Avoid Mercedes of Chantilly

Lt. Dan

New member
Took my Sprinter in for Airbag work- after taking four hours, they came back with a $10,000 estimate for "recommended" repairs. The rub? I personally did half those repairs in the past year.
 

Mike DZ

2016 View 24V (2015 3500)
Did you laugh out loud or politely chuckle into your cup of designer coffee?

Perhaps surprisingly, I have never had the standard dealer upsell at my local MB dealer. Plenty at other dealers. My regular MB service advisor has now retired (age, health), I wonder if I will get the upsell on the next visit ...
 

lindenengineering

Well-known member
"Avoid Mercedes of Chantilly." I cannot emphasize this strongly enough. But the problem becomes--if not there; then where?
Well its a two way street,.
If you become an obnoxious customer (sorry Guest) you get redlined.
The dealership won't say "no", but just give you a reservation spot 90 to 180 day out there into the future.
We have an entertaining story of the Dog Lady who then infected two Denver Metro dealerships after us only to get redlined.(Ferrari style black flagged)
Latest new on her was that she switched brands to Isuzu.
Now I suppose she can vent her fury like a trucker, and get laughed at by big truck techs 'cos that's part of the job as a heavy truck tech end of the business .
Dennis
 
Good point, Dennis. I have not become the obnoxious customer (I hope!), but have experienced enough frustration at this dealership that (1) I feel that sharing their poor performance/attitude is useful to the community and (2) although vowing to never return, there really is no alternative, and they know it.
 

lindenengineering

Well-known member
Good point, Dennis. I have not become the obnoxious customer (I hope!), but have experienced enough frustration at this dealership that (1) I feel that sharing their poor performance/attitude is useful to the community and (2) although vowing to never return, there really is no alternative, and they know it.
Yes basically just like any service establishment, hospitality, fees paying emergency hospital/clinic , gym. gun range, you name it ,then there's no alterative don't patronize that business if you can help it .
Dennis .
 
And just as I was beginning to accept that my expectations were too high, this happened. I made an appointment at Mercedes of Chantilly for service that even they couldn't screw up: replace the two front tires and conduct an alignment. Before I made the appointment I verified that they had the proper tires in stock. I arrived there at the appointment time this morning and was told to expect a three-hour wait. After 30-40 minutes the service advisor approached and said they could have those tires available by 5 PM this evening. I told him I already checked to determine if those tires were in stock, and they were. He said to me, "I know. They show online as in stock, but they're not." I politely asked for my keys back and left.
 

lindenengineering

Well-known member
As a postscript I suppose its like ordering ahead a Waldorf Salad the house specialty for two at lunchtime. Only to be told after seating "Sorry Mr Jones but we are fresh out of Waldorfs, would you like to see our menu?"
Dennis.
 

lindenengineering

Well-known member
Well in answer to your comment, the experience actually highlights an everyday situation.
The dealership is no different than my small independently owned business with 12 employees .
In short that dealership , like many doesn't stock tyres , but simply relies upon a just in time policy from a third party supplier .
In short they took it for granted that they had a time window (like all day) to complete the mission.
They assumed wrongly, because you wanted it NOW and didn't take that into consideration when making the appointment.

Its an everyday mistake that occurs not only in the auto repair business but other service related businesses. One glaring oft' situation comes to mind with hospitality businesses like hotels & restaurants.
Having been married to a hotel and restaurant manager/executive for some famous American 5 star lux hotels, it was an occurrence that tried not to repeat , but it happens quite frequently & made worse by the frantic pace of dealing with customers and satisfaction.
To get "royal like treatment" in that business you have to patronize a hotel like the SAVOY in London or Raffles in Singapore.
These places have highly trained & experienced staff like Clef'd 'Or concierge folk, who have a very detailed agenda to customer care, but you are paying about $3000 per night for a room,. & $250 per plate for food at evening dinner.

To achieve that level of service in the auto repair business is very difficult to get in practice for many reasons, cost & overheads is one large salient factor .
Cheers Dennis
 
Last edited:

RVBarry

2023 AWD 170 DIY CamperVan
If they don't have them in stock, Costco will order tires (you pay up front), then they call you when tires arrive and schedule an appointment for the install.
No issues or surprises.
 

lindenengineering

Well-known member
If they don't have them in stock, Costco will order tires (you pay up front), then they call you when tires arrive and schedule an appointment for the install.
No issues or surprises.
Exactly
This ensures you as a merchant against the "Sorry Dude Syndrome".
Arrival/delivery time is ensured, customer is informed to arrive on time. Tech has the specs & the install timeslot is reserved for the job and incidentals like wheel bolts .nuts & studs & new TMPS (in stock should you need them) all on hand if anything can go wrong.
And sometimes it does even after going through the motions.
Dennis
 

Mike DZ

2016 View 24V (2015 3500)
In short that dealership , like many doesn't stock tyres , but simply relies upon a just in time policy from a third party supplier .
In short they took it for granted that they had a time window (like all day) to complete the mission.
They assumed wrongly, because you wanted it NOW and didn't take that into consideration when making the appointment.
and
Before I made the appointment I verified that they had the proper tires in stock. I arrived there at the appointment time this morning and was told to expect a three-hour wait.
Dennis, I think you missed a few details in your read - If the Mustang reports this accurately (no reason to think he does not) the dealership blew this down their leg. They stated that tires were IN STOCK (not delivered just in time) and the Mustang was OKish with a 3 hour delay (he did not demand NOW) and they still couldn't even lay their hands on the tires until closing time, which means tires won't even be installed that day.

When they discovered that they had screwed up the appropriate dealer response should have been 1) an apology, 2) priority scheduling at the Mustang's convenience, 3) token compensation for the Mustang's time and distance, since he will have to make another trip - $100 off on future work.
 

lindenengineering

Well-known member
and

Dennis, I think you missed a few details in your read - If the Mustang reports this accurately (no reason to think he does not) the dealership blew this down their leg. They stated that tires were IN STOCK (not delivered just in time) and the Mustang was OKish with a 3 hour delay (he did not demand NOW) and they still couldn't even lay their hands on the tires until closing time, which means tires won't even be installed that day.

When they discovered that they had screwed up the appropriate dealer response should have been 1) an apology, 2) priority scheduling at the Mustang's convenience, 3) token compensation for the Mustang's time and distance, since he will have to make another trip - $100 off on future work.
Well of course you are right they blew it.
The correct method would have been to take the order with an up front deposit or confirm stock is PHYSICALLY present at the point of inquiry and don't rely on an electronic record . If not in stock, take a deposit, order them in for install at SPECIFIC time convenient to the customer ,and mount & balance them.
Basically its not rocket science. But this is a people business, and people are the spoke in the wheel.
You could state or call it the the "fog of war .
Dennis
 
Last edited:

Scoutster

New member
THis still begs the question, where is one to have good Sprinter service in the Northern Virginia area? Any positive experiences? Drive to PA, Drive out to see Dennis in Colorado?
 

trout fang

2004, 2.7L, 5cyl, 169k
And just as I was beginning to accept that my expectations were too high, this happened. I made an appointment at Mercedes of Chantilly for service that even they couldn't screw up: replace the two front tires and conduct an alignment. Before I made the appointment I verified that they had the proper tires in stock. I arrived there at the appointment time this morning and was told to expect a three-hour wait. After 30-40 minutes the service advisor approached and said they could have those tires available by 5 PM this evening. I told him I already checked to determine if those tires were in stock, and they were. He said to me, "I know. They show online as in stock, but they're not." I politely asked for my keys back and left.
I just had tires installed by the mobile unit in my driveway. It also let me watch where he put the jacks. . . .
 

Top Bottom