Just to let you all know, for people in Vancouver Canada. 2 weeks ago i brought my XF- Supercharged to a well known Jag dealership near Downtown, In the beginning my service adviser was very helpful and he even explained that I will get a Free WASH.. (which i specifically told him to HAND WASH) as i am a car lover. I got a courtesy car that was a POS but it didnt bother me that much.... After i was called to pick my car up, I saw my car with pain in my eyes, It was full of spider web scratches, and just long scratches everywhere, and it was obviously due to careless washing.

when i complained to the dealer, they firstly was very defensive and did not want to admit it was there fault, what was worst is they worked together with their trusted detailer to lie to me that all i needed was a 1stage polish when that same detailer told me i needed a 3 stage polish 2 hours before i went to meet the jag Production Manager in charge in Service too.. (Which doesn't desearve that job title)

Ive wrote an email to the GM, Service Manager, and till today still have no follow ups. Should i report this to jag NA?? I hope all the Jag owners in VANCOUVER is aware of this as I dont want this to happen to any of you. I Really recommend going to the other Jag dealer as they give you Land rovers or Jags for courtesy cars and also much better service.

 

So, are they gonna pick up the tab for polishing out the scratches or what? What, if anything, did they agree to do?

Report it to Jaguar NA if you want but I suspect they'll view it as a dispute between dealer and customer that doesn't involve Jaguar on the corporate level, which is true. They might call the dealer to remind him how important it is to resolve customer complaints...but that's about it. Just speculation on my part, mind you.

Good luck,
DD

 

Wow, so sorryto hear that MJC90

Man that would just kill me......Anytime I ever take my car into the delaer I ALWAYS say to the service manager "PLEASE MAKE SURE THEY DON'T WASH MY CAR".....I also leave an A4 piece of paper on the passenger seat and another onthe dash with BLACK marker pen "PLEASE DO NOT WASH"
It sounds overkill, but when you see the damage that they can cause to your paint finish ( as you obviously have done!! ) trust me ...its not overkill.
To get rid of spider webbing / cob webbing / swirl marks etc etc will take time / skill and money as you know.

Try the softly softly approach first, asking them to look at the damage caused, explaining in detail if neccessary how you wash /look after the car and that you KNOW it wasn't like this beforehand, and see how you go.
If that doesn't work, by all means escalate the discussion, explain that you're a regular, use them for servicing / parts etc ( if you do ) take the car to them for warranty work and have always said good things about them etc etc and look for them to meet your needs to get this resolved.
If that fails then you have no alternative but to go for the jugular and use everything at your disposal to make sure they see your side and resolve this.
Don't make the mistake of going straight to WWIII as it leaves you nowhere to go AND just gets peoples backs up!

Good luck

 

Jim's advice is spot-on in all respects.

Once someone...anyone...is put on the defensive the chances of a favorable resolution are dramatically decreased. This applies no matter what the circumstances: you and the repair shop, you and your wife, you and the phone company...whatever.

AND, for the record, the very LAST thing you want to do is rant about how you'll never return and how you'll bad-mouth the company all around town. If that's the case then the dealer has no reason whatsoever to want to help. If you're gonna bad-mouth them even AFTER they've fixed the problem then why bother? Save the rants and threats as a last resort.

I cannot over stress the importance of a "walk around" whenever dropping a car off for service/repair. This protects ALL involved. A well-trained service advisor will do this automatically but, if not, ask for it to be done.


Cheers
DD

 

I stopped getting my car washed at the dealer when they scratched one of my rims! Fortunately for me, they fixed it on their dime...

 

That's a shame what a disaster , I hope they get it fixed out soon , keep us updated

 

As Doug says, telling the dealer that you would love to spread the word on how responsive they are in making things right, rather than having to tell friends and family and public forums about their lack of response, goes a lot further. Anyone in customer service should be able to recognize the golden opportunity they have to get positive endorsements in solving a customer's concern. If they can't respond to that, then they truly deserve the rant.

You may only have told one or two people if they would have immediately rectified things to your satisfaction but, you have told potentially hundreds of people that they didn't. Their loss so far.

 

I feel your pain.......but as a word of advice always take pics of your car before you ever...ever..ever leave your car with the dealer. Whenever I give my car in for repair or what not, I take pics all over the body. I'm soo overly crazy about dents and scratches on my car/s; so just in case anything happens, you have the proof to show it and defend yourself. Just make sure you take the pics at the dealership not your home

**By the way, I would talk to the owner of the dealership directly and lay out your complaint to them. Dealing with the Service Manager of Any dealership is most of the time a PITA!! sorry to say the least as far as I have dealt with

 

It is fairly simple to polish out such scratches if you know how to do it. No long lasting damage to the paint results. Any good bodyshop knows how to do this as this is how they blend old paint into new paint when doing partial re-paints. If your dealer is smart he will do this for you, gratis.

 

Thanks so much for all the advice guys. I really appreciate it, at this point though, i dont expect anything from the dealer, but im just so shocked on how unprofessional they are. I mean if your selling a lower market car like a Honda or Toyota I would understand. (no Offense to ppl that drive these cars, there good cars) but seriously, this dealer not only holds jags, but they hold other prestigious brands.

At this point, I got my Car detailed with a car enthusiast here in Vancouver, He is really good, and my car looks brand new. For anybody who would like to know more, give me a shout and ill let you know his info. He did such an amazing job, and for me, Ill just take this as a "Lesson Learnt"

 

Ill post some pics up later on of the before and after...

 

You're right...every problem is a golden opportunity to really prove "what you're made of".

Most people understand that mistakes can happen and problems can occur. It's how a problem is handled that makes all the difference...and that's what makes a quality outfit stand above the others.

Not that anyone invites problems but after many years in the business I am 100% convinced that a problem, professionally, politely, and promptly corrected, will create more customer trust and loyalty than if the problem never happened.


Cheers
DD

 

Being in sales for over 20 years I totally relate to that comment ( very well put Doug )
Its not about any of the routine, run of the mill orders that go through, but about the one that goes pear shaped for whatever reason....It happens to all of us in some way at some time or other.
In that one moment is when you can really make a difference....Take the call, don't dodge it, get answers and get them fast, explain in detail why / how things went wrong if necessary and what you're doing to put them right.
For example ... a customer of mine had ordered a shaft and needed it for Wednesday am. The supplier let me down but jumped thru hoops and got it finished for late (10.30 pm ) Tuesday night but they were 350 miles away. Next problem - I couldn't find a courier I could rely on to get it there in time.......Solution?
I hired a van and left at around 4pm to drive the 350 miles, picked up the shaft at around 10.30pm and drove the 300 miles to site and arrived there at approx 4am ( customer didn't arrive until 6 am ) when he found me slumped, sleeping at the wheel....lol
He still to this day talks about that service and has recommended me to dozens of other customers because of the way I responded to his needs!


Anyhow, I guess this has been resolved by the looks of it?

 

Hey Guys,

Yes like i said, Id took it as a lesson learnt, thanks for all the input and suggestions.

At the moment Im just waiting for the dealer to give me a call back. Lets just say for now that the problem has never been resolved, but i just sucked it up.

Hope this gives a warning to all the jag lovers out there.

 

It's amazing how much is not notice when dropping off vs. picking up. Man those customers walk out and go right to that small scratch. The right side of the car could be facing them was as they walk out the door, but they immediately go to the left front corner and say "That wasn't there." Man I've heard it all. You gotta love "walkaround" check sheets before service is done! Last thing, don't have the dealer do a "FREE" wash again.