As the title says see this vid. This is a story about a Porsche 911 and one owners problems with a car that is (supposedly) built to much higher standards than Jaguar. (that famous german precision)

 

I was seriously considering buying a new 2014 Cayman before my XK purchase, but there were a number of issues or characteristics that I couldn't deal with such as horrible droning inside the car at highway speeds and a scary hesitation from a dead start with PDK and the 2.7 I test drove 5 different cars seeing if it was just the particular car I had. I wasn't surprised to see some long threads on some of these issues along with a plethora of others. My car (which I would not say was loaded) was close to $70,000 before tax. Eventually I lost interest and wandered into Jaguar territory. Don't get me wrong. The car was a blast to drive, but I'm glad I made the decision to get an XK. Not all owners are distressed with their Porsches, but take a visit to Planet 9 and read the threads. In addition, maintenance was on the high side, and of course is required to keep the warranty in force. I am not trashing Porsches and I know there are owners on this forum, but it wasn't for me and I do sympathize with this 911 owner.

 

Wow, I'm glad the owner of that car was tenacious resulting in a satisfactory resolution. What a pile of problems. Although, we don't know the complete history of the car, it appears it is a car under warranty with no owner induced problems. I'm glad he posted the video. The power of the internet and consumer.

 

Getting on a local TV station could move things along for that guy.

 

I've seen similar scenarios too many times.

The car is a lemon. Owner pushed to the limits of his patience. Manufacturer *finally* agrees to a repurchase....inevitably much later than they should have....and THEN jerks the customer around on a final settlement amount. If there was any hope of preserving even a shred of brand loyalty and goodwill from the customer it has now been lost.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.


Cheers
DD

 

The video that was presented is old, and happened some time ago. Porsche resolved the issue to the owner.

Porsche has a fantastic history and reputation and took care of the owner, which is important as an end result.

I am sure that Jaguar has had similiar issues and has also resolved such issues.

As an owner of a 2014 Porsche Cayman 981 the car is flawless and performs flawlessly as well as my Jaguar XKR.

I find that this situation with Porsche is a highly isolated case and most importantly it was resolved. All car manufacturers can have problem vehicles.

 

I'm an ex-Porsche 911 owner and although I absolutely loved the car when it was running right, I can say that my experience with Porsche was a nightmare. Almost every warranty claim I made was rejected first pass. Its like they default to "no" and then make you fight and scream for what should be a no brainer fix of a problem. I could never figure out their business plan. I don't blame the dealership, as they were very supportive, but they were as frustrated as I was at the apparent disinterest by Porsche N.A. at retaining clients. Aside from the unsatisfactory quality issues, I may still have purchased another one if any effort was extended to provide the kind of service one would expect from a premium car maker. As it is, I'll never own another one.

 

I had a 1982 928 for 3 years. When the car reached 60k miles it began costing me 1000 to 1500 a month to keep it on the road. I finally got fed up and sold it; replacing it with 1985 grey market 12 cylinder Van Den Plas which I kept for 5 years as a daily driver. No more Porsches for me.

 

you can get more with a kind word and a gun than with a kind word.

this guy made that point very clear by his anti-marketing campaign

 

Correct in that the particular YouTube video is older Porsche and Mercedes are two companies with quite a reputation for poor treatment of their customers... I know as I fought them vehamently in 2003 regarding a Lemon Law case with my Boxster. My ordeal the day after my check cashed, from then on it seemed like a game to them to how difficult they could make things for me... this just created more resolve on my part. From the VP sales, to Western regional service Mgr, the the president of Rusnak Porsche in Westlake Vilage CA. This was clearly a "system by design" not an anecdotal situation as they were methodical in their attempts to upset me so much I'd give up.

So back to the crux of this and NOT whether they design products that are appealing either functionally OR cosmetically, I believe it is not what a company makes or does but rather how well they handle their customers when problems arise.

When Boxsters first were introduced they had porous blocks resulting in a high percentage of blown engines, which they failed to fix for most customers. 911 and Boxster engines from 1998 -@ 2006 these engines were known for failing ISB bearings which also caused catastrophic failures requiring engine replacements, VERY few were covered under warranty as Porsche did not offer any "good will" to anyone over warranty despite the fact that many had extremely few miles.

When I looked to retain a lemon law attorney I quickly learned, after asking numerous professionals, that the car mfg's known for the worst treatment of their customers is #1 Mercedes then #2 Porsche

Again this is not a matter of whether they build a good looking or performing car rather it is a matter of how they handle issues when they arise. If you happen to buy or have a Porsche good for you, enjoy it, but be ready when/if you have issues that need addressing.

 

Last time I was at Gaudin I ran into a couple with a 911. He has been on Porsche's case regarding gear whine for six months or more. Ridealong techs from two other dealerships claim they cannot hear it, which says more about their hearing than whether the noise is there or not. His wife played me a cellphone video of the racket and it is plain as day. I guess they always send the mechanic out who listens to house music non-stop with no hearing above 2kHz to ensure a "Cannot replicate customer complaint" report.

 

There is a whitegoods retailer back in NZ who has the tagline "It's the putting-right that counts". It's always stuck with me as a blueprint for customer satisfaction.

No organisation is perfect, things will always go wrong from time to time - it's how a company responds to problems that leaves a lasting impression. People will forgive faults if they're taken care of promptly and efficiently. In fact, they may become stronger brand advocates that those who have had a fault-free experience. Mess them about, try to evade responsibility, and they will loathe you - and will be vocal about it.

 

Truer words have never been spoken.

'Tis when things go wrong that you find out what kind of people or company you are dealing with: a class act or carpet bagger

Cheers
DD