Porsche Macan Forums

A Couple of years ago when I wanted my sat nav updating, my local OPC wanted £200 + vat. I rang OPC Bristol and they would do it FOC. At the same time I was extending my warranty, so I let Bristol have the payment. And had a night out there in the bargain.
When I next had my service I went local. Although it was COVID time, there was no collection, no pick up and no curtesy car. It makes you think.

TheTraveller wrote: ↑Tue Jan 11, 2022 6:30 am A Couple of years ago when I wanted my sat nav updating, my local OPC wanted £200 + vat. I rang OPC Bristol and they would do it FOC. At the same time I was extending my warranty, so I let Bristol have the payment. And had a night out there in the bargain.
When I next had my service I went local. Although it was COVID time, there was no collection, no pick up and no curtesy car. It makes you think.

Exactly, we wish to own and run a brand of vehicle for which there is more demand than supply. Garages exist to make a profit for their owners and if customers do not let them have a reasonable profit that is in their business plans, perks get withdrawn. I prefer to signal I am loyal to you if you are reasonable with me. The local BMW chain pulled what I thought was a fast one by delivering a car three weeks earlier than I had asked for and without a minor feature I was expecting which had just been announced and introduced at the time I placed my order. They lost my future business

pmg wrote: ↑Tue Jan 11, 2022 11:00 am

TheTraveller wrote: ↑Tue Jan 11, 2022 6:30 am A Couple of years ago when I wanted my sat nav updating, my local OPC wanted £200 + vat. I rang OPC Bristol and they would do it FOC. At the same time I was extending my warranty, so I let Bristol have the payment. And had a night out there in the bargain.
When I next had my service I went local. Although it was COVID time, there was no collection, no pick up and no curtesy car. It makes you think.

Exactly, we wish to own and run a brand of vehicle for which there is more demand than supply. Garages exist to make a profit for their owners and if customers do not let them have a reasonable profit that is in their business plans, perks get withdrawn. I prefer to signal I am loyal to you if you are reasonable with me. The local BMW chain pulled what I thought was a fast one by delivering a car three weeks earlier than I had asked for and without a minor feature I was expecting which had just been announced and introduced at the time I placed my order. They lost my future business

TBH, I don’t mind a meaningless difference, but when it’s rather large, I feel they are having a laugh. I was in the motor trade, so understand profits.
When my next service is due, I will ring around around for prices. And if it’s again a vast difference I’ll take the lesser price. The customer retention is a two way road, and they must flow with the traffic.

In my experience, OPCs can be reasonable, when a customer presents a lower quotation from another company. Yes, it is mega-expensive to staff & run a multi-million pound OPC, but they would rather make a smaller profit on a transaction, than no profit at all (by losing the work to another firm).

Cheers,

What I also don’t understand is why there is a price difference between OPCs owned by the same parent company??

I would suspect like many mutiple centres/branches owned by one parent Company. Each centre/branch is as far as the accountancy and finance goes a "Stand alone" cost centre, so dealer principle is reporting to head office their own sales figures, overhead and expendature figures, and the parent group then comparing one with another as to which branch is the most profitable? buisness rates and other overheads are diffrent depending on local authority.

Seen it thousands of times with similar in the construction industry, lots of regional depots competing for and bidding for the same work!

GTB

Some may also be applying PCGB discount, even if you are not a member. I also suspect they are using different labour rates. the whole reason menu service pricing was originally introduced 15+ years ago was to avoid these silly differences between OPCs

Percymon wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 12:01 pm Some may also be applying PCGB discount, even if you are not a member. I also suspect they are using different labour rates. the whole reason menu service pricing was originally introduced 15+ years ago was to avoid these silly differences between OPCs

It’s indeed possible that OPCs in the same group (e.g. Dick Lovett) may be paying different labour rates to their technicians, where OPCs are in different areas (e.g. Cardiff, Bristol, Swindon & Tewkesbury).

Cheers,

I bet the technican rates vary little, its the bean counters setting the charged rate for max profit lol!

Lets be honest here, if you were in their shoes would you do anything diffrent? These companies have a VAT No NOT a charity No!!

Agree with lots of comments on this thread there should not be huge diffrences between OPC's but unless Porsche themselves dicate fixed service costs then that wont happen. As people have said shop around, speak to them and say you want to give your buisness to them, but, xxxx has quoted a lower price, show them the quote and see what they can do, you cant be fairer than that. Also a cheap price lowest cost will that always be the best? Sometimes I do ask myself if price is quite a bit cheaper, are the missing something out, not doing something or whatever.
I also take into account the attitude and the whole service experience and even with Scottish blood Iam prepared to pay a little more for peoples better attitude, helpfulness and just the whole cooperating and experience that is helpful to me.

GTB