How many Porsche owners experience "Customer no-service" at their dealership?

[bamaboxster]

I wanted to take a minute to ask a few of you about your experiences at you local Porsche dealership.

The question, "How many Porsche owners experience customer no-service at their local dealership?" This question applies to people who are new to Porsche and bought one new or used, and the same for long term Porsche owners.

As I have posted in the past, I bought my first brand new Porsche in June 2004.

To make a long story short, I traded in my beautiful 2004 Boxster after 5 1/2 months of ownership and 8440 miles. The car itself was amazing which was the best part of the ownership experience.

What killed the remainder of my ownership experience was sub-standard customer service my local dealership, Tom Williams Porsche in Birmingham, AL. I live 10 miles from the dealership, but had to take my car 180 east to Jim Ellis Porsche of Atlanta to have a flat tire replaced the first week of ownership. This was the first of a few trips to Atlanta to have little things done to the car, i.e. adjustments, oil change and ordering simple accessories.

Buying a new $50K car from a dealer that close to my home only to take it 2 1/2 hours away to Atlanta for everything it needed was rediculous and unnecessary.

I received a postcard from Tom Williams Porsche last week, inviting current and previous Porsche owners down to drive the new 987. My fiancee and I went down to check it out. We were in the showroom for 25 minutes and no one spoke to us. Annoyed and about to leave, I asked the receptionist if I could see the Dave, the General Manager. She informed me that he was no longer with the dealership and the new manager was out of the building at the time. I explained to her that I was invited by their postcard to come down and was not approached or acknowledged. Once she grabbed one of the 3 available salesman, I expressed how poorly I have been treated in the past and again that day. I also informed him that I traded my 04 Boxster after 5 months of ownership, listing the problems I had with the dealership and their customer no-service. After a 20 minute conversation, he finally let us drive the new 987 and 987S.

Upon returning after driving both models, I told the salesman the 987S is an amazing car and its what a Boxster should be. My fiancee piped up about how we loved the car, but slammed him on how we were treated that day and in the past. I told him I would not buy a new $62k Boxster from Tom Williams Porsche and be treated poorly again. This raised a few eyebrows on the potential customers standing around that day. I hope some of them would still buy a Porsche, but not from that dealership.

I am seriously considering a 997S. I am very hesitant about buying an $85K new 911 Carerra S only to take it 2 1/2 hrs way each way to Atlanta, GA or Montgomery, AL for anything it may need. That is way too much effort for a car of this caliber. I would expect taking a car like a Bentley, Ferrari, Lotus, Lamborghini or a Carrera GT to Atlanta due to the rarity of these cars, but not a Porsche Boxster or 911. On occasion, I'm in Atlanta for business or pleasure. I just hate driving to Atlanta and not have my Porsche for the the time I'm out there, because its at Jim Ellis for service. I should be able to have it serviced here locally in Birmingham and enjoy it on my business and pleasure trips to Atlanta.

This is why I'm asking the question about overall experiences at other Porsche dealerships across the country. I would love to buy another Porsche (#4), because I am a Porsche enthusiast.

For a new $42,000 to $440,000 Porsche, I should be treated as well as I have at Infiniti, Jeep, Saturn, Honda, VW, Toyota (mom's Camry LE) and yes, Hyundai (fiancee's Santa Fe). Out of all of the cars currently in my family and the may different dealers we visit to have our cars serviced, the Porsche was the only aggravation I had. That is why I traded my Boxster in for my second Infiniti G35.
The Boxster, all by itself, was not enough to override the remaining negative ownership experience.

Looking for stories good and bad, especially from new Porsche owners.

Dave,

Birmingham, AL

[QporscheQ]

I have had dealings with two Porsche dealers.

I purchased my Boxster from HBL of Tyson’s in Northern Virginia. The two times I went to the show room prior to purchasing the car, a salesperson came up to me with in 2 minutes of walking in the door. The only time I brought the car in for service there, the level of professionalism was as high as I expected it to be. Overall, HBL left a very good impression on me. The thing that I really liked about buying the car there was that I felt like my salesperson actually wanted to sell me the car. I had gone to a BMW dealer (BMW of Fairfax) before HBL to look at some 5 series and the salesperson basically told me that he sold so many cars that it really didn’t matter if I bought one or not. I promptly left, and have never been back to that dealer even though they called 3 times a week for three months after I walked out.

After I moved to St. Louis, I started going to Plaza Motors. I've taken the car in for service once and everything was as expected. My only gripe about Plaza is similar to something you mentioned. Twice now I have been in there to seriously look at cars and after standing around for 15 minutes waiting for some help I just left. I really think it’s my age (26), because I went into Plaza once with my mom and we were helped right away. However, I’ve also been to the other parts of Plaza (they have BMW and MB to name a few) and salespeople were all over me.

[Jeannot]

Guys-

Maybe this is a US thing. I saw a lot of complaints of various forums on Porsche dealers.
Mine is excellent and I have not heard any friend with Porsches complain.
Believe me they treat the customer like kings.
From selling to delivery to giving opportunities of test drives of new models etc. Really top notch service you'd like to see anywhere else.
Even on the phone, the mechanics have always all the answers. They and also salesmen call back etc.

Good luck with this.

BTW-> Even if it was a crappy service I'd still not sit in a Jap car. You're punishing yourself! not PORSCHE !!! :-)

i agree, the service i get is really good, cup of tea as soon as you go in... yes sir, no problem sir... the way it should be 10/10

qporscheq, i am 25 i know 100% what you mean... its annoying. Now i make sure i pull up in my boxster and make sure they see me getting out. I am changing or getting another car soon like in the next few weeks and so far i havent really had any dealings with a salesman but i always take my dad along when ever i do a deal as the last time i was looking there were saleman standing around ignoring me which pissed me off, oh yer and the grin on there face was annoying which i should has knocked off his face.

[IceBox]

While I've yet to need service on my (used) '01 Boxster, I have visited the dealership where it was purchased, and have been warmly greeted by the saleman, who still remembers me. As it's winter and snowy here, I've not had much occasion to drive my car, but have had a few pleasent conversations with Derrick, their service guy, regarding some mods I'm reluctant to try at at home. I hate hearing about experiences such as yours, as it's a real shame what should be a wonderful relationship with a fine automobile has been sullied by poor service. I feel for you, but maybe you jumped the gun a bit un-loading your car. As I understand it, dealerships are awarded to potential owners after a long process, specifically to avoid poor management, which in turn diminishes the repution of the brand. I'm sure yours is not an isolated case at this particular establishment. If Porsche-America (or whatever the parent company is called) were to hear of this, the paryt or parties responsible would be made to shape up or ship out. I know of a few GM dealers who had their franchise revoked for just this sort of thing. Take this to the next level; your desire to own a wonderful car shouldn't be obliterated by the ineptitude of some clown.

[bamaboxster]

qporscheq and porsche 986,

I'm 35 and look a little younger than I am. You would think the salesman would be a little more receptive to their younger buyers, after all isn't that what the age group the Boxster is aimed toward?

It may have been extreme to unload the Boxster so quickly, but I was not getting any help from Porsche at that time. I traded the Boxster on Veteran's Day in November on my G35 Coupe. I took a major bath on the car, which ACV'd (actual cash value) at $34,000...this was a $49,000 Boxster that was only 5 1/2 months old.

I have been in contact with other dealers and wholesalers in the area and asked them why it was so difficult to find someone willing to buy my Boxster in trade even at this extreme depreciation. They told me there were so many new Porsches on the market locally due to the issues at Tom Williams Porsche. People are getting out of their Porsches in droves. The word is out about the horrible service at this dealer, therefore locals are unwilling to buy used ones. Most of the Porsches that are on the market here are wholesaled to Atlanta, Florida and Tennessee.

Crown Mercedes/Infiniti took a chance on selling my Boxster and are having difficulty getting rid of it. It was on e-bay last week for the second time at $34,750. No bids. My Boxster is ultra clean, no dings, no dents, no scratches no curb rash, no interior wear and I'm not a smoker. The car was serviced early and garage kept. I have been in contact with a few locals that were interested in the car, but not interested in driving 87 miles south to Montgomery, AL. It will probably end up in Atlanta soon.

Porsche has contacted me recently to get my take on the dealership. They are very interested in what I have to say about this dealership. Hopefully something will be done soon, unfortunately they have a really bad reputation to overcome.

Jeannot,

My G35 is not a Porsche by any stretch, nor am I comparing its performance, safety and engineering to a Porsche. Simply put, they treat me well, the car retains its value better than my Boxster did, I have more standard options on my first G35 Sedan and current G35 Coupe and they stand behind their cars. Shouldn't Porsche? I felt I was punished for owning a $50,000 Porsche (a true semi-exotic sportscar) and it was a slap in the face to a loyal long-term (21 years) Porsche owner.

Upgrading to my first new "Porsche" I gained an amazing sportscar and a convertible, but lost how well I was treated by Infiniti and any other dealer. I also lost the standard options I had in my first G35; (horsepower, xenons, VDC, Traction Control, Bose, Homelink, heated seats, delay wipers, alarm system, tilt and telescopic steering, 6 disc in-dash CD changer, XM Satellite Radio to name a few) none of which were on my Boxster that cost $12,000 more. Granted, if I bought a loaded S, I would have gained most of it back, but spent another $16,000.

I would love to have another Porsche, a real sports car, but its proving to be difficult to own here in Birmingham, AL.


Dave

[Brucelee]

My experience is not typical in that I deal Porsches. Hence, I am at the local service shop 2-4 times a week.

It took some time, but I have a great working relationship with the service and parts guys. They will go way over the extra mile and I appreciate that. I "work" them extra hard and they reciprocate in kind.

Having said that, I agree that when one purchases a car with a price tag like Porsche affixes, one should be treated with the upmost respect!

[phrankandbeanz]

I am in southern california and I also have had horrible service. I was in the market for a cayenne or a used 996, however the sales associates showed no interest in my presence in the showroom. I went to 2 dealers and the same results for both. extreme snobbiness of the salemen just really gets me mad. I wish I could say "You work at a porsche dealer, however can you afford one?" Now with my 2004 boxster, I have had many problems with it. I saw that someone on this board had said that german engineering is superior to the japanese automobiles.If they are so superior, how is it that the japanses vehicles never have problems?(ex rms, electrical radio glitches, weather sealing,)I understand that japanese cars can be bland and boring, but the outrageous price of an oil change, the frequent trips to the service department and the constant fighting with dealership is almost nonexistent.
I love my $50000 boxster and it has been the most fun car I have ever owned, however my $27000 toyota tundra has had 0 trips to the dealership and they treat me like i am royalty. The bad taste in my mouth from the dealerships for that matter, will play a big part in my decision to buy a P car. That doesn't mean I'm doubting that the porsche is not great car, but I believe when the imperfection of this automobile peaks its head again, I would wish it was a honda or toyota

[Christeon]

I live just south of you in Tuscaloosa AL. I never once considered taking my car to Tom Williams ever, I go to Jack Ingram Motors for anything that requires dealer involvement. My experiences with Tom Williams started with my BMW afterwhich I vowed never to torture my car with them again. The guys in Montgomery seem to be very professional and what you'd expect from a Porsche dealer. Tom williams owns to many dealerships and treats the german cars as if they were just another car "off" their lot. Please don't judge anything about Porsche from your experience with them.

[bamaboxster]

Christeon,

I'm happy to hear about Jack Ingram Porsche. I did make a visit down to Montgomery last Friday to check them out.

I spoke to Sonya Wilson, an extremely professional saleswoman whom has been with this dealer for 18 years.

I was able to drive the new 997S that day.

A week later, I received a thank you letter for visiting from Sonya, and another one from the General Manager. I never got a thank you-anything from Tom Williams Porsche even after I bought my new Boxster.

Jack Ingram in Montgomery, AL and Jim Ellis in Atlanta are very professional dealerships. Its just unfortunate that J. Ingram Porsche is 90 miles south and J.Ellis is 160 miles east which is somewhat far for me to have the vehicle serviced from time to time.

Maybe in another 2 years I will consider buying another Porsche, but for now its time to save, payoff the house and make good investments.

Dave

I'm happy to see that there are Porsche dealerships that give a flip, just wish they were closer.