lccalvert_1999

I posted a few days ago about my issues with Sirius Satellite on my new 203 (https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...ghlight=happy). Well, things are now getting ugly with the dealer... and they are not playing fair.

I wanted to inform everyone to stay clear of this dealer. They are not supportive of the customer at all! Basically, I asked them to provide some information to me regarding contacting Sirius and also the cost of a new trunk. I am crazy to think that they are being unreasonable here. Attached is my email and the responses...

Hi XXXXXXX,

Now down to business… First off, let me say that I realize that I should have done a better job of inquiring about the satellite option on the car before ordering it. This is why while I do believe that I am entitled to ask for a deck lid replacement, I do not think it is reasonable (at least for Euromotorcars to absorb the entire cost). However, I do feel that Euromotorcars did not do an adequate job of informing me of my options. I performed some additional research online and have subsequently found out that there is an actual Sirius Brochure available specifically for Mercedes-Benz vehicles that details the not only the location of the receiver, but also the installation process. As I stated earlier (per our conversation last week), I do believe that there should be ‘information’ made available to the consumer immediately upon requesting that option (https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...hlight=Sirius). This link highlights a sales associate actually going to the parts department and getting a Sirius receiver for the customer to view BEFORE he ordered the option. From doing my online research, I can safely say that many people have been very disappointed with the placement of the receiver, and in some cases, the entire VEHICLE was replaced for the customer! (https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...lacement+error)

With that being said, I would like to see the following occur:

1) I would like to get the current receiver painted. However, since I have already made a trip to the service department two weeks ago, I don’t want to travel to your shop again. There is reason behind this… when I spoke with the service advisor who made the appointment, he specifically told me that they could remove the receiver and it was not permanently attached. After leaving my home at 6:30 in the morning and fighting traffic (both ways since I turned right around at the dealership), I do not believe I need to come out again. I would like you to paint a receiver you currently have in stock and deliver it to me (this can be done via mail or have a porter come to my home). I will send back the unpainted receiver. This way, I am not without my car and do not have to trek to Maryland again. Also, before we do this, I want to make sure that you have tested the receiver to ensure that it performs as well when painted. From a cost standpoint, I would probably be more convenient for both of us to simply order the part from the following website (http://www.colormatchantenna.com/). The cost is $45 and they guarantee the quality of reception. I can pay for the service and you can reimburse me… let me know which way you want to go.

2) I would like to get in touch with the Sirius Sales person for your dealership to discuss the smaller antenna. I would like to know when it will be available, and if it can be retrofitted into the current setup of my deck lid. I also would like Euromotorcars to replace my current receiver with this new, smaller receiver as soon as it becomes available.

3) Since I am not happy with the placement of the receiver, and I believe that Euromotorcars is primarily responsible for this issue, I would like some refund on the purchase price of Sirius. While I do not expect a full refund, I do expect to be compensated. However, I am open to alternative solutions in this area. My understanding is that Service A and B for MB vehicles can be quite expensive, and I would be willing to accept some combination. Again, this is up to you, since I am not sure which would be more cost effective for your dealership.

4) And finally, I would like to determine the replacement cost for the deck lid. I would like a factory painted deck lid, since any painting of a replacement part (non-OEM) done via a body shop will be detected during re-sale. This is for information purposes only at this point, but it is something I need to consider.

Thanks again for your help in this matter. I also wanted you to know that except for this issue, the level of service you have provided has been wonderful… and I LOVE the car! Mercedes really makes a great product, and I look forward to purchasing additional vehicles from MB in the future.

Response...

Lee-
Now, back to the Sirus radio. On Monday, we will send you
a check for $45.00 as you suggested. There is no need for you to return the original part. I am glad that you were able to locate this web-site.

My response...
Thanks Marilyn,

Please let me know about numbers 2, 3 and 4 when you get chance.

The dealerships response...
Lee

The check that is being cut for you is the extent of the dealership participation in this manner. This is simply being sent as a "good will" gesture. There will be no action taken on the numbers 2, 3 and 4 in your previous e-mail.

And finally, my angry response back...
XXXXXXX,

I wanted to make sure you had my response in writing also...

First, this is completely unacceptable. As a Mercedes Benz Dealership, you should be held to a higher standard. I definitely do not feel as if you have 'over delivered' with regards to this automobile.

Number #2 and #4 from my prior email are 'information' only! I am not asking you to do anything more than do some research for me.

As for #3, I believe that we are both culpable in this situation. I should have been a more informed consumer, however, the fact remains that I am purchasing a product from you. This means that the burden is on you to disclose any possible issues that may arise from the selection of that option.

I want to document in writing at this point that when we sat down and discussed the options on this vehicle, specifically Sirius Satellite installation, you never mentioned the receiver, the placement of the receiver, how it would be installed, or provided me any documentation providing me with this information.

As for my actions at this point, I have already contacted my Credit Card company in regards to this matter. There is specific language that I believe protects me against 'unsatisfactory' performance by a merchant. Also, I plan to submit a formal complaint against your dealership directly to Mercedes Benz USA. Obviously, the survey will also reflect my dissatisfaction in this manner.

I am also requesting that you do not send me the $45 for the Colormatch antenna at this point. This is because I do not want to give the impression that I am settling this issue with your dealership. If you do send the check, it will not be cashed or opened. This will protect me in the future should I plan to take this issue to small claims court.

Should your dealership decide that this is not the way you should be treating your customers, you have my home and work numbers. You also have my email address. If I don't hear from you with follow up on numbers 2, 3, and 4 from my previous email, I do plan to pursue this matter to the full extent that I can.

Thanks again.

__________________________________________________ ___
Someone tell me I'm not being completely unreasonable here...

Burnt Toast

i personaly think your asking for to much, basicly you and the dealer are at fault. your at fault for not asking about every thing or doing research on it. and there at fault for not telling you every thing a customer should know.

what your asking is for them to buy a painted antenna for now, then when a new smaller antenna comes out buy that for you, either give you a discount on the sirius system or a free A or B service, and on top of that possibly get them to buy you a new decklid.

I can understand your upset with the situation and placement of the antenna, but i personaly feel if you didnt ask for so much you may have gotten a bit further. You should have either asked to get the painted one and be done with it.. or if your not happy with that, just asked for the smaller antenna when it comes out. i dont see the need for the dealer to pay (even though its only $45) for the painted one then pay again for a new smaller one, is it realy that much of any eye sore you cant live with for a month or 2? as well, asking to be compensated (i.e. free service or a discount on sirius) in my opinion what tipped the boat. the dealer may feel your just out to get some free stuff, ask to get the problem resolved not for more then your entitled to. you did admit your some what at fault just as they are.

any whoo.. thats just my $0.02

inFiniTE LooP

i agree with toast, your first e-mail to them was a lot to take in and reading it all like that does make it seem like you want them to do an awful lot for you considering they've probably never gotten a complaint for their Sirius installs before and didn't expect it to be an issue (but this is everyone's own taste) i can see why you would be upset, but who knows, maybe once you get the color matched antenna you wont even want a new decklid, i personally think it would look fine once you got the antenna painted. i suppose i would be trying to do the same thing as you had i been in your situation, but there must be some way to compromise without making it seem like a total loss to the dealer.

dchou

I think you're way out of line. You really are responsible for not finding out the information. You need to know what they are going to do to your car and I can't fathom why you just stood by and ordered the Sirius unit without finding this information out.

That is just the standard responsibility of a customer. You can't complain about information not withheld from you. You could have just asked. And you demand compensation in a very condescending tone. If I were the MB dealership, I'd be understandingly pissed off.

btw, I can't believe you used as proof links off a forum!! LOL!!

Buellwinkle

The dealership installed the receiver per MB instructions and is really not liable to you for not liking the way it looks unless you can prove that they did not follow MB's instructions or used non-MB approved parts for the installation. I've seen the huge ugly antena at MB shows and it's obvious that they do this by the mear fact that an entire business exists to correct this. Face it, you ordered something you were not familiar with and for that shame on you, specially because if you searched the forum, you would have read about this issuewhen this option was introduced months ago.

I'm truly impressed by Euromotorcars that they actually responded to your rant by paying for you to get a non-Mercedes part to make you happy, most dealers would not do this as it may create additional liability for them if it doesn't work out (paint peal, bubbles, reduces sat reception, etc.).

lccalvert_1999

Wow... I really thought I wasn't out of line.

If you read my post carefully, I am really only asking for information about the smaller antenna, and did not ask them to pay for the installation. Also, for #4, I never asked them to pay for the antenna.

However, I do feel that they should paint the antenna for me. They offered to do this, but I would have to have my car in the shop for the entire day. Also, the labor rates for them are probably higher than $45 which is why I suggested colormatch.

Anyway, I do believe that I should get a partial refund on the Sirius installation. They did not provide me with all of the information, and I did not ask the right questions. I understand I am partially at fault, but don't feel I bear full responsibility.

Thanks for your honest feedback... I am still going to challenge the charge on my account, since they mark up the installation so much anyway, but will drop all other requests.

Lee

capt_paul

I haven't had any complaints about my Sirius radio option on my car. When I purchased the radio, I researched and was aware of where the antenna would be placed.

Sure, the radio antenna may seem bulky and large, but it picks up signals a hell of a lot better than my Terks antenna that I have on my other car that has XM radio. I can even get reception in my garage with no problem whereas the XM, if you are under a tree, you won't get good reception.

Good luck in trying to get a new trunk lid.

ctC230K

sue their asses... let us know how that turns out...

Burnt Toast

I think you need to speak with your rep and clarify this then. in your original letter you said this:

to me that seems as if you want them to buy you the new antenna. while you said nothing about having them install the new antenna, it was implied with the word "replace"

you may want to just talk to some one in person rather then rely on e-mail and letters, sometimes its hard to get a point across or say what you meen when spelling it out for some one.

lccalvert_1999

Again... thanks for everyone's posts and opinions. Honestly, I just want them to split the cost of the first install with me, and thought I made that clear... I will tomorrow.

I really want the other information just in case I do decide that the painted antenna isn't working for me.

My real beef is that if you read other posts about Sirius, some salespersons were knowledgeable to understand that their customers didn't go with the option because of the size of the reciever. Mine never mentioned it... at all!

Hope everyone has a great night... enjoy your 230's, I'm enjoying mine!

Lee

revstriker

Lee,

I understand your frustration. However, I think you may have handled this wrong. First, I think your original email was demanding too much. I too am surprised that they offered to cut you a check for $45. Second, including a link to a forum in your email is not really a good idea. Especially when you later start a thread saying "Euromotorcars... Stay Away!". They are certainly not going to help you now. Not to mention the risk of opening yourself up to their own lawsuit.

Also, whenever you threaten legal action, you best be ready to take it. Before responding to their email, you probably should have paid a few bucks to have a talk with an attorney. Perhaps a letter from an attorney in response may have prompted a better outcome.

ctC230K

LOL

Saprissa

goofy C-Class owners !!!

lccalvert_1999

Trust me, they are not reading these forums...

I also realize that I may have asked too much in the first email. However, I really only wanted information and couldn't get it myself. The dealership called this morning, and I have a meeting with the Sales Manager and the Factory Rep??? on Wednesday. I'll keep you all posted.

Again, since I believe we are both responsible in this matter, I am looking for them to split the cost of the Sirius and install, about $400. Now, considering I paid $2000 below invoice for the car, I can understand their frustration at this point.

My wife is an attorney!

Lee

revstriker

If you say so..... I know that whenever we recieve ANY kind of a letter threatening legal action, the first thing we do is forward it to our legal department. Since you included a web address of where you may have been posting, it's not a stretch to think that someone may have checked it out.

So really, this whole thing with the dealership is over $155??

Then you should ask her whether or not she would advise a client to post details about an incident on the internet. Ask her if she thinks that could effect a possible settlement. Also ask her if she would check out a link to a site provided by a potential plaintiff against her where he may have posted information relevant to the case.

lccalvert_1999

No, this is over more than $155. Its more like $425 for the split cost, cost of having the new smaller antenna replaced when it becomes available, or the cost of having the deck lid installed. More importantly, it has to do with not being provided relevant information by the dealership regarding my Sirius install and how they have acted when questioned about it.

For example, on the night I picked up the car, I told my rep. that I really did not like the placement of the reciever, and had not been told about it. Her response, and I quote "Well, thats Sirius!"

The purpose of posting was to get peoples opinions about what the dearlership should do... and I got that... I asked for too much. So, now I can attempt to settle this thing on Wednesday, by getting them to admit responsiblity for not providing me with the necessary information a consumer should have, and calling it 50/50. I understand they have no responsibility to provide me with any information about a new deck lid, or the smaller antenna, but if it were my customer, how hard would it be to pick up the phone and ask?

Also, so what if I'm posting about my experience there. I also posted my purchase deal with them on another forum and they recieved lots of calls because of it. I have not named names, nor have I stated anyting other than what was discussed in our emails. Don't really know what difference that would make... of course, I could be wrong.

lccalvert_1999

Well, it looks like I may be moving toward a resolution in this matter. Based on the following information from my other post about this issue, I called the dealership and requested they get me information about these parts. Apparently, they can order them??? My rep. is going to confirm and get back with me. If they can order the smaller part and have it installed, I'm happy.

I'll let you know...
__________________________________________________ ____________
The best bet would be to wait till the new MB small colored antenna is available. It is not at the moment, although there are several hundred of each sitting in the parts depots around the country. The "official" reason for delaying this new antenna is that the engineering department is overtaxed at the moment and can't revise all of the work instructions to deal with this change.

As was mentioned earlier, the SIRIUS option from the factory is using this antenna. However, this must have been after they did your car. When I get a chance, I can take a picture of my car which has this antenna, maybe that would help make a decision.

The main problem you have is that the hole is in your decklid. That pretty much precludes using any aftermarket antenna. The benefit you get is that the small factory antenna will retrofit to your decklid no problem. Beside the antenna you will need a splitter as well. Here are the part numbers, for when they are available:

B6 783 0080 Black
B6 783 0081 Pewter
B6 783 0082 Iridium Silver
B6 783 0083 Alabaster White
B6 783 0084 Primed

B6 783 0058 Splitter (necessary to use new antenna)

Hopefully they won't take too long to release these!

MBZFAN55

Robert A. Lutz, Vice Chairman of General Motors Corporation may disagree with you.

lccalvert_1999

Why do you say that?

tifosiv122

Wow, I can't believe what a big deal your making over this.

Take the $45 they are sending you and get it painted...done and done.

Erik

nicedeboy

[B]GET A LIFE! Its double stick tape, if you don't like it.... pull the reciever off and don't have satellite radio LOSER. They have more important things to deal with other then your STUPID issue. They are probably laughing at you just like I am.

Buellwinkle

Lee, you are so naive but I understand, I used to be naive too until my dealer called me up and asked me to remove something I posted on this forum within an hour of the post about 2 years ago. So what you are saying is you'll send in your wife to do damage control after you get management at the dealership pissed off. I don't think it's going to work because they have the upper hand. They can do all sorts of things to your car you probably won't even notice until it's too late like after "the accident". They can bring in MB for each warranty claim just to see how long it will take. They can refuse loaners for absolutely no reason since it's not an MB policy to provide loaners and they can make you wait weeks for a service appt, some dealers like in NYC already do. As much fun as it may seem, two people you shouldn't **** off, your waiter and your dealer's service dept.

Eurocars

Dear Sir,

I am replying on behalf of EuroMotorcars, Inc. in Bethesda, Maryland and am employed by the dealership. I would like to let you know that we do read these message board forums and that management is aware of this thread.

We are very glad to see that we have so many supporters!

Regards,
EuroMotorcars

RobertG

SeaCoupe

So what was the end result on this?

I'm interested to know.

Ed