Just to balance the above, the Ford dealer I use is on the plus side of average.
Don't Ford and the popular makes always lose out on these surveys because there's so many of them?
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Not surprised that Ford are near bottom.
If you read the article again you'll see that on the basis of value for money of their workshops Ford are 10th from top. Servicing is the only factor in which I'm really interested. I couldn't give a monkey's about what the showroom is like, or the demeanor of the sales staff. I only go into the showroom when buying a car, but I patronise the workshop regularly thereafter. Since 1975 I've had more Fords than any other make, and I've always been well satisfied with the dealers.
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>>Don't Ford and the popular makes always lose out on these surveys because there's so many of them? <<
Toyota are the biggest car company in the world with regard to sales and yet they are always at the top in every country they sell cars - so no I do not think it is because there are so many.
The strange thing is why are there so many sold when the dealers are so bad - are we gluttens for punishment.
I think this also demonstrates how hard you have to work to get to the top and stay there. I must keep reminding MB that a few years ago they promised to get to the top of the customer surveys - their cars are no doubt better but they still cannot compete with the Japs.
Edited by Pendlebury on 19/04/2008 at 20:35
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There was nothing new in this survey.
Worth noting that alot of Fords are not private purchases, same with Vauxhall.
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Lets face it, a lot depends on the product. If the customer has a car that is always having problems then the dealer will have a losing battle on his hands. If the car just does what its supposed to, then the only time the customer sees the dealer is for standard servicing and that can't be too difficult to get right.
My experience of Jap cars is that they just 'work' and the only time I see the dealer is for service. When I have had problems its been minor stuff they could more or less sort out on the spot.
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half the problem in this country with poor service, is the great British public puts up with it....there are many places in the world where service of any kind is far better than here, let alone for a product/subject matter that uses up so much of your income
a car purchase and running costs must be the second most expensive expenditure that we have.. and yet we allow people to treat us like cattle, with total and utter indifference
and the problem with being a one man band grumpy old git, firing off letters and moaning to management etc, is that some other muppet will be along in a minute and will put up with it, so your efforts are wasted
my wife thinks i'll end up with a heart attack...but i've made my mind up several years ago....poor service equals a big rumpus..every time...although really good service gets an extra nice thankyou and on occasions, if merited, a pleasant letter to follow
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Very good service this month from Skoda, Everest and Bosch Worcester - above and beyond in the case of the latter.
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best dealer - Ford, worst dealer - Ford all in the space of 4 months! However the best dealer sold me the wrong model and the worst the right one!! My view is that those dealerships which give some authority to the saleman to actually process an order themselves give great service. Those that rely on miriads of unseen 'administration' staff just don't give a stuff once the deal is done.
Oh, and out of professional interest Pugugly, was that Everest Home Improvements you refer to with regards to very good service?!
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Yes - brilliant after sales service to a broken front door lock that was 9 yrs and 11 months into its warranty. No quibble just fixed.
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>my wife thinks i'll end up with a heart attack...but i've made my mind up several years ago....poor service equals a big rumpus..every time...although really good service gets an extra nice thankyou and on occasions, if merited, a pleasant letter to follow<
With my recent troubles with my Suzuki van, I make sure that I say thanks and sorry for being such a pain, rather than go in raging and have them loath me.
I know from working on the other side of the desk that a few thanks and being firm but non-aggressive can work wonders.
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Some real wisdom here from stu and westpig. It also helps (in my view, at least) if you sort of politely indicate that you have no intention of letting things drop before the problem is solved.
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Also agree with stu and westpig. These days most people one deals with wear a name badge and the address of head office can be found. I do complain, politely but forcefully, when I need to but I write letters to thank or praise staff for good service. Case in point, I was in a Travelodge last weekend, not the best or best paid job in UK I imagine. I mislaid my room key and was helped thru that; I asked for a recommendation for a good eating pub and was told of a good one and the receptionist rang to make me a booking as she said it was busy on Saturday nights. It turned out to be a top pub and I wrote to Travelodge to comment on the good service. Pub was the Golden Ball in Boxworth just off the A 14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon BTW!
Edited by Armitage Shanks {p} on 20/04/2008 at 11:26
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I vote for Ford. I had a company Galaxy once. Every damned time it went in, it went with a "to fix" list and every damned time it came back with somewhere between a quarter and half the things fixed and a shed-load of newly-installed faults.
I tried three different Ford dealers (forced by contract to use the franchised boys), the only thing they had in common is that they were all totally incompetant. The highlight was when the gearbox went and it came back with a new gearbox, half the electrics fubar and the carpet sort of placed in vaguely the correct location. They'd cut the carpet to make it fit incorrectly round the pedals, so I then got to wait three months for a new carpet. As far as I can make out, Ford servicing works on the principle of "whatever it takes to get it out the door today".
I'll never spend the company's money on a Ford again.
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As far as I can make out Ford servicing works on the principle of "whatever it takes to get it out the door today". I'll never spend the company's money on a Ford again.
It clearly depends on the particular dealer rather than the franchise they hold. I've dealt with several Ford dealers and they've all been superb.
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Ford dealers vary wildly. The first I used for my company Focus's servicing lost my locking wheelnut key (and tried to say I hadn't left it in the car - took a stand up heated discussion with the service manager in a crowded showroom before they backed down), and could never give me a time when the car would be ready, even for standard services booked weeks in advance, and with the car dropped off at 8am. The car was on several occasions returned with grubby prints on the trim and incorrect fluid levels, and brake pads were changed at every service, even though I knew they had stacks of wear left on them.
The second was excellent, and very helpful. If I booked in advance, they would either do the service while I waited, or say it will be ready at x o'clock, which it always was. All levels were spot on, and the car felt good when returned.
Interesting to note Renault dealers come flat last in the survey. I would go so far as to say our Renault dealer is the most honest, professional and helpful servicing establishment of any type I have ever dealt with. I have no intention to pull our Scenic out of the main dealer service network while this carries on.
As many others have said here, it all depends who owns the franchise, and this is a far greater indicator than the manufacturer they happen to look after.
Cheers
DP
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As many others have said here it all depends who owns the franchise and this is a far greater indicator than the manufacturer they happen to look after.
There's probably more to it than that. In the final analysis it must depend on the calibre of the particular dealer's employees rather than the owners of the company that holds the franchise.
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I take your point, and of course the staff who do the job are critical, but ultimately they are the product of the recruitment process put in place by the owner, and how much of an interest they show in customer service.
The aforementioned Renault dealer we use for example gives you the establishment owner's direct contact details on the service invoice, and invites you to contact him directly in the case of any dissatisfaction. The only time I've seen this before was the Mazda dealer we bought our MX-5 from (also fabulous) who had the MD's business card inserted in the handbook pack after a service.
Service culture ultimately stems from management.
Cheers
DP
Edited by DP on 21/04/2008 at 10:41
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What I find somewhat baffling is how well Skoda does, yet people really seem to despise everything about VW dealers and even VW UK customer service.
I'm quite interested in VW's new Tiquan, but I've been really put off my own VW experiences and that's be re-inforced by the stories I've read.
Edited by Bill Payer on 21/04/2008 at 11:23
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On the subject of management there's a saying that a fish rots from the head.
I used a franchised dealership some time ago where the dealer principal was a clever-bottom.
The whole style of the place was affected.
He moved on and the place improved.
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............ and that's be re-inforced by the stories I've read.
I tend to ignore bad press regarding car dealers, because it's generally only the dissatisfied minority who publicise their dissatisfaction. The satisfied majority generally say nothing.
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The aforementioned Renault dealer we use for example gives you the establishment owner's direct contact details on the service invoice and invites you to contact him directly in the case of any dissatisfaction.
Excellent idea. At one time, shortly after having had my car serviced at a Ford dealer, I would be sent a questionnaire regarding my level of satisfaction of various aspects of the service. I can't remember the exact details, but I have a feeling the questionnaire came from a customer satisfaction survey company working on behalf of Ford Motor Co.
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