Citroen customer service is CRAP

[Russ]

Hi All,

Fook me I've had a shite month.
I run a standard Saxo VTS, W 2000 reg. I bought six months ago from Hidons Citroen. They are based in Rainham, Kent.

When I bought it, the near-side rear cluster had condensation in it - so they replaced the seal. A few months later the cluster got condensation in an even worse state.
I ordered a replacement cluster via Hidsons - the car has a 1 year warranty.
A month later I never , I still hadn't received a call to tell me it was in stock.

At the end of May, I went to get in the car to find a massive fluid leak under neath. To cut a long story short - it was the power steering fluid.
I took it straight down to Hidsons (bloody difficult to turn the steering wheel!)
I left it with them to sort the fluid and to replace that cluster!

Two days later it was ready. I couldn't collect straight away, but did so about 6 days after leaving it in their hands.

When I came to pick it up - the bloody near side wing mirror glass was shattered! And the new cluster was a different shade to the off-side original!

Anyway, as I picked it up at the weekend there was no manager in store! So I took it awaiting a call the next day - and he/she never called me! I called them and took it in a week later to get the mirror replaced and the cluster.

There was no mirror in stock, so I have a temporary one now in place. The clusters are now both new, but the off-side one has a slight crack!

A week after that (the end of May, keep up!) I still hadn't received a call about the new mirror. The weekend came along and I had my neighbour shouting at me, as apparently my alarm had been going off on it's own accord and keeping her awake at night. I hadn't noticed it, when - hey presto! - it does it in front to me! So that's another thing to winge about!
Then on the Sunday, I started to go for a drive and the bloody Air Bag warning light starts flashing!

I called Citroen again and actually spoke with a manager
this Thursday! I had to explain that I was expecting a new mirror and hadn't had a call to tell me it was in stock. (He thought they had replaced it, not knowing it was a temporary one.) I also had to moan about the alarm and the air bag light! He even tried to tell me to turn off the ultra-sonics in the car to help prevent the alarm from repeatedly going off. (As if I'm going to partially disable an alarm in the middle of Walderslade/Chatham!)

Anyway, the car is due in on the 18th June. Let's see how everything goes then. One thing is for sure: If these "faults" continue after my warranty runs out - I won't be paying for those repairs!

I can't believe how much their service sucks. My friend takes his Audi in for a service - they clean his car. I take my Citroen in, and I get it back with a shattered mirror! Talk about lack of customer care!

If you want to buy a Citroen from Hidsons, I'd recommend you take a course in mechanics - you'll be able to look after your car alot better than the bunch of untrained monkeys there!

If anyone else has something to moan about - please join me!

Cheers all!
Russ

[Storm_Force]

Only put my Saxo in a citreon garage once, the immobilser was playing up. Sometimes it wouldn't let me start it even with the foooking key in, it wasn't recognising the signal from the key. Anyway it was in for one hour and got charged over £70 and no parts were needed !!! He had a play a with it and assured me it was ok now.
Now the dam thing is playing up again they can fook off if they think I am paying for it to be fixed seeing it was supposed to be fixed the first time around.

[supersav]

Storm-force, you should do a mystery shop on the garage that "repaired" your imobiliser fault, phone them and ask for, say, a price on a 20,000m service or something, play the nieve card a little and ask things like, "if i need other stuff done will you give me costings before you carry out the work?", and follow it up with "do you garantee your work and for how long?" if they ask for a reg just say "erm...w reg", be a bit vague, don't yse your own details and if the guy on the other end confirms that the work is garenteed and your "repair" falls into this take his name and finish the conversation with something like "ok, I'll call you back soon when i need it done."

Then turn up at the dealership to book the car in reminding the person of the fact that this work has been paid for and has not been completed properly and that you would like the fault fixed for free as per the garentee.

Russ, mate,

Souds like you've picked what we call a "friday afternoon car".

As your car is still covered under the dealership warrenty, you have a possible case for backing the car, although I'd STRONGLY recomend you send a FULL and descriptive letter to citroen uk, inviting them to comment on the disgrasfull way you've been treated, and also DO go to your local citizens advice to clarify the finer points of the sale of "goods act" before you go throwing the keys back at them.

You DO have lots of rights in this kind of case, so if you educate yourself you can go into the dealership and confidently and worry them into action.

Pete

[Russ]

Thanks for the info SuperSav!

I'll you all posted after Friday 18th - See how that
goes and demand extra warranty or something like
that.

A letter is already in draft to head office - I'm just
waiting for the 18th to come and go so I can finish it
and post it off.

Speak to you all soon!
Russ

[supersav]

that's the spirit, power to the people!!

Although, when you say "demand extra warrenty", I'd sugest you word your argument a little more carefully, as the aim is to make the citroen guy feel as small and humble as possible but withought pissing the guy off.

If you go steaming in all guns blasting, in dirty trainers and a grotty t-shirt, and call the guy a twat whilst the veins in your neck are about to burst, he will not want to help at all and will just want you out the door asap, not to mention treat you with little respect.

If you stay "captain calm" , shirt and trousers with shoes, combed hair, and explain your piss poor history with his staff, and use frases like "I feel so let down" or "I was expecting so much more" or "how would you feel" or "this is spoiling what should be a great car", then he will know your serious and profesional and apart from treating you with so much more respect will subconciously be more profesional himself.

Pete

[Russ]

Hey Hey people - that latest update is here!

Okay took the baby Saxo in on Friday 18th.
Had the mirror replaced with a heated one - good good.
Air Bag warning light has been sorted - it was apparently the loose wire under the drivers seat.
The alarm was randemly going off due to a "sensor under the bonnet being adrift" which they have corrected.

However, (after sitting at Citroen for two hours and then being given the car back, and shaking the guys hand...)
I had the car parked outside for a couple of hours and the fooking alarm went off twice in the space of ten minutes.
Straighaway I called Citroen up (about 5pm) and spoke with some chap called George.
Told him I want it sorted out or I dont want the car!
Was unable to take the car down to them that same day as I was up in London for the weekend. Will take it down on Monday 21st in the afternoon. (That's tomorrow!)

While I've been away in London, according to my parents the alarm has been sounding off about 5 times every hour for the last two days.
They've had to stick in my back yard and lock it manually with out the alarm set! (What a waste of time in having an alarm.)

So that's the latest in the line of Shitroen customer service/car repair.

I'll update you all tomorrow afternoon.
One more stike and they're out!

Russ!

[supersav]

ok, sounds like you're getting there.

The garage seem to be making some kind of effort to sort you out, so don't go too mental on them.

It may be worth, at this stage, making a verry subtle comment on the quality of the work being carried out, the aim being to embaris "George" , so that he goes into the workshop and either gets it sorted or atleast does all the screaming, shouting, and getting stressed for you.

pete

[Russ]

Hey y'all!

Just got back.

Everyone was out to lunch except for the receptionist!

Left the car with them, asked for a courtesy car to get home - and they didn't have any left. Ask about some cash for a train home, but no manager around to ask!
just spent a fiver getting home (train and bus) and now await a phone call!

This is truly wack!

[shep]

Don't get me started on Citroen garages!! I crashed last october coming off a roundabout (didn't see the big patch of grease on the other side of the roundabout). Anyway, shattered suspension, bent the axle, snapped the stearing rods and twisted the chassis! Is it not if the chassis is twisted the car is a write off? Anyway, that's not my gripe, problem I had was when I got the car back everything was going fine until I was driving along a dual carriage way and all the warning lights come on and a smell of petrol starts to accumulate in the car, then what happens? The engine cuts dead in rush hour traffic with an arctic lorry up my back end!!

Turns out, the garage hadn't connected my fuel injection line properly and the pressure had blown the line right off the connector, spraying petrol all over my engine which was pretty hot at the time!! All the injection line needed was to be pushed back on as it's the same principle as a hoselock. Shouldn't a Citroen garage be able to do that???? Almost had my car up in a fire ball thanks to those guys!! smileys/smiley7.gif

Never trusting them with my car again!

Rant over smileys/smiley14.gif

Shep

[Russ]

Hi All!

Well i wish this was good news....

I collected the car this morning, about 9.30am.
Spoke with some guy (don't even know if he was a manager!) but they have apparently replaced the door sensors of the alarm.
I was also told about being able to turn off the ultra-sonic sensors in the car. (Which it tells you in the manual!) Anyway, if you turn these off, if some pikey decides to smash your window, it wont go off. If the pikey opens the door, then it will sound out.

To be honest, living in Chatham means its you need an alarm. There are so many pikey rodents here, Rentokil would have trouble wiping them out.

The guy I was chatting with said that they've had the car parked in their forecourt fully alarmed and it hasn't set off once. (It's been in their care for about 6 days - been unable to get there due to work hours!)
He also said, unless it was to go off in front them, there's not a lot they can do aboutthe ultra-sonic sensors. (Which to me sounds like "we can't be bothered to change them or fix them.")
The last thing he said, was "well, it's all been done under warranty anyway" - which really pissed me off. In other words, it sounds like he's saying I shouldn't be bothered 'cos I haven't had to pay for the repair. Well what the hell happens when the warranty runs out and the alarm still plays up? They'll try to take my money! I've lost wages 'cos of this!

Anyway, took the car home and started working on the fencing extension we're doing on my rear garden. Then, as if you hadn't guessed - the alarm sounds off!
I left it, and then 15 minutes later it went off again!
I went and turned off the ultra-sonic sensors and it hasn't gone off since...
But, why have the sensors if you can't use them to protect your car - they may as well not bothered sticking them in when they designed the bloody thing!

So, it's Saturday afternoon.
The garage is shut until Monday morning - and I'm away in London until Tuesday. Plus, there are no managers around to deal with service complaints at the weekend.
Citroen have twice attempted to repair the alarm fault, both times failing completely. (Plus the agro of other failures - read my initial posting.)
I've had to lose out for a day off work (losing wages!) 'cos I took two half-days to take the car to the garage. And the fact I've had to pay out for buses and trains to get there and back! I've lost nearly £100 bcause these faults!

So, what do I do now? (Feel free to give me ideas!)
At the moment I'm writing a letter to Citroen UK head office, and to Hidsons where I bought the car, telling them how sick I am of the car and failed attempts to fix the alarm, plus, all the faults that have occured in six months of owning it! (I've done 3500miles in the damn thing. I bought it with 18000 miles on the clock.)

Anyway, I guess I should just scream, but I'm not going to accept the fact that there's nothing else I can do.
I really don't want the car. I might as well go buy myself another AX - my original 1986 TRS was much more reliable - I only needed to put in a new radiator in two years of owning it. (I thought the reliability of the AX would pass onto the Saxo, how wrong I was!)

The one thing that gets my goat the most - they haven't apologised once!

Speak soon all!
Russ

[Smithy]

How about firebombing the garage? I had probs with my vts when i bought it. 2000 W model with 16000 on the clock. Needed new sunroof seal, both abs sensors then the temp gauge went haywire quickly followed by the petrol gauge. Had it all repaired under warranty including a new dash pod (which they tried to claim wasn't covered by the warranty! smileys/smiley7.gif ) but touch wood since then its been a cracking car.

[supersav]

Russ, sounds like the options on how to deal with these people are deminishing at a rapid rate.

On the alarm front, when it goes off do you have the heater vents open? or do you park the car on a slope?
Or under a tree perhaps?

Pete

[Russ]

Hi Guys,

I've had the vents opened and closed, under a tree,
not under a tree, in a car park, in my garage, covered
with its rain-cover, up hill, down hill, enclosed areas,
open areas, and any other way of parking the damn
thing - except on its roof. Every time it' goes off. (Even
had the neighbours moaning.)

Just spoke with Citroen Head Office who have
instructed me to write a letter to Hidsons and HQ
themselves. (Already started!)
Just told them I want to give it back - nothing else.
They can haggle down the refund price due to age
and use, but it's not been used much. Plus the fact
they owe me for loss of earnings, etc, I'm not
standing down now!

It's been a lovely motor otherwise, but the sheer lack
of service and intelligence of the staff has pissed me
right off. I'll give it a few months and buy something
else - maybe an S2000 if I save enough!

I'll keep you all posted!
Thanks for your support!
Russ

[kylewru]

i lost the radio code for the cd player once and citroen dealer's miles away couldnt get there so emailed them no reply, so i got a new cd player

[supersav]

Hey russ,

When you write the letter to the dealership be sure to address it to the "D.P"(Dealer Principal), also, when you write the letter to citroen make a point of letting them know that you've tryed to park in different places, as you've just mentioned, and if you turn off the ultrasonics then the allarm don't go off, also pionting out that you're "not a mechanic but even i can narrow it douwn to the ultrasonics part of the system".

Also send coppies to "bbc Watchdog" and let them know you've done this.

And finaly, find the e-mail address for your local "citizens advice" and DO send them a mail explaining what has happened so far, and asking what your rights are, be sure to do this as it may prove invaluable information. If not "citizens advice", try your local "traiding standards".

Best of luck.

Pete

[Russ]

Cheers for the advice.
Just been typing it up!

Three letters so far! One to Hidsons, one to Head Office, and one to Watchdog! (I called head offive and they even recommended copying them in on it!)

I get the feeling this will go on for a while!

Cheers all!
Russ

[Russ]

The letters were posted Saturday!

Anyone know of a decent webhosting site? I'll stick
the letters up on one for all to see!
Or if anyone knows how I can stick them up in this
forum, that might be better - Simo???

Cheers
Russ

[Russ]

Hi Everyone!

Okay, Hidsons and Citroen head office have received my letters all okay - the same goes for Watchdog.

I got a call from some guy named John MaClean, who had been speaking with the MD at Hidsons.
They don't want to take the car back, they want to fix it - and to be honest, they seem to be buttering me up quite well. I'll continue:

Hidsons are going to collect the Saxo from my home - in an evening, and leave me a courtesy motor. (Probably a C2.) From there, Hidsons will keep the Sao and fix the problem - as mentioned previously, the ultra-sonics are what seem to be the faulty parts.
Once the Saxo is repaired, I can obviously colelct it and return the C2.

What's more, after complaining about my loss of wages, Citroen Uk head office have offered me a free service (when it's due in October) - which will save me about £150! So I can't complain about that. I'm just waiting for it in writing.

So there we have it to date - as always I'll keep this place posted with all details!

Cheers all
Russ