How does the service desk set up work, I'm just curious!

[RUM4MO]

Okay, I've just been down to my local VW dealer's service area to book my wife's 2015 Polo in for some repair/sort work before the warranty is up and, I was faced with a really strange layout at the service area!
Essentially there were 5 normal sized tables being used as desks placed up in a corner with a row of 3 with just enough room for the operators to reach their chairs, then in front and right up against these 3 another 2 tables - operators all facing into the centre, in towards each row. Now, how is a customer meant to communicate with them, typically in the past they did one of two things, either each desk had enough space for the customer to sit opposite the desk "driver" - that worked well enough for years and I think is still the way office layouts work today elsewhere, the other option was for the customer to be "placed" at a table and a service receptionist would, after the meeter/greeter had been told 10 times "no I don't want tea or coffee", come and join the customer for a chat and had some scraps of paper/wage slips to take notes on (Audi use portable Apple devices), then go back and forwards between their desk and the customer.

You really do need to sit down because it takes so long to correct the read back notes - progress, and no don't say go online and book the car in as the text field does not get transferred over to the service management tool well enough for no mistakes to happen, have I just witnessed the start of a revolution as VW spin down into oblivion, I hope not, well not before I move to another car marque!

[iichel]

customers are annoying and should be avoided at all costs. don't speak to them, don't interact with them, don't acknowledge them and if the mention warranty, run.

[RUM4MO]

Ha Ha, actually I made sure that I did ask if this type of repair was covered by the car warranty, just in case this could be put down accidental damage.

Edit:- I've just thought, with the set up that I've described, it is the service reception people that are boxed into a corner - so no where to run to/hide for them - customer just flow in and land in their area - so maybe badly thought out?

[rbz5416]

In mine the upsales agents all hide in an office. You're expected to wait at a table until such time as someone in a cheap suit with Blakeys on the heel of their shoes deigns to speak to you. It then becomes immediately apparent that they know nothing about the car or it's servicing requirements but will happily make stuff up on the fly.

I actually let a couple of minor issues go unrepaired under warranty as the whole process is so painful. Don't know what my next car will be but i DO know it won't be VAG...

[EDI GTI]

RUM4MO if I remember correctly you use Western at the Fort? If so I'm surprised you even managed to see them! Every time I call and ask to get put through to servicing nobody ever answers and the reception desk always claim "they are busy with another customer", honestly more chance of speaking to a ghost than a member of the servicing team at that place.

Anyway I just use the VW App now and get them to collect/drop off the car. They give you a courtesy call in the morning to go over any issues you want them to look for.

[rbz5416]

Inchcape in Colchester.

Collection/delivery requires you to book literally months in advance & I really can't be arsed with the faff of a courtesy car, just to drive four miles home & back. To be fair, they do offer a free* taxi service but then you're waiting around for a cab to turn up.

*Obviously costed into service price like the "free" valet.

[RUM4MO]

RUM4MO if I remember correctly you use Western at the Fort? If so I'm surprised you even managed to see them! Every time I call and ask to get put through to servicing nobody ever answers and the reception desk always claim "they are busy with another customer", honestly more chance of speaking to a ghost than a member of the servicing team at that place.

Anyway I just use the VW App now and get them to collect/drop off the car. They give you a courtesy call in the morning to go over any issues you want them to look for.

Well I sort of thought that would be the paln nowadays, but I prefer the personal interaction face to face if I'm explaining warranty repairs - and things did not go much to plan, the service receptionists had "track rod ends" in her mind but I was talking about lower wishbone/Track Control Arm, I did try to convert one to the other but thought that I had failed slightly, so left things as they were - but the wroking day before the car was due to go under the hammer/chisel, my wife got her courtesy call and what was said forced me into composing a word doc outline the prime reason for this car being handed in for warranty work, the investigations I had done and what I had discovered - a split TCA rear rubber mounting bush and general clunking under certain conditions including worse in hor weather and when the engine had warmed up - and I made the point that my plan here was for that car to get worked on and come out with faults cleared and none of the "just bring it back" or "they all do that" - seemed like a good plan I thought! I handed one copy in to the (different) service receptionist explaining why I had done this, is disjointed or confusing text written on the job sheet which sounded like I had found a split TRE bush something as opposed to a split TCA rear mounting bush. I also left a another copy in the car. That was at 09:45 on Monday booked in for a 10:00 workshop slot. No updates were given though the indicated completion time was 17:00 - which it seems is just a default time given out, so if it was a simple job it might get sorted out very quickly, unfortunately on Monday, instead of the normal 25C it was 13.5C so much less chance of them hearing the clunking noises!! By 16:00 we had had enough so headed back to Fort Kinaird, job still on track to be finished by 17:00 - car up on wheels free hoist but not being worked on! By 16:15, an update, needs parts that have been ordered but not due in until tomorrow "can we keep the car overnight" - well obviously now that it is on the hoist and part fixed there was no point in taking it away to repeat this annoying fashing around the next day, so we went home by bus. After 13:00 today, I gat the call "car ready for collection", so we drove down and squeezed into a space at the back of the car park, I requested a copy of the work sheet which they gave me, we needed to complete a survey, "was an ipad used at the time of handing the car over?" yes there was but their system does not seem to fully support inputting data from mobile devices, so to save the guy who booked us in getting a talking to for not completeimng everything on the ipad, I just said "yes" - I've been there too many times before at Edinburgh Audi - same old stuffing new tech unsupported or inadequate for the job in hand when talking back into their main systems. "do you us VW apps?" no, do you want me to show you the VW app?" no, again based on Audi experiences, these apps would work very well if all dealerships could operate as these app need them to, for example, the Audi app allows you to book an "hour slot" for servicing, timed repairs and MOTs, when doing that then handing the car in, the first dealer's option is "we don't support timed appointents", when pressed, your "timed slot" suddenly changes from "60 minutes" to "your car will be ready in 120 minutes" - pushing forward time management is not as easy as writting an app!

Anyway, back to my warranty repair, operation 01 concerned diagnosing what the problems were and replacing some parts, operation 02 sounded very much like they worked around what the initial service receptionist wrote down incorrectly, so it looks like I got my problem sorted out maybe, but I also got a new N/S TRE fitted with no booked time for checking tracking - I'd rather that part had been left out, now I'm worried about future tyre wear - hoh hum!!

Edit:- did you notice that someone down there is operating bird scarers, it sounds like you are in a zoo, weird, but maybe worth it to keep the crappy drive through food places rejects being eaten by gulls and cars getting crapped on?

[RUM4MO]

More, to save adding to an already too big posting!

EDI GTI, young Selkirk was in his corner and gave us a smile and a nod of his head, there was nothing in that showroom to make me gasp, plain dull body coloured cars and nothing that would make me consider reaching for my wallet - surely that is not good?

Best car within their grounds was a used Leon Cupra, no Polos to be seen, a Dune version(?) of a Beetle in black being tarted up for a photo shoot - and a queue of people in cars who were "not wanting to spoil the picture taking" - were they stupid or just having a laugh, move on, I want out of here!

[RUM4MO]

Inchcape in Colchester.

Collection/delivery requires you to book literally months in advance & I really can't be arsed with the faff of a courtesy car, just to drive four miles home & back. To be fair, they do offer a free* taxi service but then you're waiting around for a cab to turn up.

*Obviously costed into service price like the "free" valet.

We got the "do you want us to ring for a taxi for you?" but I thought that I would need to finance that myself, so we joined the masses on some buses, you can have a drink when you do that!

[EDI GTI]

Not sure if you remember my rant a while ago when trying to get the squeaky breaks on my car fixed, no matter how many times you told them the problem it never seemed to make it from one person to another, so annoyingly I know exactly how you feel! I have to say they were brilliant when it came to selling the car but from there the customer service has gone considerably down hill. I have a worrying feeling however that this is just how the whole car industry is now...

At least they attempted some sort of fix on the car anyway! I'm still adamant the first time I sent mine in they did nothing just to see if I was being delusional... And as for the bird scarers I can't say I have had the pleasure of hearing those

I got another courtesy phone call from them last month now that you have reminded me, this time somebody called Dennis picked up my details to try and get me in for an early upgrade, but like you I have no interest in any of the new motors. The new polo is nowhere near as nice as the old one, everything about it just seems much cheaper and a lot more flimsy. I told him straight that the car will most likely be making its way to BMW next year - he swiftly ended the call so I don't think I gave him the answer he was looking for!

[RUM4MO]

Back at Western Kinnaird Park to book the car back in for another attempt at sorting out the clunking noises, it seems that VW Group initially request that techs remove the gearbox rubber mounting and grease it and refit it, with copper grease in my case, who does that sort out a single element rubber bonded mounting? Bird scarers back in action, ie very loud distress call noises, still sounds like your are in a zoo etc! No evidence of any sales persons on the sales floor today, maybe getting their Monday briefing from VW UK, lots of good news??
No evidence of any ipads being deployed when persons appear needing to communicate with the service receptionists, a customer was being advised that wifi is terrible in that building, so that must limit the use/application of mobile devices like ipads, a bit of a bummer when you are boasting about "going digital"??

Car is booked in for 18th July to get another attempt at stopping the clunking, MOT and service, then that should be the last they will see of me if I/they are lucky!