Customer Service - Not Ineos!

[DaveH1]

Mmm, it does sound like Ineos haven’t got their network in place. 
I think I am going to pull the plug and get my money back. 

 

[Sebastian]

It seems to me that it's very different from dealer to dealer (or from country to country?). I wrote an email to my local dealer this week regarding test drive and contract signing and to express my concerns. The dealers' director/CEO gave me a call the same day and he sounded very confident about the IG, he told me he even ordered one for himself. They had an organised tour at the Hambach factory (last year) and some kind of dealer network meeting lately.
However this phone call was really helpful for me since I had hoped to get a test drive (with me in the drivers' seat) before signing. This is most probably not going to happen but I will stick to the order now.

 

[DaveH1]

I’m out, requested a refund. Good luck

 

[DaveH1]

I have had a reply from Ineos saying that if you click the link in the form to request changes this will be noted. I gather that although the deadline is the 8th of July as long as you click the link they will keep your place. The email also said that the dealer would be in touch within 60 days of the delivery. This does present an issue that you need to commit without confirming the details of the finance if required and any trade in.

I still think they are in a mess with this and will request my money back for now

 

[Bushguide]

Any idea on how the war in Ukraine is affecting production? Heard a rumour some months ago that the wiring lume for the IG was a product from Ukraine. And BMW have halted/slowed production as a result of that conflict. If thats true the problem must flow on to the IG production line up not to mention the power problem they all seem to be now experiencing.

 

[stickshifter]

Hi Les,
Yes, BMW and other German manufacturers are experiencing disruptions to the production of wiring harnesses made by Leoni in Ukraine; as I'm sure you know, the Grenadier uses BMW engines. I haven't heard anything specific about the Grenadier's harnesses, but here is an article from March 2022, and a more recent update (May 2022) on how Leoni is adapting to the invasion:

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/ukraine-invasion-hurts-flow-wire-harnesses-carmakers-2022-03-02/

https://europe.autonews.com/suppliers/ukraine-bomb-shelters-help-leoni-keep-vw-bmw-supplied

 

[cheswick]

[QUOTE username=stickshifter userid=8617054 postid=1332978919]Hi Les,
Yes, BMW and other German manufacturers are experiencing disruptions to the production of wiring harnesses made by Leoni in Ukraine; as I'm sure you know, the Grenadier uses BMW engines. I haven't heard anything specific about the Grenadier's harnesses, but here is an article from March 2022, and a more recent update (May 2022) on how Leoni is adapting to the invasion:

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/ukraine-invasion-hurts-flow-wire-harnesses-carmakers-2022-03-02/

https://europe.autonews.com/suppliers/ukraine-bomb-shelters-help-leoni-keep-vw-bmw-supplied [/QUOTE]

Thankfully they are in Lviv which relative to other cities in Ukraine has been a lot safer, they have been hit by cruise missiles but not the constant shelling and destruction like Kharkiv or Mariupol. 

 

[Fox2000]

IG need to delegate customer service and ordering to their dealers. The website is not helpful often and on some topics  not even functioning.  The local dealer I have is really trying. Perhaps old school sales might have a place until IG get up to speed. We all want them to succeed but this could be a PR *hit storm if they don’t get a grip fast. A good job the car is so unique  it gives them a chance. 

 

[emax]

If IA passes that to the dealers, they will never get it back - for some good reason: For a dealer, caring for a customer and including the service, this is always an investment which only generates a return on investment after a while.

So the dealers would give away the work they have already done.

 

[DaveH1]

After chasing changes from 21st June, feeling completely frustrated with the customer service team I clicked on the link for a refund.  When doing this you are asked for a reason and I stated poor customer service. I haven’t had a call or a refund.

if they can’t get to grips then how are they going to manage ongoing service when the vehicle drives. They promised parts in 24 hours but, at present, you may be waiting weeks to place the order for parts.

 

[DaveH1]

I have now had some contact with Ineos although this is still very confused. I had contact with a new lady from customer services and I sent her both my new preferred configuration and old order details. It sill appears that customer service have no access to the Ineos configuration data. I was told that these files would be sent to the two chaps in Ineos who were processing the changes. The days have passed and the promise that changes would be made appeared to fade. I have now been in contact with the Ineos lady from Hardwoods Southampton. I sent her the files and she sent them on. I am now told that the configuration changes should be made by the end of July.

It does all seems to be bit of a mess at Ineos and I would guess that two guys are sweating trying to changes thousands of specs manually.

 

[grenadierboy]

Exactly DaveH-

I still cant my head around the fact that the INEOS customer service person I made contact with could not access the details of my order nor the changes I had previously requested.

How can you deal with a customer effectively & efficiently without knowing all the customer details!

 

[Lyros]

Hi,

I was finally contacted by INEOS after I also clicked the link in the email 1,5 weeks ago. 
The person asked specifically which options I wanted to change (it was not possible to do or send him a new configuration). This was done verbally. In the process he wrote everything done and send me a new order confirmation per email right after the phone call. 
Next to the final configuration (PDF) they send this text in the email (had to translate it from German into English):
___
Dear Mr. X,

Thank you for taking the time today to change your Grenadier configuration.

I have attached a copy of your final order specification. This will be updated in your customer account by the end of July.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you need further assistance.
____
They mentioned on the phone that you can change almost everything. Exceptions are changing between “Utility and Station Wagon” and between “Fieldmaster and Trailmaster”. For now they still “confirmed” delivery in October this year. Lets see….

In the next step I should receive the contract during the next weeks. Lets keep fingers crossed. 

 

[G-Man]

[QUOTE username=DaveH1 userid=8971360 postid=1333033418]I have now had some contact with Ineos although this is still very confused. I had contact with a new lady from customer services and I sent her both my new preferred configuration and old order details. It sill appears that customer service have no access to the Ineos configuration data. I was told that these files would be sent to the two chaps in Ineos who were processing the changes. The days have passed and the promise that changes would be made appeared to fade. I have now been in contact with the Ineos lady from Hardwoods Southampton. I sent her the files and she sent them on. I am now told that the configuration changes should be made by the end of July.

It does all seems to be bit of a mess at Ineos and I would guess that two guys are sweating trying to changes thousands of specs manually.[/QUOTE]

I thought you'd cancelled your order? Change of mind?

 

[DaveH1]

G-Man  ... I thought you'd cancelled your order? Change of mind?

I clicked on the link to cancel but got nothing back. I have now been in touch with a Lady from Hardwoods Southampton who tell me that my order will be modified by the end of July. I do really want a Grenadier but I am concerned about the lack of customer service at the moment.

 

[DaveH1]

Has anybody in the UK had their order updated by Ineos and signed contracts? I was told back on the 14th of July that Ineos would get the changes completed by the end of July. We are now at the 28th of July and I haven't had a call or an email.

If everybody else is in the same boat then maybe it's just a general delay?

 

[ECrider]

I've had no contact since contacting Ineos and  asking them to confirm that my SW has rear side panels and not windows. I'm not overly concerned considering I've been given a Feb 23 slot so guess I cannot expect any progress until very late 22 or Jan 23. By which time I guess the lie of the land will be clearer. I'm expecting Ineos to suffer similar delays to other manufacturers due to global supply chain issues, regardless how 'basic' the IG claims to be they are not immune to world supply issues. Normally a glass half full type but I personally expect slippage in delivery dates and added to the fact this is a brand new car manufacturer there has to be unforseen problems which will also have a knock on effect.

I will have to learn to be patient and hope for as little delay as possible, struggling a bit in this world of 'why can't I have it now - amazon one-click era'!

Good luck DaveH1 in the meantime, hope the matter resolves for you as quickly as poss.

 

[Fox2000]

I have a build slot in October and have been told my order will be amended by end July too. It’s still not done so fingers crossed IG come through on the date. I must say the poor consumer communication service level is really starting to worry me. I realise they have huge volumes of orders but it cannot be that hard to move to a manual process as a temporary fall back until they fix their issues. What worries me is if its like this ordering the car what is it going to be like if there are teething troubles? Are we going to be on our own? 

 

[cheswick]

[QUOTE username=Fox2000 userid=9025586 postid=1333119455]I have a build slot in October and have been told my order will be amended by end July too. It’s still not done so fingers crossed IG come through on the date. I must say the poor consumer communication service level is really starting to worry me. I realise they have huge volumes of orders but it cannot be that hard to move to a manual process as a temporary fall back until they fix their issues. What worries me is if its like this ordering the car what is it going to be like if there are teething troubles? Are we going to be on our own? [/QUOTE]

A few things to consider:

- With any other manufacturer you don’t deal with them at all, you deal with their dealer. - They have at least 15k orders placed with some people going backwards and forwards changing their order. Not to mention queries and enquiries from prospective customers. Multiply every order making at least one config change by the number of orders and think about how many people a single human can help in a day. I’d estimate that one person could maybe get through 40 detailed queries in a day.- Consider that literally everyone on this customer service team is new to the product, more than likely new to Ineos and maybe even new to the auto industry. I’m willing to give the team a fair amount of grace at this stage, if we’re 12 months down the line and the whole operation isn’t running a lot smoother then fair enough, criticise away.

 

[DCPU]

DaveH1 ~ I'm a little behind you in the order process with an estimated build month of December so don't expect anything for a while myself; however, I've been across most the the social media and so far not seen a single post from anyone who has a contract to sign. 

Also, the likes of Carl Miller seem to be very quiet; whilst previously they have been offering help to order placers. Maybe that's a good thing and they are busy sorting out the issues in the office!