My First Rant – Customer Service

During the weekend I made a telephone call to a NY city dealership to speak with a colleague regarding statistics at his facility. The receptionist answered the telephone and asked me to HANG ON, then proceeded to place the receiver down on the desk.

I heard a woman’s voice in the background asking the receptionist a question and the conversation went as follows;

Customer – Good afternoon, I am wondering if you have anyone available to help me set up my Bluetooth for my new car.

Receptionist – Did you purchase the vehicle from us?

Customer – No, I just purchased it from another dealership, but I work in the area and I was wondering if you could help me, I don’t feel safe driving my car like this.

Receptionist – Let me see what I can do.

Receptionist asking a salesperson walking by – This lady needs some help setting the Bluetooth up on her new car.

Salesperson – did she buy the car from us?

Receptionist – NO!

Salesperson – I’m busy.

Receptionist – You just got here and you’re not with anyone, can you help her?

Salesperson – No, find someone else.

Receptionist asking a manager walking by – There is a lady by the door asking if someone here can help her set her Bluetooth up on her car, she doesn’t feel safe.

Manager – did she buy the car from us?

Receptionist – No, she works in the area and stopped in.

Manager – Remember, it’s our policy, if they didn’t buy the vehicle here we can’t help them. Tell her how to get to the service department. She can go there to have it done. Tell her she will probably be charged for the setup or she can go back to the dealer she purchased the car from.

Receptionist speaking with customer - Hi, I’m sorry, I asked the manager and he suggests going to our service department located about four miles down the road, would you like directions?

Customer – No thanks, I really thought your dealership was going to help me out, you know I did buy one of your cars, maybe not from your place, but I heard the comments and I want you to know I would never buy or service from here.


My thoughts below;

I really hope this is not a trend in our industry readers! I was appalled at this conversation! First, had I been a real customer ready to do business with the dealership listening to this over the phone, I would cancel my deal or find another dealership to conduct business with. Secondly, the customer stated she works in the area, which should be setting off alarm bells…

The customer works in the area - therefore if this dealership had taken care of her she might service at their facility and become a conquest customer. She might tell her colleagues how wonderful the people are and how great the experience was. She might send a friend or relative to purchase their next car here. Heck, her next vehicle might have been purchased here IF THEY WOULD HAVE DONE THE RIGHT THING.

This is but one example of the types of things that go on at dealerships all over. If you want to succeed in business you had better start thinking that everyone could be YOUR NEXT CUSTOMER in any three departments. Start facilitating a WOW experience on every level and watch your business grow. It is no wonder in a survey conducted in the United States in 2009 that the automotive industry ranked in the bottom for categories of integrity, honesty and helpfulness, along with other esteemed occupations as lawyers and politicians.

We all need to ensure we are grooming our employees to create EXCEPTIONAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCES, even when they are not your customers.  Someday they might be!

David