Dear Renault UK your customer services are Shocking!

[pepper]

I work for a company that runs 17 vans in total and we had been running Ford for the past 7 years. Last year I helped gain Renault a foothold in our company when I road tested and reported back very positively on how good their Masters were and how much better we as a company would be by choosing Renault as our company vehicles.

On the back of my report (am only a lowly engineer in the company not a manager or such like) they proceeded to buy 4 new vans.

They in the whole have been great vans I love the space, the fuel economy over the previous Rear wheel drive Transits is amazing, 28-30 Mpg versus 19-23Mpg and overall they have been really good.

BUT! We had a slight problem with one of the vehicles Renault forgot to put any oil in the gearbox whatsover (OH Poop), guess what it seized up!

Number 1 Renault France made a mistake (it happens thats why cars have bumper and pencils have rubbers).

Number 2 WTF happened to the Pre Delivery Inspection?

Number 3 Why on earth when they first found out they'd mucked up didnt they do the decent thing and sort it out with new straight away?

Number 4 they then replaced the gearbox and that went back to our driver but it now howls (in my opinion its more than likely to have been a gearbox that had already been back to Renault for work and then was deemed ok to go back in as a warranty replacement, knowing how car companies work)

Number 5 this was then reported back to Renault Croydon who had it back and agreed there was a noise but it was acceptable, found to be within limits in their opinion. So now one of our new vans is driving round with an acceptable screaming gearbox yeay thats nice of you thanks!

Number 6 They then send an e-mail to our regional manager telling him that the noise is acceptable but its within limits and thats all there is too it!

Number 7 OH VERY VERY DEAR! They forgot to take off the e-mail attachement which states (I haven't seen the actual e-mail yet, remember I am only a lowly worker The e-mail attachement they forgot to take off says

tell them any old bollocks and get rid of them!

Number 8 Oh very dear indeed, today whilst sitting in our team meeting, we go round the table and our lovely friendly screaming gearbox is mentioned and our Managing Director says as a passing comment "we've fallen out with Renault haven't we, we won't be buying Renault again in the future will we"? and the e-mail message was then explained to over 25 engineers!
Now I spent months trying to get our company to use Renault vans, as a life long fan of Renault and their products and had been a very keen promoter of Renault to our company, how embarrassing and saddening for me, I've been left looking like a fool and Renault have lost sales of vans and company vehicles to our company going forwards!


It makes me so sad here's a person who has recently spent time at the Renault sport day at Silverstone and runs a twingo and is looking around for another Renault at the moment, am I myself really going to buy from a company who treats their customers like that behind their backs?

Here's a lesson for Renault UK, they need to get every single one of their staff to sit and watch this particular message from this here chap, its a cheesy film but its totally correct in what Renault UK have let their staff do to us!

http://www.giveemthepickle.com/give_em_the_pickle_video.htm

 

[GREAT UNCLE]

I work in small garage that specialises in renault, - it used to be an independent dealer but left the franchise 5 or 6 years back.
The local Renault main dealer are our best advert, new customers come in and say 'there is no way I want to go back to Renault ***********'.
I know Renault are trying to raise standards and quality of service at there dealerships but they still have a long way to go. You can have your new vehicles serviced at any garage you want, but as you say only their dealers can do warranty work.
Oh yes PDI {pre dilivery inspection} good bonus bash that - 90 minutes pay to check tyre pressures, wheel nuts and engine oil level, quick thrash around the block and make sure the radio goes up loud - then back for a ciggie and coffee. - I know I worked at a Vauxhall dealer for some years. Even decent mechanics can get dragged into the bonus bash culture against their better judgement.

 

[malcolm]

I've nothing but bad things to say about my local Renault dealer - parts guy there told me he couldn't even be bothered to sell me parts. I use Lifestyle Renault whenever I need to go to Renault, but with a lot of their spares prices now being ridiculous I'll promote any aftermarket supplier I can.

They are bottom of the JD Power survey (of customer satisfaction). Their current products are good, but I rarely hear anything good about their aftersales in the UK. Amazes me that Renault don't do something about it as it must lose them a lot of sales. Main dealers on the whole don't tend to have a customer focus, but JD Power does suggest Renault are currently the worst.

 

[pepper]

Its a real shame I've been reading all about Renaults new quality drive, but its all to no avail when they can't back it with great quality aftercare from their dealers?

 

[The_Blacksmith]

It's much the same here. I don't think the sales types understand that a little honey every now and then will keep customers satisfied. In Luxembourg they do know how the game is played. No matter what part, they are willing to get it for me or die trying. In the Netherlands it's knowing which dealership to go to or knowing which parts guy to talk to, but don't expect anything from Renault HQ. I guess they drive BMW and
Mercedes and simply lack "the passion".

 

[greycharlestoner]

well

all I can say is I have had the same no interest on my Renaults

and I see that the Regie has made a humiliating retreat from these shores in their product range

and I believe that the next generation of their cars are not likely to be sold in RHD form!

Pity we can't see a return of the quatrelle or something with the pizzaz of the original twingo!

Then we would no doubt see how many peeps would flock back!

 

[pepper]

Renault are going all out with their economy brand in France and is starting to arrive in the UK! Dacia are going to be a big player if they can keep the costs down.

As for Renault concentrating on electric vehicles for the future, would you trust it to run with Renaults reputation??

To be honest all our cars are Renault and I love the brand, but the future in the UK does look bleak!

 

[herbacious_harley_37]

I think that they are going backwards. I recently left the Motability scheme after 20 years mainly because any car that I would order would take at least 4 months to arrived being built to order from the production line but also because being a Renault fan (I have had 5 Renaults in my driving history since 1988- 3 mk1 Renault 5's, a Kangoo - in my opinion a modern Quatrelle and now my F reg R5 Supercinq)I was looking to have another Kangoo or Twingo. They have stopped selling the Kangoo in the UK and the Twingo doesn't come in an automatic option and I can only drive an auto. I really enjoyed driving the Kangoo it didn't feel like a large car/van and was very versatile it is a great shame that they have withdrawn it from the UK. Of course as Greycharlestoner notes the real worry is that they will stop producing LHD cars. When researching a new Motability car I discovered that Daihatsu have pulled out of the UK due to the economic situation globally and the effects of the strength of the Japanese Jen. Of course Renault isn't Daihatsu and it does have a partnership with Nissan but the fact that car manufacturers are building cars to order from the production line (and I looked at various marques when considering a new Motability car and it is the same story everywhere that a new car will take 4 months + as it will be built to order) shows just how much the motor industry has been effected by the economic downturn. I wonder if this decline in customer service at Renault even where it is for car parts is a consequence of this in that they are withdrawing from the UK market and cannot be bothered anymore. I also found this cannot be bothered attitude prevalent among sales executives in the showrooms who were deemed to be Motability Specialists. Three years ago a sales exec who specialized in Motability knew how the scheme works from top to bottom but now many of them lack that knowledge some even getting things wrong and I think its part of the depressed attitude within car sales and the motor industry in general.