Citroen HQ- the home of stupid people.

bylromarha

I bought a new Berlingo...as the salesman saw me with my baby, he highlighted the extremely safe ISOFIX fittings, increased safety for baby blah blah blah.

I am now trying to buy an ISOFIX seat from Citroen...and after 2 months, they still can't find one for me. I rang head office, they told me to use the dealer network. I spoke to my dealer and he had to fax head office to find out. The technical department don't know the answer and have passed it onto someone else. The website only shows ISOFIX seats for other models and an email I finally recieved from head office gave me details of their rear facing seat...when my email clearly states forward facing.

Britax make an ISOFIX seat, but they won't sell it to me as it hasn't been crash tested in the Berlingo...Britax say this is Citroen's job, Citroen say it's Britax's job. He said, she said...don't want to be inolved in the squabble children.

And don't even get me started on what Citroen have done to my Pluriel without telling me...the "genius" at the company that decided to glue the windscreen onto the trims is probably earning more than Martin saves all of us combined!

Why do car companies have such rubbish customer service? The car is the second most expensive purchase in most households...why do we put up with such poor after sales service?

Grrrr Grrrrr Grrrrr

Paul_Varjak

https://www.kiddicare.com/icat/isofixmain

bylromarha

Thanks Paul.

However, like I said before, Britax won't sell me this seat as it hasn't been crash tested in the Berlingo so no one knows how safe it is in a crash. Britax claims its Citroens responsibility to crash test and vice versa.

Hence the venting! Isofix fittings, but no isofix seat to fit the fittings.

mr_accountant

That’s why i never buy a car from new as it means i would have to talk to these grease monkeys at the main stealers. i Wait till warranty expires and have car serviced at independent. Not to mention other financial cost savings. These fools will never get a penny of my money. Why should i pay £80 per hour for substandard work?

re Citroen 'customer services' i totally agree they are useless, i recently wanted a handbook for my xantia they said try dealers, i said at £40 a handbook no thanks. Told them where to go

Managed to get one from scrap yard for a £5.

Wig

*Edit note, the paragraphs were jumbled up, I have just reordered them so it now makes more sense.......

Never buy new! as soon as you sign the dotted line your car is worth 20% less.

And if you trade-in your old car, if you fight for a refund on our new car which turns out to be a lemon, they don't give you the value of yout trade-in back you can be out of pocket by a few thousand pounds. Never, NEVER, if you agree a deal on a car with a trade-in car, allow the salesman to up the value of the trade in car on paper, in other words new car costs $10,000 trade in agreed $3,000 balance to pay $7,000 the salesman will say (sometimes they won't even ask you) "We put the value of the trade in car at $4,000, this is just for our "accounting procedures" you still owe us $7,000". Always make sure the figures are correct before signing.

I all ways buy from BCA auctions get a car that is up to 4 years old for 30% of the original retail price. My last car I bought @ 2 yrs old 33% of original retail value and 1 year manufacturers warranty remaining!

You don't have to be an expert, but you do need to have common sense and know a little about cars. Worst case scenario, you buy a lemon for $4,000 chuck it back in the auction and you'll make a net loss of around $350 - it's not happened to me.

bylromarha

I agree to an extent...but if you look for 4 months and can't find what you want second hand you have no choice but to buy new. And the deal was negotiated hard at the end of Dec.

Either way, a new or second hand Berlingo doesn't have an ISOFIX seat that fits the car.

Whether you buy a car new or second hand though it doesn't give the customer services the right to be as shameful as Citroen are. Are there any good car customer services...I've heard bad reports from at least 3 other manufacturers.

Wig

I've heard bad reports from

Ford and Peugeot

I think they are probably all bad, because no-one ever challenges them in the courts. They are lucky because their products cost more than 5,000 pounds (small claims threshold). You have so little (effective) consumer protecction when you buy a new car, that it makes very little sense to buy new.

bylromarha

I've also heard bad news about Peugeot CS...mind you same company as Citroen so I shouldn't be surprised!