(Also posted on SELOC)
I�ve finally had enough of the Lotus dealership that I bought my car from.
Every single issue that has unfortunately required contact with the dealer has resulted in a mistake, no response or no action.
Below are just a few examples of the crapness Lotus buyers are expected to put up with:
Today I arrived at the dealers at 09:00 as arranged, for some minor warranty work to be done. And, to no great surprise, the parts had not arrived. So, a 70-mile round trip for nothing, again. This is the second time this has happened. Last time they had to take bits off second hand cars on the forecourt.
On one occasion, after hitting a hare, I required a new front splitter and number plate. They purchased and fitted a plate with the wrong registration number!! I noticed the next day and phoned them � only to be ignored. I had to phone back later that day to be informed that the guy I�d spoken to had done nothing about it, had not told anyone else, and had gone home. He wouldn�t be back for two days! As they had changed both front and back plate I was driving around with the wrong reg on my car. Imagine getting stopped by the police and trying to talk your way out of that one!
The vehicle was purchased in March 06. Two months ago I went to my local DVLA to get a personalised number plate put on the car, only to be informed that the car was not registered to me and was still registered with the dealer! The f***wits hadn�t even informed DVLA that I�d purchased it!
It took nearly three months to get the road fund license out of the dealer. Also two months after purchasing the car, because I couldn�t get any comprehensible information from the dealer, I checked with Tracker regarding lack of documentation for the service that, via the dealer, I�d subscribed to and paid for. Surprise, surprise my car wasn�t registered with Tracker! This, as I�m sure you will be aware, impacts my insurance. So, thanks to the dealer, for the first two months of ownership, I was driving around in a car that was not registered to me, had no road tax and technically had no insurance, and for a couple of days had the wrong registration plate!!!
I�m still waiting for the radio/cd player manual and only received a service book and user manuals after weeks of asking. Additionally, despite asking both verbally and via email, I still don�t know when my warranty expires.
Incompetence would be an improvement. In fact, only the mechanic seems to have an idea of customer service, and he�s not supposed to be customer facing! Unfortunately, a helpful mechanic is little recompense, as I normally get the car serviced at Plans, because its cheaper, they know what they’re doing and are well organised
The car cost me over �45k, yet I recive better service from the Renault dealer that I bought my daughters �7k Clio from.
Does anyone know who within Lotus is responsible for dealer performance, as I�d like to share with him (or her) the FULL woeful list of cock-ups by the dealer since I purchased the car 10 months ago?
If this level of service is indicative of their dealers then I for one will not be buying another Lotus.
\rant over