Fiat's Complaints Procedure delivers the goods...

[alfabarry]

..or, to be exact, a Fiat Sedici.

Thought I'd take the opportunity of doing something really off the wall: praising Fiat for the way they have dealt with and (gasp!) resolved a complaint.

We've just taken delivery of a new Fiat Sedici... almost five months after ordering the car from the dealer. After three months it became apparent that the car was getting no closer, having apparently disappeared into some sort of Fiat version of the Bermuda triangle. Because we had sold my wife's previous car in the expectation, reinforced by dealer promises that whatever happened the car would be with us by Christmas, we faced serious mobility issues over the holiday period, when family were visiting from overseas.

The dealer refused to provide a loan car, in spite of us complaining in writing to the MD, and even though we made it clear that we would cancel the order unless we could get interim transport. At this point, and with very low expectations indeed, I submitted a complaint to Fiat via the company's website.

The result was that an extremely helpful man from Fiat Italy took personal charge of the case and instructed the dealer via Fiat UK to supply us with a free loan car. This turned out to be a nice new Fiat Bravo, which we have used for the last five weeks. The Sedici also finally materialised, arriving in the UK one week ago and being delivered to us yesterday. We got apologies, updates and a resolution.

Of course we really shouldn't have had to go to Fiat ourselves: so my plaudits do not extend to the dealership. I'm pretty sure that this was a cock up in Fiat, rather than a dealer error, but why should the customer have to resolve it? Isn't that what dealers are for? The salesperson tried to get help but was unable to get approval from the MD. We wrote directly to the MD, but did not even receive the courtesy of a reply. This failure to even answer our letter is what really upsets me (this is putting it very mildly indeed).

So, praise for Fiat's complaints handling in Italy. And none whatsoever for the UK's biggest and oldest established Alfa dealer in Cheshire. I never cease to be amazed that companies so rarely "get it" that most customers will forgive almost anything if you handle them correctly. The missing Sedici was probably Fiat's balls-up, not the dealer's. I also understand that we had no entitlement to a loan car and that we were free after 12 weeks to walk away from the contract. But that's not the point. When your customer feels pain, whether caused caused by you or by whoever you represent, you at least pretend to share it. Failing to even answer a letter (sent recorded delivery and by e-mail) is unbelievably crass. So, thanks to the way our complaints were handled we are left with something I never expected to feel: a warm glow about (probably guilty) Fiat (rather than just it's cars) and something far chillier about the (probably innocent) dealer.

 

[custard]

fair play however look at it this way.
the dealer has £x margin on a car sale. 5 weeks of providing a hire/courtesy car could wipe that out.
if its fiats mistake then them instructing the dealer to provode a car means fiat would be footing the bill for the car

 

[Hellcat]

I thought a company had to by law respond to a written letter?

 

[alfabarry]

the dealer has £x margin on a car sale. 5 weeks of providing a hire/courtesy car could wipe that out.

Well, yes, that's very true, and I believe that in this case Fiat UK has met the cost of providing the car. My point is that the buyer should be able to look to the dealer to resolve this type of situation, irrespective of who's fault it is. Yes, if it is the manufacturer's fault then the dealer should be able to get recompense from the manufacturer. But that is irrelevant as far as the buyer is concerned. The buyer after all has no contract with the manufacturers and therefore no means of enforcing a contract against them. S/he does however have a contract with the dealer.....

Sometimes when things go wrong, it is good business sense to lose some money on a deal in the interests of your reputation.

 

[Rich]

Well, yes, that's very true, and I believe that in this case Fiat UK has met the cost of providing the car. My point is that the buyer should be able to look to the dealer to resolve this type of situation, irrespective of who's fault it is. Yes, if it is the manufacturer's fault then the dealer should be able to get recompense from the manufacturer. But that is irrelevant as far as the buyer is concerned. The buyer after all has no contract with the manufacturers and therefore no means of enforcing a contract against them. S/he does however have a contract with the dealer.....

Sometimes when things go wrong, it is good business sense to lose some money on a deal in the interests of your reputation.

Completely agree with that - our recent problems with getting our old Stilo fixed should not have required us to go to FIAT UK after the dealer basically abandoned us with a faulty car after paying a huge bill. As ever, FIAT UK sorted it fantastically and we're still brand loyal, it's just that, now, I shall probably start using an alternative dealer.