Poor Service from the Service Department - ******ion

I am writing to formally express my disappointment with the recent service experience at your dealership. Unfortunately, the level of service I received was far below the standard I have come to expect from the BMW brand, especially when compared to the high levels of professionalism displayed by other BMW dealerships across South Africa.

My service advisor, Siphosethu, demonstrated poor communication throughout the process. I was left uninformed about developments regarding my vehicle, and no proactive effort was made to keep me updated. This lack of effective communication created confusion and misunderstanding leading me to thinking all things we discussed were addressed.

Further compounding the issue, I was unable to meet or speak with the service manager to escalate my concerns. Instead, another staff member was sent to engage with me, and their approach was equally unsatisfactory. This individual informed me that I would need to be charged in order to establish why my vehicle could not perform a software update. This assertion is concerning, as the issue had already been identified, and it was not a case of diagnostic uncer*****y.

Moreover, I would like to highlight that such a charge, without prior disclosure and consent, appears to be in direct contravention of the Consumer Protection Act (Section 15(3)), which clearly states that a service provider may not charge a consumer for preparing an estimate, including diagnostic or disassembly work, unless the cost has been disclosed upfront and approved by the consumer.

I mean after charging over R2900, for a lousy oil and micro-filter change they could not help me with a software update that I already installed in vehicle or at least tell me if they are unable to assist and the reasons thereof.

The individual sent in place of the service manager also handled the situation with a distinct lack of professionalism. Rather than addressing my concerns with empathy or accountability, they went as far as to say that I would be given an opportunity to rate the service and encouraged me to “speak my mind” — a dismissive and unhelpful response that showed little regard for customer experience.

In summary, the service I received from your Servicing Department was below the high standards typically associated with the BMW brand. I hope that you take this feedback seriously and address the internal shortcomings that led to this experience, so that other customers are not subjected to similar treatment.