My terrible experience with the BMW dealer in Kuwait

You won’t believe what happened to me today! Yesterday I picked up my BMW from the dealer and as I mentioned before, the car overheated just before I reached my home. Today morning I was supposed to pass by the dealer to give them a piece of my mind when on the way while driving on the Gulf Road my car overheats again! I parked the car in the Green Island parking lot and called a friend who got a tow truck to come pick up my car. We took my car to the BMW dealer and I go up to the guy who had taken care of my car and told him that after I left the dealership yesterday the car over heated and today on my way over it also over heated. He was very cold and didn’t apologize or anything, he took my car keys and told me to wait and then left.

Fifteen minutes later the guy comes back and tells me your car needs to stay here you can leave now. I was like what do you mean I can leave?? What about my car, how long does it need, whats wrong with it? He was like they are checking on that now. I was like ok but I need another car, I have work and things to do. He was like you can talk to the manager so I do.

I explain my situation to the manager, I tell him I brought my car in because of some strange vibrations and after paying a shit load of money I take the car back and suddenly its over heating. I tell him its a fault from their side and they should give me a car to use until they fix their mistake. He tells me its not their mistake and its not their responsibility. He tells me its very normal for a car to over heat and it can happen to any car at any time. I stood there in shock, other then the fact that no one apologized to me but now the guy is telling me that the problem is my fault no theirs! What car built in this century still over heats?!? Maybe if it was 1985 and I was stuck in traffic I could imagine a car over heating but this is a 2001 BMW and its over heating without any traffic!

I end up leaving the place thinking about how much I hate BMW and the dealership. When I was thinking of selling my car I was thinking of maybe getting a BMW Z4 or a Land Rover LR3 but now I am thinking about how I never want to buy a BMW ever again yet alone anything from this dealership.

A few minutes ago I get a phone call from BMW, they tell me they found some leak and it will cost KD320 to fix. I was like excuse me? No thank you, please don’t touch my car I will pick it up tomorrow and go fix it somewhere else.

Apr 24, 2007

Related Entries

A call from BMW

Backstage at BMW

My Second Maki Experience

Kuwait Airways Sucks?

The BMW dealer!

52 Comments, add your own...

1. Shak | April 24th, 2007 at 2:06 pm

Trust me on this one Mark you want good service by an Y.A. Alghanim car (Hummer H3 is nice). I know American cars are not the best but these guys know what service is.
2. Mark | April 24th, 2007 at 2:10 pm

I am thinking the Infiniti G35, I test drove it once and it was an amazing car, back then it actually made me consider selling my car and now i think i should have.
3. evita | April 24th, 2007 at 2:21 pm

take it to a local carage in showaikh area & they will fix it much better with less than half the price,try the ones next to safi cleaning place,I know a coupls of good places
4. Mark | April 24th, 2007 at 2:25 pm

yeah thats exactly what i am going to do. i just regret not doing that before spending all this money, i thought they would fix my car and make it better then before.
5. wael | April 24th, 2007 at 2:40 pm

My friend had a similar issue, they wouldnt repair his cadillac in Kuwait on thier own expense. He called Cadillac USA and complained, now they are fixing his cadillac for free and they gave him a free H3 to drive while waiting.

Try to contact BMW Germany.
6. Mish Mash | April 24th, 2007 at 2:42 pm

Mark, do you knwo many garage places in Kuwait that you can rely on… if not my little bro does!

He spends his whole time up there as he started his own little custom tunning and kit service last year (quite proud of him for once… haha!)

Anyhow, if you dont let me know and i’ll ask him for you.
7. Frankom | April 24th, 2007 at 2:48 pm

:: small refund on what Marzouq did with Brazil & Kuwait he spent KD 2 million so he want to cover it back by any chance.

Ohh by the way keep the bad things over BMW and they will e-mail you soon
8. Purgatory | April 24th, 2007 at 2:52 pm

I am surprised you have not yet e-mailed BMW HQ, why bother explaining things in Kuwait or expecting an apology.
9. B.Mikail | April 24th, 2007 at 2:53 pm

Mark..file a claim to BMW international.you might get somewhere..and if you don’t, you at least give them a tickle.
10. KLM | April 24th, 2007 at 2:56 pm

in Kuwait, the best cars are either American or Japanese, European cars cant survive here
11. moocherx | April 24th, 2007 at 2:59 pm

I suggest you escallate the matter Mark. This is great evidene on how one person representing the company can ruin the experience for a customer.
Talk to someone higher, explain who you are, what you wrote about them last time, and how you are disappointed on what has happened.
12. steve_leb | April 24th, 2007 at 3:02 pm

to contact BMW KW
http://dealer-kuwait.dc.interone.de/ku/en/

to contact BMW INTR.
http://www.bmw.com/com/en/index_narrowband.html?content=/com/en/general/sitemap/site_map.html

go for it Mark

creat a folder called BMW.. and keep updating it.. lets see where this will end up..

P.S.: try going to above links from mozilla not safari.. safari is not working properly with the bmw website
13. Marzouq | April 24th, 2007 at 4:21 pm

Like I said, this is crap and they are acting as if there isn’t a problem. I wonder how the leak happened since it wasn’t there before, that is just rediculous.

Your options:
Toyota
Lexus
Honda
Chevrolet
Hummer
Cadillac
Audi
VW

This what I keep hearing for good service, Im happy with toyota.

BMW doesn’t think about customer retention, and they don’t think about gaining a new customer. These guys just want to squeeze as much money as possible out of you. Sell the car and get something that will last with you!
14. Intlxpatr | April 24th, 2007 at 4:32 pm

That kind of “customer service” is outrageous. Escalate.
15. Stafa | April 24th, 2007 at 5:34 pm

dude just email BMW germany, im SURE u’re gna be able to get somethin out of it…
16. Dubai Sunshine | April 24th, 2007 at 5:44 pm

I had an almost similar experience with BMW here in Dubai. I sent my car to get a window repaired, and it comes back with a dent. I give it to them again, and it comes back with a malfunctioning light. I give it to them the third time, and it comes back with a scratched steering wheel.

That’s when I sent a nasty (but polite) e-mail to the service manager. He called me, apologized profusely, said he would fix it for me, no charge (they had to change the whole steering wheel!)

Crappy service…you’d expect better from BMW!
17. Ghazi | April 24th, 2007 at 5:50 pm

Go for the infiniti g35!!
18. Mathew | April 24th, 2007 at 6:35 pm

Mark, dont take this lying down !
you spend all that money and this is what you get ? file a complaint. Go with what Steve_leb suggests
19. zoomzoom | April 24th, 2007 at 7:14 pm

i think bmw should only sells their idea’s and technology, they are stupid when execute things
20. Basit | April 24th, 2007 at 7:20 pm

Yea Mark!
Do what Stafa and Steve_Leb said…
Coz fuck man! thats some nasty ass service!
You get better service back in Pakistan than this…
21. arabianfox | April 24th, 2007 at 7:27 pm

hmm do you like the new chevys, lumina and caprice?

i’ve heard bad stories about all dealers but sayer seems to fair better,
22. Carlsb3rg | April 24th, 2007 at 8:04 pm

BMW should wash their windows
23. Cerebral Assassin | April 24th, 2007 at 9:22 pm

dude,,mayb they wrecked ur car u knw mayb make some MORE cash off u!!!ive heard shit like dis happening before…
24. stopbullshiting | April 24th, 2007 at 9:33 pm

buy a corolla, they don’t overheat
25. Nothingologist | April 24th, 2007 at 9:34 pm

Won’t add much - yes, send it all to BMW Germany, just make sure to scan in the original report they gave you on the car and the invoice - to prove that the car went in without a leak. In both cases, BMW Kuwait are wrong…a) if they DID know it was leaking, they should’ve told you about it - not telling you is negligence, b) if they DIDN’T know about it, then they haven’t even checked, which would be borderline criminal and, c) if it wasn’t there, and they caused the leak, then they’re liable to fix it on their expense, compensate you for transport (i.e. replacement car) AND compensate you for time lost (i.e. free service next time you need it).

The only reason we use (st)earlerships is because they should have their head’s screwed on properly and they can’t just put their hands up and act dodo - which is exactly what BMW Kuwait is doing.
26. Matt | April 24th, 2007 at 11:02 pm

Mark,
I had a overheat problem with my car SAAB and found out that it was leak with the radiator valve. After fixing that and my A/C lever they charged me only KD67. It is really fine and great service too. Happy with Y.Alghanim. But one thing I have noticed is that the European cars are not economical when it comes to maintenance. Mark I suggest switch to Japanese, I have a Camry and has got no problems, I am so happy for it. May be you should check out Lexus if you dont prefer Toyota. Trust me you save time, money and earn respect with great customer service also stress free when you are on road. Hope you fix it and sell it off pretty soon. All the best Mark.
27. Mark deSouza | April 24th, 2007 at 11:22 pm

My friend (indian driver) has a 1979 Toyota Cressida…the exterior of the car is stuck together with masking tape! believe it or not! The A/C doesnt work. The seats are worn out. But it still drives at 130 km/hr and NEVER has overheated.

Service it in Shuwaikh or Alghanims…Alghanims knows what they are doing.
28. TanGo | April 24th, 2007 at 11:34 pm

Infinity is a supperb car… you may also want to test drive the Toyota fortuner 4L - be happy for parting with Bee Ham W :
29. Bo Bader | April 24th, 2007 at 11:47 pm

Thats why I hate BMW, bad service. Hummer H2 have the best service, I did not pay 1 KD for any repair since I bought it 3 years ago. Everything was on the warranty. They even give me a car while in service and they even call few days later to check if everything is OK.
30. Holla | April 25th, 2007 at 12:16 am

heheh as much as i bitch about mulla/behbehani, this is far worse. it’s not just shitty service, it’s shitty service at a high prices.

BMW service is not supposed to be cheap but goddamn it’s supposed to be top quality, not this kind of shit. they have a name to uphold.

wtf 320kd for what is prob only a radiator leak? that’s so silly.
31. IZzY | April 25th, 2007 at 1:42 am

God bless the lexus dealer
32. S | April 25th, 2007 at 3:27 am

Mark,
Do the following steps:
1. Email the international customer service representative, and explain the entire situation!
2. Wait and if the reply.
3. If they will fix the car for you, fix it and the SELL IT.
4. If they won’t fix the car for you, then fix it and SELL IT.
5. Get a Japanese car
6. ENJOY your Japanese car luxury, with less worries about a break down.
Good luck
33. Sherzod | April 25th, 2007 at 8:11 am

Hi,
I have had the same problem with the my BMW. What you need to do is write complaint letter explaining what happend and send it to the regional manager via email. His email can be found on middle east BWM website.

After I sent them the letter, they repaired the overheating issue without any additional charges.

Good luck
34. sleiman | April 25th, 2007 at 8:20 am

to bad your having bad luck with your BMW. It seems the dealer in kuwait doesn;t care about it;s customers.
35. YM | April 25th, 2007 at 9:25 am

Hi,
Try contacting Mr. Abdullah Kamel, the CEO of Ali Alghanim & Sons. I have worked there and I am sure he will help you out. He is a gentleman and any issue like this whether small or big he won’t let it go unnoticed. Also, it is important to bring to notice this type of rude behavior by managers, so next time before he does something like this with another customer he will have to think twice.
Don’t leave this here, get your car fixed at the expense of that managers behavior, let him face the consequences.
36. A E R O | April 25th, 2007 at 9:30 am

I personally never heard of a good pleasurable service experience in Kuwait… except AlSayer maybe… but i don’t like Toyota’s :P Be an ass and bitch if you are not satisfied, yell as hard as you can and you get respect with morons. Sad truth.
37. Sam | April 25th, 2007 at 9:42 am

It’s the oldest scam in the book: break something in hopes that the customer will come back for some more rippin’ off. Hustlers I tell ya. But it’s something you shouldn’t expect from BMW. I’m sure e-mailing the head offices will sort this out. The last thing they want is some customer painting a bad image for their brand to every other potential customer. And I suggest a Japanese make if you’re into buying another car; Infiniti & Lexus are perfect examples.
38. michael | April 25th, 2007 at 11:12 am

Hey Holla, how’ve you gotten bad service from M&B? I’ve never had anything but good service with the Ahmadi center.
39. Zack | April 25th, 2007 at 1:26 pm

Mark, where are you dude? You’ve not responded to the tons of advice from concerned people (above)
40. Mark | April 25th, 2007 at 3:06 pm

I have had a million of things to do thats why I haven’t replied yet.

Basically just came back from the dealer, I had a tow truck pick up the car and its now getting fixed somewhere else.

I have written a long email and I have sent it off to every BMW email I could find with a link to everyones comments here for them to read and see that many people have had problems with their garage.

On a positive note, I picked up my cars cup holders which I ordered 3 weeks ago. Yes, my BMW came without any cup holders!
41. farawla | April 25th, 2007 at 3:26 pm

I tried them before for a house car and a friends. They were very friendly and fixed it up with no problems. We even have it delivered home sometimes. Im surprised they treated you this way.
42. Les | April 25th, 2007 at 3:49 pm

Not so shocking, I’ve heard other people tell me about how they got ripped off at the BMW Garage - you pay a lot, they don’t fix everything, and something still goes wrong with it after a few days.

Toyota is number 1!!!
43. Rejoys | April 26th, 2007 at 8:27 am

I Informed this to BMW and they send a reply like this;

first one from BMW

BMW Customer Service
Apr 25

Dear,

Thank you for your e-mail.

We have forwarded your URL to the relevant department for assessment.

Kind Regards,
BMW Customer Service Team

——————————————————————
Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
Board of Management: Norbert Reithofer, Chairman,
Frank-Peter Arndt, Ernst Baumann, Klaus Draeger, Michael Ganal, Stefan Krause
Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Joachim Milberg
Registered in: Munich HRB 42243
——————————————–
44. Rejoys | April 26th, 2007 at 8:29 am

Second from Kuwait Dealer, like this;

Foremost, please accept my sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused. I would highly appreciate it if we could meet and discuss the above problem. I am sure we can always reach a solution that would satisfy you.

You can always reach me on the below mentioned numbers within office hours:

8:30 am - 4:00 pm daily except Thursdays from 8:30 am - 12:00 noon.

Or if you prefer I will contact you if you wish to provide your contact numbers.

Yours truly,

Antoine (Tony) Nassar
——————————-
Public Relations & CRM Manager

ALI ALGHANIM & SONS AUTOMOTIVE CO.
Phone:+965 2246 137
Fax: +965 2246 139
Cell: +965 9829 558
Mailto: antoine.nassar@aas.com.kw
47. Auto Deal | May 7th, 2007 at 4:57 am

I could just imagine how upset you were being disappointed by a world-class brand car. I would fee the same too. I’m sure they have other meas of correcting their errors but i presume BMW won’t be really please with the outcome of you publishing your concerns, but that’s the power of blogging eh. The automobile industry is becoming bigger and bigger. Every year, we have new models released in the market. So its best to deal with automobile companies who are also concerned on the aftersales process.
48. DXB | May 15th, 2007 at 7:31 pm

I had a similar experience in Dubai. Though the damage was not as bad. I didn’t complain, took the car in a second time. Had them unknowingly confirm that they charged me for a job that wasn’t done and now I’m giving them hell for it.
49. DXB | May 15th, 2007 at 7:39 pm

P.S. I’ve already bought a japanese car and I’m just gonna sell the BMW.Toyota does rule!
50. ramezandren | December 18th, 2007 at 8:22 pm

dear mark,
a baby born with a royal pedigree should be brought up and maintained by an educated well mannered parents,in your story the baby is your bmw and the parents,the dealer.ali alghanim,so sorry
51. Abdullah | January 2nd, 2008 at 4:11 pm

Man BMW should really think about taking their dealership from Alghanim he’s spoiling BMW’s reputation !

Just imagine today I took my car to the dealer to change its oil and I discovered that there is an oil leak ! the guy that was changing the oil didn’t tell me that I discovered it myself !

so guess what after they repair the leak they’ll have to change the oil again ! so I just paid 30 kd for nothing ! They told me you have to take the car to the old garage and I know my car will stay for ages there ! not to mention that it would cost me 600 kd + !

so I took my car to a garage that my friend told me about Its called Ritag Garage Its facing Sun City I bought all the parts from the dealer and took them to this guy he told me it would cost me 120 kd for labor and it would be ready tomorrow morning . See the difference ;)

I Just keep on thinking doesn’t Alghanim get fed up with all the money he’s making ??

Just imagine a navigation computer costs 950 kd ! in Germany its like 300 ! am I buying an aircraft navigation or something ?? I keep wondering !

The latest navigation CD costs 115 kd ! lol
52. MS | May 7th, 2008 at 12:20 pm

a real good one: I was trying to purchase a BMW 740 new.
Being a very stupid prospective new customer, I took the freedom to contact BWM here in Kuwait by phone. UUUps, big mistake. Asking for a possible appointment with a sales person in advance (not to waste more time then needed), I was told: Maybe today, but come here before 11:30 because then I want to go for lunch.

I do not think that I have to comment on that, or?

Is Audi or Mercedes or Jaguar here any better?

A call from BMW at 2:48AM [The B-Sides] - Apr 28th, 2007
Backstage at BMW at 2:48AM [The B-Sides] - May 1st, 2007

Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed

Commenting Rules: Any comments that are personal attacks towards other users will be deleted. You are also not allowed to post with the name Mark or Nat since that might cause confusion. Finally, no advertising is allowed, you can't advertise your products or websites here unless its beneficial to the topic thats being discussed. One more thing: We are not responsible for readers comments!