I didn't realize how lame their service was till I...

I didn't realize how lame their service was till I moved to Toronto and got my service at a different BMW location. The staff at the Toronto location are so much more polite, easy going, and professional. Here are what I found:

1) For my three years at Otto, I never received a multi point check list after each annual service (in paper or electronic). To be honest, I don't even know what service they performed, because the first time I got oil change in Toronto, the mechanic was so surprised at how aged and dark the oil looked, he wouldn't believe I had just performed an oil change at Otto location six months ago and the mileage suggested I wasn't due for another service for a while.

2) My new mechanic laughed when he saw the name tag was stapled on my tires by Otto staff as they stored my tires, which is obviously bad for the tires and one with sense and training would have used tape.

3) My new mechanic and I laughed together as we found out that three out of my four winter tires were missing centre caps. I have always left my tires at Otto for storage and the only time I took them with me was for this move, and they were sealed in bags. Where did the caps go -- we wondered. The staff at the new BMW location volunteered to give me a discount as they felt bad for me.

These are just a few things I discovered recently after going to a different location. I remember quite a few unpleasant encounters while I was in Ottawa dealing with Otto, including incompetent staff who can't answer a simple question, repairing things without checking with me even though promised, and overhearing how they talk to and treat other customers. I feel this place is lucky that it is in Ottawa, where the customers don't have many choices if they prefer to go to a BMW dealer for service. In a more competitive market with more BMW locations close to each other, it would only survive with many staff retrained or replaced.