[BMW F22]

Just providing my experience with CCA.

I’ve been on this forums since 2005 and finally signed up with BMWCCA in 2014. In all that time, I never needed to reach out for anything. Well, recently I reached out to the ombudsman service inquire help on an issue with the dealer and BMWNA.

I got an email from one of the volunteers who was on vacation so he forwarded the case to the other 2 volunteers. After the first day or so, I didn’t hear from them for a week. When I followed up, all I got was “did you try opening a PUNA case?” I said yes and explained it to them and got “well, other than that, there’s really nothing else we can do.” Needless to say I was pretty disappointed.

According to BMWCCA’s wording (and I’M paraphrasing), “when all attempts have failed, the ombudsman services will be there to help.” Well, they definitely wasn’t much help. I’m not trying to bash anyone. I’m simply stating my experience for those that are thinking about signing up. The rebate is nice and I’ve enjoyed meeting people at CCA’s Cars and Coffee. As an enthusiast though, I was pretty disappointed in the “help” that I received.

[BMW F22]

Howcome all the responses were deleted?

[yousefnjr]

It was the ombudsmen

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by BMW F22

Just providing my experience with CCA.

I’ve been on this forums since 2005 and finally signed up with BMWCCA in 2014. In all that time, I never needed to reach out for anything. Well, recently I reached out to the ombudsman service inquire help on an issue with the dealer and BMWNA.

I got an email from one of the volunteers who was on vacation so he forwarded the case to the other 2 volunteers. After the first day or so, I didn’t hear from them for a week. When I followed up, all I got was “did you try opening a PUNA case?” I said yes and explained it to them and got “well, other than that, there’s really nothing else we can do.” Needless to say I was pretty disappointed.

According to BMWCCA’s wording (and I’M paraphrasing), “when all attempts have failed, the ombudsman services will be there to help.” Well, they definitely wasn’t much help. I’m not trying to bash anyone. I’m simply stating my experience for those that are thinking about signing up. The rebate is nice and I’ve enjoyed meeting people at CCA’s Cars and Coffee. As an enthusiast though, I was pretty disappointed in the “help” that I received.

Contact Frank Patek, the Executive Director for CCA at fpatek@bmwcca.org and let him know your issue.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by SakhirM4

Contact Frank Patek, the Executive Director for CCA at fpatek@bmwcca.org and let him know your issue.

I emailed CCA a little while back to provide feedback and Frank responded. He apologized for my experience but noted that the ombudsmen are volunteers and some issues are beyond their ability. I found it a bit funny because I wasn't expecting them to cure cancer. I was disappointed due to the fact that as a member, I basically received no service. Other than suggesting me to open a PUMA case (which I already knew about), they did nothing else. Had they tried to contact BMWNA and got shot down, I could at least be at peace knowing that they kind of tried.

[SportySpice]

Have to agree - they weren't very helpful when I contacted them for assistance on an issue. They basically told me to take it up with the dealership that I was having the problems with, and got rather testy when I took other steps. The information they gave me on services and features of the dealership were very different from what I was told by the general manager. I guess it sounds like a nice perk for CCA to offer, but after my experience, I don't really see the point.

[Maynard]

Are you saying that they didn't even send an inquiry to the dealership on behalf of BMWCCA? Nothing to even hint at the idea of your issue affecting the reputation of the dealership with a core enthusiast community?

Was that the same dealership that they partner with for CCA-nights, pre-track inspections, etc. (DK if they do that everywhere, but around here it seems common)?

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by SportySpice

Have to agree - they weren't very helpful when I contacted them for assistance on an issue. They basically told me to take it up with the dealership that I was having the problems with, and got rather testy when I took other steps. The information they gave me on services and features of the dealership were very different from what I was told by the general manager. I guess it sounds like a nice perk for CCA to offer, but after my experience, I don't really see the point.

Agreed. Considering that we pay to be a member, even if it's not much, I expected a bit more.

Originally Posted by Maynard

Are you saying that they didn't even send an inquiry to the dealership on behalf of BMWCCA? Nothing to even hint at the idea of your issue affecting the reputation of the dealership with a core enthusiast community?

Was that the same dealership that they partner with for CCA-nights, pre-track inspections, etc. (DK if they do that everywhere, but around here it seems common)?

I have no idea what they did as they didn't tell me anything. They only asked for the background story and some info that first day or two. When I didn't hear from them in about a week, I followed up and all that was suggested was PUMA case and other than that, there was nothing else they can do. That's it.

[2000cs]

They are just getting you in shape for dealing with BMWUSA. Pre-disappointed, if you will.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by 2000cs

They are just getting you in shape for dealing with BMWUSA. Pre-disappointed, if you will.

So basically "after all attempts with dealer and BMWNA have failed, contact us and we'll be sure to disappoint you even more"? Sounds terrible.

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by BMW F22

Just providing my experience with CCA.

I’ve been on this forums since 2005 and finally signed up with BMWCCA in 2014. In all that time, I never needed to reach out for anything. Well, recently I reached out to the ombudsman service inquire help on an issue with the dealer and BMWNA.

I got an email from one of the volunteers who was on vacation so he forwarded the case to the other 2 volunteers. After the first day or so, I didn’t hear from them for a week. When I followed up, all I got was “did you try opening a PUNA case?” I said yes and explained it to them and got “well, other than that, there’s really nothing else we can do.” Needless to say I was pretty disappointed.

According to BMWCCA’s wording (and I’M paraphrasing), “when all attempts have failed, the ombudsman services will be there to help.” Well, they definitely wasn’t much help. I’m not trying to bash anyone. I’m simply stating my experience for those that are thinking about signing up. The rebate is nice and I’ve enjoyed meeting people at CCA’s Cars and Coffee. As an enthusiast though, I was pretty disappointed in the “help” that I received.

Originally Posted by BMW F22

Agreed. Considering that we pay to be a member, even if it's not much, I expected a bit more.

Vehicle rebates, discounts, roadside assistance, forums, club services, free classifieds, Roundel monthly magazine, local chapter, local chapter events and newsletters are all benefits of BMW CCA membership, not just Ombudsman service provided by volunteers. A vehicle rebate alone would pay for 10-20 years of club membership!

It is too bad that you had the experience that you did with the Ombudsman service, but there is much more to membership than that. I have been a member for 37 years and have found it to be a very rewarding experience - worth far more than the cost of membership.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by SakhirM4

Vehicle rebates, discounts, roadside assistance, forums, club services, free classifieds, Roundel monthly magazine, local chapter, local chapter events and newsletters are all benefits of BMW CCA membership, not just Ombudsman service provided by volunteers. A vehicle rebate alone would pay for 10-20 years of club membership!

It is too bad that you had the experience that you did with the Ombudsman service, but there is much more to membership than that. I have been a member for 37 years and have found it to be a very rewarding experience - worth far more than the cost of membership.

I'm not saying that people shouldn't join. There are other benefits as you've mentioned. How much value one places on each benefit is subjective. For me, I've never used the rebate because my last car was ED and it wasn't on the list when I bought it. Roundel magazine is kind of cool but I usually just skim through them. So really I couldn't care less about those benefits.

I joined mainly for the support that I thought I would receive (an insurance policy if you will). It just sucked when I reached out for the first time and felt like they didn't do anything. As others have chimed in, apparently I'm not the only person who has had a bad experience with CCA. I'm starting to see a trend here: first BMW AG stops caring about the core group of enthusiasts in pursue of global sales and now it seems like BMWCCA is following the same path.

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by BMW F22

I'm not saying that people shouldn't join. There are other benefits as you've mentioned. How much value one places on each benefit is subjective. For me, I've never used the rebate because my last car was ED and it wasn't on the list when I bought it. Roundel magazine is kind of cool but I usually just skim through them. So really I couldn't care less about those benefits.

I joined mainly for the support that I thought I would receive (an insurance policy if you will). It just sucked when I reached out for the first time and felt like they didn't do anything. As others have chimed in, apparently I'm not the only person who has had a bad experience with CCA. I'm starting to see a trend here: first BMW AG stops caring about the core group of enthusiasts in pursue of global sales and now it seems like BMWCCA is following the same path.

I really disagree with your assessment of both BMW and BMW CCA, but we all have a right to our own opinions. Again, it is too bad that you had your experience. Fortunately, many have found the BMW and BMW CCA experience much more rewarding.

Have a great Thanksgiving!!

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by SakhirM4

I really disagree with your assessment of both BMW and BMW CCA, but we all have a right to our own opinions. Again, it is too bad that you had your experience. Fortunately, many have found the BMW and BMW CCA experience much more rewarding.

Have a great Thanksgiving!!

For sure. Like with anything, there are always two camps: those that never have bad experiences and some that eventually do. Doesn't make either side wrong or right. Its just facts based on the situation.

Thank you and you have a great Turkey Day as well!

[jmg]

Originally Posted by BMW F22

For sure. Like with anything, there are always two camps: those that never have bad experiences and some that eventually do. Doesn't make either side wrong or right. Its just facts based on the situation.

Thank you and you have a great Turkey Day as well!

Everyone is having a good time until they don't.