I'll start bt saying I really like my S80 T6. I just don't understand how they expect to be taken seriously in the luxuary car market with the dealership and customer service network they have. My initial dealership (Ann Arbor) simple noted any problems as unable to duplicate complaint (driver door wouldn't unlook ) even when a campaign existed for the problem. Moved to a different dealer (Dwyer) which initially was great. Unfortunately, living in Ford country (SE Michigan) employee plans have increased Volvo sales markedly. What was a smaller dealership has tripled in size in the last year. A complete change of people in service occured around the first of the year. The service department has become very Ford/Chevy like. I had a headlight leaking. They initially told me that was normal to have moisture. I would respond that it never dried and the reflector was discoloring. They placed a vented cap last month which was supposed to fix the problem. With venting the lamp filled right up in the rain. They agreed to replaced the unit. They left the car outside after servicing for me, I normally don't get away from the office until after closing. To my dissappointment several fastners were left off and my wiper arm wasn't parking correctly. It got worse. They had connected the wiper motor backwards. When I used my wipers they made a terrible noise and rotated downward damaging the front facia. Repeated calls to the dealer could not get anyone of responsibility, only promises the service manager would call. Calls to customer service resulted in assurances that the dealership would respond. It has been three weeks and not once has the dealership contacted me. I stopped at the dealership and confronted the manager who apologized, acting like it was the first he heard of it. Assured me he would order the necessary parts and contact me before the weeks end. Never heard. Tried to find out if parts were in, but no one could confirm them. No one seemed to have any knowledge of the situation but they scheduled it "to have a look". Refused me a loaner because they don't think it will take any time? Instant paint I guess. Contacted customer service again and they couldn't believe the dealership hadn't responded, but since I had an appointment they were willing to bet everthing will come out ok. Suggested I make an appointment with the service director to explain my frustration. Obviously it will be hard to return to this dealer in the future. Running out of options. The next dealer is some thirty miles away through the heart of the city.

DC,

I a sorry about your troubles, obviously you are a victim of the (as you correctly figured it out) sudden expansion of certain Volvo dealerships due to the A/X/Z purchasing plans. Dwyer Volvo used to be a smaller than average dealership as recently as 1999 and right now they are poised to be the No. 1 volume dealer in the US. Your best bet (other than them losing your business) is to speak directly to their owner. I, personally, do not know Mr. Dwyer but I have heard from certain people (within Volvo and from our ownership) that he is a reasonable man. Perhaps, if he were aware of your problem and you also explained how they are hurting because of their sudden increase in sales (I am sure he is aware of that) he can help you out. If not, then you need to move on; trust me, if you fing great service 30 mils away, those 30 miles will not seem as long as they seem now. We have customers (in both sales--sales even further, and service) who come to our place from as far as 70 to 80 miles away...

Best of luck,

Yannis

.....just look at it this way(if you know for sure the next dealer is a quality one)you are 30 miles from a happy ownership.

I live in the NYC Metro area, and there are quite a few Volvo dealers around here, but I drive right bast no less than three of them, and at least 30 miles out of my way to go to the dealer of my choice.......been with them over 10 years now, and if they closed their doors, or had a change of personal I would have to go hunting fo another shop who "knows what time it is".

Steve Ferraro

Hoboken, NJ

"... 30 miles from a happy ownership" is hardly the point. DC is absolutely on target. The Volvo dealer network simply does not measure up. They don't have a clue as to how to service and treat customers who think they bought a luxury car. The S80 will never earn the right to be called a luxury car for this reason.

You are WRONG about generalizing. I can tell you wuite a few examples from Audi to Saab to Mercedes to BMW where there are dealerships under those brands that absolutely S.CK! I do not deny that there are certain Volvo dealerships that disgrace Volvo and the rest of us who try our damn hardest to be a truly PREMIER dealreship. But you having had a bad experience does not constitute that ALL Volvo dealership are the same or that the S80 "will never earn the right to be called a luxury car for this reason"...Such generalization is unfortunate to say the least.

Yannis

Yannis, I accept that there are probably some very excellent dealers out there. I would classify Dwyer as one of those a year ago. The generalization was based on the fact that even Volvo customer service will not step in an assist with basic problems. They talk of reps in the field etc., and yet I can not get a return phone call from anyone. This is not that difficult a problem to rectify. The director of service is Frank Dwyer the owners son, the gentlemen I confronted about my problem and assured me he'd resolve it within days - some two weeks ago. The last dealer in my area has probably the worst reputation of the three. I suppose that is part of my lack of enthusiasm for moving on. I still need the repairs done to my car, as a new service center certainly isn't going to repair body work damage inflicted by another dealer. I love the car, but I can't recommend it to anyone without addressing the pitiful dealers. Around here they will sell plenty with A-plan etc., to the same customers that would be shopping Lincoln-Mercury. I had been planning on a trip to Sweden when the S60R became available, but without dealership support certainly won't. It's a shame because as far as the vehicle itself, it's a match for enjoyment to our Audi or my prior BMW.

Maybe you for a PREMIER dealership. But, in general, Volvo does NOT know how to treat the luxury car buyer. They prove it over and over every day. Unfortunately, while I do believe that your intentions are honorable, you simply prove my point. I am not alone in having had a "bad experience" at a Volvo dealership. Instead of rushing to the defense of your employer why not devote energy toward fixing the problem. NEWS FLASH - I am not the problem!

Volvo will never achieve market share among luxury car buyers with the current attitude common at MOST of the Volvo dealerships today. It's too bad because the S80 really had a good shot at this level of buyer.

Sure, there are some bad Mercedes dealerships and same for SAAB, Audi and whatever. But the consistently poor record of the Volvo network is unmatched.

I see your point and I do not want to make this a running argument eventhough I disagree w/ SOME of your points.

BTW, Volvo is not "my employer" and I dis not think that my reply was meant to "rush to its defense" nor did I accuse you of "you being the problem"...I hope that you will agree with me if you re-read my post carefully.

Yannis

Sorry, I thought you were a Volvo salesman. You're not?

My NEWS FLASH was not meant to accuse you of anything, Yannis. To the contrary most of your posts here are very informative. I meant it more as an announcement to Volvo that the customer is not the problem here. Volvo dealerships, in general, are the problem. Volvo gives only lip service to customer satisfaction, in my humble opinion. The S80 is such a phenominally great design with major engineering advances... but the dealers still SUCK! That's the fault of VNA.

Ford was a great choice to buy out Volvo. Now the dealerships can be run like every other Ford shop in this country. Just don't expect to get many luxury car buyers in your showrooms. Stick to the tree-huggers. They'll buy anything if it's tinted green.

I am the Sales Manager for a Volvo Retailer. As a result, I am emplyed by a franchise, not Volvo. I do not consider (and I am really not)Volvo as my employer as I do not report to ANYONE from Volvo Cars of North America, Inc., nor do I get a paycheck from them.

What you wrote in this post is very accurate (I will take exception to the "Ford mentality", maybe in Michigan but here wewe are located, we better be like a true luxury dealership or we fold!) but I really doubt that this is an inherent Volvo problem. I can recount many similar stories on other luxury brands. I think it has to do with the mentality of the manufacturer (a.k.a. the nature of this business) along with the mentality of the Retailer. True, a manufacturer shoud more closely observe how their franchise (Retailer) operates and if they for their established standards but when a manufacturer starts the motions in order to terminate a Retailer, then that is when the s#it hits the fan. It is fairly difficult to terminate someone unless they are engaged in blatantly illegal business practices. Even then, the lawyers speak...

Yannis

Bob,

I have to agree that looking at the posts on the net that it would seem that Volvo dealerships (in the US) are not that good, but I think the fact that people who are unsatisfied are much more vocal about their service than people who are happy with the service needs to be taken into account as well. I can't say anything about the dealers in the US as I live in Canada, but it has been my experience up here that the dealerships tend to be very good at their job and treat you well (even someone like me with two old volvos). It does seem that Volvo in the US has some work to do, but I also agree with Yannis in that not all dealerships are bad, if fact probably most of them are probably pretty good (it is hard to stay in business if the customers won't come back to buy another car from you or get service). I know that in Canada if a dealership does not keep its standards up it loses its franchise (or whatever its agreement to sell and srvice Volvo cars is called). I know of two or three dealerships that this happened to.

Also Yannis saying that Volvo is not his employer is technically correct, his paychecks do not come directly from Volvo but from the owner of the dealership, of course the money from the dealership wouldn't exist if not for Volvo so you aren't entirely wrong either. If Yannis isn't doing his job it is the owner of the dealership that will fire him not volvo, so he really does work for him (sort of like a fast food franchise employee, they aren't really an employee of the chain, but of the owner of that franchise). Of course if the franchise doesn't perform than the franchise agreement should be pulled and either a new franchise owner found or not.

Sorry for the long post.

Scott,

most of the US Volvo Retailers are not bad at all. J.D. Power & Associates surveys have ranked Volvo Retailers FAR ABOVE the average and on many occasions (I believe last year, if I am not mistaken) as high as #4 among all brands. So, we can't be doing something bad. I think the problem is with SMALL Retailers who happen to be MEGA dealers of Nissan, Toyota, Oldsmobile, Ford, Chevrolet or whatever other high volume brand and they have the Volvo franchise there for looks and they sell 4 or 5 Volvos a month, their C.S.I. STINKS and they give most of us a bad name. Unfortunately, there are more (of these type of dealerships) than there should be and along with the few exclusive Volvo retailers who also do not care there is this "foul smell in the air"...My bet is if you were dealing with an average (or higher) volume Volvo (EXCLUSIVE) Retailer, you would get very good service...

Yannis

For whatever it's worth, I have an old MB 300E and an old Volvo 850T. The local Volvo dealer also sells Mercedes Benz's, but has a separate Mercedes sales and service department. I've dealt extensively with both service departments over the years, and the Volvo staff is head and shoulders above their Mercedes counterparts. In fact, I still take my Volvo there for service, but my Benz goes to an independent shop!