Comments on: Customer service report card: car dealer service

By: martin kolb

martin kolb — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 08:41:19 +0000

I purchased a 2011 Ford F150 a few months back.Before I went to the dealership I talked to the salesmen on the phone due to the distance of the drive.I discribed what I wanted on my truck,what my credit score was and what I would like for a mouthly payment.The dealership and I then set up a time to meet and look over their inventory and fill out a credit ap.A short wait later the salesmen and I walked the lot he then told me what I was approved for and told me to pick which one I wanted.After signing the paperwork I took posession of what I thought would be my new truck for years to come.After two weeks and 800 miles the dealership called and I was told their was more paperwork to sign to finalize the deal.When I got to the dealership I waited for who I was suposed to see When my salesmen came in he never new I was called to come by or any thing about these papers needing to be signed.He went to check it out,when he came back we when outside where he told me the finance company did not think I could handle the payments on this truck.He said they did have what I was approved for in a lower price range.Upon looking at this other truck I told him I was pretty upset that I was lied to and forced to by this truck if I wanted a new truck.Which has none of the options I wanted.The salesmen told me if I put another $5000.00 down I could keep this truck I reminded him that I origionaly said no money down,but later agread to$1000.00 down.The dealership that my tradein was financed through start calling me wondering when they were going to recieve the pay-off after a month and a half and a few comments on how they were going to report a negative to the credit burues they finally recieved the pay-off.The finance call me for some information and asked if I put any money down, I said yes $1000.00 down.When I was at the dealership I told the finance manager about the phone call and I told him what I said about the downpayment he said I should not have told them that(sounds kind of suspiciouse to me).I have never been treated this bad at a dealership before and will never return they did not even seem to care about anything as long as they made the sale

By: Jacob of Free Online CRM

Jacob of Free Online CRM — Sat, 28 May 2011 04:23:55 +0000

I hear you Becky and thanks for sharing your story. Some tips I wanna give to CS people if you may are:

1. Rule number one is there is nothing to gain by proving a customer wrong.
2. Always try to use positive language.
3. Try to explain the cause and effect in simple terms.
4. Tell the customer what has been fixed and how you did it.
5. Tell customers how to prevent the problem from happening again.

Help me spread the word to all CS people

By: Customer service report card car dealer service Customers Rock | low cost car insurance

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 04:19:50 +0000

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By: Frank

Frank — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:22:07 +0000

Took my wife’s S2000 Honda to Lancaster Honda because the trouble light came on. Three hundred and twenty dollars later and after getting it home, my wife informed me the trouble light was still on. That is the last time I am buying a Honda from Lancaster Honda (paid cash too) and certainly the last time I take any of our “fleet” of cars to a dealership. Should have known better…duh!!!

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Tue, 16 Oct 2007 21:55:22 +0000

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By: Becky Carroll

Becky Carroll — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:09:18 +0000

Mike, thank you for chiming in from the car dealership side! It is great to get your perspective, especially as you are one of those business people who “get it”. I think this statement you made sums it all up: “One of the oldest adages in the car business is that sales sells the first vehicle, and service sells every one after that.” It may be an old adage, but from my experience, very few dealerships take it to heart and put it into action!

That said, the premium brands seem to be much better about a consistent, and pleasant, customer experience. Thank you for your insight! You rock!

And of course you can borrow my idea. That’s what this blog is here for! Let me know how it works out for you.

By: Becky Carroll

Becky Carroll — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 16:59:02 +0000

Jonathan, glad to see you! If we keep this type of issue at the forefront by blogging about it and helping organizations change, we will make a difference. I liked your post; thanks for sharing.

By: Michael Brairton

Michael Brairton — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 16:48:02 +0000

Becky,
As the Director of Operations for a premium highline dealership (Porsche) I can tell you that thankfully your service experience is more of an anomaly in today’s competitive retail automotive environment, than the standard.
After 25 years of working for auto manufacturers, as well as owning and managing several dealerships those that have survived are the ones who have processes and accountability in place to ensure that your experience with the “guys in the white shirts” in the front of the dealership is totally consistent with your experience in the back of the dealership.
One of the oldest adages in the car business is that sales sells the first vehicle, and service sells every one after that. At my dealership you would have asked for the floormats to be cleaned, and when you came to pick up your truck you would have found new floormats in your truck. We have learned this to be what it takes to be successful, and thankfully did not need JD Powers to point it out to us. We figured it out on our own!
I hope your ownership experience improves from here.
Mike Brairton
PS-Love your idea about having people sign in next to their pre-arranged appointments when they arrive at the dealership in the morning. Mind if I borrow it?

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 03:15:44 +0000

That’s such an interesting post. Customer service is so important and it always boggles my mind why businesses don’t focus more on it. I actually just blogged about customer service and it’s effect on customer loyalty on my blog at http://www.oncardblog.com. check it out when you get a chance.

By: Becky Carroll

Becky Carroll — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 19:14:38 +0000

Andrew, it is not always easy to make this shift in thinking. It is much larger than just training or incentives, as you hinted. A company culture needs to be built which puts the customer into the DNA of the organization. This is most effective when it comes from the top! However, it can be done in smaller parts of the organization, and using those successes as proof points, it can spread over the company. The right metrics are critical to keeping it going!

Thanks so much for chiming in!