CMH VOLVO BRYANSTON - UNRELIABLE DISASTER

<p>My trials and tribulations began when I visited CMH Volvo in Bryanston. After my wife and I purchased a new Volvo XC60 from an INDEPENDANT, family owned Volvo dealership and experienced good service I thought I too would buy a Volvo and experience the same. This is where things begin to go awry though. The independant dealership didnt have the type of car I wanted so I went to CMH Bryanston to buy one. They offered me a low mileage car from Volvo (These are company or demo cars) having been impressed with the integrity at the first dealership I purchased the car. What a mistake, the vehicle has an impossibly high fuel consumption, somethimg that even big V8 motors battle to achieve. 16.5 l/100km. Mine is a small 4 cylinder motor. I took it to the Independant dealership for service and fault finding as not only is the consumption astronomical but the gearbox gives various problems. Not only that but the entire computer which controls phone, media, radio etc packed up and had to be replaced. Then the battery kept failing for which no reason can be found and has to be replaced. The honest, independant dealer levels with me and tells me that the other dealer should never have sold me that particular car as the gearbox in it was from a moment of madness and collaboration with Ford. It would never suit someone who enjoys the driving experience. So I decide that I had best take it up with CMH Volvo Bryanston who sold it to me. They however could really not care less. I ask if they could assist me in trading out of the lemon they sold me into another model, which the independant guys had let me test drive for a few days. (It turns out to be the ideal car for my driving style and possibly what I should have purchased initially had I been guided correctly.)</p> <p>CMH tell me that the car I want is scarce and I probably wont find one, (I wasnt intending to do the finding for them so asked if they could source one for me.) They said that they would and I foolishly believed them based on my experience with the independant guys and their level of customer service. The Volvo brand and service differs wildly and is unfortunately not consistant. I have NEVER been called again by them in this regard and this is now about a year later. NO-ONE called me in this regard. Neither to say they are looking for another car for me as they feel some responsibility for the lemon, nor to find out about the various issue. Jumping forward very slightly, I called CMH yesterday in desperation to speak to the dealer principal, but was told he wasnt in and I should leave a message. No return call from him but he obviously told the workshop manager to find out what I wanted. Not good enough, if I wanted to speak to the workshop manager again I would have phoned for him. Anyway he asked when I could bring the car in AGAIN for the very same issues I had already brought it in for, to which I rep**** that I could do it as soon as they could. He told me he would check and call me right back to book it in, alas no call back in 2 days. Not unusual though so no real surprise there. I called again today and ended up speaking to the used car manager Patrick. I was fairly short as a year later I have had enough. I had been over this with him before, both him trading me out of my car for the one I am now seeking and the issues with the vehicle they sold me. I mention again that I would still like to trade for the other car, which he should well know by now, and he ha the audacity to say that I should have called earlier as they had one but had now sold it. I am not sure how much earlier than a year in advance I should have to call them. I said the service was abyssmal and that nobody ever calls me with any sort of follow up. He takes exception to this and says that he did call me to arrange a service and testing for my car. I must however correct his obviously faulty memory as it was I who called on that occasion. This was to arrange the fuel consumption and gearbox testing. I actually paid him a visit a few months before to ask how we could check the consumption. He explained that when I got a chance I should book it in and before I get there I must feul it up to the first auto stop on the pump and he would drive it for 100km's to check it. That didnt sound very scientific what with all of the diagnostic equipment they must have, but I agreed. The phone call in question with Patrick I made to Patrick to test drive it, not he to me, anyway he only vaguely remembered the conversation held in his office a couple of months before between him, myself and the sales person who sold me the car. I then booked it in as requested and duly dellivered the car early on the agreed morning. I went up to Patrick's office to inform him, but he wasnt in so I told both the woman who did the booking and the workshop manager to let Patrick know it was fuelled and ready. When I called him today, some months after he was supposed to have done the consumption test drive, and got a bit short stating that no-one EVER called me back, he mistakenly said that it was he who called me to arrange the test, which it most CERTAINLY wasn't. He got precious with me saying that he had arranged the test and I didn't even bother to bring the car in. I am gobsmacked. I DID bring the car in, DID look for him, DID ask the booking lady to tell him, DID call the workshop manager specifically to ask him to advise Patrick. All this and he says I didnt even bring it in and all the while they told me the test had been done when it very obviously now in fact hadn't. Nobody in that business cares at all about me the customer as is obviously clear from being spoken to like I let him down by not turning up to allow him to do me a favour when I in fact had. UNACCEPTABLE! I am not his receptionist and shouldnt have to run around making sure that he and other employees just simply do their jobs. I was **** to that the test had taken place and that on its own make this a company to be very, very wary of. I was going to write more of my complaints but have just grown far too sad and don't want to continue, suffice to say that this has been a totally regrettable experience and unfortunately I had another such today with another CMH dealership in Pretoria which I won't bore you with. Unprofessional company which has cost me a lot of money, stress and unhappiness, I regret having gone down this road with them.</p> <p> </p>