talking, they gave us coffee and the story came out... they offered us some tips on how to possibly get something from SGM too
Going to speak with CS again tommorow, the guy whos dealing with the case is pretty good tbh.
I really think if it werent for the overspray I wouldnt have known. Thing was, some 500 bumpers do match well, others not so. The guys at Westover Fiat in Salisbury were great, I just popped in to see if they had any stock. We got talking, they gave us coffee and the story came out... they offered us some tips on how to possibly get something from SGM too
