Mercedes Customer Service "Your message was deleted without being read"

mute_posting

:mad: :mad: :mad:
Just had a read receipt from Mercedes Benz customer Services for a message sent on 8th April 2008 ...

Your message
To: [EMAIL="_CSGBRCustomerE-mails@cac.DaimlerChrysler.com"]_CSGBRCustomerE-mails@cac.DaimlerChrysler.com[/EMAIL]
Subject:
was deleted without being read on 15/05/2008 10:35.

This followed a call from the service manager at the local dealership (some 6 months after I returned the customer questionnaire following a service visit) who asked me to email him details (which I also copied to the main customer services email address) of my complaint along with some supporting evidence I was refering to.

Apart from the main customer services just deleting the message without reading it, the service manager hasn't been in contact for over a month, despite me emailing him the day after the phone conversation as agreed.

Jonathan,
RE: <Car Reg Number>
Further to our conversation yesterday, please find attached the service bulletin I was referring to.
I'm not claiming that the SLK was ever "recalled" for this problem, indeed, as it is not a safety issue (that I am aware of), I wouldn't expect it to have been subject to a "recall". That said, the problem is obviously known about within MB for the following reasons:
1) the fact that a bulletin has been produced
2) the fact that the design was changed from September 2002 on the R170 to install the PSE in the inverted orientation (a design change that I believe was carried over to the R171)
3) the fact that there are specific warranty operations i.e. "PSE Pump, extend and change position"
4) the fact there is a parts list to retro-fit earlier cars

I find it hard to believe the anyone within MB (including MBUK) could deny there is a problem with the original design given the evidence. If any further confirmation is required, Google the words SLK PSE WATER (http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=slk+pse+water&meta=) and note how well documented the problem is.

The facts are simple; if there wasn't a problem with the original design, MB wouldn't have taken the time to re-engineer the design, issue a service bulletin and provide a parts list for retro-fitting the modified design to earlier cars (with dedicated warranty operations for those cars eligible).
Of particular interest may be the following:
http://www.benzworld.org/forums/r170-slk-class/1230791-heads-up-mb-has-fix-pse-pump-drainage-problem.html

As you are aware from our conversation, I mentioned that there was a problem with my interior light delay and anti-theft-alarm when the first service (since I owned the car) was due and I brought it to the XXXXX dealership. At that time I explained the problem in detail i.e.
Interior light works on console switch but is permanently illuminated when set to "door-control". However door-switch must work correctly as "lights-left-on" alarm "bongs" as expected when headlights are left on and door is opened.

Under sustained "heavy" rain the ATA will sound randomly when set which can only be avoided by not setting the alarm and waiting until the PSE has "dried off"
I explicitly mentioned when I dropped my car off for that 1st service that I was aware of a problem on early SLK's regarding water "tracking" down the cable onto the control unit in the boot. As a customer I didn't (and still don't) expect I would need (or in-fact should need) to go into any more detail than I already had.

When I picked the car up, the fault with the interior light was acknowledged, but the team had been "unable to determine the cause" (despite all the information given), however, they hadn't heard the alarm sound which was unsurprising given that we hadn't had sustained heavy rain.

You will possibly see that from that first service there were a number of "advisories" for things like tyre wear, brake pads, wiper blades which the service team agreed to price up and "get back to me". This never happened, and when MBUK called me for a "satisfaction survey" some time later I mentioned both the lack of contact on the advisories and also the failure to rectify the faulty light / ATA. MBUK called again some months later to check my satisfaction and again I had to inform them that I had had no contact from the dealership (despite MBUK agreeing to chase up when they first called)

With hindsight, I should have maybe learnt from that first "MB experience"
On the second service visit in October 2007, I again mentioned the problems and the fact that I had (by then) seen a copy of the bulletin.
So far, I can't say that my experiences of MB service have been positive ones and I would find it very difficult to recommend the brand on service to date. I can only hope things may improve.


Sincerely,
Mr XXX

bap98189

Perhaps it was in their spam filter.

mute_posting

bap98189 wrote: »

Perhaps it was in their spam filter.

Perhaps, although none of it bodes well. It was almost a month before I got the read receipt back to say the service manager had read his copy (and 2-3 weeks after that, he still hasn't got back as he promised he would when he asked me to send the email with the service bulletin I reffered to).

I don't know why the subject line isn't shown in my original post but is is "Service Bulletin Re: R170 PSE unit"

With that and the body of the message, (it was sent from my work address, not a webmail/hotmail etc) they must have their filter set to catch virtually everything.

Although I doubt it was "filtered" - spam filters usually act when messages arrive (and don't reply to read reciepts as it "validates" an email address to spammers) - this is alomst 6 weeks later.

MP

honeypop

Just because it came back as deleted without being read, doesn't mean it wasn't looked at.

I use Outlook at work, and sometimes (including just now, which made me remember this post I read earlier) I get a message saying, for example:

Your message
To: ***
Subject: ***
Sent: 15/05/2008 10:44
was deleted without being read on 15/05/2008 13:59.


This particular time, I asked why it had been deleted without being read, and found out that it had been read in the preview pane and forwarded to someone else to deal with, then deleted. So even though it wasn't effectively 'opened', it was still read and dealt with, although I then received an unread/deleted response.

I very rarely actually 'open' an email if I can read it in the preview pane of Outlook, it may be that the person who received this did the same thing, read it in preview then forwarded it to an actual person to deal with (seeing as it seems to have been sent to a general email address rather than a specific person).

mute_posting

honeypop wrote: »

Just because it came back as deleted without being read, doesn't mean it wasn't looked at.

I use Outlook at work, and sometimes (including just now, which made me remember this post I read earlier) I get a message saying, for example:

Your message
To: ***
Subject: ***
Sent: 15/05/2008 10:44
was deleted without being read on 15/05/2008 13:59.


This particular time, I asked why it had been deleted without being read, and found out that it had been read in the preview pane and forwarded to someone else to deal with, then deleted. So even though it wasn't effectively 'opened', it was still read and dealt with, although I then received an unread/deleted response.

I very rarely actually 'open' an email if I can read it in the preview pane of Outlook, it may be that the person who received this did the same thing, read it in preview then forwarded it to an actual person to deal with (seeing as it seems to have been sent to a general email address rather than a specific person).

Hi honeypop, yeah I'm an outlook user too and I'm aware that you can read in the preview pane and then delete (with the results mentioned), however, surely one of the "jobs" of a customer service department is to reply to customers (even in the first instance if it is just a generic response), not periodically (every 6+ weeks) just delete all the messages in the inbox!
If they had forwarded it to somebody else, that generates a read receipt (because in the background the mail client has to "open" the message), so I can only assume the customer services at MBUK aren't that concerned at providing "service" to their "customers" which is ironic given their title!

From MBUK, I have had no automatic response to say "we have received your message yada yada yada", and no other contact - simply this "not read" read receipt (in 6 weeks!)

That, (IMHO) is pretty p-poor for customer services.

olly300

It's better to use a recorded delivery letter rather than an email. That way if you have to take your complaint further they cannot deny not reading it.

mute_posting

olly300 wrote: »

It's better to use a recorded delivery letter rather than an email. That way if you have to take your complaint further they cannot deny not reading it.

To be honest, I'd all but given up with them anyway, the only reason I sent the email to the service manager was because 6 months after the last service (i.e. begining of April) he called me to discuss the reasons for my dis-satisfaction (from the customer survey) and he asked me to email him the bulletin I was refering to.

It was only secondary thought to include the main customer services as a CC (due to the weasaly words I was getting from the service manager on the phone)

I think it speaks volumes of their attitude towards customers who haven't bought a brand new car in a couple of years, the fact that the service manager didn't read the email for nearly a month and then the main customer services deleted it without replying after nearly 6 weeks.

Their attitude will certainly impact the liklihood of me spending money with them in future!

MP

Oh yeah - just re-read your message, all a recorded letter would do is prove they received it (I know they recieved the email because it was actively deleted today). On that performance I assume they just shred incoming mail LOL

moonrakerz

I stand by my comment made here:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=10589775#post10589775
post #13.

For a "quality car - you get c**p service from Mercedes !

Don't know where you live but they are in Milton Keynes !

hollydays

Some of these Prestige car dealerships are incredibly arrogant.