Scania don't want to sell their trucks!

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

At a recent trade show a very good friend of mine was asked by an owner driver to get details of the new R-series Topliner, when I say details the owner driver wanted a top-spec R-series and wanted the financal details and R+M package.

Lets be very clear here this guy successfully owns and runs a 4-series Topliner on an R+M package from Scania with finance through Renault - he wants to change this for a TOP SPEC new Scania and his mind was made up.All he needed was his friend to speak to Scania at the trade show to check the terms, as it seemed a little ridiculous to buy another Scania through Renault finance.

So our mutual friend trolls up to the very smart Scania stand complete with with very nice R-series Scanias :wink:

Plenty of peolpe running around in Scania shirts and ties all looking very effiecient (read chatting to each other, drinking coffee, and generally ignoring the public). Our friend as good as had the money there, having been giving instructions to use the company name to get the papers sent through to the owner operator.

Unfortunately there were “no” Scania salespeople on the stand.Let me repeat that. It is a trade show to sell Scanias and they have NO SALESMEN there.

Now, ok. You have no salesman at this show. So evidently all these people in Scania shirts are typists and ledger clerks having a beano on the company. :open_mouth:

Despite insisting that they were actually here to make a deal on a new Scania our mutual friend struggled to even leave a business card.

What makes this so incomprehensible is that our mutual friend happens to know the Marketing Teams for 2 other major manufacturers…who on hearing this story took great delight in pointing out the various Scania salesmen on the stand.

I wonder, could the fact that our mutual friend is female have anything to do with the lack of response from Scania’s sales team■■?

To give Scania the good news, this particular owner operator was so disgusted, a very nice TOP-SPEC DAF 95XF is likely to land in Hull in the near future.

On a personal note both me and Lucy met with virtually every major manufacturers marketing team at TruckFest 2004, almost without exception we were treated with courtesy and listened to and most are enthusiatic about this site.
GUESS WHICH MANUFACTURER’S MARKETING DIRECTOR DEIGNED TO GRANT US JUST 11 SECONDS OF HIS PRECIOUS TIME…AND GUESS WHICH ONE OF US MET WITH HIM!!![/i]
You got it. Scania.

2

Always thought they were overpriced and overated, does’nt really suprise me about their arrogance either, I guess they have got too big for their own boots. Just another good reason to buy that other Swedish product :laughing:

3

our company have a years contract with MAN they are currently looking at other units,they have already disregarded scania as there spare parts are far to expensive. :wink:

4

I don’t like them,my feet seem to get caught up with the clutch pedal and i find it’s too easy too accidentally knock the range switch :confused:

5

They have not made a decent truck for years. But when they did make decent trucks they were DECENT.

6

alan:
They have not made a decent truck for years. But when they did make decent trucks they were DECENT.

Surley the Scania Longline is a decent truck■■? :smiley:

7

scania are (in my opinion) the most overated outdated trucks going. a little tweak here n there does not make a new model does it… same old gear shift lever/knob as years ago. you need to be stretch armstrong to use it, seats are naff, u need to be a midget to kip in overhead bunk once you get your climbing boots on that is.nah, give me the 95xf anyday… oh i forgot ive got one…
daf and volvo are streets ahead of scania… :wink:

8

I had a similar experience with the Volvo dealer in my town, I rolls up in my pretty good nick Merc SK, looking for a deal on a S/H FH he had for sale.
Result…not interested, would’nt even leave his office…sell it privately then come back…we may do business then. :open_mouth:
Stuff you mate, and your overpriced truck. :sunglasses:

Needless to say the Merc dealer bent over backwards to do a deal and sent me on my way with a brand new Actros for not much more money. :laughing:

9

My first truck as an OD was a Scania 112, I had it 7 years it was serviced by Scania during that time and I had accounts etc with them. I then wrote it off and after getting the insurance money sorted I went shopping for a new truck and Scania were my first port of call. The service I got was rubbish, struggled to get an appointment with anyone from the sales team after i did they promised to call me, they didn’t, I called them and they never returned calls. On one occasion I phoned and asked to speak to the sales guy, the women said hold on and must have thought she had put me on hold but hadn’t, I heard her tell the guy I was on the phone and his response was “I’m busy with bigger customers, tell him I’m not here.” he then said “He’s after one truck and expects me to jump through hoops.”

I didn’t even wait for her to come back to me but hung up. My next call was to Volvo and the service was first class, the sales guy came to me, he returned calls when he said he would and I have been dealing with him ever since, I’m on my third Volvo through him and he still calls now and again to make sure everything is Ok and I’m happy. :smiley: :smiley:

I don’t care what truck Scania bring out I will never go near them again. A colleague last year was looking to buy a new truck and contacted the dealers he was interested in, response from Scania - ZERO. He now has a nice MAN.

10

Well said Coffee, :confused:
I posted a similar story but it has disappeared.

Basically what you said and the Renault Dealer in Hull that probably prompted this post will jump through hoops to get you a truck, any truck. Thats their job and they are good at it!

Can i have my commision now Mr Silvey? :stuck_out_tongue:

11

I think the problem with Scania is they’ve had the lions share of the market for years,and have now become complacent with their attitude to customers.As some of you say,outdated products that haven’t really changed much,and a take it or leave it approach.

Unforunately for them,a lot of the other manufacturers have began to realise that times are changing,and customers want better specifications,and better deals when it comes to buying/leasing,renting etc,and have adapted accordingly,whereas Scania haven’t.

Here’s a thought.

Rikki.If you and Lucy have spoke to the various manufacturers,what about getting a representative from a head office to do a live Q&A session on this site sometime in the future,so that they can get direct feedback on their products and services?

Ken.

12

I’ve never realy been a Scania fan anyway but the service I get from either the local Renault (Thompson Commercials) or Volvo ( Darlington Commercials) dealers couldnt persuade me to go anywhere else. They are both absolutly brilliant whether I wanted a service or emergency repair or to buy a new(er) vehicle. Cant fault them and I’d recommend them to anybody :smiley: :laughing: :smiley: :laughing:

Now, wheres my commission

regards

John

13

Cliff Warby:
Just another good reason to buy that other Swedish product :laughing:

mmmm - Freddy Ljungberg - very nice!!!

14

While I have no doubt that the experience by the “person in question” was poor I do have a few questions.

How many other manufacturers had salesmen on their stands at Truckfest?
Why didn’t the “person in question” go to a Scania dealership rather than cut a deal at a truck show?
Was it actually available to buy, with a UK price list and a lead time for arrival?

It sounds more like a rant than anything constructive.

Apologies

15

44Luke:
How many other manufacturers had salesmen on their stands at Truckfest?

He wasn’t dealing with other manufacturers and Scania did have sales people there but they wern’t interested.

44Luke:
Why didn’t the “person in question” go to a Scania dealership rather than cut a deal at a truck show?

Well from my experience, that of a colleague and others on here going to a Scania dealership doesn’t acheive any better result.

16

44luke as got a point,maybe it was the aproach to the guys at scania and they took it for was it was :cry: :cry: ,than again dont think scania will shed any tears.

17

it is all well and good going after the big fleets and ignoring the smaller operations but what happens when you have exhasted all the big fleets in your local area? there are only so many trucks you can sell to a fleet and are usually lower spec!!
surely it is as good to sell a handfull of top spec motors to a small haulier with a good r+m package and have them come back time and again then to do a deal on a maybe 10-15 trucks at a hugely discounted price when next time the big fleet will get a better deal on a rival product and not return :cry:
sounds to me like scannia have got there heads stuck up there corprate bums :imp:
chris

18

Truck ran a mystery shopper test at the CV show. The brief was to get a quote for a 6x4 tractor. The full results are in June’s issue, but Scania came bottom when judged on their performance at the CV show and 4th judged on the dealer follow up, their overall placing was 5th out of 8. Overall Renault and Mercedes were judged to be the worst with Foden being the best out of the lot.

The report makes interesting reading.

19

Another anti-Scania bod here too. Like has been said, they’ve outgrown their shoes. They need retrieving a good number of notches on the ladder me thinks. Gimme an FH or XF anyday, or even a Mega Space for that matter. :slight_smile:

20

I’ve said it before and i shall say it again
My Iveco does the same job earns the same money
costs less to buy/maintain
has more room inside(eurostar)
looks as good if not better than topline
so why do people enthuse about scania’s
BE REALISTIC
by Iveco
rgds Mike