Does Ferrari North America have lousy service or is it just me?

On the advice of a few around here I've contacted Ferrari North America to ask them if various cars that I'm looking at are up on their recall campaigns.
The first time I asked on a euro car and when I offered the euro VIN I got a line of BS stating that the car is here "illegally" and he would not help me.
Next time I got this dead reaction and the guy I spoke with mumbled something about them not being open until Jan 8th??? He just told me to call a dealer close to me. Another time someone told me to "just run a carfax". Uh, yeah... did it, but it's not going to tell me about the recalled items.

Is this, or is this NOT SOP to call them and inquire about recall campaigns?
What exactly IS "Ferrari North America".... are they HQ for all the F-car dealers?
The number that I call is (201) 816-2600.... is there a different/better number to call with more helpful individuals? When I call this number everyone sounds like they are on litterally in Italy (poor clarity on thier phones).


It was my understanding that Ferrari North America was some wonderful place with high customer service levels, blah blah blah. All I've received so far from them is crap. Very disappointed so far.

 

I had the same reaction from them as well it seemed like I was interrupting his day and he was rushing me along and that's only after waiting for a call back that took 4 days. Unfortunately that is the same ph # I have as well . Good luck.

 

Surely we have someone on F-Chat from FNA....

Anyone care to respond?

Mike in Kuwait

 

No, you are not alone to think that way.
I had the same experience with them on repeated occasions, to the point I had even considered switching brand.
When I finally got some technical advice from a dealer, I later found out they got reprimended by FNA for offering infos to me that could in some way put FNA in a difficult spot.
The best way I can summarize my experience with FNA and with some dealers is that they are selling the cars in spite of themselves and of the service they provide to their customers.

 

Actually a CARFAX shows outstanding recalls.

Any dealer´s service department can also help you. It is not SOP to call FNA about trivial stuff. In fact, based solely on what I have read here.....it is not SOP to call FNA about anything.........they do not help.

 

They are NOT represented here nor known for being 'chatty' on the phone...most dealerships DO lurk here, as far as Texas goes.....so they are 'listening'.

You'll get a better response from FNA once you are an actual owner of course, but they are primarily here to market the brand via events, 599Tour, GTO Reunion, and take care of troubles at the dealership network level, regarding Warranty issues...

So...no they are not intended to hold your hand thru the used Ferrari purchasing experience, that IS better served by your relationship with your local dealership.

Now I have enjoyed some correspondence with FNA, as they distribute Rosso Ferrari magazine sporadically to known Ferrari owners, and as I registered for that got a respectful letter questioning th epurchase information of my second Ferrari for Lady Valeria...

I have not bothered FNA with registering my thrid 308GTB....I just sent the info straight to the Factory website, they send the Monthly Newsletter and invitations to Factory Events all the time via eamail, but most of the parties are in Italy.

 

The truth of the matter, they may not admit, is other than the very recent modern cars under Warranty they have NO IDEA of the history of a given VIN much older than five or six years...

The Service Records of out of warranty cars are captured at the Dealer Level only. That's why the 'Books, Records, Tools" should be your buyer's mantra, right along with "condition, condition, condition".

The cars found on eBay and car lots with "question marks', are exactly that!!! LOL!

 

It helps to learn the actual name of 'who does what' there, and then I have found them to be helpful, if they can be....

As another post has indicated they are not the first point of contact, there's a very Old School chain of command.

 

+1

True, and if your car was in different cities (usually can determine this from Carfax) you can check with the Ferrari dealers using the VIN.

I contacted Ferrari of Atlanta, which did some servicing of my 328 while it lived there, and the service guys there were very responsive and faxed over what they had (after I faxed proof of ownership).

 

"trivial stuff"??? Maybe I am misunderstanding your meaning here, but sorry, I don't think a car maker relating the recalls performed on a given vehicle THAT THEY HAVE RECORDS ON is trivial. Might be to you; not to me.
If they are of the opinion that they can't be bothered by this and that the individual service departments should act simply as their call centers then this is arrogant and poor customer service. Period.
Perhaps this is simply my misunderstanding of their purpose in life. If it's SOLELY to schedule events and to market the Ferrari brand, then fine, but this should be stated much clearer so folks don't go to them and expect some help in matters such as this. By some of the other responses in this thread I can see that I'm not the only one who might be confused by the role they've assumed.

On a positive note though, I received a message from Terra of FNA that was very gracious and helped me to understand a few things better.
I've also contacted my local service dept and, as always, they were really full of info over the phone. I remain hopeful that the "remote dealership" that I have to work with for my inquiries (Houston) will also helpful while I perform my DD on a specific car I'm looking into.

 

True, but the dealer should be able to help you with that. Even on my Jeeps, the dealer can tell you what has been done and what's outstanding on the VIN.

 

Here's a thought...For those of us that are old enough to remeber the beginning season of MAGNUM P.I...Every single time that the 308 the car broke down (the car that put Ferrari on the map in the U.S.)..the Producer of the show Mr. Belassario called Sr. Ferrari in Italy and told him of their problem, and he started to put Belassario off. At that point he told Enzo (in Italian) that he owed the car outright and that the very next time the car broke down that he would write the car in as a continuing joke and as a piece of crap..The very next day two jumbo jets landed at Honolulu airport with the two red semi-trailers and the Entire formula 1 racing crew..
the Car was disassebled clear down to the bare floor right there in the hangar and reassembled by the next shooting day..the car never had another problem...So..Cavallino is comming up andthe head of
ferrariN.A. and Italy will be there..Put together a forum of complaint and protest in a proffessional manner..I can guarantee you that someone at Ferrari and Cavallino are reading this forum daily..They each will be expecting your call on January2..Surely there are some among us that have the brains,balls and inclination and prestiege to carry this right to the top..Also if your car is a lemon, put a lemon decal on it ...that is if you're not too inscure to speek up..Ferrari's image is way too important to them..especially now that they're in the business jet game..They (must be more dependable than their (our) cars? Si? Results gauaranteed..Just a thought. Jacques.

 

*sigh*

Never mind.......

In case you have not noticed there is a 2 year wait for a new car, so I'd say FNA has a passing grade there.

If you are buying an older Ferrari ...it is, has ALWAYS been, a slightly different game.

There's a real good reason identical cars sell for different amounts..it's called "Service History"........bloody Hell man, I am getting nasty letters from Toyota now threatening to VOID my Warranty for not letting them rotate my tires and change the oil every 5K miles..........yep, dipping into your pocket for 'checking' things every 5K miles....


Hmmmmmm.......sounds vaguely familiar.........seems I have heard it somwhere before......

*thinking......*

 

Kevin.....

Yes it is trivial stuff in terms of things Ferrari..........and even Porsche, BMW or Mercedes for that matter........

Ferrari will not whisk your car to Maranello while `wrapped in the wings of angels` when the check engine light comes on at 2AM on a Sunday night.........go establish a rapor with the local franchised dealer and buy your soon to be service writer lunch sometimes.....or find an exceptional independant.

 

It's unfortunate this topic has to have extremes. No, I don't expect FNA or anyone else to fly a plane to my city just to talk to me or hold my hand.
I'm not asking for that. I'm simply expecting a polite/professional verbal exchange over the phone and not just the response of "just run a carfax" or "don't call us, just call a dealer".

I expected no more or no less when dealing with the realestate folks when I bought my house (quite a bit more than an f-car) or when I last shopped at Walmart (for something that was 99 cents). Truth be told I'd expect a lot less from a Walmart for instance, and its a pleasant surprise when a vendor surpass your expectations..... very disappointing when they fail to meet any of your most basic needs.

 

Man, you have the oldest and IMO best dealerships with Ron Tonkin.

I bought a 2 owner Ferrari originally sold by them (1977, sold in 1980) and they were VERY helpful in shipping extra front spoiler, extra BBS wheels with tires home to Houston, had spare parts for my journey, and said "Nice shirt" as I raced out the door!

(Tommy Hilfiger Formula 1 Pit crew....a REAL one.....LOL!)

 

Dude the real estate market is the EXACT OPPOSITE of the Ferrari world right now....sad, but true.....

FNA's primary role is to service dealerships with car distribution, and rule on important Warranty matters, as often against the customer as FOR them, it sometimes seems.....

The Rosso Ferrari magizine is one of the few items they provide to the Public.