Flat service in Norfolk
Page 37
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
I NOTICED with interest the very nice eight-page advertisement for Mercedes-Benz vehicles in the October 18 issue of Commerical Motor.
However, I would take issue with some of the remarks made on the last page of that advertisement with regard to servicing and parts.
We have two 307D Mercedes vans, which vehicle I should think is one of their most popular on British roads, and yet when one of our vehicles lost its clutch in Norwich, it was discovered that there was not a clutch available in their Ipswich depot or their Boston depot and in the end service engineers had to be sent from Leicester to repair the vehicle on the side of the road at night and then return it to our factory.
With regard to service network, they say in the advertisement that they have "dealers" in every main trucking centre in the country."
I would have thought that the county of Norfolk of all places should come under the heading of a main trucking centre, and yet there is not a Mercedes Truck dealer in the whole of Norfolk.
A letter to Mercedes pointing out these problems has been totally ignored by the company.
Apart from the above problem we are very happy with the Mercedes trucks, but we do think that it is dangerous for you to carry advertisements which are, to say the least, misleading. FRANK EAST Lewis East Limited Anstey, Leicester Mercedes-Benz (UK) Ltd say: We were naturally very sorry to learn of Mr East's experience, but we are sure he will understand that — as with any manufacturer/importer we have some market areas where we lack representation. We are presently negotiating a dealer appointment in the one he refers to. We are pleased to note that our product has proved satisfactory, and would stress that we are working hard to provide the after-sales service cover our owners are entitled to expect from us.