About three months ago I bought a brand new BMW 3 series. It’s a great car, drives like a dream and is so much fun to take out. It really is a beauty of a car. I’m sure you now realize that I’m a fan of BMW. What you might not have known is that, I follow their forums, recommend their car, and am a BMW member. But now, my loyalty to the BMW brand is being jeopardized because of bad customer service from JMK BMW in Springfield, NJ.
The Story
Two weeks ago while I was driving home I hit a large pot-hole, bursting two of my tires. Thankfully, I have run flat tires, meaning I was able to drive to the dealer, instead of having to put on a spare. When I bought the car, I knew NJ roads aren’t the best, and so I invested in what the dealership called “tire insurance”. It states that if my tires are damaged due to road hazards, the tire and rim would be replaced. With that in my mind, I wasn’t so worried. Wow, was I wrong.
After being told I don’t have insurance, proving that I do have insurance, and finally getting two new tires on my car, I go to pick it up. No problems until I start driving it. The car is shaking as I drive it down the highway at 40mph.
I take it back to the dealer, and tell them the work isn’t done. Something is still wrong. The service manager responds, “Oh it’s your rims, they’re badly bent”. At this point I’m confused, I was under the impression my insurance had covered everything, how do you give me a BMW after service that isn’t up to BMW quality? They hadn’t even told me anything else was wrong until I brought it back.
My frustration has mounted, and now my car has been at the dealership for over a week. Even after paying for “Tire Insurance” I have to pay $1,200 to replace my rims, and over-all I’m disappointed in the service I received for what is supposed to be a “luxury” vehicle.
**EDIT**
Had a conversation with the owner of JMK BMW, and after our discussion they’ve agreed to replace the rims. Thank you JMK.
The Lessons
But I guess from my misfortune you can reap the benefits. You can learn the lessons from BMW’s mistakes, and hopefully they’ll realize it’s not too late to change minds, and fix this problem.
First and foremost, understand that good customer service is a sales technique. Why would you treat your best customers, the ones that have already shown a positive bias towards your product, poorly? The Internet has given everyone a voice, and we’re willing to broadcast.
With that in mind, treat everyone as if they’re a journalist. You never know who’s a blogger with a huge following. Imagine that BMW had snubbed Robert Scoble or Chris Brogan. They have thousands of followers, who have hundreds of followers. The number quickly grows, and suddenly you have a PR nightmare.
Thirdly, realize that conversation tracking is important. Hopefully, I’ve mentioned BMW the brand, and JMK BMW Springfield the dealer, enough that they’ll see this post. If they’re listening, they’ll notice it, and if they don’t, it’s more proof for a disregard in customer service.
Finally, now that they know I’m upset, they’re next step should be to reach out to me; find out how we can fix the problem amicably. Don’t let bad PR go unanswered, see what you can do. Making an angry blogger happy, means he may detract the post, edit it, or even write a good post. Either way you publicly show that you have good customer service, and others will trust the brand.
In the end, I’m sincerely disappointed with BMW. Don’ make the mistake they have, remember the relationship doesn’t end with the transaction.
{ 4 comments read them below or add one }
Here’s another example of Social Media in action – another pretty appalling service experience with Bay Area dealer, Peter Pan. The complainant used Social Media to reach hundreds and thousands of readers
Social Media In Action, BMW USA Live Case Study
The saga continues and meanwhile if you Google Peter Pan BMW, the third entry is still Nadina’s letter to the Chairman.
I have had nothing but problems with my BMW and every dealer I went to. I own a 2001 330 ci. The problems didn’t just start recently, they’ve been going on since I owned the car. So far, I put 17,000 dollars back into the car in the form of repairs. I could have bought 2 other cars instead of just this one.
The service at BMW is horrible! They never fix the problem. I went back for an oil leak 6 times so far in the past 3 months! They fixed everything but the oil leak. They replaced I don’t know how many parts that were functioning OK and when I went to drive the car, I still smelled the burning oil coming in through the vents and when I would stop at a light, I could see the smoke coming from under the hood.
I talked to their head mechanic and even rode with him in my car to tell him the problems I’m having. I told him two things: the smoke and smell, and the steering keeps clicking. I take it in and they say the fix it. Yesterday I’m at school and I go back to my car to leave. I get in. No power steering. Steering went out. Great. They’re wonderful service team sent a tow truck which I had to pay 200 dollars to tow my car.
I’ve had countless of problems with my car. Everyone I know that owned one has had or will have problems. It’s a very unreliable car. I can honestly say I hate BMW’s… and hate is a strong word.
Although I agree with the general message this article stresses, why dismiss the entire brand due to a bad experience with a dealer? The simple solution here is to switch dealers. As much as BMW Group (corporate) can try to instill great brand values into dealership personnel, it’s all retail baby.
I own a BMW myself and have actually worked at a dealership in the past, and let me tell you..most of the dealerships are unfortunately a far cry from the brand image. BMW has a so-called “university” in place to teach staff brand values, to foster unity, to portray the brand as it should be perceived..so from their side, they are doing all they can.
Dealerships are also rated based on customer satisfaction surveys. Those scores are supposed to be important, although it appears that your particular dealership couldn’t care less about service criteria. If you own a 7 series, you tend to get better service. How pathetic is that?
I suggest that you research other dealerships in your area and give those a try before you give up on the brand entirely. You should never buy another BMW from JMK, but you will be missing out on the joy of driving if you choose to spend your money elsewhere.
I don’t mean to dismiss the brand, and thankfully JMK took the time to fix the problems. Regardless though this is the contact I’m having with the brand. Shouldn’t corporate take a bigger interest in their brand as a whole?
Also, yes I love my BMW, I love driving it and I truly would be missing out on a lot if I was forced to never buy another BMW. Thankfully JMK and BMW redeemed themselves.