Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Marketing/Advertising
Customer satisfaction: If they beg, you will listen
Most people that purchase a brand-new car from the dealer lot have heard about the forthcoming customer satisfaction survey that will be mailed to their home. While some dealers will ask you to fairly assess their performance, others will try to manipulate scores with overt suggestions and even begging. A recent study by automotive research firm TrueDelta of 1,700 survey takers showed that nearly half of all dealerships tried to manipulate satisfaction scores, and one in four were asked to provide perfect scores by dealer employees. In the end, all the cajoling worked, as one in eight admitted to inflating their scores at the behest of the dealership. The study also pinpointed which OEM dealers were the worst offenders, and BMW, Hyundai, and Nissan comprised the axis of manipulation.
As the scribes at Automotive News point out, satisfaction scores are big business, and everything from ad support to additional franchise opportunities are rewards for dealerships that score above average in customer satisfaction. Poor scores can result in the cold shoulder from the OEM to the Grim Reaper taking away the right to sell cars. Even when we actually buy a five-figure vehicle off the lot, most dealerships keep the pressure on with additional insurance or warranty coverage, inflated interest rates, and even the satisfaction survey we take months later. It's a wonder buying cars on the Internet isn't more popular.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
dred 8:52AM (8/28/2007)
Bought a 2005 Honda Accord, dealer refused to give us any complementary oil changes, car washes, and installed none of the options we paid for on the car because we wouldn't fill out a positive survey. This is despite the facts that all of these things were agreed upon and put in writing when everything was signed.
Took 3 calls from our lawyer to get everything straightened out, and the dealer that handled our sale was fired. They try to push the same thing on us every time our car is serviced. Bottom line is, if they have to push and scheme for a good review, take your business elsewhere
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Alex 8:59AM (8/28/2007)
Bought my XJR a few years ago from the dealership. When the survey came it was from a third party. Fortunately Jag does have an excellent reputation for customer service and i put down all high marks. I guess its not too hard when you only have 1,000 customers.
My uncle was border-line harrassed by BMW. The dealer called him up and was trying to convince him to reconsider some of his comments. Needless to say my uncle was not pleased.
Don 4:11PM (8/28/2007)
Does this work with JD Power & Associates?
Avinash machado 8:54AM (8/28/2007)
Wow. Karesh has finally gained the recognition he wanted. Even Automotive News are quoting his TrueDelta survey now.
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Drewboy 9:14AM (8/28/2007)
Well I'm sure he didn't get a Ph. D. for nothing! I actually noticed when he stopped posting.
Tool 2:17PM (8/28/2007)
Michael Karesh and TrueDelta positions itself as "Reliable Research. Relevant Results." I find that hard to believe when he only has 17,000 vehicles in his panel. Especially when the U.S. market sells 16-17 million units annually and there are over 244 million vehicles in operation.
It could be argued that his panel participants are far from the mainstream. Whereas legitimate market research companies use R.L. Polk to get their sample, ensuring that the respondents are representative of the automotive buying populace, Karesh relies on folks he trolls from sites like TTAC, Epinions and yes, Autoblog.
With all due respect, we are hardly typical consumers since most of us have a strong opinion. Sites like Epinions are especially suspect because they tend to get users who bitch and complain the most. Respondents like that skew the data.
As a result, the validity of the Karesh research should be questioned and the results used only directionally. TrueDelta is neither Reliable nor Relevant.
Gil 8:57AM (8/28/2007)
Unfortunately a large percentage of a sales/service persons pay is tied into getting a perfect CSI score. CSI does noone any good. Its unfair that someones pay is tied into another person having a good day and rating you "perfect".
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The Other Bob 3:10PM (8/28/2007)
I agree.
I sold Saturns for a short time and our pay was tied to satisfaction. The problem is, you either had a perfect score or a failing score. Leaving the question blank was also considered failing. It also wasn't clear to the buyer which question really rated ther performance of the salesperson.
If our finance person handled the sale poorly, after I did all my work perfect, the customer would often take out their bad behavior on my question.
Of course I attempted to prep the customer on which question was ours. We told them if they got a survey, my question, was #X. I always requested a perfect score, because everything else was "failure".
markf 8:59AM (8/28/2007)
I bought a new Ram Cummins turbodiesel and the Dodge dealer here in MD offered $100 off accessories after the purchase if I dropped of the customer survey with him so he could complete it. No desperation there ...
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Brad 9:49AM (8/28/2007)
I was a Dodge dealer for 23 years and we were told by Chrysler that we could not bribe or entice people in any way to give a good rating on a survey. Getting people to drop their surveys off and letting the dealership personnel to fill them out was definitely against the rules and could get a dealer in big trouble.
P to the C 9:00AM (8/28/2007)
I experienced this when I bought my BMW. They basically forced me to fill it out in front of them and said that if it wasn't perfect I'd need to talk to the manager. Of course I just want out of the place so I fill it out with a perfect score and leave.
I think this is failry common even at non-automotive places. These crappy customer sat surveys are EVERYWHERE and they're getting annoying. If you're in mgmt and you don't know how sucky your service is then you should find another line of work.
Usually the way these surveys work is that mgmt knows their company policies promote bad service but put it on the front end grunt to make it all nice. Then when a bad survey comes in it's the front end grunt who gets whipped - the policies never change. That's why I almost always give positive surveys these days. It's not the fault of some phone company rep that the phone company sucks, but that's who'll get the hit when a customer says they're not happy with the service they receive. Having been on the wrong end of that stick, there's no way I can be a part of that any longer.
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Harold Kerrick 9:09AM (8/28/2007)
I've been to two different Nissan dealerships, one was great, the other, unfortunately was not. BMW begging cutomers to rate them highly?....WOW. Now Hyundai, I might have guessed that one. I'm also surprized that the "domestic" manufacturers aren't the worst for this. I have heard several people say, on this website I believe, that Chrysler really tries to brow beat the scores out of it's cutomers.
And Gil, while I realize that it's not a very good idea that "someone's pay is tied into another person having a good day and rating you "perfect".........don't many folks in many different service jobs run into this every day? How much I make as a pizza delivery person on any given day is often tied into how the customer is feeling, and NOT the level of service I provided. Yeah, it's stupid, but car salespersons aren't the only ones who suffer.
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geo.stewart 9:25AM (8/28/2007)
did ya ever think that maybe you got a bad tip or a bad survey because it was you, not that your customer had a bad day before he got there but that your attitude was bad, service was terrible, commitments not met, or in the case of the little pizza boy, that it wasnt delivered when promised or that we already pay a delivery charge.
If I am having a bad day and I get GOOD service, I'll appreciate it all the more because something FINALLY went right. IF I get bad service, its just another heaping and yeah you will get a bad tip or CSI form.
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geo.stewart 9:27AM (8/28/2007)
America, the land of "its not my fault"
just ask the lawyers.
RickCA 11:35AM (8/28/2007)
Geo.Stewart..that comment about "America, the land of it's not my fault" ..bloody brillianT ..!!! it's so true! probably the best quote on here relating to this article.
Billy 1:05PM (8/28/2007)
Actually, geo, a lawyer might very well tell you that it IS your fault. I see you like to take out the frustrations you build up on the pizza boy, who I am sure dawdled on purpose, he's raking it in, what does he care about you, right?
geo.stewart 1:25PM (8/28/2007)
Billy,
I have nothing against pizza delivery persons. but you raise an interesting point. Your impression is that I am tipping the pizza guy for how fast he gets the pizza to my house from the store. So,...
1) I am to tip on something I cant measure. I have no idea if he stopped at his girlfriends on the way or ran 2 lights to get to my house quickly.
2) Your impression is that I should tip X regardless because he may be overworked and its not his fault.
I, and most everyone else, tip because of the overall service we specifically receive. that person's manager has the responsibility and opportunity to evaluate overall performance and compensate accordingly.
And yes, I have waited tables, delivered pizza, and managed employees, as well as been the customer on the receiving end.
G Money 9:35AM (8/28/2007)
That picture is HYSTERICAL. Autoblog you guys should use this pic for any story, even if it has no relevence to the story you are printing, lol
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epilonious 9:36AM (8/28/2007)
I like the approach my Mazda dealer takes:
1. They fix the problem the first time, not charging me the few times I went in for warranty-related work.
2. They call to follow up with me, making sure that everything was fixed and that I was okay with whatever repairs/maintenance... that way they can haul me back in and rectify any issues before any survey arrives.
3. A 3rd party calls one fifth of the time and asks me if they fixed it to my satisfaction (yes) if I was happy with the experience (yes) and did they follow up to make sure I was okay (yes).
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AZMike 9:49AM (8/28/2007)
these surveys should be eliminated. I have had two different experiences, both bad.
the first was from a Cadillac dealer here in the Phoenix area (Lund Cadillac) who really put the pressure on for a good survey. so much pressure, in fact, they would send out a sample survey right before the real one was coming. of course, the sample survey had all the "very satisfied" checkmarks in the left column already marked. when the real survey came, I just stuck the one the dealer sent me in the envelope. it wasn't more than a week before the dealer called me, obviously upset. I did return the tin of Dutch butter cookies they sent me with the bogus survey.
they're a slimy bunch, always preying on the old folks that come in.
I remember talking to one of the service writers there confidentially. he said they were expected to write a minimum $800 service ticket every time one of the old folks came in. believe it or not, this dealership even has a private bingo license with the state of Arizona. guess you need to keep the old folks amused while screwing them.
on the other side of the coin, a lot of people just don't understand the simple questions.
I sent a new Dodge Dakota pickup to a friend of a friend in Hawaii. the shipping company (Matson) does not allow more than two gallons of fuel in the tank for safety reasons, so we sent a check for $150 to the new owner to cover both the cost of filling the tank, and a car wash once it arrived in Hawaii.
naturally, the guy who received the survey answered both the "was the vehicle clean", and "was the fuel tank full" with a resounding "no".
this one bad survey cost my friend who sold the vehicle over $10,000 in bonuses that year, and he sells over 1,000 units per year.
AZMike
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