Mercedes-Benz of Georgetown - Service Center

What a mess! What a mess this dealership is – and the amount of employee turnover is mind-boggling Last month I called to speak to Christal, the latest “Service C What a mess this dealership is – and the amount of employee turnover is mind-boggling Last month I called to speak to Christal, the latest “Service Consultant” with whom I worked, and left a message on her voicemail. I wanted to speak to her to follow up on the last service visit as I kept receiving inaccurate “Know Your Vehicle” reports. About 40 minutes later I received an email from some guy named Adam Fontenot, confirming my appointment for the following Monday (a date, BTW, when I was going to be out of the country) which apparently was set up by my “Advisor”, Richard (another guy with whom I had never spoken). Within 6 minutes of the email I received a call from some very annoying woman at the dealership to confirm this appointment – the appointment I never made – clearly unbeknownst to her. She did not seem to have any idea what was happening and didn’t even know that I had not made the appointment. Then she involved some other woman who told me that Richard had told her to set up the appointment. She could not even explain why she had chosen the time and date or what was going to be done at this appointment. I explained that I had actually called to speak to Christal and had simply left a message for her to call me. It was only then that I was told that, notwithstanding the fact that Christal’s voicemail was still active, “she left a while ago”. Richard is now the seventh Service Consultant (Ryan, Jeff, Nathan, Tony, Michael, Christal – and now apparently Richard) which I have had at this dealership in the last 29/30 months – the first six having left now. Even stranger is the fact that new management has started hiring back some of the people who left or were let go under previous management. One guy who I was told by the former Service Manager was fired for being “completely out of touch” (his words not mine) is back again. (As a point of reference I try to have the cars serviced at MB Houston North as often as possible. There everything works as it should and I have had the same Service Advisor for 8 years!) During my last service visit to Mercedes Benz of Georgetown (MBG) there were all sorts of problems – to mention only a few: the mileage on the car listed was off by 2,000+ miles; the service report was a reprint of one from a former visit where most if not all of the items had since been taken care of during that penultimate service visit; and I was quoted one charge – in writing – for a transmission service and then charged a different amount (needless to say higher). When asked for my insurance card (for the loaner car) I requested that they make a copy of it and give it back to me as last time they lost the card – yes you guessed it they lost it again – and after 20 minutes finally found it in the new shop area. They also told me that I had 2 tires which had “dry rot” and needed replacement. I then asked for an up-to-date report to be emailed to me – and once again was just sent the old, inaccurate one. When I questioned it again I was told “we are working out the kinks in the system”. The dry rot tires claim is an interesting one. I had the same tires checked by Discount Tires (DT) 2 days later and was told they could find no dry rot. Whilst the tires were coming up on time for replacement due to tread wear DT found no dry rot. The replacement costs for the EXACT same tires at DT was $470 (plus tax) compared to the $750.20 (plus tax) quoted by MBG. After the last two visits to MBG I came away with the distinct impression that there was a “push” on in the Service Department to sell tires as three other people in the waiting room were told their tires had dry rot. Out of nine people in the waiting area - 4 had tires with dry rot - what are the odds? I don’t know if the new management needs even more time (they bought the place 9+ months ago) to work things out but clearly there is something very wrong here. The place is mass confusion and much of this is exacerbated by the silly procedures which the new management has installed. There are all sorts of people, mostly kids, standing around in the forecourt, doing virtually nothing. Once you finally get into the forecourt (as inexplicably there is a constant line of cars backed up outside) one has to check in with one of them and give them various bits of information. Then through the first of many breakdowns in communication at this place, one then must “check-in” at this silly little “Concierge” desk which has been plopped by the door and explain everything again. Once the “Concierge” cannot find your appointment (which in my experience is the norm) more confusion ensues. Finally, you meet with a “Service Advisor” who again has been given no information from the first 2 people. If you need a loaner you should add 25-30 minutes to the whole process. When it is time to collect your car this whole farce plays out again and don’t apply any logic at this point in the process either. If you go to the cashier’s counter to pay your bill you will be sent back to the “Concierge” to actually collect the invoice and other related paperwork – if your Advisor has remembered to close it out. If not, then all sorts of people go on an “Easter Egg Hunt” to try to find the paperwork to check you out. If you are lucky your car is not still in the car wash and you can then leave shortly thereafter. More