Another Penske order gone bad (Mini N. Scottsdale)

[vandroid]

Thought I would give Penske another shot at our next Mini after two orders gone wrong, that ended up with out of state buys. Mini N. Scottsdale said we will not screw this one up!!!!!! I am giving you a heads up before purchasing your next car from Penske. Do not order from them, Go out of state for a custom order car and save yourself a big headache , Thanks for your time. VIP

[driverphil]

We have purchased 3 MINIs from MNS. All orders were without drama or screwups.

[isellem]

As a former employee of MNS I can say that with so many options availble for the car it is very easy to get the order incorrect or, the most likely scenerio, have a misscommunication with the order. The most important thing to do is tripple check everyones work. Yours and the dealerships... sign off on the order form and then again on the buildsheet itself. After that if there is a mistake it is either your mistake or the factorys mistake.

It happens on a very very rare instance, but it can happen... to happen 3 times in a row to me would indicate poor communication on either your part or the sales person. The entire dealership should not be punished as there are plenty of people who work there that are more than capable of ordering a car correctly. You would think that after the first time of getting the wrong car you would go the extra step and sign off on the buildsheet to ensure complete accuracy.

When I worked there, the customer was required to sign off on the build sheet to ensure accuracy. If this is still the practice and you signed off on the sheet... then its on you... however, they could have dropped the policy with the management changes and this very crucial step may not be in place anymore.

[danjmcs]

We have purchased 3 MINIs from MNS. All orders were without drama or screwups.

Yep, same here with the current R56. Ordering process went very smooth, no issues. The only reason we bought our 2005 out of state was due to the 5-6 month waiting list back then for a Cooper S.

Another option if you've had a bad experience with MNS is to try Mini of Tempe, they have been very good since they opened. I know we've had a number of members buy new Minis through them and have had good experiences. Just because dealer ownership is the same doesn't mean you won't necessarily see differences with management at another dealer.

Unfortunately things happen, sorry you've had such bad experiences Van.

[isellem]

Thought I would give Penske another shot at our next Mini after two orders gone wrong, that ended up with out of state buys. Mini N. Scottsdale said we will not screw this one up!!!!!! I am giving you a heads up before purchasing your next car from Penske. Do not order from them, Go out of state for a custom order car and save yourself a big headache , Thanks for your time. VIP

also, posts like this aren't really the best way to "earn favor" or support from the dealership... Something to consider if you are a supplier of aftermarket parts to the community. Dealer/factory support can be worth its weight in gold... even if it doesn't help you... you just don't want them to hurt your business. If they recommend clients other vendors than you... its a negative hit. Or if any of your cars need warranty work etc...

Please keep in mind that I am not saying that they will paint a target on your back... all I am saying is... its possible... and these matters are best discussed privately with management than to publicly blast them on an open forum that the dealership does read.

[AZMini]

Ordered both my cars from MNS. No problems at all.

[deemotored]

I heart MNS. They are really good to this club. That's where we get all the prizes for various events and they ALWAYS throw in freebies! Plus everyone knows me there!

[Louie B.]

Wow, I'm kind of suprised to see so much positive about Penske on here considering all I seem to hear verbally is negative. Admitedly all the negative is usually about the service dept not sales (other than sales being manned by mostly non-enthusiasts up north.)

Having not bought my MINI nor had mine serviced at either dealer I can't really chime in from personal experiance. I can tell you Donald at MINI of Tempe has really bent over backwards to help out the club members and if there comes a time for me to get a new one I'll definately be going to him.

[vandroid]

Glad to see I got a response from this posting, then maybe I will get some service from this order and an explanation on what happened to my 44th week build slot. It seems that it might have been sold to someone else after I had put my deposit down. Please explain this ISELLEM!!! Let me explain the details. Not all cars where MINI's. But ordered from Penske. My first order was a 2005 Mini Cooper S from MNS (old dealer), Second order was a 2006 BMW 325I wagon from BMW N. Scottsdale and my third order was a 2011 Countryman S from MNS. So not all the blame is on MNS, Thanks for your time, Van

[perrin]

Well my first Mini (perrin) went very well. I had to wait 11 months but gave me the time to save more money. I did look into buying a GP there too which didn't go as well. Which was a management problem not my salesperson. I would say just find a good saleperson and it's all the difference.
As for service it all depends on the advisor and how their day or week is going. I still can't figure them out. Guess it don't matter anymore anyway.

[isellem]

Glad to see I got a response from this posting, then maybe I will get some service from this order and an explanation on what happened to my 44th week build slot. It seems that it might have been sold to someone else after I had put my deposit down. Please explain this ISELLEM!!! Let me explain the details. Not all cars where MINI's. But ordered from Penske. My first order was a 2005 Mini Cooper S from MNS (old dealer), Second order was a 2006 BMW 325I wagon from BMW N. Scottsdale and my third order was a 2011 Countryman S from MNS. So not all the blame is on MNS, Thanks for your time, Van

Gladly Van,

Before I get into the inner workings of the dealership and ordering system and shed some light on the situation... let me ask you this...

Have you ever worked for a BMW or a MINI store in the sales department?

Have you ever worked at a Penske store?


There is much you don't know about the MINI ordering system... well infact the BMW/MINI ordering system. I guess it is easier to jump online and publicly defame a dealerships wrong doing in broad generalizations than to ask the dealerships personal and managment what happened and why it happened and resolve the problem/issue(s) amicably. Believe it or not, the dealership staff does everything they can for there clients. It is in their best interest to do so. I can tell you that MNS is an extremely fair dealership and takes customer satisfaction very very seriously. (As evidence by their long history of NEVER selling a NEW car above MSRP... and allowing customers to order what they want as opposed to ordering cars and since they have a captive audience... sell the cars over MSRP like the majority of the other dealerships did since the reintroduction of MINIs to the states...Their support of a MINI spec racing series, their support of local car clubs and charrities and of course the "Rallys" they put on at massive expense to the dealership and volunteered time by the staff) Partialy, because in this business especially at a Penske store... everyone is in fear of losing their job... it doesn't matter what you did for them in the past... just what you have done for them lately. One false move, or act of improprioty will have you removed... therefore, the salespeople really do try hard to make sure everything goes as perfectly as possible for the clients. Do things go wrong? Of course... It is a store ran by humans and they/we are imperfect creatures.

Does the MNS sales department do things that are unfair to customers? Simply put... NO. Never have... and likely never will. If it happens... there will likely be a "change of guard" at the MINI store. I can assure you that the MINI sales department did not, and would not ever sell "your slot" to anyone. It isn't worth it to them... also, this would anger your salesperson because his customer would be taking a back seat to someone eases customer. A complaint would be filed or at least heard to upper management and then the whole thing would unravel and people who start to worry about their jobs... again... The Penske stores are FULL of bureaucracy which is sometimes good and sometimes bad... but it plays very well into the hands of the paying customer.

The ordering system for BMW and most especially MINI is just as full of idiosyncrasies as the cars themselves. The ordering system is not an exact science. All dates and even prices are considered estimates on the DCS printout commonly referred to as a "Build Sheet." All prices are considered estimates. The only things that are facts is the vehicles color(s) and equipment and of course VIN/Production numbers. Thats it. Some people get hung up on all of the numbers on the sheet and start drawing up conclusions in excitement. The sheet you were given or possibly just spoke about being a week 44 production could have been moved by the factory to say week 43... or even week 46 or 47. All without the dealerships knowledge or consent. The dealership is just an agent that acts on your behalf to acquire your desired vehicle. They don't have nearly as much control over the timing, process and handling of the vehicle as most would think. The dealership does not physically own the vehicle until the car has entered the US... and it could be argued that they do not truly have ownership of the vehicle until the vehicle is signed off on by a dealership employee once the vehicle is delivered off the transporter and onto the stores property.

The other thing that could have happened is when you order a car from MINI the production slots are given to the dealership in a pre-configured form. The dealership then contacts the client and asks how they want their car built. The pre-configured car in the production slot is then modified to the customers request. Now... the production slots can only be modified for a certain amount of time. How long? Who knows!!! I've ordered THOUSANDS of MINIS and I have never once been able to set my watch to it. No one has and nobody can. But once the car is "unmodifiable" its just that... nothing can be done. The car is being built... like it or not. These slots can literally last 1 day or 3 weeks in a modifiable status there is no warning of them about to "flip" into an unmodifiable mode. They just do. No rhyme. No reason. Just frustration. I have had it where we were modifying a "modifiable" order and once we had selected all of the choices and hit submit the car could no longer be modified!!! $h*t happens. It sucks, but I assure you the dealership did not have one ounce of malicious intent against you or your Countryman.

Simply put, if your car was delayed, I can assure you it was not a dubious plan against you, MINI North Scottsdales sales department does not have any malicious intent against you and all they want to do is make there customers happy. They want you to buy the car, be happy, tell a friend and consider them the next time you think about purchasing another vehicle.

Also, I am guessing the fact that your issue seems to be more with the "week 44" production, that you are unhappy you are not one of the first people with a Countryman in the country... The east coast always gets there car first just as an FYI... its physical location allows this to happen... but hey... just be happy you don't have to shovel snow.

I am sorry for your frustrations and I hope you do enjoy your new Countryman in good health when you do receive it.

I guess my perspective is a little different than yours. Hopefully I have shed some light on what possibly could have taken place. Just be glad your phone didn't ring and your sales person was on the other end telling you that your new MINI is at the bottom of the English Channel because the boat sank... Ohh ya... FUN TIMES in the car biz!

[isellem]

Well my first Mini (perrin) went very well. I had to wait 11 months but gave me the time to save more money. I did look into buying a GP there too which didn't go as well. Which was a management problem not my salesperson. I would say just find a good saleperson and it's all the difference.
As for service it all depends on the advisor and how their day or week is going. I still can't figure them out. Guess it don't matter anymore anyway.

Thanks for the kind note!

[jovivona]

Thought I would give Penske another shot at our next Mini after two orders gone wrong, that ended up with out of state buys. Mini N. Scottsdale said we will not screw this one up!!!!!! I am giving you a heads up before purchasing your next car from Penske. Do not order from them, Go out of state for a custom order car and save yourself a big headache , Thanks for your time. VIP

I like the new Mini Dealership in Tempe, AZ, but they were not around when I purchased my last Mini S last July. I bought mine in Las Vegas.

[ThumperMCS]

well well well.....hello Justin!!

Nice explanation btw...

[isellem]

well hello there!

Long time no chat!

Hope things are going well!

Id also like to thank the people who have shared there positive experiences with the dealerships. Many times we/people typically only share their frustrations (vent). Its nice to hear some positive things once in a while! Its important for people to hear the positive as well as the negative.