Arrrggghhhhh.........Poor Service at GK Group Mazda in Sheffield!!!!!

We bought a new car to transport the little ones and their main battle tank of a pram. After much deliberation we plonked for a Mazda 5 from GK Group Mazda in Sheffield. The sales bit was easy - perhaps too easy.

On the day we went to pick up the new Mazda 5, it took the staff at GK Group over two hours to hand it over to us - after they polished off the scratches and fiddled with the iPod connector. We eventually left with the iPod still not working, but with instructions to try it out on another iPod - as they seem to be able to fit iPod connectors, but not have a "works" iPod to test what they fit. So we went home and tried out a second iPod - and it didn't work. By this point, we had spotted that the car drifted to the left (and no it wasn't the camber) and that one of the seats didn't lock in the upright position.

How to waste time courtesy of GK Group MAzda Sheffield

So having told the staff at GK Group Mazda Sheffield what the problems were and being told that we would have to wait three weeks before a courtesy car was available - we got one for a weekend. Not that we could do much with a Mazda 3, as they are a little on the small side for our needs (we've got twins and a huge pram). So the car went in and the car came back out - with the comment after three hours of "Yes, everything you said that was wrong with the car is wrong." Not - "We've fixed it". So we basically lost a day, to send the car in to GK Group Mazda Sheffield, to have them confirm everything that we already knew. They also wanted to charge for the insurance for the courtesy car and for re-aligning the wheels - its a new car!!!! What about coustomer service!!!!

GK MAZDA SHEFFIELD PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE - or lack of it....

Two weeks later the car went in for some more work - include more looking at the iPod connector. They got a new iPod unit in to try that, and even tried swapping out the CD changer from another car to see if it worked - but to no avail.

Three weeks later the car finally went back in for the alignment to be done - as finally GK Group Mazda Sheffield ruled out that it was just the camber of the road - good to know we weren't just making it up for the hell of it. When GK Group Mazda Sheffield phoned to say the car was ready, they forgot to mention how they had been unsuccessful in fixing the iPod connector. We had to ask that question. "Oh - the iPod connector doesn't work with your type of stereo". I wonder at what point their customer service staff were going to to tell us?

So you buy the top of the range Mazda 5, with 6 changer CD player, but the iPod connector that was sold to you doesn't work with your type of car. How's that for a piece of Mazda product knowledge from your local Mazda dealer in Sheffield - GK Group. Not only did the Mazda salesman not know what he sold us wouldn't work, his Mazda colleagues on the day of pick up didn't and the GK Group Mazda service department in Sheffield for 4 weeks didn't have the product knowledge to understand why the iPod connector didn't work. We're now left with a sinking feeling about how things are going to be going forward.

FREE THREE YEARS RAC COVER WITH YOUR NEW MAZDA?

This would have been good to know when we bought the car, but you won't be suprised to learn that it was something we weren't told about and of course we only found out after we had already signed up to - wait for it - RAC membership! Allegedly Martin, the GK Group Mazda sales person, should have told us this when he was selling the car to us - but his boss's defence is that everyone knows this when they buy a new car. Good point - but this is our first properly new car.

If they can get something simple wrong, like an iPod connector and not realise what steps they need to take to resolve the situation. Goodness knows how they will handle a major issue.

We are still waiting for that most disarming of words - and its perhaps a reflection on the service delivered by GK Group's Mazda showroom in Sheffield - "Sorry". I am.

GK Group Mazda Sheffield Customer service UPDATe @ 30th November 2007

Well, we've received a cheque from GK Group Mazda for the cost of the iPod connector. With the cheque came a with compliments slip signed by the salesman Martin who mis-sold us the connector for our Mazda 5 and was the cause of 4 weeks worth of hassle. No word of an apology on the slip.

Having escalated the complaint to Mazda UK, we're still waiting to hear back from them. Watch this space....

GK Group Mazda Sheffield Customer service UPDATe @ 14th December 2007

Suffice to say we've heard nothing more since we got the cheque refunding us for the iPod connector that would never work, from either GK Group Mazda Sheffield or indeed from Mazda UK Head Office where we escalated our complaint too. It seems that Mazda are quite happy to take your money but not follow through on customer service.

GK Group Mazda Sheffield Customer service UPDATe @ 20th December 2007

Still nothing from either Mazda UK Head Office or from GK Group Mazda in Sheffield.

GK Group Mazda Sheffield Customer Service Update @31st December 2007

Nothing as yet from either Mazda UK Head Office or on the Sheffield front from GK Group Mazda. Lets see what the New Year brings - Happy New Year!!

GK Group Mazda Sheffield Customer Service Update @17th January 2008

MAZDA SHEFFIELD HAVE MADE CONTACT!!!!! However, it was the salesman, to enquire what the problem was, as he's only just been advised by Mazda Head Office that we had escalated the complaint - so us getting the cheque for the iPod connector was a fluke of timing and not because of Mazda Head Office applying any pressure. In fact Mazda Head Office only appear to have done something this month about the issue, and even at that it appears all they did was tell GK Mazda Sheffield that we've complained and not instruct them what to do about it.

Still no mention of any money back for the RAC cover we bought and still no *magic* word for the run around we got when we first bought the car.

GK Group Mazda Sheffield Customer Service Update @28th January 2008

Well, GK Group have been in touch again - independently of head office - as they (Mazda UK Head Office) appear quite useless in following anything up. In short GK Group Mazda Sheffield have now done everything but say "Sorry" - we've had a tank of fuel out of them to make up for the RAC membership issue (where they forgot to tell us we were members, so we bought our own). So at this point all the issues have been addressed, save really for an apology for wasting our time in the first place.

We did ask at the time of purchase whether any new Mazda 5's were on the way and we were assured that there would be no new models for the foreseeable. However in January 2008 - there is a restyled version of the Mazda 5 - new bumpers!!! But interestingly, there is now a 6 changer CD Player that comes with - wait for it - an iPod jack!!! I doubt after all the hassle that we've had and all round general thick skinyness of Mazda that they would see their way to installing that in our car - given its what we thought we were buying in the first place.

At the end of the day, the issues we've had were about service and given its taken 5 months for us to feel more satisfied than not, there is still that general annoyance at the lack of care given by GK Group Mazda and by Mazda UK Head Office. People want to feel good about buying a new car and feel good about the choice they made in dealer and have confidence in the on going service and support. We felt good about buying the car, the rest remains to be seen.

GK Group Mazda Sheffield Customer Service Update @27th February 2008 - great NEWS!

We got a phone call out of the blue last week, from the new sales manager at GK Group Mazda - he'd been on the internet and came across our site. It was a like a breath of fresh air to be honest - he was perfectly reasonable, understood where we were coming from - everything - couldn't fault him or what he said in anyway. In short he wanted us to feel good about Mazda again. He's achieved that with the contact he's had with us and the fact he's gone that extra mile to recognise what really annoyed us (customer service) and he's to be honest surprised us with what he done - making us feel valued as customers.

All credit to him, he's identified a problem that wasn't his in the first place and taken decisive action to rectify the issue. We will be returning to Mazda as a result of his efforts.