Why Car Salespeople Beg for Top Customer Survey Scores | Edmunds.com

Edmunds.com

Why Car Salespeople Beg for Top Customer Survey Scores | Edmunds.com

How important is the customer satisfaction survey that car shoppers take after buying a vehicle? Probably more important than you think.

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gig5

Unfortunately I read this article too late. I purchased a BMW (certified pre-owned) recently and was begged by the sales person to complete the online survey that he told me would be sent. When I stopped by to pick-up my license plates I saw my sales person again, he added a couple of interior items that were missing that I had emailed him about in the interim (very minor stuff), and he again begged me to complete the survey and to be sure to enter all 10s (excellent ratings). Typically I never complete survey's whether I have a good or bad experience, but in this case I had a good experience, and my salesman seemed to be a good guy, so I decided to complete the survey. I gave all perfect scores of 10, indicated that I would definitely recommend the dealership, etc. BUT, there was one part that I answered "No", something about was the care delivered free of defects, then in the comments I stated how the issues were very minor and how the sale person did a great job of resolving the issues, and how I was very satisfied. Great feedback, right? WRONG!!!! That one "No", despite the glowing description of how great the sales person was in the comments, definitely changed my relationship with the sales person and the dealership. And now I have a bit of a situation on my hands. Let's just say I'm not expecting a christmas card from anyone at the dealer this year.

kyfdx

I wouldn't feel bad about it... you didn't design the idiotic system. You shouldn't have to jump through hoops after you buy a car..

suydam

This is why car dealerships are often so awful. If you can't give honest feedback how can anything improve?

gig5

And it continues...email this weekend from the Sales Manager, and today form the General Manager. To each I respond that I was 100% satisfied. (this is in addition to the several emails I received from the sales person) What I typed in the comments doesn't matter, and neither does how I respond to their follow-up inquiries. Things have gotten weird to the point that I don't feel comfortable returning to the dealer for any reason. And all this for what were good intentions....

gig5

And why can't the feedback system be anonymous?

isellhondas

That article is 100% accurate except I never "begged" for a perfect survey.

Stores live and die by survey scores and anything less than a perfect score is considered a FAILURE! Yes, it's a totally unfair system and it's not right but this is the way it is.

I always maintained some of the top scores in the store where I worked but once in a great while, I would get thrashed on a survey. When this happened it was ALWAYS from a person who had ground every penny out of the deal and made the process miserable.

Would I go to bat for that customer when they demanded we fix a problem out of warranty? Take a guess!

gig5

Looks like we can all agree that the system is broken. When a simple survey turns a good experience into a bad experience for both parties, that's a problem. I have no doubt that customer surveys started out of good intentions, but now the system is broken, and has become part of the reason that some don't like the car buying experience. I HAD a good experience that I naively thought I conveyed in the survey. All perfect ratings, but the one "No", despite my glowing comments about the great job the salesperson did to resolve the minor issues turned my positive feedback into FAILURE, and backlash form the dealer.

stever

Probably would be a good idea to send an email to customer support. Maybe if enough buyers do this, or refuse to send in any survey, the manufacturers would figure out a better plan - like a live phone call or txt.

Here's a good recent post from an insider.

antique48

They begged, over and over, then...
I GOT A DEALER SHAKE DOWN ASKING FOR MORE MONEY!
That's what I got after my sale, when I went in to pick up the agreed on accessories,
THAT I ALREADY PAID FOR!
Said they would give them to me free of charge only after I promised to leave a good survey.
C'mon FORD! Dealer's can't do this to their customers. I'm ANGRY!
They tried to say I agreed on a different part, a part we thoroughly discussed, repeatedly, in great detail!
The part agreed on was to be the same as what was on my trade, duh.
The sales manager shook my hand, then pulled this malarky.
Totally dishonest, and totally ruined the experience!
I am a man of my word, I will leave a good survey because I reluctantly shook on it, then I will write a complaint when I get my parts.

stwawk

I take issue with the insistence that a salesperson be given all 10's on a survey, regardless of how they perform. If we acquiesce to this nonsense, aren't we just condoning an unfair practice? I just purchased a new Acura MDX from an Acura dealer. The salesperson was "ok." She wasn't exactly fantastic, and she surely wasn't the best I've ever come across during a car buying experience. She did not go out of her way to do anything, and after the sale was not very communicative or responsive to my inquiries. Instead of replying to my questions, she sends me a reply telling me she needs the second key to the car I traded. I'm supposed to get this person a 10? Right. Dream on...

laurenbourke

I feel terrible because our car salesman called and said that they have in their records that the survey had been mailed out last month, but either we didn't receive it or it went out with the junk mail. I requested another one to be sent from the dealer, but he wasn't sure that it could be done. Is there anything else I can do? I'd really like to help our salesman out as he did a great job at helping us into our new vehicle. Thank you for any help!!

ddddd71

I'll give my salesman all 5's that he asked for, but I've already posted a bad review on Yelp. The finance manager lied to me. He told me Arizona requires all new cars to have vin etch on the windshield. I looked it up today after I got home and the dealer is only required to make the buyer aware of it. I'm ticked! The a-hole even tried to trick me into financing with them for lower rate by charging me for oil change service. I told him "I"m not financing oil changes." Supposedly, even if the low score is about the finance process, the salesman still gets dinged for it. This is a stupid system.

thebean

I was very pleased that the only mention of the survey during my recent Honda purchase was when the finance manager told me she wanted to make me aware that any score less than a 5 on the survey was a "fail".  That's it - no begging, no asking how I was going to rate them, no guilt.  The experience was good enough that I gave them all 5's with no prompting.  And I posted a positive review on the Edmunds dealer page.

A far cry from when I bought a Honda from another dealership in 2002, they said the only way they would take the deal I offered was if I promised to give all top marks on the survey.  I kept my word but never set foot into that dealership again.  

isellhondas

Teachers and engineers were the worst. They seemed to feel that no matter how great their experience was there is ALWAYS some room for improvement.

I know some stores in my area were offering a free tank of gas for a perfect survey and I'm sure a lot of unhappy customers sold themselves out for that tank of gas.

I sometimes would tell a customer that I would rather not sell a car than to have a customer leave unhappy and I meant it!

zenslapped

Some dealerships, like the one I work at, even structure their pay plan around CSI. Below average CSI = less money for you... significantly less. If the dealership suffers, you do too! Not to say I cant blame them either, but the problem is there are so few questions on these surveys that have anything to do with the salesperson. It's not my fault that you went into the bathroom five minutes after the big 250 pound guy waiting in service blew it up and clogged the toilet - so you score me a 2 on cleanliness of the facilities. Nor is it my fault that you learned the next day that you can get gap insurance for $200 cheaper with your own insurance agent than what you paid for at the dealer, so you give us low marks regarding the finance office because you now feel that he was out to rip you off. I work for a brand that will pay a factory bonus to the salespeople for hitting the minimum CSI - which in this case happens to be a 940! The amount they pay ranges anywhere from $50 to $200 depending on the number of new car deliveries reported in your name for the month; and if you dont make that mark, you get nothing... not half, not a dollar - nothing. It's like your teacher telling you that if you score less than a 94 on a test, then you fail - and yet you don't even take the whole test! Your pass or fail scoring system is based on the answers other students gave on the test! Oh, and they (CSI scores) are all averaged. So, if you sell five customers who all gave you a perfect 1,000 and one grumpy customer gives you say a 600, then you get absolutely no credit for the five others who felt like you did a great job. Another thing about the brand I work for is they do a three month rolling average. Under this system, if one particularly nasty customer decides to really slam a dealer on a survey and give very low scores across the board for everything (say like a 250 score - and I have seen this happen to salespeople more times than I care to think about) then they make it practically impossible to qualify for a large majority of their income for THREE MONTHS! Something to think about the next time that poor salesman begs for perfect survey scores after working a 70 hour work week at his dealer trying to make a living in an industry with ever dwindling profit margins and commissions.

thebean

Career change??

stever

Class action suit?

isellhondas

Had the store where I worked had a program like that I would have quit.

I always maintained some of the highest scores in our store but once in awhile someone would trash me.

Usually some miserable person who ground the last penny out of the deal.

stever

"Subaru of America filed a federal lawsuit against one of its California dealerships and its employees, accusing them of forging more than 200 customer satisfaction surveys to improve the dealership’s reputation and avoid termination."

Subaru sues Calif. dealership, claims it filed false customer surveys (Automotive News)

Note these surveys were the manufacturer ones, not reviews that consumers post here or on the other "survey" sites like Yelp or DealerRater. The "independent" review sites have various methods they use to try to weed out this kind of fraud.

isellhondas

Honda used to mail the surveys directly to the customers but for the past few years, they call on the phone.

And, they call and call until they finally reach someone.

I've heard that some stores would tell the customers to bring the blank survey to them in return for a tank of gas.

Funny how an unhappy customer who may have been mistreated will sell themselves out for a tank of gas!

stever

Ford Dealership Bans Another Customer For Imperfect Survey Responses (consumerist.com)

isellhondas

It's a lousy system to be sure.

I used to get high survey scores but once in awhile I would get a bad one. The customer thought he paid too much, noticed a scratch on a fender that wasn't there when I delivered the car etc.

I would much rather not sell a car than to get a bad survey!

stever

You'll get your revenge:

"Imagine every interaction you’ve ever had suddenly open to the scrutiny of the Internet public.

“People do so much research when they buy a car or make those kinds of decisions,” said Julia Cordray, one of the app’s founders. “Why not do the same kind of research on other aspects of your life?”

Everyone you know will be able to rate you on the terrifying ‘Yelp for people’ — whether you want them to or not (Washington Post)

daveblat

This is an terrible practice! It servers no one well. I just feel terrible that i answered the survey honestly only to have my salesperson text me the next morning with a disheartening comment. I felt really bad. Don't understand how the heads of these corporations would engage in such a sadistic tactic. Car salespeople around the country should revolt!

isellhondas

The pressure to have high survey scores is constant. Terrible system!

karhill1

As a car buyer, I would prefer to be asked about the dealer(s) I did not buy from. The OEMs would learn much valuable information and we buyers would have a nice forum to vent as there is little worse than having spent hours at a bad car dealership.

Honestly, I do not believe I have ever bought a vehicle where everything was so good to warrant all 10s. There is always something amiss. Usually, the typical low ball trade offer or the incessant up selling in any dealer's F&I office. For me, an accountant, it is the F&I person who is usually the "bad apple" in the dealership. I guess than comes with their task, increasing profit on the back end.

Regardless, recognizing the significance of the CSI to the sales person, I almost always give all 10s. Really, I must have been pleased since I bought a vehicle so I must have been OK with the sales staff.

One case, not so long ago at a Honda dealer, everything was good enough to warrant 10s until the F&I office. This dealer's F&I person insisted on a monthly price which was $10 higher than it should have been. I guess this guy failed to recognize I am an accountant. After a a somewhat lengthy discussion, the F&I person revealed he had added some insurance into the payment. He said two things. First, he said "everyone buys it." Second, he said "you got a great deal, you have to give me something."

In this case, I could not justifiably award all 10s. I got a nice chuckle as, after the CSI, the F&I person had to contact me for some small issue. He did not say much, but he was very polite.

I did note, a couple of years later, I bought another Honda from the same dealer and noted the F&I person from the prior buy was no longer employed by the dealer.

isellhondas

The trouble is, the servey only affects the salesperson and the store. Not the F&I person. If you were that unhappy, you could have simply made a written comment to that effect.

If enough people complain about a pushy or, in your case, a crooked F&I person they won't last long.

suydam

But the survey has a place to rate the F and I. if they are truly terrible (mine was) it's hard to rate them a 10.

carbuyer77550

I recently bought a 2016 Volkswagen Passat. My salesperson told me she would not get her bonus unless I scored her all 10's. Her service was great. When I got the survey, it asked me questions about her which I gave 10's, but it also asked questions that were outside of my interaction with her and I didn't rate 10's on two of those questions (like was I happy with the time I spent with the finance person). My salesperson called to ask me if I was not happy. I told I was and she proceeded to tell me she wasn't going to get her bonus because I didn't rate all 10's. This totally turned me off. I at first felt guilty, but latter got mad. I feel the customer should not have to know her bonus problems. Wish I read this article before my purchase!

kyfdx

carbuyer77550 said:

I recently bought a 2016 Volkswagen Passat. My salesperson told me she would not get her bonus unless I scored her all 10's. Her service was great. When I got the survey, it asked me questions about her which I gave 10's, but it also asked questions that were outside of my interaction with her and I didn't rate 10's on two of those questions (like was I happy with the time I spent with the finance person). My salesperson called to ask me if I was not happy. I told I was and she proceeded to tell me she wasn't going to get her bonus because I didn't rate all 10's. This totally turned me off. I at first felt guilty, but latter got mad. I feel the customer should not have to know her bonus problems. Wish I read this article before my purchase!

Don't feel guilty.. It's a stupid system that isn't your problem.

Very unprofessional by the salesperson to contact you.

isellhondas

I agree. VERY unprofessional and that damage can't be undone.

It is a HORRIBLE, FLAWED system but it is what it is!

I can say that my scores were always excellent but once in awhile someone would give me a bad one.

Guess who I wouldn't up to bat for later?

Marinewife1976

This statement taken from above in this article IS NOT TRUE. I did a survey after trading in a car and buying a new one. I was happy about every part of the deal except working with the Sales Manager. When I did the survey and came to the section for my comments, I specifically said my complaint was only about the few moments I spent with the Sales Manager, the salesman and everyone else I dealt with were absolutely wonderful. A few weeks later, my salesman called me and asked why I had given such a bad survey. I told him exactly what I did and he said that was enough to give the whole dealership a bad mark. So this statement that I copied and pasted below is not true.

Within the survey, there are ways to voice complaints without affecting the salesperson's pay. At the end of CSI surveys, there is a comment section for the car shopper to address any concerns that may have come up while doing the deal. These comments do not affect the overall scoring of the salesperson.

jipster

gig5 said:

Unfortunately I read this article too late. I purchased a BMW (certified pre-owned) recently and was begged by the sales person to complete the online survey that he told me would be sent. When I stopped by to pick-up my license plates I saw my sales person again, he added a couple of interior items that were missing that I had emailed him about in the interim (very minor stuff), and he again begged me to complete the survey and to be sure to enter all 10s (excellent ratings). Typically I never complete survey's whether I have a good or bad experience, but in this case I had a good experience, and my salesman seemed to be a good guy, so I decided to complete the survey. I gave all perfect scores of 10, indicated that I would definitely recommend the dealership, etc. BUT, there was one part that I answered "No", something about was the care delivered free of defects, then in the comments I stated how the issues were very minor and how the sale person did a great job of resolving the issues, and how I was very satisfied. Great feedback, right? WRONG!!!! That one "No", despite the glowing description of how great the sales person was in the comments, definitely changed my relationship with the sales person and the dealership. And now I have a bit of a situation on my hands. Let's just say I'm not expecting a christmas card from anyone at the dealer this year.

You ever get that Christmas card?

HonestConsumer

Why even bother with a survey if you cannot be honest? Did the dealership/owner of dealership ever think to blame themselves when a perfect "10" is NOT achieved? The salesperson is employed by them and they basically tell the salesperson how to be. Maybe people get just a little sick and tired of the game that the dealerships all seem to want to play. I, personally, HATE the process of purchasing a vehicle. I would rather take a whipping than deal with the dealership and car salespeople and their counterparts.