General Why Minis will will be more profitable than 500s

[keeforelli]

So if someone walks in and buys a Panda they should be treated in a cheap and cheerful but utilitarian manner? Meh, no disrespect to the salesperson I dealt with but really he was just the guy who took my order and sorted my finance out. I didn't expect sexual favours or someone being overly enthusiastic or whatever. At the end of the day the product matters and anything else is just words.

maxi- when you are making one of the biggest purchases of your life, you should expect at the very least knowledge, courteousness, respect and attention to detail from those who you buy it from...
im confused as to why you would think otherwise.-

Any service provider that fails to offer good service will ultimately pay the price in some way- no repeat custom, complaints, missing sales targets etc etc...

Not to do so, especially when its your day job, is inexcusable.

and im mystified as to why you think its ok for daniyellas 500 to be delivered with a dirty interior....it suggests at least a very shoddy PDI and a lack of care...

its shockingly complacent to think having a desirable car to sell means you dont have to offer anything else

As someone who has to manage service and customer expectation, i can tell you your in the very small minority with your opinions.

 

[306maxi]

maxi- when you are making one of the biggest purchases of your life, you should expect at the very least knowledge, courteousness, respect and attention to detail from those who you buy it from...
im confused as to why you would think otherwise.-

Any service provider that fails to offer good service will ultimately pay the price in some way- no repeat custom, complaints, missing sales targets etc etc...

Not to do so, especially when its your day job, is inexcusable.

and im mystified as to why you think its ok for daniyellas 500 to be delivered with a dirty interior....it suggests at least a very shoddy PDI and a lack of care...

its shockingly complacent to think having a desirable car to sell means you dont have to offer anything else

As someone who has to manage service and customer expectation, i can tell you your in the very small minority with your opinions.

I've been dealing with customer for the last 6 years or so which I guess would give me a good grounding in customer service.

The 500 is a great car and people are a bit overexcited about the whole experience, you need only to compare the attitudes of people here to those of the people who have bought new Panda's on scrappage, they're just happy to get a car with 4 wheels which goes. I think some people are disappointed that the service just doesn't match up to how good the car is in their minds and I personally think that's because they're expecting absolute perfection and you won't get that with humans and you especially won't get it when buying cars from a company who sells cars which are very much middle of the road in terms of price because the pay they'll be getting will be very much middle of the road. When you're the sort of person who names your car, a dealer who isn't doing the job 100% won't satisfy you.

My dealer hardly ever called me back when I asked because they were busy, I just learned to deal with this and just went in and at times had to wait 30 minutes to see someone but I just accepted this as scrappage has increased the amount of business that dealers are doing by a fair amount. Despite this when I got my car the car was there in one piece and it works.

As for the dirty interior, why didn't Daniyella point it out at pickup? How bad was it? Why not just give it a wipe with something? I agree it's a bit sloppy but let's get on with our lives rather than crying over minor details.

Much ado about nothing really.

 

[Daniyella]

Like what somebody else said your in the minority, if your happy with a bad service then thats you but im not, ive worked in a customer service environment for years and i would never have someone onboard one of my aircraft and make them feel worthless so they should do there job and keep there customers happy.

It was chucking it down with rain when i collected my car, which wasnt ideal but i had to get on with it as the girl was quick to go through a few of the features then disappeared.

 

[sharpyboy]

Like what somebody else said your in the minority, if your happy with a bad service then thats you but im not, ive worked in a customer service environment for years and i would never have someone onboard one of my aircraft and make them feel worthless so they should do there job and keep there customers happy.

I know what you mean my whole experience with my dealer has been a farce. I dont want/expect to be fawned over and constantly thanked for my custom but i do expect them to get the basics right like not losing my paperwork and calling me back when promised. My salesman was new to the dealership and didn't really have a clue what he was doing and i had to get the sales manager to finish my order on the computer system or there is no telling what configuration i would have ended up with, I'm still not convinced it will be 100% correct so on thursday when i pick up i'm going to go over it with a fine tooth comb. This also reflects badly on the rest of the business as i am reluctant to trust them with servicing if this is their attitude to customer service.

 

[!beepbeepbeep!]

people are a bit overexcited about the whole experience, you need only to compare the attitudes of people here to those of the people who have bought new Panda's on scrappage, they're just happy to get a car with 4 wheels which goes. I think some people are disappointed that the service just doesn't match up to how good the car is in their minds

Agree. By the threads on here, people think the 500 will change their lives in some remarkable way.
How gutting when they find the flashing mileage, or have a Blue&Me issue, etc.....

 

[STEVENM1001]

It costs nothing to be courteous or be pleasant when serving customers,whether your buying a newspaper or a £10k car.
After all you are contributing to their wages/profits and without you and other customers they would be out of a job.
I can accept errors like a poor PDI to a certain extent,but there is no excuse under the sun if the dealer does not rectify it,or aplogise for the mistake,or is argumentative and refuses to correct the problem.

 

[ny152]

It costs nothing to be courteous or be pleasant when serving customers,whether your buying a newspaper or a £10k car.
After all you are contributing to their wages/profits and without you and other customers they would be out of a job.
I can accept errors like a poor PDI to a certain extent,but there is no excuse under the sun if the dealer does not rectify it,or aplogise for the mistake,or is argumentative and refuses to correct the problem.

You've hit the nail on the head .

At the end of the day everybody likes decent service and being kept up to date which help things to go as smooth as possible. It doesn't take much to make a happy cusotmer.... saw this post on another thread;

Stupid dealer...... mine gave me the details for the 7 day insurance as soon as he had a firm date for when I was getting the car and I had it sorted out 2 days before I even got the car. It's the little things like this which make the buying experience that much more difficult. It's reading little niggly bits on this forum that makes me realise just how good my dealer was/is

 

[306maxi]

You've hit the nail on the head .

At the end of the day everybody likes decent service and being kept up to date which help things to go as smooth as possible. It doesn't take much to make a happy cusotmer.... saw this post on another thread;

I'm sorry but that's completely different. That's someone doing something which actually put the customer out rather than people not getting daily updates or a callback within 2 seconds.

 

[stu0710]

you've missed your vocation Maxi, you should be a defence barrister

For people who don`t mind going to jail!

A car which has been carwashed, prior to delivery has effectively been vandalised by the dealership. It is the customers car (paid for by the customer) and up to them to decide how it`s treated, not the dealer.

To hand over the car with dirty marks on the interior is poor, whether 306Maxi thinks that it's a sensible / practical colour choice or not, and for him to say that it`s only going to get dirty anyway so the dealer may as well start the process is frankly unbeleivable. Why not follow this to its logical conclusion and suggest that the dealer scrapes the side as its only going to happen eventually in the supermarket carpark?

We all know that he doesn,t like the ivory ambience interior, but others do and have a right to choose it and expect it to be supplied factory fresh.

 

[306maxi]

For people who don`t mind going to jail!

A car which has been carwashed, prior to delivery has effectively been vandalised by the dealership. It is the customers car (paid for by the customer) and up to them to decide how it`s treated, not the dealer.

To hand over the car with dirty marks on the interior is poor, whether 306Maxi thinks that it's a sensible / practical colour choice or not, and for him to say that it`s only going to get dirty anyway so the dealer may as well start the process is frankly unbeleivable. Why not follow this to its logical conclusion and suggest that the dealer scrapes the side as its only going to happen eventually in the supermarket carpark?

We all know that he doesn,t like the ivory ambience interior, but others do and have a right to choose it and expect it to be supplied factory fresh.

I said that the car should have been carwashed......

 

[ny152]

I'm sorry but that's completely different. That's someone doing something which actually put the customer out rather than people not getting daily updates or a callback within 2 seconds.

If you say you'll phone the customer with an update and then they have to chase you instead, that is putting the customer out.
If a car is handed over to the customer and the seats are marked meaning the customer has to bring it back, that is also putting the customer out.

Daily updates and callbacks within 2 seconds? Yes that would be unrealistic, but then again I don't think anybody here said they expected either.

 

[jnoiles]

Having previously owned a couple of MINI's and now the 500, I have to say that Fiat dealerships could learn a lot from BMW.
The 500 is crying out for better dealership support. Here in Glasgow the local Abarth dealership didn't even know how to change my daytime running lights!
It's a very special little car and I think as a buyer/owner it should feel just as special an experience when you visit the dealer. Sadly that isn't the case.

Now compare the 500 price and the Mini price.

 

[sikersh]

I've had bad dealer experiences with both my 500 Sport and Abarth 500, but all problems were rectified by Fiat/Abarth UK without any hassle and I was even compensated. Goes to show that Fiat are at least doing something to smooth things over.

 

[ny152]

Now compare the 500 price and the Mini price.

Why? Should good quality service only be available to the more affluent?
The 500 compares in many ways to a MINI. Retro styling, options etc. If Fiat want to target the kind of market that would be looking at such a premium small car (and when you spec up a Lounge, Sport or Abarth it's not cheap compared to other cars of the same size) shouldn't customer service and dealer support also be a priority?

A couple of years ago I bought a Toyota Aygo for less than £7000. The dealer treated me really well. How? By knowing the product they were selling, by offering a decent test drive, introducing me to the service staff, etc. Even got a big bunch of flowers delivered after picking up the car .
Overall great service despite the car having a low sticker price. As a result I have recommeded at least half a dozen people to this dealer and will go back to them if I'm ever wanting a Toyota again. I coulnd't say that about the dealership I bought my Fiat from.

At the end of the day THE CUSTOMER should always receive good service no matter the product. Simples . Going by the number of threads you read here (and my own experiences) Fiat dealers often fail to deliver on that front.

 

[CR500]

Oh dear maxi, rattled a few cages it seems! It is not acceptable to take delivery of a new car with oily marks etc, but the dealer should be given a chance to put it right. I do agree though that some can get over emotional having heard how some people kick off when things aren't right. Get all abusive and demanding stuff, no wonder staff don't cooperate indeed they are only human. I'm not saying it's the case here, but there is an unreasonable complaining culture nowadays. Wasn't this thread to do with minis or something??

 

[306maxi]

Why? Should good quality service only be available to the more affluent?
The 500 compares in many ways to a MINI. Retro styling, options etc. If Fiat want to target the kind of market that would be looking at such a premium small car (and when you spec up a Lounge, Sport or Abarth it's not cheap compared to other cars of the same size) shouldn't customer service and dealer support also be a priority?

A couple of years ago I bought a Toyota Aygo for less than £7000. The dealer treated me really well. How? By knowing the product they were selling, by offering a decent test drive, introducing me to the service staff, etc. Even got a big bunch of flowers delivered after picking up the car .
Overall great service despite the car having a low sticker price. As a result I have recommeded at least half a dozen people to this dealer and will go back to them if I'm ever wanting a Toyota again. I coulnd't say that about the dealership I bought my Fiat from.

At the end of the day THE CUSTOMER should always receive good service no matter the product. Simples . Going by the number of threads you read here (and my own experiences) Fiat dealers often fail to deliver on that front.

This kinda fits in with the whole perceived quality thing that German car makers do with their cars.

Flowers? Give me a ****ing break! I want my car to be well made, cheap to run, reliable etc etc. I could care less whether the dealer's going to give my wife a bouquet of flowers.


I know some people can be impressed by a bouquet of flowers when their dealer has just sold them a ballsack of a car like an Aygo but it doesn't change how dire the car is. It's all perceived...... you reccomended a dozen people to the dealership? Now they might have got flowers but they might have also had their car taken in for service and had sloppy work done etc etc. It's all people's perceptions and in reality your perception means nothing in the big scheme of things. Think of it like this - you're being cheated on by your spouse - the reality is the same no matter whether you know about it or not.....

If you get bad service it's up to you to sort it out. For an example.... Daniyella sounds like she's an aircraft hostess? How many times have you pressed the button for service and asked for a drink and been forgotten? Now what do you do in this situation?

A) Don't say anything and let the dry air suck any moisture out of your mouth making it a thoroughly unenjoyable flight and then go home and tell all your friends how crap the airline is when they couldn't just manage to get you a simple drink and do the same on the internet at every opportunity.

B) Accept that the person is human and when she comes past again ask for a drink again and enjoy the rest of your flight.

As CR500 says there's a culture of complaining and people just make demands like "Give me mats because my mum got mats" and expecting to get something. If you don't ask you don't get but on the other hand if you don't get don't whine about it! If something's wrong with the car give the dealer the opportunity to rectify the fault and if this doesn't work THEN get Fiat involved. Running to Fiat is only going to give Fiat a bad impression of the dealer and get the dealers back up and make them less willing to pull out all the stops when something goes wrong.

For an example of how you should deal with a problem with your car look no further than Grimwau -> https://www.fiatforum.com/500/184898-my-diesel-overfueling-7.html?p=2265784 cool, calm and collected and no bitching about the dealer, just an understanding of the framework that the dealer needs to work within to get his issue resolved and believe me Grimwau genuinely has something to be annoyed about.

 

[306maxi]

I said that the car should have been carwashed......

I meant to say SHOULDN'T have been carwashed!

 

[jimboy]

I meant to say SHOULDN'T have been carwashed!

Looks like youve said a lot of things Ive read through this thread with some interest. Obviously 306maxi man, has ruffled a few feathers
There are some valid points about buying a car nowadays, but if I was buying any new car,& I thought for one second a salesman was taking the pi$$, I certainly would walk away & inform him in no certain terms that a sale was lost big time.

In saying all that, some buy into the "life style" & are disappointed when things don't quite go to plan.
I tend to agree with Spoons, when he said gone are the days when buying a new car was an event. I remember the time when purchasing a car was almost like life changing experience & the salesman cracking funnies & bending over backwards to clinch the deal.

When everyone has had their say, doesn't matter what you think, the buying public make a salemans wages, & he should recognise whats needed to make that sale.

This has been an interesting read for me & as Spoons quite rightly points out that it would seem more than a few who want to buy a car, do their homework by sourcing the net & reading magazines that give them the necessary information, before going into their chosen dealership.

Ive always been firmly in charge of a situation when I made my decision, about buying a car. I used to get things written down & signed by the salesman. Only once I encountered a problem, but I sorted that out by going strait to the managers office, not only did I get things sorted out, I also was given money off card every time I purchased goods from them..... I even negotiated half price mot when the time came....

Bottom line here, you have to read a situation, obviously its been mixed, but your doing the buying, so you're in charge.

 

[306maxi]

Looks like youve said a lot of things Ive read through this thread with some interest. Obviously 306maxi man, has ruffled a few feathers
There are some valid points about buying a car nowadays, but if I was buying any new car,& I thought for one second a salesman was taking the pi$$, I certainly would walk away & inform him in no certain terms that a sale was lost big time.

In saying all that, some buy into the "life style" & are disappointed when things don't quite go to plan.
I tend to agree with Spoons, when he said gone are the days when buying a new car was an event. I remember the time when purchasing a car was almost like life changing experience & the salesman cracking funnies & bending over backwards to clinch the deal.

When everyone has had their say, doesn't matter what you think, the buying public make a salemans wages, & he should recognise whats needed to make that sale.

This has been an interesting read for me & as Spoons quite rightly points out that it would seem more than a few who want to buy a car, do their homework by sourcing the net & reading magazines that give them the necessary information, before going into their chosen dealership.

Ive always been firmly in charge of a situation when I made my decision, about buying a car. I used to get things written down & signed by the salesman. Only once I encountered a problem, but I sorted that out by going strait to the managers office, not only did I get things sorted out, I also was given money off card every time I purchased goods from them..... I even negotiated half price mot when the time came....

Bottom line here, you have to read a situation, obviously its been mixed, but your doing the buying, so you're in charge.

Quite agree. I had been a member on this forum for about 14 months and had a good knowledge of the specs of cars before I went to buy one. I was firmly in control of my experience all the way along. Just remember as well that the salespeople are selling Panda's, 500's, 500c's, Grande Punto's, Bravo's, Doblo's, Seidici's, Multipla's and Qubo's so encyclopaedic knowledge of the entire range is just not possible. Then there are all the different spec levels as well. It's not too much to ask for the customer to do a bit of research into what they're buying to ensure that they get exactly what they want. More fool the buyer who doesn't research this big purchase.

People seem to think that it's always someone elses responsibility and perhaps back in the days when cars were actually expensive and not cheap as they are now you could expect a dealer to be completely responsible but profit margins are wafer thin now and cars are a commodity item and staffing levels at dealers are low so they don't have the time.

Here's a pricelist from the 70's in Australia for some cars. Now consider how much less people were earning back then and how much more an Australian dollar was worth and you'll realise that those cars are very expensive hence why a car was a luxury back then.

 

[jimboy]

For those who want to buy their chosen vehicle & are looking for that special touch, I would advise them to do their home work. There are dealers out there that provide this, & it would seem quite a lot have experienced this.

Again I tell you, you're in charge, so you call the shots
I do understand however not all are as assertive when it comes to doing a deal Just remember all salesmen are bullshi++ers in some form or another, that's part of their job On a last note, if you're looking for a good price never mention a figure, once you've said x amount you're tied.......
always ask for the best you can do, or I need more help than that.....