[Agent007]

Had the common steering wheel lock situation on my 335i.

Called last 1st thing last monday (8 days ago) to get it fixed. First the regular service department tell me that I'll have to get a rental loaner even though I bought my car from them. Then the SA calls back a few hours later and says he wants to get me a BMW loaner, but he won't have one until tomorrow. I agree.

Take my car in the next day (Tuesday) and get a 328i sedan in exchange for my 335i coupe. Was told it should be ready in a day or two.

Wednesday I get a call saying it isn't quite ready and it is going to be Thursday or maybe Friday.

By 3pm on Friday, I haven't heard, so I call and am told that the software update was having a bit of problem so it would likely be Saturday or Monday. He says he wants to get my car done right.

Monday at 6pm I'm called and told it is ready. I also get the talk about how his compensation depends on getting all 5s. I go to pick it up. Get in and drive off and everything is fine.

Drive 20 miles home and go straight to Home Depot to run an errand. When I get back into my car after being in Home Depot for 15 minutes, the steering wheel lock light is on again. I drive to dinner. Get in to go home, still on. Get in to go to work today (Tuesday), still on. SO FRUSTRATED.

Tuesday morning (today) I call the SA directly when i get to the office at 6am and leave a message. 10:30 rolls around and i haven't heard back (even though they open at 8-8:30). Leave another message on his voicemail at 10:30.

Call the main service line at 12:30 and they finally transfer me to him and he tells me that BMW NA won't let them put in new steering columns and that he is required to try to software update first (for cost reasons). Then he says he is trying to wrangle up a loaner car for me. The BMW guy who deals with loaners is handling the situation now and they're going to send someone out to meet me as not to inconvenience me. Says he will call me back.

I never got a call back today. I am driving my car home with the steering wheel lock light on again.



1. I don't understand why he didn't return my call today the first few times. Given that I was without my car for a week as they supposedly fixed it, should I have had to call 3 times to get through to someone to try to resolve the issue?

2. Is it unacceptable that after I was finally able to talk with him that he didn't call me back today and update me on what the situation was? I.e., when they will have a loaner car for me, when i can bring my car in, etc.? Even if a loaner wasn't ready today, is expecting an update too much? I understand his job is get cars fixed, not spend all day on the phone, but if he says he'll call back, shouldn't he?

3. Is it unreasonable for me to expect things to be fixed the first time? Or at least for someone to warn me that I might experience the issue again when I show up to get my car thinking it is fixed?

4. How should I think about grading the SA? I understand the gravity of these ratings and impact on compensation. Are my expectations too high, am i being mistreated, or is it simply that because there are so many BMW's on the street that BMW has to become more concerned with cost over service and it isn't his fault?

[John 070]

I share your frustration from a customer service perspective. It's pretty bad in so many situations. This being my first BMW, I've never had my butt kissed so hard and often throughout the purchasing process. Your credit union can do 5.75% (10/06)? We'll do 1/2% lower. You want free mats? Sure, winter or carpeted? Your car came in on my day off, do you want me to meet you there, or tomorrow? Once I drove off with my vehicle and they got their 5's, let the poor service begin.

There's no reason to look too deeply into why the SA didn't call you back. Bottom line is he's not good at customer service, and probably could care less. He isn't exactly making 6 figures nor is he ever going to, he's stuck working with about 10 dummkopfs who went as far as their GED like he did. He just wants to make it through another day, without hearing about fuel pumps, steering locks, this being wrong, that being wrong. Just be glad you're not him.

I was in a conference in Orlando, and my wife met me down there. We drove off the beaten path to Daytona, and out of nowhere, this waitress provided ridiculously great service, for no apparent reason. One would think BMW could do the same. Since I couldn't give this waitress all 5's, I gave her a 35% tip instead. My wife told me not to give her a pinch, even though I knew she wanted one.