撰写Recently, Maibakh, with three-color ponchos, became popular on the Internet and was nicknamed "Maibakh under the awning" by netizens. The owner spent 2.15 million yuan to buy a new car in Maibakh. Only 2 days after the car was bought, the central control abnormal sound appeared, and 10 days later, it was found that the A-pillar of the co-driver was leaking. Although the owner went to the 4S shop for maintenance many times, the problem has never been solved and the reason is unknown. In the face of this dilemma, the owner of the car made a request for a replacement car, but was told that the vehicle depreciation fee was close to 800,000 yuan.
On October 10th, the owner of the car said in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province that since the incident, only the after-sales manager of the 4S shop had asked for a home visit. The owner’s appeal is that the 4S store can get a refund, and ask Mercedes-Benz officials to apologize and compensate 80 yuan as mental damage compensation. The owner also said that if Mercedes can return the car, he is willing to use all the refunds to help those in need.
In the face of the persistence and mobility of the owner, the 4S shop did not seem to have expected such a development. Car owners use the Internet to make voices and compete with 4S stores. The behavior of car owners covering Maibakh with tricolor ponchos also led to the imitation of car owners in Maibakh, and even online celebrity army joined in, which made the influence of this incident expand continuously.
Maibakh’s arrogant attitude and the complicated relationship between 4S stores and Mercedes-Benz China and Daimler have all become the focus of public attention. Many netizens said that Mercedes-Benz’s improper handling of public opinion this time may lead to a sharp decline in its reputation in the China market. After all, the new car that cost 2.15 million yuan has a water leakage problem in just 10 days, and the 4S shop can’t find the reason and solve it, which is unacceptable to any consumer.
With the continuous fermentation of the incident, Mercedes-Benz owners all over the world began to support their owners with tricolor awnings, and some even made clothes out of awnings to mock the water leakage in Maibakh. This series of behaviors not only showed consumers’ dissatisfaction and disappointment with Mercedes-Benz brand, but also further aggravated the public opinion crisis of Mercedes-Benz in China market. I wonder how Mercedes-Benz will end now?