Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Customer Satisfaction Surveys

12357…10

Comments

  • rroyce10rroyce10 Member Posts: 9,332
    **The company is DENYING similar awards to dealerships in the bottom 10 % of toyotas customer satisfaction index**

            Now there's a news flash ... they been playing Ma Barker with the Yota dealers since 99 ...

                                 Terry.
  • bobstbobst Member Posts: 1,776
    Yes, I think the CSI survey is a very good way for me to grade my satisfaction with the car buying experience.

    If your company decides to interpret a 'very good' as a failing score, that is their perogative. Some companies demand a lot from their employees. That's none of my business.

    I have been buying cars for over 30 years, and it seems like the sales people these days are much nicer and more professional than they used to be. Maybe that is due in part to the CSI surveys. Maybe it is because selling cars has gotten to be a lot more fun that it was before. Whatever it is, sales people are very nice these days.
  • boomer1bboomer1b Member Posts: 316
    I had NO problem marking "completely satisfied" on my GM surveys for all questions for my 03 Deville or 04 Chevy truck deals........

    Because I WAS !.....Everbody knew from the get go that I was a GM employee buyer and KNEW what I wanted. NO drive this , test that, hem, haw, may be buying in a week, month, year BS..........

    BTW: a slow Tuesday PM with appt.

    Appraise my trade, YUP, that Crimson Pearl Deville is the one I WANT TODAY !
    Appraisal done, Terry said $XXXX trade value over at RWTV .........Dealer hit it dead on !

    Test drive time.........Overnite if necessary, Heres the keys, Just Call if you wanna keep it over nite......IF No shakes, broken buttons, assembly problems, etc..............

    Off to the F&I guy.....Yup, NO extras sir.
    Whats your best interest rate ? 2.9% GMAC COOL,
    my bank 3.25%. Print the papers...........

    Check figures carefully....Sign where necessary !
    Thanks have a great day..............

    The GM CSI survey ? YUP, know all about it !
    YUP, Will fix you up with TOP marks "completely satisfied"...........
    Free oil change and a tank of $50 gas NO problem!

    You guys still doing the $100 bird dog deal?
    Cool, auntie needs a new GM car shortly.....
    See ya soon !........
  • peterdh2000peterdh2000 Member Posts: 54
    making an analogy to product liability:

    there are two certainties: 1) car manufacturers have control over the design and building of their cars; and 2) consumers crash these cars as an inevitable incident of driving them.

    courts and legislatures quickly realized that there were two choices to mitigate losses: 1) find some way to force consumers to crash cars less; or 2) legislate that manufacturers make cars that were safer in these crashes, and make them liable for injuries when they failed to do so.

    suggesting that it is the consumer's responsibility to fix the faulty survey system is conceptually the same as a manufacturer telling drivers that it is their fault the car exploded in an accident because the consumer shouldn't have crashed it that way.

    in tort law products liability, the burden is almost always on the party who is best able to control the loss. this has caused the brilliant minds at auto manufacturers to bring us airbags, ABS, stability control, collapsible steering columns, crumple zones, etc. to protect the lowly, silly, lowest-common- denominator consumer who pays for a safe car.

    it sucks that salespeople are caught in the middle, but if they want change, they should spend their time trying to influence those who are truly responsible for and able to fix the problem.
  • alfoxalfox Member Posts: 708
    If someone asks my opinion and gives me a scale to use in my answer, I will use it. If they tell me it's a 5-point scale, but secretly score it as a 2-point scale, then that is their problem - they are victimizing themselves with their own lie. I fail to see why I should participate in this buffoonery.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,148
    but wouldn't it just be in the salesperson's best interest to say near the beginning of the deal, "It's very important to me and to my manager that I earn an 'excellent' score in all categories on the survey that you'll receive about this experience. If at any time you think I'm not earning an excellent grade, please let me know."

    First, this lets the customer know that the survey is important to you. Second, it lets the customer know that you want to earn those marks and not just be given the marks. We all feel that the system is flawed, but if a statement as above is made near the beginning of the process, I don't feel pressured or like my arm is being twisted at the end - thus, I'm more likely to give the highest grade.

    kirstie_h
    Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
    Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
    Share your vehicle reviews

  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    That salesperson was a complete idiot for saying what he said. I'm ashamed to sell the same make.
  • andyman73andyman73 Member Posts: 322
    Exactly one week ago, I picked up wife's new 04 Merc. Sable LS premium wagon. The whole sales experience was a breeze. Sales Rep "C" was very pleasant and personable. She called us Mr. and Mrs. until we were more comfortable, and when it was apparent, then used our familiar names. Never mentioned selling anything extra, except for a few things that had a paper that we had to sign, saying she explained and offered these services to us. We get free lifetime oil change, inspection, and car wash(as often as 3 times week.). Tax, tags and title was @30G, ourprice, 16Gs. However, we are Ford Z plan qualified, so that makes a difference. We told sales rep that we were Z plan shoppers, and sales rep went right to the meat of things. NO haggling or anything. All discounts and rebates(6G worth) right up front. Sales rep called all over the state(PA) and found 4, two of which were gone before calls were returned. Sales rep kept calling until contact was made. The owner/partner of dealership even did the DX run. Everyone likes the car, and we are quite happy. Oh, by the way, the 16Gs is the full amount w/interest included, if we pay out full term of loan. My only complaint is, there were a few nice display models to tempt us, ie: Aviator, Lincoln LS sedan, Mountaineer AWD Premier, a fully restored 62 Monterey convert, and a Marauder. Then again, they helped pass time while waiting on call backs.

    This pleasant experience can be had at Lancaster Lincoln Mercury, in Lancaster, Pa. They never mentioned survey. I asked sales rep, said three to four weeks, I said, top marks, you earned them.
  • manamalmanamal Member Posts: 426
    Hereis my opinion why CSIs are stupid: For the most part, if I were to give a low score, I would walk first.

    I do not understand why people have so little respect for themselves to put up with poor service.

    (oy...that last line reads like something Isell would write).
  • mirthmirth Member Posts: 1,212
    It's the "let's just get through this and never come back" attitude. People figure they would have a bad experience at ANY dealer so they put up with the junk and just wait until they can leave with the car. I personally would walk, but I understand the attitude.
  • alfoxalfox Member Posts: 708
    but it goes further. I read about people in markets where there are a dozen dealers to choose from. Well, it ain't that way here. I have 2 VW dealers within 25 miles, and I already go to the farther one because of the attitude at the nearer. If I really want a VW, I will probably put up with a bit more annoyance than if there were more dealers. Same is true of essentially all makes - as big as this town is, there are no more than 2 (or 3 at the most) of each make within a 30+ minute drive. I don't want to inconvenoence myself any further than that, so I put up with the selection.

    There are two dealers here I will not use based on past experiences, but the others range from somewhat annoying to pretty good. I've learned to deal with the "somewhat annoying" stores. A positive on my part attitude helps greatly.
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    It is unreasonable altogether.
    What is the intention of the survey?

    As far as I know, surveys were supposed to be used as a tool for gathering information so that the manufacturer+dealer can learn how to improve the buying experience.

    Giving a 5/5 to me means that there is no room for improvement. The buying process was PERFECT. That is totally wrong. There is ALWAYS room for improvement. If there were not, we would still be riding the morris minor from 1952.
  • alfoxalfox Member Posts: 708
    if I came away completely satisfied in all areas, I might well want to give them all 5's. To me a 5 doesn't mean perfection, but that the service met my expectations in the top 20 percent. An "A" is not 100%, buy usually 93-100%.

    My problem is that when the service is only a "B" I have no way of telling the dealer that "well your finance guy was pretty good, but I would have liked it better if he backed off a bit on the extended warranty pitch. I'd give him a 4", or whatever.

    In a situation like that, if I felt strongly enough about it when I got the CSI card I would probably take it into the store and ask to meet with the GM, and tell him exactly how I felt about the F&I guy, and why some improvement would be to their benefit, and then fill out the card with all 5's to keep from gaffing them with a defacto "zero."
  • mirthmirth Member Posts: 1,212
    ...but I have trouble making time to get to the dealer (or mechanic) just for my oil changes, never mind trying to fix their customer service. Takes a customer two seconds to mark a "3" or a "4" on a survey, substantially longer to actually work out the problem with the dealer. People are lazy (or to be more charitable, they have bigger priorities).
  • alfoxalfox Member Posts: 708
    And that's exactly as it should be. Manufacturers have to change, not us.
  • laroy76laroy76 Member Posts: 12
    Honda has recently cracked down on the practice of bribes for survey scores. Honda has said that they will ask customers during the phone survey if they were coached in any way prior to taking the survey. If the customer hints that there was a bribe or coaching was involved Honda will come down hard on the dealer. They take away bonus programs for all levels of management, including owners. Honda will also take away a dealership's chance for incentives and award programs. Trust me, there isn't any salesperson who wants to get called into the GM's office to have that talk.
  • wibblewibble Member Posts: 569
    "I have 2 VW dealers within 25 miles"

    TWO!! You lucky so and so. If there is a franchise at all in this town it's the only one for at least 90 miles. Everyone marks up above MSRP and "discount" is a four letter word!

    Anyway, my own CSI story from the sales persons side. I sold someone a G35 sedan. He was really happy with the deal he got, the way he treated and the car itself. Did my follow up call. No problems. Loved us, loved the car. 100% guaranteed on the CSI. Couple of months go by and one morning I come in and get dragged into the GM's office. This guys survey had come in and it's 55%, the worst the dealership had ever got. The gentlemans problem? He'd taken the car to ANOTHER dealer for his first service and instead of getting an Infiniti loaner they'd given him a rental Pontiac instead. I called him and he was all apologies but his sales survey was there waiting for him the day he'd got the Pontiac. Of course, rather than waiting for the service survey from the other dealer he decided to take it out on us instead. Of course, that one survey killed my CSI average for the quarter (had been 99.8%) and cost me my unit bonus, over 18 CSI bonus' and my quarterly CSI bonus; close to $3500 in total.
  • SylviaSylvia Member Posts: 1,636
    I WAS asked if I was coached and answered honestly on that question as I did on the rest of the questions. A friend of mine bought from the same dealer this summer (late July) and had the exact same experience.
  • andyman73andyman73 Member Posts: 322
    They say that truth is stranger than fiction. It never ceases to amaze me at the level of ignorance of some people. Instead of waiting for the correct survey, he outright lied, and marked you and your dealer instead. Is there anyway you can fight that with the home office? I understand you probably can't do anything about igmos(ignorant morons) that come to your dealer and give you bad marks. It would be just as ignorant if there is no way to defend yourself against folks that lie and didn't even come to your dealer. You have my sympathy. 3500 clams is a big pill to swallow.
  • KCRamKCRam Member Posts: 3,516
    I find some irony that people who put up with the poor customer service at dealerships are probably the same people who will haul butt back to a fast-food drive-thru if their fries are missing.

    Too many of the consumer advocacy groups promote the "victim" mentality when buying cars. "You will get taken... unless you follow MY method!" So it's no surprise that these same customers feel pressured by the CSI survey.The "I have the car, it's ok, it's over with" thoughts creep in, so giving a passing-grade survey will hopefully keep the dealer away in the future... saying anything else might mean follow-up and having to rehash/relive the whole ordeal all over again.

    kcram
    Host
    Smart Shopper and Wagons Message Boards
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    That is just plain rotten and exactly why I hate the survey process.
  • art_vandelayart_vandelay Member Posts: 45
    Just curious... how long after a new car purchase are folks receiving these surveys in the mail?
  • pernaperna Member Posts: 521
    The surveys come *roughly* a month later, depending on the manufacturer.

    Wibble - that's horrible. I'd visit the guy and put a $3,500 hole in his car.

    Kidding, kidding.. but it disgusts me that someone with the income to buy a $30,000+ vehicle (the G35 is one of my favorites) could be so ignorant. More money than brains, apparantly.
  • dbwordgirldbwordgirl Member Posts: 18
    why someone would buy a car at a dealership if they weren't completely satisfied with the sales staff.

    I can answer that, at least for myself. I bought my first new car at the local Saturn dealership and got royally hammered. ("I didn't say that," hidden charges, etc.) I was completely blindsided because I was naive, PLUS I was in a bind and had to purchase a vehicle that day, so I bought it.

    Over the next five years, the service department at that dealership gave me top-notch service. They were reliable, reasonable and trustworthy. They earned my trust.

    When it came time to buy a new vehicle, I went back to that dealership knowing full well what I was going to be facing. (The info on this board helped me immensely.) I did it because I knew the car would be serviced there, and I thought the service department had "earned" my business.

    The salesman was very, very nice - honest (as I knew, because of all the info I got here), low-key, and very much in the mold of the salespeople Saturn features in their commercials. But the utter *jerk* who'd messed me over so badly on the first deal was now the GM. He pulled all the tricks - slashed the allowance for my trade-in (not so fast, I have it in writing) loaded on the fees, attempted to browbeat me, etc. I very nearly walked out - but instead I just insisted on the deal we'd already agreed to. (Which was fair, especially since my dad was buying me an extended warranty - I know, I know, but he wanted to do it)

    I didn't walk out because I knew the car would be serviced there, and I knew that cars bought there were always serviced first. Plus, as I said, the service department had earned my loyalty.

    I guess you could say to this point it was "perfect" - I didn't allow them to pull any last-minute tricks and I paid a fair price - but as a coup de grace, I found out later that week that they had hopelessly snarled up the paperwork and that my car was now titled in my dad's name. It cost us more than $100 to straighten out (they refused to) and there are still repercussions.

    When the survey arrived I called "Tom," the salesman, and asked him what he wanted me to do. There was no way I could give the experience perfect marks. Reading this board, I realized that anything less than perfect would blow right back on him. If he'd asked me to lie, I might have considered it - he was a nice guy.

    He said "Lose it." So that's what I did ... and the three other copies Saturn sent to my house, the last with a pretty tin of cookies.

    I ate the cookies, though. Was that wrong?
  • prophet2prophet2 Member Posts: 372
    ...... that the "jerk" moved up to GM, while the nice guys seem to just move on!

    Or, is it just "business" operating here? The great "bottom lines" of jerks equate "keepers."
  • andyman73andyman73 Member Posts: 322
    I filled out one the other week from Mercury. No gimmicks or special incentives. Sales rep recieved top marks, because she earned them. I would have tossed it out, if part of the process had been tainted by someone else. Maybe should have held out for some cookies. :)
  • boomchekboomchek Member Posts: 5,516
    Being a car salesman for less than a year (Honda) I find the meeting/greeting question is a bit flawed.

    I regularly get brushed off with "I'm just looking, just browsing, don't need help, etc.." or I get ignored completely even when I politely approach a customer and introduce myself. Yet when I don't approach a customer right away because I want to give them some space (I'm easy going, no high pressure) I get a bad score because I didn't greet them right away, or nobody talked to them in the first 5 minutes.

    It is something to remember when coming and shopping for a car and probably the biggest reason that customers feel "intimidated" when 3 different sales people approach them on one lot. It's only because we want to make sure you have been helped and have been looked after.

    2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX

  • wilkens11wilkens11 Member Posts: 48
    A customer who ignores you completely when you try to greet them is either paying you one of the gravest insults possible, or they see you as an exhibit, like an animal in a zoo.

    There's probably some history to such a customer; they've had some prior experience that makes them act that way. Apparently there are one or two "bad" people in the car industry giving everyone a bad name.

    One salesman I knew said that every obstacle is an opportunity. And I know he's right, because he owns a Porsche. (He was also our CEO for a short time: he was in charge of finding a new CEO, and so in a fit of modesty, he selected himself.)
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,148
    OK, the conversation has drifted far enough off the subject title. Let's continue talking about the survey process in here.

    kirstie_h
    Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
    Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
    Share your vehicle reviews

  • capitanocapitano Member Posts: 509
    These stories will find a way...
  • boomer1bboomer1b Member Posts: 316
    Months ago when I got my new Chevy truck.

    Dealer gave me a ton of goodies: gas and a few free oil changes for a excellent CSI score.

    Matter of fact...I am ready for another free one! LOL !
  • 1racefan1racefan Member Posts: 932
    I have taken my vehicle in for service 3 times now since I have had it. The first time was for a warranty issue, and the second and third just for an oil change (although a recall issue came up with the third visit that they fixed while I was there). After the first and second visit, I received the customer survey asking about my visit to the service department. I gave them straight 10's, as I was very happy with the service, plus these guys are really a pleasure to deal with. Yesterday I was there again for my oil change (visit #3), and the recall issue came up, and they fixed it immediately. After they finished, the service manager approached me and said that I would be getting a survey, and if I would fill it out with all 10s, and return it to him (instead of mailing it in), he would give me either a free oil change, or a free car wash. I noticed in the past, the surveys specifically say to mail them to the survey company, NOT to the dealership. It struck me as odd that he would want me to bring it to him, unless he wanted to possibly add or change some of the responses around and then him mail it in??? Anyone heard of this?
  • capitanocapitano Member Posts: 509
    That's what we've been talking about in this thread. The manufacturers are all gonzo for these surveys and hold their dealerships to impossible standards. So the dealerships are working within this system as best they can by skewing the results. It is telling that this survey stuff is so important that dealerships feel compelled to offer freebies in order to get the good scores. Note that the emphasis is on compensating you for a good survey, not actually trying to earn a good survey with their service.
  • michaellnomichaellno Member Posts: 4,120
    Where I work, we send out a survey after each support call. Many of the ratings are from 1-10, with 1 being poor and 10 being excellent.

    However, we are "graded" (such as it is), on only one question:

    How satisfied were you with the overall support experience?

    For this question, the ranking is from 1 to 5. It is translated like this:

    5 (Very Satisfactory) - 100%
    4 (Satisfactory) - 75%
    3 (Neutral) - 50%
    2 (Dissatisfactory) - 25%
    1 (Very Dissatisfactory) - 0%

    So, a weighted average is calculated. If I get 10 survey results with 9 of them being 5 and 1 of them being a 3, it looks like this:

    ((9 x 100) + (1 x 50) / 10) = 95%

    Seems pretty straightforward. YTD, my stats are:

    Rating Number of Cases
    Very Dissatisfactory 0
    Dissatisfactory 2
    Neutral 2
    Satisfactory 26
    Very Satisfactory 113
        Total Cases = 143
        Index = 93.7063

    This way, it's not a pass/fail, where the "fail" threshhold is any rating 4 or lower.
  • rroyce10rroyce10 Member Posts: 9,332
    .. **All of my automobile transaction have taken less than four hours **

     

                 I think you just answered your own questions .... 4 hours is a loooong time to be into negotiations, maybe it's the store, maybe it's the product or, maybe it's just you .. my last boat was, well lets just say, it was expensive and it didn't take me 2 hours stem to stern and everything was done except for the water test and that was done a week later when it was finally prept , and that didn't take an hour ....

     

                  The survey programs stink, bottom line .. but thats all the manufacturers can come up with, in the meantime, the dealers take all the heat, the aggravation and of course, all the one on one paperwork and handling the pre and post sale situations ... if you feel comfortable with the dealer and the salesman, then give them good marks - the pricing part is something else ....

     

                    If it's okay for you to spend $3,000 on a living room set and the furniture dealer makes a $1,500++ profit, then don't shoot the Auto dealer for trying to make $300 on a $20,000 investment ~ it's just business ............ :)

     

                                       Terry.
  • inukeu2inukeu2 Member Posts: 23
    Four hours was for everything out the door. Three test drives (two models for me and one for my wife) a visit with the service advisor and the rest in filling out paperwork. I think any sales person would give up four hours for $1500.00 over invoice. The fact remains if I don't feel 100% satisfied when I walk away from a deal the chances are good that I'm not going back. That's a survey in itself.

     

    I will concede this. Human nature is to transfer perceived flaws onto other aspects of the deal. If there's a scratch in the paint and it isn't noticed until after delivery it's human nature to project the bad feelings onto other parts of the deal. I may get the best price in the world but if there's a chip in the paint when I get home I'm still going to inherently feel that I got a bad deal and maybe not go back.

     

    Would I want my job to depend on some survey that isn't necessarily representative? We all do. If your customers are happy, they'll be back. The cream rises to the top. So that's what my whole point boils down to. Do we need a survey? No, sales numbers will speak for themselves. My guess is that the manufacturers came up with these surveys to find out where the weak link in the system was. It just isn't a very useful tool at finding it.

     

    If I'm a good salesman and I've really nailed a deal for both sides there's no way I should have to convince someone to give me high marks.

     

    inukeu2
  • rroyce10rroyce10 Member Posts: 9,332
    **I may get the best price in the world but if there's a chip in the paint when I get home I'm still going to inherently feel that I got a bad deal ..... **

     

                I think your being honest here and that's the problem with surveys: "human nature and emotion" and obviously the manufacturers leave no room for it and it's the biggest issue ...

     

                   Maybe it has a scratch, maybe the "ding" was acquired by their 3 year old son and his bike, maybe the guy he works with has nails in his back pockets or just maybe someone got a little close at the Burger King and skinned the wheels .. I probably spend $1,000 a month on just floor mats that kinda ended up with a burn (even though they came out of a sealed bag) a detail because someone felt the new vehicle wasn't done right (even though it rained 10 minutes after they left) touch-up, body scratches and "dings" (even though the Mrs tells me he did it at the company Xmas party) and another $25 in fuel, even though I filled it myself the first time (it must have evaporated) but if it's going to save a survey.!

     

                 Also on that note, dealers are held "captive" by 3rd party "opinions" ... the customer gets the vehicle home and his neighbor tells him he spent $2,000 too much (how would he know, he drives an 8 year old Cavalier) his boss says "he knows" the dealer personally (really.? it like winning the Apprentice, now every dealer has more Aunts, cousins and "bestest of friends" that he could ever want, or need) .. maybe the buyer has a little credit problem, maybe the Credit Cards are on tilt and the manufacturer won't approve that 1.9% - of course, the dealer has to call the customer back and redo the contract and plug-in the 5.9%, thats always good for a great survey (cough) ... 20+ years I've been in this business, and I still haven't meet anyone with bad credit, it's just that their credit bureau's are bad ..l.o.l.... $1,500 profit.? the average dealer usually has to average $2,500 per unit to even break air, so you did fine - the furniture dealer made more than that on your dining room set ............................. ;)

     

                                                    Terry.
  • bobstbobst Member Posts: 1,776
    When we bought our Honda in 1999 we were happy to get the price we wanted, but I didn't like the way we were treated. I truly enjoyed giving them zeros on some items of the survey and including a long comment describing the ways they had tried to cheat us.

     

    When we bought our Acura last year, we were treated wonderfully, but then we didn't get a survey. I had to call Acura to tell them how pleased we were with the dealer. Life ain't fair, is it?
  • kscctsksccts Member Posts: 140
    Once again, for the life of me, I can't figure out why people buy cars from salesmen/dealers they don't like or that they feel didn't treat them well. They grind a dealer down to low dollar and then complain about the way they were treated. If price is your sole reason for purchasing from a certain salesman/dealer and they meet your deal, then quit complaining and whining about how you were treated.
  • inukeu2inukeu2 Member Posts: 23
    blh7068

     

    We did buy the car. I guess I should have said "... if I don't feel 100% satisfied when I CLOSE the deal the chances are that I'm not going back." We're happy with the car I liked the experience for the most part. I thought the sales MANAGER was a stand up guy. I just felt slimy when the salesman induced all of the drama into the negotiations. SO my overall feeling is above average. I won't tell my friends I had a bad experience or paid too much because I didn't.

     

    It was a simple negotiation that ultimately put us in a new car. Now I feel both sides got a fair deal. I have known well to do individuals that use their "starving kids" or "nagging wife" as a negotiation tool. That's ridiculous.

     

    Why do I buy a car from a dealership if I'm not completely, 100% satisfied? because they're the only dealership (for this brand) in 120 miles. I do believe in supporting the local economy to some degree. If the difference (in price) is substantially more at my home town dealership I guess I would buy from one of the dealerships in the larger market 120 miles away. However, one of the other premium dealerships in town has a bad reputation for slighting the customer that didn't buy from them on service. That is to say they may not provide a loaner car for scheduled service, they may not provide the added little touches that they would to customers that bought from them. They still do the required service as dictated by the manufacturer but...

     

    At that point if I had bought from a distant dealership all I would like is for somebody to ask me "why did we not get your business"?

     

    I'm happy with the dealership we bought from. I didn't even threaten to cross-shop the distant dealership. In fact I went through the dealership's lending company because MY bank couldn't compete on the rate.

     

    I'm glad that you guys have responded so well to my initial question. I've gotten another side of the story. I guess your industry is susceptible to a lot of misconceptions. That is wrong.

     

    As for the furniture analogy (rroyce10) I don't have your answer. There are people that we know that will go to the furniture store and get manufacturer information and call the factory to order their stuff. It takes six months to make it from the factory in the southeast U.S. but they have the satisfaction of getting what they want at a severely discounted price. Also, I know that dealerships are shifting their profit margin to the service department. My couch did not need a $700.00 30k mi. maintenance like the dodge ram.

     

    Now don't go getting me wrong. I paid what I paid. I'm a capitalist. "Whatever the market will bare" is a good mantra. If the furniture manufacturers had their invoice price listed on the internet I'm sure they wouldn't be happy. Maybe it's economy of scale. The higher ticket items are going to get more attention.

     

    Thanks for responding

     

    inukeu2
  • bobstbobst Member Posts: 1,776
    If you hear about someone "complaining and whining about how they were treated", be sure to give them a piece of my mind. Don't like them people who do that stuff.

     

    In fact, it easy to understand why some of us buy cars from people we don't like. All we care about is the price.

     

    However, if the manufacturer asks us to describe how we were treated, then we should give an honest answer, shouldn't we?
  • oregonboyoregonboy Member Posts: 1,650
    Bob, you amaze me. You hang out on these boards where the auto pros frequently take swipes at you, (all in good fun, I am sure), but they never lay a glove on you.

     

    Like water off a duck's back. If you could bottle your attitude, you could make millions.

     

    james
  • bobstbobst Member Posts: 1,776
    I learn from the best.

     

    Napoleon Bonaparte - "If you only fight a defensive war, the only outcome will be defeat." Or something to that effect.

     

    Benjamin Disraeli - "Never complain, never explain"

     

    Combine that with a little (or a lot) of Thoreau, and you have more wisdom than I will ever have.
  • ashkashashkash Member Posts: 3
    I purchased a 2005 Honda Odyssey EX from a dealership near New Orleans a couple of weeks ago. I got a good deal through their internet dept. - $26,890 plus tax, and they gave me several dealer-add-on appearance items for free. I was thrilled with the deal - except for my dealings with the business manager. The deal was done entirely over the telephone, without my ever setting foot in the dealership, and my salesperson delivered the van to my home free of charge. But here's where the "bad" part of my experience comes from:

     

    The day of the sale, the business manager called me to discuss loan details & gave me the same line I've read about on other forums - 4.5% (over 60 months) if I don't get the extended warranty, or 2.9% if I do. He told me the difference in my payment would be less than $10, which would pay for the extended warranty (7/70,000), so I'd be wise to get the warranty & the lower interest rate. I quickly added up the warranty price in my head ($9.60 x 60 months = $576) and said "ok". When we got the paperwork & saw the actual cost of the warranty was closer to $1000, we decided against it and felt we had been really misled by this guy. They did end up letting us have the 2.9% rate for 60 months anyway.

     

    Honda called me about a week later to do their customer satisfaction survey - I rated everything about the dealership very highly, except the business manager, explaining that I felt he was dishonest about the warranty cost & the loan. Well, this guy just called me today, accusing me of slandering him! He said he got into trouble with his manager, but since the conversation was recorded, his manager knew "what really happened". Yet, he wants me to go to the dealership to talk to him & his manager about this. I told him I'm not interested, since I know what I said & what I heard (I took notes & even asked him to clarify the monthly payment for the warranty in our initial conversation). He got somewhat ugly with me, going on about how I slandered him, until I finally asked to speak with the manager. After being put on hold for about 5 minutes, I hung up & have yet to hear further from them.

     

    I think I should send a letter to the dealership manager & to Honda about this. Is that going overboard? I just feel like what was really a good buying experience has turned very sour now, and I don't like being treated like this when I've just spent nearly $30,000 with them. Ugh, it just makes my blood boil to deal with people like that.
  • bobstbobst Member Posts: 1,776
    Writing a letter the the dealership and to Honda is not going overboard. Do it.

     

    But why is your blood boiling? You caused the sleazy business manager much more agony than he caused you. By making him realize that he has to suffer because of the way he treated you, he will behave better in the future, making it better for all of the customers who will be dealing with him.

     

    You did a good service for mankind and you should feel proud for standing your ground. Go to Starbucks, get a nice latte, and sit there and feel good about yourself. Be sure to leave a nice tip for the barista.
  • andyman73andyman73 Member Posts: 322
    I second that, Bobst. Definetely write the letter. We had a recent experience. With our purchase, we also were given membership to the "preferred customer club". This gives us a guarenteed loaner, unlimited free car washes and so forth. Wife's car is going in to get checked for a metallic/glass clunking type noise that just showed up. Car has 3K and change on it. Service rep said "we don't do loaners". Called a sales rep, and he said that since we are "club" members, we get a new car loaner. Why couldn't the service rep just ask if we were in the "club"? Is that so hard to do? I hope they give the wife a Montego. I will tell wife to make sure to show the sales rep the "club" card.
  • jhs70jhs70 Member Posts: 213
    The conversation was recorded? Did you consent to this? Who-eee, we sure do have some interesting dealers out there!
  • cadillacmikecadillacmike Member Posts: 543
    Right on boomer! And I'll bet that unlike BMWs and Hondas, being a Cadillac you didn't have to beg / grovel or demand that they "throw in" floor mats, because horror of horrors, the floor mats actually are STANDARD with the car.

     

    I laugh every time I see a post with comments on floormats. And then there was the $6.00 Toyota manuals slip cover. My last car (used), the salesman went out and "scrounged up" a manual set with the covers and a front license plate bracket for me and installed it.

     

    That's customer service - too bad it was a pre-owed and thus no CSI survey.
  • joe210joe210 Member Posts: 1
    Imagine this…….you just put in a hard day’s work, at the end of that day you will be evaluated by everyone you had contact with. Your pay will be determined by these people. You know the questions and feel you have done your best to accommodate everyones needs. But to your surprise you get a pay cut……..why……because one of the people you dealt with hated the fact that you took more then 4 seconds to acknowledge them. Never mind the fact that you were working with people who had to wait 10 seconds more then they did because the previous people you had wanted more of your time.

     

    Bottom line people; give these guys a break, unless you’re perfect in everyway or if they just outright lied about your transaction, give them the scores they need and maybe with your assistance they can aspire to achieve the level of service you expect.
  • bobstbobst Member Posts: 1,776
    Of course, when the salesman tries to cheat us out of an option they had agreed to give us, then he deserves the zero ratings I gladly gave him on several categories.
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles