[CnoteMD]

I apologize for the long post, but lately I have noticed a very sad trend among BMW dealers regarding customer service. Some people report problems with arrogant and rude salespeople. I have even seen posts about salespeople contacting clients after the sale if they didn't get "all 5's" on the survey.

Personally, I went to 2 dealers before placing my order. The first salesperson seemed like a nice guy, but didn't know the first thing about the car. I can't see myself putting that much money into something and you have to keep referencing to a brochure to answer basic questions.

The second dealer had a much more knowledgeable salesperson, so I placed my order after having my questions answered. I placed the order about 4 months before my desired delivery date. I knew exactly what I wanted, so at the time of the order I also specified exactly which dealer-installed options I wanted. I also let him know that I will be using outside financing (I knew that I could get a better rate).

When the car was on its way from the VPC to the dealer, I confirmed the options again. Then a third time a week or so before I took delivery (when I finalized the time of my delivery appointment).

Only 1 of the 3 dealer installed options were on the car at delivery. Furthermore, they wouldn't accept the outside financing due to it being in the form of a "bank draft". They would only accept a certified check (which the bank would have done for me if the salesperson had let me know sooner). I ended up having to use the dealer financing, but I made them match the rate I had from the outside.

When I called the salesperson a day or so later to schedule a time to have the other items installed, he didn't return my calls. So I dealt directly with the service manager (who was GREAT, by the way).

Eventually, BMW called me to do the phone survey. I gave the dealer and service department all 5's, but the salesperson got a 3 for how he handled delivery and after the sale.

NOW, the salesperson returns my call. He was upset about the scores and started telling me how he could have taken care of everything if I went through him. I tried to go through him, but he didn't return my call, so I went higher in the chain of command and got immediate results.

This salesman also had the nerve to tell me that, "everyone makes mistakes, and he shouldn't be penalized so severely". I told him that his "mistake" inconvenienced me due to the 2 subsequent service visits to get items installed. He actually had the nerve to blame me me by saying, "You made mistakes, too. If you didn't try to pay for the car with a bad check, we wouldn't have had to spend an extra 30 minutes with finance and make me late for my other delivery that day." I quickly corrected him. I could have easily obtained a certified check if they had let me know about that policy ahead of time. With my income and credit score, I could easily obtain excellent financing anywhere, which is why they had to match the rate!

Since my wife will likely be getting an E60 in the next few months, we went to a different dealer. The salesperson was very nice and very knowledgeable. We will likely buy the car from him, so we asked about the service department. He said, we have 45 BMW loaners for service appointments. But, you can only get a loaner if you bought your car from them.

Right now my wife drives a Volvo S60 and we have never had a problem getting a loaner from any dealer. We also have an Acura, and we have never had a problem with getting an Acura loaner from any dealer.

What is the problem with BMW and customer service? True, these are amazing cars, but why can't the experience of buying and servicing one match the driving experience?

Sorry about the long rant, but I had to get this out.

Michael