Official Fiat Presence on this site

[Sprox]

I was wondering, looking at the 1.1 New Panda dodgy engine thread:
https://www.fiatforum.com/showthread.php?t=55916
and also:
https://www.fiatforum.com/showthread.php?t=57738

I saw there was a post form ChrisSmithCR - obviously an official of some kind but I wasn't sure where?

Now is this Fiat Forum too small to warrant a Presence from a FiatUK or Fiat Italy Official or should we tell them that we exist?

Also, I know Car Dealerships are SALES people more than anything (the sales people tend to know only about PCPs and finance and commission rather than reliabilty or how a Panda 4x4 handles off road- after all they are only selling them )
BUt as a Forum - do we not have a little bit more clout with Fiat and the dealers? Or do we just sit here enthusing with ourselves?
Is there a single FIAT salesman on this forum as a member?
Is there a single Fiat Manager on this Forum as a member?

Surely they can learn a lot from us lot - the 'customers' so to speak
I've got a 16 year old panda - ok I didn't buy a new car (ok I bought a daihatsu Copen but only 'cos the panda 4x4 wasn't available...... at the time) but I spent a lot on parts from Fiat last year. When I start my business up again I'll need a more suitable vehicle! Where am I gonna go?
I'm an Active FIat Forum member and I don't know a single 'contact' at a fiat dealers or at fiat uk.
It's because they just leave us alone or don't care or don't know we are here.

If I ran a Fiat dealership - this Forum is one place I would be looking after!

 

[H2DaE]

you would be suprised who looks at what forums.....

There may not be an official presence on here but Im sure theres at least a few spies in the midst of all these members.

"They can't touch you though, 'cause they're all spiiiiiiies"

 

[T14086]

Anyone guess the band (or song) lyrics below...cream doughnut for the winner!

"Spying, lying, there's no denying
You can't escape, just be discreet
Computers are abused, school records are fed
Police are checking on what you've said
The number of your car's fed into a box
Your journey's being checked, it's a paradox"












....mmmmm that doughut was nice:yum: ........well lets face it you were never gonna get the answer anyway

 

[dave]

Hawkwind

Every time I go out,
I think I'm being checked out
Faceless people watching on a TV screen
Do you begin to sense it,
Just beneath the surface
Reflections off a window
Whilst walking down the street
Spying, lying, there's no denying
You can't escape, just be discreet

Computers are abused,
School records are fed
Police are checking on what you've said
The number of your car's fed into a box
Your journey's being checked,
It's a paradox


Duplicate forms and ID cards,
Are next in line to disregard
Future generations are relying on us
It's a world we've made - incubus
We're processed, we're processed,
We're processed

 

[T14086]

You googled that Dave didnt you






Few crumbs left if you want them

 

[dave]

You googled that Dave didnt you

of course i did, i aint no tripped out hawkwind fan :devil:

 

[T14086]

of course i did, i aint no tripped out hawkwind fan :devil:

Thats stereotyping Dave

I cant think of any other songs about spies/spying?

 

[dave]

I cant think of any other songs about spies/spying?

I wasn't lookin' but somehow you found me.
I tried to hide from your love light,
But like heaven above me the spy who loved me



The Spy Who Love Me with "Nobody Does It Better" is the first film not to have the song named after the film, although the words are included in the lyrics. ...

 

[jug]

look at the posts that are on this forum that say "should I let Fiat do this" or "I went to Fiat" etc. FIAT UK do not run dealerships, its a franchise, run for profit by individual dealers and dealer groups. Many people dont seem to understand that, and constantly complain about FIAT when really they are complaining about a single dealer.

very good point, i admit i'm also guilty of blaming fiat for the performance of a few dealers. to be honest i dont blame fiat for anything, yes their cars have a few reliability issues, a few manufacturing faults here and there, but i've owned far worse cars than fiats. i dont blame fiat dealers as a whole for giving bad service, i blame all dealers and all independant garages as an industry for poor service and dishonesty. generalising that like is never a good thing, but experience has taught me to assume the worst from every dealer or garage until they prove otherwise.

The whole industry has a bad reputation for a reason, much like plumbers, or central heating engineers, or salesmen of any description, or politians. Ever seen the undercover TV programs that prove you really cant trust anyone. Plumbers will quote £150 to clear a blocked pipe saying its a damaged "visco valve" or something else they just made up on the spot. They can do that because the average joe doesnt have a clue about plumbing and so they wouldnt question a "visco valve" problem even if there's no such thing. Its the same with cars, if a mechanic said you have a damaged visco valve and it was going to cost £150 to fix most people would say ok when can you book me in. Its a part of business, everyone does it.

At the end of the day knowledge is power, if you dont know about mechanics then someone who does can take advantage of you, and if they can - they probably will, its human nature. The solution is to gain knowledge and become self sufficent, or at least knowledgable enough to know when you're been screwed and paranoid enough to question everything. Dont blame the world, accept it the way it is and adapt yourself to take advantage, thats the whole point of life isnt it?

 

[roo09]

Chris Smith is 'customer relations executive' at Fiat UK head office. I know this having spoken to him only today reference serious complaint.

 

[T14086]

And

 

[custard]

And

just incase you didnt know

 

[T14086]

Maybe i'm him? maybe you are? could be anybody here? :chin:

 

[Slave1]

There's a salesman called Maz who's a member. He's said he would try and do a good deal for people from the forum.

 

[T14086]

No offence to 'Maz' but it's not actually 'official fiat' presence is it,as in directly employed by fiat?

 

[Sprox]

If the official presence is not made known - then it's ot official is it?

 

[jug]

imagine if there was an official fiat presence, the poor sod who agreed to it would need to spend 12 hours a day responding to posts.

 

[myworlduk]

Thankfully we have a few members who contribute regularly and answer as many questions as they possiblly can and I for one appreciate their assistance.

It's not feasable to have "official" representation as it would result in the Forum being controlled by Fiat and there's no fun in that is there ?

 

[T14086]

Nobody from Fiat would do it anyway....how could anyone put up with that amount of moaning everyday......oh no hang on I do,everyday! I like constructive honest critism & would like to think that I have taken on many comments from others here & use them everyday hopefully for the customers benefit but "my car has a rust spot on it,all fiats are bloody crap" despite the fact the car is 12 years old! or "my car doesn't run right & its only 3 years old" despite the fact its never been serviced ever or "what do you mean you cant look at it now" ...well book it in the same as everyone else or the classic "how much for a service £110 thats robbery" ...you pay that every month for council tax is that robbery aswell?

 

[GhostWKD]

you pay that every month for council tax is that robbery aswell?

yep but your 100% right

 

[T14086]

Hope my post didnt sound wrong...there are many genuine cases of faulty cars/parts etc that do seem to get overlooked/brushed aside & this should not happen but some of the b*llocks I got to listen to,and keep a straight face) every day:bang:

Oh & apparently down south it costs £25-30/month for water charges(is this right?) & you cant even wash your car/water the flowers.