Joe Duffy bmw - bit of a mess !

goochy

called in to have a look while in capital. not sure if they are biggest selling bmw but definitely most hi profile . i know they arent in a posh area and lost a big part of their forecourt during roadworks but is it just me or are their premises a bit of a shambles?
their showrooms are fairly impressive but the rest of the site is cramped and not at all attractive , none of the feelgood factor you get at most bmw dealers .

they have a huge compound opposite which is a bit of an eyesore and part of it could be used to make the dealership bigger and more attractive

166man

The premises underwent a pretty extensive overhaul not that long ago if I remember correctly. The compound to the side is definitely something that needs to be looked at. It probably needs to be resurfaced but the costs of that would be astronomical.

Not sure I'd call it a shambles though.

mossy50

a SHOWER OF COWBOYS

biko

Maybe you can ring the other Joe Duffy about it?

"The state of the place Joe, disgrace!"

listermint

Are you buying a car or building a house beside it ?

166man

listermint wrote: »

Are you buying a car or building a house beside it ?

It's the same people who complain that dealers aren't flashy enough and their premises aren't attractive enough, who also complain that the dealer won't knock €3k off the list price or give them a low value on their trade in.

You can't win.

freddieot

Bought a new car there recently. They were giving me the best deal on my trade-in and they were a good crew to deal with.

Can't say I gave sh**e about what was accross the yard \ road.

It might not be in the poshest location but that showroom is one of the handiest to get to as it is just a few hundred yards from an M50 Exit so I suppose a lot of posh people can still manage to get there easily enough

muckwarrior

goochy wrote: »

their showrooms are fairly impressive but the rest of the site is cramped and not at all attractive , none of the feelgood factor you get at most bmw dealers .

I'm genuinely not sure if you're serious or taking the piss. You sound like Ross O'Carroll-Kelly.

coolisin

Nope not interested in using them.

I know I didn't spend 120k in there but I have tested the water and I will not be back.

Went in there looking at cars got very little help.

Brought the car there to have money spent on it.
Car was left with over 1/2 tank of petrol got it back with zero range.
And it was used to ferry people home.

I was treated like an outcast because I don't wear a suit basically.

Sure the big lot next to it is a problem but not a deal breaker.
Customer service level is a deal breaker.

finalfurlong

Service dept not great either .My brother left a 2010 320 in with them and they did not follow tasks-then told him to " book it in again" .He got far better attention from murphy and gunn in rathgar and at cheaper price too.

impr0v

finalfurlong wrote: »

Service dept not great either .My brother left a 2010 320 in with them and they did not follow tasks-then told him to " book it in again" .He got far better attention from murphy and gunn in rathgar and at cheaper price too.

I found Joe Duffy's service department to be excellent - used them for years. Used Murphy and Gunn once and never went back.

goochy

i dont want to build a house beside them and i know the deal and customer service are the most important thing when buying a car but at this end of the market you expect certain standards kearys my local bmw dealer probably dont sell a many cars as joe duffys but its a really nice place to buy a car - real feelgood factor. the fact that joe duffys is owned by a uk company and run in ireland by a scot makes it more surprising , you expect ' sure it will be grand' attitude in ireland

Elessar

The general poor quality of customer service from dealers in Dublin is why I travel to Belfast (where I bought my 3 series) to get any work done.

It's the little things. For example the mechanism in one of the cupholders in my car stopped working and so I rang Joe Duffys to get a price for a replacement. I was told it wasn't covered under the extended warranty and it would cost €90 (or thereabouts). I was all prepared to pay when I rang my belfast dealer to get a price off them - first thing the man said was "oh you're under the extended warranty, let me see if BMW will do anything for you". The next day I get a call to be told BMW will replace it free of charge as a goodwill gesture. Needless to say, I went to Belfast.

freddieot

Owned by a UK company, run by a scot...............

You seem to know an awful lot about them for someone with no interest in buying a car there because of the ambiance...

I've gone into several dealers and not liked the decor or the plot on the other side of the street, but I have not taken the trouble to start posting about it and researching the Company ownership and the nationality of the Management. It's starting to sound a bit like you have another agenda here, apologies if I'm wrong but that's now the way it seems to me

goochy

no agenda at all just dont like low standards you come accross all through irish life. Havent researched anything , i work in the motor industry ( not cars) and would be aware of who owns what and whos in charge.

George Dalton

Elessar wrote: »

The general poor quality of customer service from dealers in Dublin is why I travel to Belfast (where I bought my 3 series) to get any work done.

It's the little things. For example the mechanism in one of the cupholders in my car stopped working and so I rang Joe Duffys to get a price for a replacement. I was told it wasn't covered under the extended warranty and it would cost €90 (or thereabouts). I was all prepared to pay when I rang my belfast dealer to get a price off them - first thing the man said was "oh you're under the extended warranty, let me see if BMW will do anything for you". The next day I get a call to be told BMW will replace it free of charge as a goodwill gesture. Needless to say, I went to Belfast.

You drove from Dublin to Belfast over €90?

You are clearly a person of principle rather than logic

gctest50

George Dalton wrote: »

............
You are clearly a person of principle rather than logic

you could have both ? enough people stick to principle and go north - they should improve

and they have cake :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8Nyz_9DiC0

Elessar

George Dalton wrote: »

You drove from Dublin to Belfast over €90?

You are clearly a person of principle rather than logic

How is it illogical? You would prefer to fork out that much money over a 90 min drive?

And yes, it is the principle of the fact that those with the best customer service get my business. I'm voting with my feet (and saving money in the process), something many people don't do.

Cen taurus

Elessar wrote: »

How is it illogical? You would prefer to fork out that much money over a 90 min drive?

And yes, it is the principle of the fact that those with the best customer service get my business. I'm voting with my feet (and saving money in the process), something many people don't do.

I would too, rather than hand it over to some fleece over merchant trying to extort people.
No wonder it's called the rip off republic. Easy marks.

166man

freddieot wrote: »

Owned by a UK company, run by a scot...............

You seem to know an awful lot about them for someone with no interest in buying a car there because of the ambiance...

I've gone into several dealers and not liked the decor or the plot on the other side of the street, but I have not taken the trouble to start posting about it and researching the Company ownership and the nationality of the Management. It's starting to sound a bit like you have another agenda here, apologies if I'm wrong but that's now the way it seems to me

With respect, a quick look at the joe Duffy website reveals who runs it.

Duffys are essentially running their irish businesses based on the UK model, and they seem to be doing a damn successful job of it.

goochy

if they were running it on the uk model the place wouldnt look so shabby ! though bmw ireland is run through bmw gb so that doesnt say much

DraganGTD

George Dalton wrote: »

You drove from Dublin to Belfast over €90?

You are clearly a person of principle rather than logic

I also bring my car to Cookstown in NI to a well known Vw dealer there from 2009.

Also used their curtsy car once free of charged and now after so many years with them I am valued customer that all my future service and additional work has good bit of discount that it is hardly matched here.

The most what I like is that when I am there I always see same ppl working from the cleaner to the manager, not like here ppl are changing every few months lol

goochy

ellesar the fact that you bought your car in belfast explains why bavarian were willing help you out and joe duffys were not. i know you could have been a potential customer of duffys but when i worked in car dealers many years ago we were discouraged from going above the call of duty for plp who didnt buy from us.i can see where the dealers are coming from in many ways , if you didnt want to buy your car from them why should they give you the same service as someone who did. i remember where i worked if someone had bought a new alfa from say Des cullen cars and had come in about servicing / warranty work the boss would say dont help that person( dont book them in for any time soon) as des cullen buys his cars elsewhere. ( we were very busy at time so could turn away work)

Theanswers

goochy wrote: »

ellesar the fact that you bought your car in belfast explains why bavarian were willing help you out and joe duffys were not. i know you could have been a potential customer of duffys but when i worked in car dealers many years ago we were discouraged from going above the call of duty for plp who didnt buy from us.i can see where the dealers are coming from in many ways , if you didnt want to buy your car from them why should they give you the same service as someone who did. i remember where i worked if someone had bought a new alfa from say Des cullen cars and had come in about servicing / warranty work the boss would say dont help that person( dont book them in for any time soon) as des cullen buys his cars elsewhere. ( we were very busy at time so could turn away work)

That's the thing about southern dealers. It's a very narrow minded approach.

I have dealt with both northern and southern dealers, the north 'experience' is by and a far miles ahead in terms of price, (Sales REP/ Service) individuals knowledge of the brand and in general choice.

Furthermore, the northern dealers dont look at your car and say 'oh you bought your car in the south, i don't want to see it' whereas southern dealer think that about northern cars. It will finish them (Southern) yet, if the euro ever gets stronger.

Elessar

goochy wrote: »

ellesar the fact that you bought your car in belfast explains why bavarian were willing help you out and joe duffys were not. i know you could have been a potential customer of duffys but when i worked in car dealers many years ago we were discouraged from going above the call of duty for plp who didnt buy from us.i can see where the dealers are coming from in many ways , if you didnt want to buy your car from them why should they give you the same service as someone who did. i remember where i worked if someone had bought a new alfa from say Des cullen cars and had come in about servicing / warranty work the boss would say dont help that person( dont book them in for any time soon) as des cullen buys his cars elsewhere. ( we were very busy at time so could turn away work)

Yeah I guess you're right. But it has only served to make me not want to buy from or deal with joe duffys. It's a very narrow minded approach.

George Dalton

DraganGTD wrote: »

I also bring my car to Cookstown in NI to a well known Vw dealer there from 2009.

Also used their curtsy car once free of charged and now after so many years with them I am valued customer that all my future service and additional work has good bit of discount that it is hardly matched here.

The most what I like is that when I am there I always see same ppl working from the cleaner to the manager, not like here ppl are changing every few months lol

That is your decision and it obviously works for you.

Where I was coming from with my post was:

A round trip to Belfast including waiting to get your car fixed means:
1. A day off work
2. About €30 in fuel

So effectively the poster I replied to was giving up a working day to save €60 on getting their car fixed.

Now, think of it this way: Speaking personally, if someone said to me:

"I'll give you €60 to take the day off work next Tuesday and bring my car to Belfast, wait for it to get fixed and then bring it back to me"

I would be telling them to f*ck off unless the car in question was something pretty exotic to say the least :pac:

The phrase "cutting your nose off to spite your face" comes to mind

George Dalton

goochy wrote: »

ellesar the fact that you bought your car in belfast explains why bavarian were willing help you out and joe duffys were not. i know you could have been a potential customer of duffys but when i worked in car dealers many years ago we were discouraged from going above the call of duty for plp who didnt buy from us.i can see where the dealers are coming from in many ways , if you didnt want to buy your car from them why should they give you the same service as someone who did. i remember where i worked if someone had bought a new alfa from say Des cullen cars and had come in about servicing / warranty work the boss would say dont help that person( dont book them in for any time soon) as des cullen buys his cars elsewhere. ( we were very busy at time so could turn away work)

This is a very good point. I wonder if the roles were reversed and the poster in question was a regular customer of Joe Duffy's would the response have been different?

It is worth bearing in mind that the cupholder issue was not actually covered within the scope of the extended warranty and was only covered by BMW as a goodwill gesture by the dealer who had done all the previous service work on the car.

goochy

it most be a bit of a hassle for the poor souls driving massers and ferraris having to go to belfast for servicing / repairs , but suppose most of those guys/ gals are self employed so its a bit easier but still not ideal. always find charles hursts service yard more interesting the showroom stock , always plenty of ROI exotica of all ages !:)

Lancaster7

Joe Duffy have recently received over 800€ from me for a service, 3 weeks later I am filling the water for the wipers and have a look at the oil filter, which is the old one that should have been replaced. Now it is on the bill I paid as one of the service items but is clearly not been changed.

Is this acceptable? No it is not and they are going to have a very pissed customer in with them this week! I have been dealing with them for quite a while and as usual have been let down, we had issues with a car previously that ended up being sorted FOC by Colm Quinn in Athlone and I will be going back there in future even though I pass Duffys twice a day.

Myrddin

Lancaster7 wrote: »

Joe Duffy have recently received over 800€ from me for a service, 3 weeks later I am filling the water for the wipers and have a look at the oil filter, which is the old one that should have been replaced. Now it is on the bill I paid as one of the service items but is clearly not been changed.

Is this acceptable? No it is not and they are going to have a very pissed customer in with them this week! I have been dealing with them for quite a while and as usual have been let down, we had issues with a car previously that ended up being sorted FOC by Colm Quinn in Athlone and I will be going back there in future even though I pass Duffys twice a day.

Are you sure you're not looking at the oil filter housing? The oil filter itself is inside this housing, underneath the cap...

166man

Lancaster7 wrote: »

Joe Duffy have recently received over 800€ from me for a service, 3 weeks later I am filling the water for the wipers and have a look at the oil filter, which is the old one that should have been replaced. Now it is on the bill I paid as one of the service items but is clearly not been changed.

Is this acceptable? No it is not and they are going to have a very pissed customer in with them this week! I have been dealing with them for quite a while and as usual have been let down, we had issues with a car previously that ended up being sorted FOC by Colm Quinn in Athlone and I will be going back there in future even though I pass Duffys twice a day.

Which car is it? Are you sure you're looking at the actual oil filter...?

Not filling the wipers with water and washer fluid is surprising however.