Dutch dealer experience: what else is new?

[Tom Nas <tnas@euronet.nl>]

Hi all,

Last week I decided to have the damage to my car's driver's door fixed by
the local dealer. Insurance covers it, including a loaner, but it'll cost
me part of my NCB. Never mind, it's got to be fixed anyway- this way I'll
pay for it over a couple of years instead of all at once. So I call the
insurance company to confirm, and they tell me to go to my local dealer.
Not great- they have a less than stellar rep when it comes to damage
repairs (saw a friend's Passat, repaired at the local dealer- bad bodge
job). Anyway, the ins. co lady says: you can take it to an unauthorised
repair shop (I suggested the dealer in the next town, where a friend of
mine works), but they said they wouldn't spring for the loaner if I did
that, and I would have to pay for the repair myself and wait for the ins.
co to repay me the money instead of having it all taken care of. Right, so
I go to the local dealer (a three-minute drive from my home), after having
phoned if it's convenient (sure, just come over, no problem).

I arrive at 11AM. The guy who does the accident repair estimates is in a
meeting. I tell him it's a 5-minute job for him to look at the stuff, but
he says he can't get out of the meeting. I wait. Noon- I've sat in all the
cars in the showroom, have read all their brochures, and have been sitting
outside this guy's office for some time. So, what's he do? He goes for his
lunch break. Great.
I go home again, immensely irritated, and return at 1PM. The guy's in the
workshop, trying to get the windscreen out of a crashed VW Sharan MPV. I'm
told to wait. I tell the guy I've been waiting for more than an hour
already, that my damage appraisal is no more than a 5-minute job tops, and
that I have more things to do. So, I get told again to wait. After 45
minutes, the windscreen decides to come out and I make the appointment for
the repairs. Three minutes, and I've waited neigh-on two hours for this.
That's the Dutch VAG dealer customer service for you.

I hope that they will at least repair the stuff properly- if not, I'm going
to raise hell.

Tom

 _______________________________________________________________________
 Tom Nas                                          Zeist, The Netherlands
 tnas@euronet.nl

    They all laughed at Albert Einstein. They all laughed at Columbus.
          Unfortunately, they also all laughed at Bozo the Clown.
                                      -- William H. Jefferys