Nine O’clock we pulled up at a very busy Fiat service centre to drop off the Panda. We queued to hand in the keys for 20 minutes or so only to be told that it would be at least 2 hours before they started the job, as people had come in at 8am and they were being done first. ‘What’s the point of an appointment then?’, we asked, not expecting much of an answer, which turned out to be a dismissive ‘What can we do?’.
After borrowing my Father-in-laws car (again) and completing some other jobs that I had scheduled for the morning we returned to Fiat at midday, only to find the car in the same place we had left it. The work hadn’t even been started! As we talked to the service manager, whose response was ‘We are only human’, mechanics could be seen enjoying their coffees and sandwiches.
We were told that after another hour the work would be finished, a promise we have no doubt will be broken. Needless to say, this level of service is not acceptable from the biggest Fiat dealer in our area, Spicar Athens, and although in keeping with most of Greece’s idea of customer service, does not bode well for the future. I understand that they are busy, but don’t tell me one thing, do another and make up pathetic excuses for their own lack of organisation.
Let’s see what happens when we call…
Fiat UK are just as bad – appalling customer service. Through 5 years with a Schumacher Edition Seicento and 18 months with a Panda Multijet (both ultra reliable, by the way) I have never had anything other than hassles, excuses and bad work from Fiat when it came to servicing or warranty work. Far better to visit a quality independent – I noticed the difference after a service straight away.
Get your act together Fiat, especially with a hit like the new 500 on your hands.
Lucky me to have come across you, hours before I pay Spicar Athens a visit, to place an order for a new Panda….
Now, about your looking for alternatives to Fiat servicing in Athens. I used to have a 1997 Panda 4×4, kept it for 4.5 years and 120,000 (mostly trouble-free)km and I had a really bad time finding a reliable service point. The first 1,500 km check was carried out in the service department of the dealer I’d bought the car (Autopower on Messogeion Ave.), who had given be a hard time delivering the car in the promised date. I was quite reluctant to go back there again, but had no time to find an alternative. Later on, I tried another service point: there was a creaking sound from the rear suspension system and they didn’t actually did anything to correct the problem (they just replaced the shock absorvers -under warranty- but the cause lay in the rear leaf-springs which had collected some dirt….).
In my quest for a decent service spot, I took my Panda to Italcar for its first proper ispection. The owner (Mr Athanassiou) was a kind and quite reliable chap, as far as I could tell. A major drawback is that Italcar did a good job on my car, save for their total disregard of deadlines….. I never got my car back on time: the norm was 3-4 hours’ delay (which is absolutely irritating, if you have to sit and wait for your car in the early evening, after 10 tedious office hours). Anyway, i can still suggest this particular service facility -provided it is still an authorized one-, despite this time problem. And this, because I’m afraid there are no better (authorized) service alternatives in Athens.
P.S. I also drive a poor, 12-year old Huyndai: Every time it needs to get serviced (which isn’t that often) it takes no more than 40 mins to 1 hr. Which means, that by 9.15 in the morning I always have my car ready (save, of course for major overhauls). What a pity that Huyndais are not Fiats (Pandas, to be more accurate!)
I had the feeling that I would have trouble finding a better service option in Athens and may well try your recommendation.
I found the sales service at Spicar Athens not to be very good either, I ended up ordering my 100hp from a Fiat dealer way down Voulagmenis Avenue, near the turn off for the airport. We actually visited and did the sale on their day of opening and they were very helpful and gave a good deal. We dealt with Georgios and I recommend them, just a shame they don’t do servicing!
Well, I must say that the saleswoman (Efi) in Spicar has been very good at her job and really tolerant with my, sometimes exorbitant, demands. The main complaints I know about this firm are about its service department; long delays, mostly, for simple operations.
Now, since I am placing the order tomorrow, I will also drop by the dealer you mentioned and give it a try. Actually the main initial issue is, of course, price (after-sales comes later). And on this point, Fiat Auto Hellas must have put a tight hand on its authorized dealers, leaving them little room to move. We must also bear in mind that prices for Segment A cars in Greece are among the lowest in Europe,which may explain why dealers cannot offer significant discounts. On the other hand, we do well know that market competition in Greece is just a joke -simply non-existent. These two may account for the fact that after having shopped around in five different dealers I got almost identical price quotes…..