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Old 01-07-2006, 06:56 PM
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Service Rep confronted me after a bad survey

Sorry in advance for this long post but I could use some opinions on this situation...

So I recieved the customer feedback survey from Acura in the mail after a service visit to get my worn/cracked RSX leather seats replaced and the broken CD changer swapped. The service rep was great through the experience but the job wasn't properly done - they didn't swap the passenger seat (although it was cracked) and they swapped my radio without telling me and it had one of my CD's in it. Because of this I gave less than perfect feedback on the survey. Coincidentally, the day I went back for the follow up service my survey had gone full circle and wound up on my service reps desk, with a failing score. So he took this opportunity to confront me about it, and rambled on about how these scores affect his compensation, and that next time I have a problem with something I should fill out all excellents anyway, and write down the problems. This way he still gets his compensation but they know something went wrong. I was so pissed off by this I told him "If you think I'm gonna lie just for your sake, you can forget it!" In may head I was thinking, why is he coming at me about this, and not the technicians that messed up in the first place?? Later on I sent a detailed letter to the GM about this incident and he called me personally to apologize and also informed me that the survey system has been changed for '06. I said "Thanks for the apology, but what are you going to do to fix this?" To which he didn't have much of a response aside from "I'll make sure your service rep never confronts another customer about this". Oh boy.

Well at least we now know Acura's survey system works (almost).

My main concern is that because the survey is non-anonymous the service reps know I've given a bad score before and I could potentially be blacklisted. So the next time I go in they could "stick it to me" by messing with my car somehow.

I just bought a TL from that same dealership cause they gave a good deal, but I sure ain't going back there for service. Sucks because up until that point they were awesome and I've never gone anywhere else. I'll have to try my luck elsewhere now. I'm probably going to write another letter to the GM telling him that I'm never going back. Not even for the first scheduled oil change on my new TL.

Has anyone else been confronted like this before?
Old 01-07-2006, 07:06 PM
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I tend to be honest.
I was told to give a perfect score about the sales when I bought my car, but only gave them average, as we had to go to the dealers 3 times before we got anyone to help us, even after standing around inside for 15 minutes...
They also did a hard sell, tried tricks like figuring in the tax savings on the trade ins off the price of the car, etc.

Brett
Old 01-07-2006, 07:20 PM
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Sounds like the service writer is trying to close the barn door after the horse has left. If this guy can't less than perfect ratings, he should not provide less than perfect service. Acura service is expensive and they should realize the experience should match the price.

He should have spoken with you when you first dropped off the car and said "hey, if for any reason you can't rate us excellent for everything, call me first and give me the chance to make things right." They don't bother, so we, as owners, need to take the initiative.

I tell the service writer, "I want to score you guys with all excellent ratings, so what should I do if I do not feel I'm getting excellent service?"

For you, at this point, if you want to continue using this dealership for service, go over the car with the rep every time you leave it with them. Check the car whenever you pick it up to make sure nothing is wrong.

Cheers,

Don
Old 01-07-2006, 07:22 PM
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if any of you are in retail, the reason they do that is because the rating they receive is all or nothing... unless they receive an EXCELLENT 100% score, they fail.. that is why he is telling you it is affecting his compensation, because his customer rating score has failed and is hitting his quarterly MBO bonus...

that is also alot of the times they will tell you to give them all excellent if you like them... sucks but that is the way it is... truthfully, i am all for giving honest remarks.. it just helps get the service better...
Old 01-07-2006, 09:00 PM
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I would continue to use the dealership and the service department since it is convenient to your location and you have bought two cars from this dealership.

If they continue to provide poor service, then when you get the survey, rate them honestly. If the service manager continues to pressure you to provide the excellent rating, add that comment to the survey.

I doubt the service department is going "mess" with your cars. Moreover, if they were foolish enough to "mess" with the customer cars, I would send a letter to the GM and Acura Customer Service.

I am sure that the dealership will quickly find that the best interest is to make customers, and in your case, a repeat customer happy than to keep getting poor surveys reported to Acura.

No doubt about it, the service manager may lose his job if you and other customers continue to return negative surveys and/or start complaining to ACS.

The service manager should have been polite and stated that if you are unable to rate their service as excellent to let him know immediately and what they can do to make you happy.

Truthfully, this service manager's days will be numbered if he is not customer oriented. If the reason you have to keep scoring them lower than excellent is due to the techs mistakes, that is the service manager’s responsibility. The service manager should be taking action to have the techs improve their work so that the customer is happy.

The service manager’s success depends on the techs he hires and employs. The techs employment depend on their ability to due their job properly.

Be professional with the dealership and service department.
Old 01-08-2006, 12:27 AM
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To me it's a matter of trust. When I leave my car someplace for service I'm trusting they'll do their best, treat my car with respect, and most of all not do anything malicious to it. At this point I've created animosity and unintentionally messed with the service rep's livelihood, which could certainly lead to foul play. Yes I could check the car w/the service manager before I leave, but I won't be able to check everything. How will I be able to tell if they cut my brake line until I'm on the highway speeding towards stopped traffic and my brake pedal does nothing?? Maybe this example is a bit extreme and I'm being a bit paranoid but they could do something less malicous and I would never ever know.

Ultimately if we are to be honest on these surveys then they should be anonymous to protect the innocent!!
Old 01-08-2006, 12:37 AM
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Advisors being paid on surveys is kind of a joke. I have a family member that is an advisor an he is constantly losing pay because he gets hit on things like "availability of parts" and "cleanliness at delivery", two things that he has absolutely no control over. It sounds like you were unhappy with the work that was done by the tech, but unfortunately your disappointment was reflected in the advisors pay and not the techs therefore he was frustrated by the situation. As far as I'm concerned they should not be held responsible if others such as parts workers, technicians, and detailers are not held responsible for the surveys as well. (Unfortunately I've witnessed it first hand).
Old 01-08-2006, 12:46 AM
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I agree with you about not wanting to leave your car there for service again. If that were to happen to me, they would never see my business. The fact that he wanted you to "lie" on the survey, I think its crap.

Unless you have to use that dealership, then use just make sure you inspect your carefully. If not try another. Although it sucks cause your use to your current one.

d1
Old 01-08-2006, 01:05 AM
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Originally Posted by kwelling12
Advisors being paid on surveys is kind of a joke. I have a family member that is an advisor an he is constantly losing pay because he gets hit on things like "availability of parts" and "cleanliness at delivery", two things that he has absolutely no control over. It sounds like you were unhappy with the work that was done by the tech, but unfortunately your disappointment was reflected in the advisors pay and not the techs therefore he was frustrated by the situation. As far as I'm concerned they should not be held responsible if others such as parts workers, technicians, and detailers are not held responsible for the surveys as well. (Unfortunately I've witnessed it first hand).
I totally agree with this, and I raised this point to the GM in my letter. But at the same time he had no right to confront me about it!! What the heck did he expect me to do, cry? All he did was infuriate me, break my trust, and lose a customer. It should be illegal to persuade someone to lie on a feedback survey, it's just seems so backwards and wrong. Not to mention confidentiality being blatantly compromised. This guys actions degraded my impression of the dealership from a high end establishment down to a trashy used car lot crap hole. I just hope the next place isn't any worse.

PS - Thanks for letting me rant...
Old 01-08-2006, 02:09 AM
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Originally Posted by ajeetm
I totally agree with this, and I raised this point to the GM in my letter. But at the same time he had no right to confront me about it!! What the heck did he expect me to do, cry? All he did was infuriate me, break my trust, and lose a customer. It should be illegal to persuade someone to lie on a feedback survey, it's just seems so backwards and wrong. Not to mention confidentiality being blatantly compromised. This guys actions degraded my impression of the dealership from a high end establishment down to a trashy used car lot crap hole. I just hope the next place isn't any worse.

PS - Thanks for letting me rant...

You're absolutely right. The bottom line is that the service rep had no right to speak to you about the ratings that you gave. Instead of being emotional and taking it personal, he should work to improve his customer service. All he did was make his situation much worse.
Old 01-08-2006, 03:32 AM
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After my service advisor at Nalley Acura blatantly lied to me, I ripped him a new one on a survey. I didn't purposely try to get him fired, my poor ratings were all honest. To back them up, I included a detailed letter with my survey describing the nightmare Nalley Acura was.

He confronted me about it, too. He made a sarcastic remark like "that was a good one" or something to me during my last visit. Later, I filed a BBB complaint against them. I have no tolerance for shady car dealerships.
Old 01-08-2006, 09:19 AM
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Originally Posted by ajeetm
<snipped>

Ultimately if we are to be honest on these surveys then they should be anonymous to protect the innocent!!
There are many valid reasons why this survey is not anonymous. For example, you may have a difficult to please customer (like some on this forum) who cannot stand the lightest imperfection in their car and therefore that customer will not rate the dealership/service department as excellent.

If the survey is anonymous, there is no means for the dealership to discuss the matter with Acura regarding the overly fussy customer. If Acura agrees with the dealership, then they may disregard that customer's survey.

Another example is if Acura keeps getting negative surveys back on a given dealership due to the car is return to the customer with grease/dirt on paint and/or interior. The dealership cannot tell Acura to just brush it off as a handful of fussy customers when the survey shows it is nearly every customer that returns the survey.

If the mechanics are not performing the work properly for tire rotation by damaging the rims, then Acura as a evidence to prove the specific car owners that were damaged and possibly the customers that demanded that their rims be replaced. Acura may start charging back to the dealership for damaged rims during tire rotations.

Bottom line, it is about documentation and the specific incidents that occurred. Just as any of us would document a problem by recording the dealership, people and date/time.
Old 01-08-2006, 09:33 AM
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Originally Posted by kwelling12
Advisors being paid on surveys is kind of a joke. I have a family member that is an advisor an he is constantly losing pay because he gets hit on things like "availability of parts" and "cleanliness at delivery", two things that he has absolutely no control over. It sounds like you were unhappy with the work that was done by the tech, but unfortunately your disappointment was reflected in the advisors pay and not the techs therefore he was frustrated by the situation. As far as I'm concerned they should not be held responsible if others such as parts workers, technicians, and detailers are not held responsible for the surveys as well. (Unfortunately I've witnessed it first hand).
I strongly disagree with service advisor not being held responsible for the surveys and the techs.

The service advisor is the manager. If you have a tech that is not performing their job correctly, the service manager needs to inform that tech that if they cannot improve in the next 30 or 60 days, that they are out of a job and they will use the surveys for work performed by that tech as measuring the tech’s job performance.

Customer service means you have to focus on the customer. If the dealership, service advisors or techs are not customer oriented, then Acura should know via the surveys and then I would take the car somewhere else for service.

To ajeetm,
All I am saying is people make mistakes. You have contacted the GM and received the correct response. Give them another chance and see how you are treated.
Old 01-08-2006, 10:51 AM
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Originally Posted by A_UFO
I strongly disagree with service advisor not being held responsible for the surveys and the techs.

The service advisor is the manager. If you have a tech that is not performing their job correctly, the service manager needs to inform that tech that if they cannot improve in the next 30 or 60 days, that they are out of a job and they will use the surveys for work performed by that tech as measuring the tech’s job performance.

Customer service means you have to focus on the customer. If the dealership, service advisors or techs are not customer oriented, then Acura should know via the surveys and then I would take the car somewhere else for service.

To ajeetm,
All I am saying is people make mistakes. You have contacted the GM and received the correct response. Give them another chance and see how you are treated.
Thanks for giving a point of view from the "other side"

In my case I wouldn't say I was overly fussy. Stuff was done to my car and I wasn't informed, other things that should have been done weren't. All of which were noted in the survey. I was honestly suprised that he failed because I didn't think the survey was that bad. And to your point of the Service Advisor being the manager, he could have fooled me! In fact he said "Well I'm just the guy in front" when I brought these issues to him. So if he truly is the managing the techs then that puts him in the perfect position to reciprocate the bad score (that I unintentionally gave him and which he blames me for) via bad service and/or malicous intent of which I would be unaware and vunerable.

No thanks, I'm going elsewhere. This whole system is jacked up and if this were any other institiution it would not be tolerated.
Old 01-08-2006, 11:26 AM
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You are correct. The service advisor is not the service manager. I should correct my post however I can no longer edit the post.

If my compensation as a service advisor were being impacted by the techs, I would be taking my issues to the service manager to get issues resolved.

Hope you have better service at the next dealership.
Old 01-08-2006, 11:33 AM
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Originally Posted by kwelling12
Advisors being paid on surveys is kind of a joke. I have a family member that is an advisor an he is constantly losing pay because he gets hit on things like "availability of parts" and "cleanliness at delivery", two things that he has absolutely no control over. It sounds like you were unhappy with the work that was done by the tech, but unfortunately your disappointment was reflected in the advisors pay and not the techs therefore he was frustrated by the situation. As far as I'm concerned they should not be held responsible if others such as parts workers, technicians, and detailers are not held responsible for the surveys as well. (Unfortunately I've witnessed it first hand).
So true.

It's a bullshit scheme to take $ from the advisor & keep it in manager's pockets. I say call the dealership & speak to the service manager so he can fix it b4 ruining a guy's life over something that might be beyond his control.
Old 01-08-2006, 01:14 PM
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find a dealer that has an Award Winning Customer Service Precision Team Award Winner. I live in the midwest and goto http://www.acuralibertyville.com/en_US/ . I'm sure there should be one close to you.
Old 01-08-2006, 01:34 PM
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Interesting thread. A couple of years ago I recieved a letter from the dealer saying that a survey was being sent to me to judge their service department, and that I should put "excellent" on everything because that rating made a difference to them for a reason I totally forget.

They DID provide excellent service and I said so. However, I wrote a comment saying that the dealer consistently provided excellent service with two different Acuras and shouldn't have to tell me to write "excellent" on a survey.

I'm still treated well at the dealer, and they DO provide excellent service, but I haven't gotten a survey since.

If you're uncomfortable with the service at that dealer, ajeetm, don't go back.
Old 01-08-2006, 10:02 PM
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Originally Posted by A_UFO
I strongly disagree with service advisor not being held responsible for the surveys and the techs.
Originally Posted by A_UFO
Customer service means you have to focus on the customer. If the dealership, service advisors or techs are not customer oriented, then Acura should know via the surveys and then I would take the car somewhere else for service.
I would agree with UFO. The defintion of customer service is when the person I am dealing with takes responsibility for the transaction. If you are in a restaurant and the cook burns your burger, who apologiezes and takes responsibility? The waiter/waitress. Period. For me, the analogy is the same with the service writers. They are representing the entire dealership and SHOULD work to ensure the whole process goes off without a hitch. Clean car, service performed as indicated, etc...

I am very sensitive to this and also realize people make mistakes. I would think that if your approach was courteous (even if direct), you should still feel good about doing the right thing. You are the customer!
Old 01-08-2006, 10:35 PM
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Wow... Somehow this doesn't surprise me. I got the same thing from my acura dealer.

The service advisor deng well better be held accountable for his tech's work. This would be like me going to my boss and telling him to ignore the customer reviews during the annual-review. Then telling the boss to give me a raise anyways, and mark on my review "excellent", then tell me under the table what I need to do to improve. I'd probably get fired if I suggested that. It would also be like me letting my team goof-off and screw up our projects, then telling my manager I have no control over the work my team does, so I should get a raise anyways.

Now with that off my chest, this is why I like going to the Infiniti dealer to service my G35 more than the acura dealer to service our TL.

Acura has:

1.) Tried to void the warranty on our old TL's tranny, because I didn't have it flushed. (Even though the manual didn't recommend it yet).
2.) Said they never heard of any tranny issues when my wife asked about her 03' TL, but changed their tune when I asked about it.
3.) Said they do not give out Acura loaners when the car is in for service for longer than 1 day.
4.) Said they cannot do any Recall work, if we don't have the recall papers in hand, even if you can verify the recall in the computer.

Infiniti has:

1.) Offered to install a supercharger, and said if they do the work, I can keep the full warranty. (this might be dealer specific though, as the local dealer would probably freak over a cone filter)
2.) Offered me a Tire/Wheel protection plan for 5 years/unlimited miles for $270 dollars, that will cover my aftermarket forged wheels and tires, from damage, such as hitting a pothole.
3.) Has taken me to their back lot, and said I could choose any car to take as a loaner.
4.) Has never given me a non-Infiniti loaner, even if they had my car for several days.
5.) Given me free parts, when I said I wanted to remove the keyhole on my driver side door, for security reasons.
6.) Replaced my Navi unit with a new one when it failed, and told me that they wrote a detailed description of the problem, and sent it to Infiniti for investigation to see if a recall/tsb is warranted.
Old 01-08-2006, 11:01 PM
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Originally Posted by TL Dude
I would agree with UFO. The defintion of customer service is when the person I am dealing with takes responsibility for the transaction. If you are in a restaurant and the cook burns your burger, who apologiezes and takes responsibility? The waiter/waitress. Period. For me, the analogy is the same with the service writers. They are representing the entire dealership and SHOULD work to ensure the whole process goes off without a hitch. Clean car, service performed as indicated, etc...

I am very sensitive to this and also realize people make mistakes. I would think that if your approach was courteous (even if direct), you should still feel good about doing the right thing. You are the customer!
Yea, you always gotta do the right thing and I'm glad I did. But taking your restaurant analogy a step further, if you aren't happy with your food, you tell the waiter to go fix it, if he/she is having a bad day they may just spit in your burger. Of course you wouldn't know until maybe you got sick the next day.

At this point I feel like these guys have a reason to spit in my burger, which is why I ain't going back.
Old 01-09-2006, 07:53 AM
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I would have done the same thing, man. As for what the GM said about Acura's survey system changing -- I think that's partially on the level. I just got an A1 done on Sat. at Park Acura and my service rep said that Acura is going to a phone-based survey system and I would be getting a call. I think it still impacts their $$$ because he asked if there is anything about the visit that I was unhappy with as they would appreciate high marks on the survey.
Old 01-09-2006, 08:36 AM
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Originally Posted by avs007
Infiniti has:

1.) Offered to install a supercharger, and said if they do the work, I can keep the full warranty. (this might be dealer specific though, as the local dealer would probably freak over a cone filter)
2.) Offered me a Tire/Wheel protection plan for 5 years/unlimited miles for $270 dollars, that will cover my aftermarket forged wheels and tires, from damage, such as hitting a pothole.
3.) Has taken me to their back lot, and said I could choose any car to take as a loaner.
4.) Has never given me a non-Infiniti loaner, even if they had my car for several days.
5.) Given me free parts, when I said I wanted to remove the keyhole on my driver side door, for security reasons.
6.) Replaced my Navi unit with a new one when it failed, and told me that they wrote a detailed description of the problem, and sent it to Infiniti for investigation to see if a recall/tsb is warranted.
Sounds like you have a great Infiniti dealer. I wish ALL dealers were as responsible and customer-oriented.
Old 01-09-2006, 11:53 AM
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Originally Posted by avs007
Wow... Somehow this doesn't surprise me. I got the same thing from my acura dealer.

The service advisor deng well better be held accountable for his tech's work. This would be like me going to my boss and telling him to ignore the customer reviews during the annual-review. Then telling the boss to give me a raise anyways, and mark on my review "excellent", then tell me under the table what I need to do to improve. I'd probably get fired if I suggested that. It would also be like me letting my team goof-off and screw up our projects, then telling my manager I have no control over the work my team does, so I should get a raise anyways.

Now with that off my chest, this is why I like going to the Infiniti dealer to service my G35 more than the acura dealer to service our TL.

Acura has:

1.) Tried to void the warranty on our old TL's tranny, because I didn't have it flushed. (Even though the manual didn't recommend it yet).
2.) Said they never heard of any tranny issues when my wife asked about her 03' TL, but changed their tune when I asked about it.
3.) Said they do not give out Acura loaners when the car is in for service for longer than 1 day.
4.) Said they cannot do any Recall work, if we don't have the recall papers in hand, even if you can verify the recall in the computer.

Infiniti has:

1.) Offered to install a supercharger, and said if they do the work, I can keep the full warranty. (this might be dealer specific though, as the local dealer would probably freak over a cone filter)
2.) Offered me a Tire/Wheel protection plan for 5 years/unlimited miles for $270 dollars, that will cover my aftermarket forged wheels and tires, from damage, such as hitting a pothole.
3.) Has taken me to their back lot, and said I could choose any car to take as a loaner.
4.) Has never given me a non-Infiniti loaner, even if they had my car for several days.
5.) Given me free parts, when I said I wanted to remove the keyhole on my driver side door, for security reasons.
6.) Replaced my Navi unit with a new one when it failed, and told me that they wrote a detailed description of the problem, and sent it to Infiniti for investigation to see if a recall/tsb is warranted.


Well I must say having both cars that I too got the same infiniti service. They said they would install a supercharger as well. 1-4... Acura wanted to stick me with a geo for a tranny job. I said ok I will be back tomorrow for an acura loaner... The look the service writer gave me was priceless.
Old 01-09-2006, 12:04 PM
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I had a similiar incident at a Honda dealer. He was mad. He said I ruined the reputation of their dealership and I was the first person to give any negative remarks. I should have also called up the manager and let him know how he treated me.
Old 01-09-2006, 06:50 PM
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I guess I need to prepare in advance a reply in case I have to rate my dealership below excellent.

Something like:
"Get another job, you obviously do not know what customer service means and I am going to continue to rate you below excellent until you get it."
Old 01-09-2006, 07:36 PM
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Well, it seems like enough of us are dealing with this issue. So I've posted up the 2 e-mails that I sent to my dealerships GM. Go ahead and tweak them as you wish.

Here's the first e-mail I sent. This got the GM to call me:

Hi <GM First Name Here>,

I feel it necessary that I bring forth a serious problem with your customer feedback survey system at <Your Dealership Here> and Acura in general. When I came in to pick up my car after warranty service visit a few months back, I was confronted by <Your Service Rep Here>, one of your service reps, because of a survey I filled out that resulted in him recieving a failing grade.

Needless to say I left your dealership shocked and angry. I could not believe I was directly confronted and chastised for being honest on a feedback form that is intended to improve service at the dealership. In fact it has done the very opposite since they're causing your reps to directly confront your customers when they receive failing surveys.

So in short there are 3 major issues with your survey process:
Your survey scores do not accurately reflect your service reps performance. <Your Service Rep> was very courteous and professional throughout the experience and worked hard to keep me satisfied. Although I marked this accordingly in the survey, he still received failing score because of factors that were out of his control. This is fundamentally wrong.
Your service reps are receiving the survey in it's raw non-anonymous form. This ties the survey score to the customer that completed the survey. If the survey score is undesirable the sales rep can then confront the customer and subsequently coach him/her to fill out the form in a more favorable manner in the future. He/She could also potentially "black list" the customer so that on future visits that customer is treated differently than other customers. This completely negates the effectiveness of the survey. It also creates a negative relationship between the service rep and customer.
This survey compensation model is causing very unprofessional behavior by your service and sales reps. This confrontation was very surprising to me, and felt nothing like a luxury dealership experience. Instead it felt like I was in a used car lot.
I don't blame <Your Service Rep Here> for confronting me. I believe that this whole process is unfair to your sales/service employees and that their actions are a defensive tactic protect themselves from unfairly receiving failing survey grades that affect their compensation. If I were in their position I would probably do the same thing.

Also, I just purchased a new TL from your dealership on 12/26/05 and had a great experience working with <Sales Rep Name Here>. But based on what's happened above I'm very reluctant to bring my new TL or my RSX back to you for service because I feel that I am "blacklisted" by the service folks there which could result in bad things happening to my cars. I have a family to worry about and I will not take that risk.

Ultimately I have every right to be honest on the surveys and the fact that was confronted about it is unacceptable. I feel like my privacy and freedom of speech have been violated. I hope you take this problem seriously and see to it the the survey process is revised to fairly rate the performance of your sales and service reps, and also prevent direct confrontation between your reps and your customers. They really are doing a great job and the surveys are not reflecting that.

Please let me know if you would like any additional info.

<Your Name>
<Your Phone Number>

Here's the 2nd E-Mail stating that I'm never going back and why. Just sent this out and haven't heard back yet:

Hi <GM First Name Here>,

I was thinking about our conversation last week regarding my incident below. While I believe that you care about keeping my business, after some thought and deliberation I realized that I can no longer bring myself to trust your dealership for servicing my vehicles. Because I was confronted about the survey, I learned that I clearly frustrated my service adviser, unintentionally affected his compensation and ultimately his livelihood. From this I can deduct that the impact of my actions could be reciprocated via bad service and/or malicious intent of which I will be unaware and vulnerable. After replaying our conversation in my head, I feel that you did not provide adequate assurance that my cars would be safe at your dealership based on what has occurred. You did mention that you would ensure that the service rep never confronts a customer again, which is a nice gesture but also put me more at risk..

In all fairness I don't think there's much that can be done at this point. So I've decided to start fresh and bring my cars elsewhere for service. I may come to <Your Dealership Name> as a last option only. And if that does occur I will check my cars very carefully to ensure they are safe and un-tampered upon receipt. I may be a bit paranoid but I'm from New York and this kind of stuff happens all the time.

I hope you realize I should have never been confronted for being honest on a survey. All it did was infuriate me, break my trust, and cause you to lose a loyal customer. I understand that you don't control the survey process, but you can control your sales and service reps to avoid these confrontations in the future and I hope you will. This whole incident is unfortunate because up until this point I dealt only with <Your Dealership> and enjoyed doing business with you guys. I hope you can use this incident as an example of what can happen when your reps confront your employees in this manner.

Good Luck,

<Your Name Here>
Old 01-10-2006, 02:59 AM
  #28  
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damn, thats pretty good. Detailed and covers about everything. When i was a service rep, i would have never had the balls to tell a customer to give me a excellent rating. It wouldnt let me know what i was doing wrong.
Old 01-10-2006, 04:30 AM
  #29  
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Acura's customer service it the worst. It's not like they get paid that good to deal with people who r half their age and driving cars twice as expensive as they r demanding them to do somthing that they think they can get away without performing. I guess thats the price u pay for such a sexy car. They made an excellent car but cheaped out in the customer service department. U want good service buy a lexus.
Old 01-10-2006, 06:35 AM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by kwelling12
Advisors being paid on surveys is kind of a joke. I have a family member that is an advisor an he is constantly losing pay because he gets hit on things like "availability of parts" and "cleanliness at delivery", two things that he has absolutely no control over. It sounds like you were unhappy with the work that was done by the tech, but unfortunately your disappointment was reflected in the advisors pay and not the techs therefore he was frustrated by the situation. As far as I'm concerned they should not be held responsible if others such as parts workers, technicians, and detailers are not held responsible for the surveys as well. (Unfortunately I've witnessed it first hand).
I feel you on the "availability of parts", but not on the rest....
It's the advisors job to make sure everything is up to your satisfaction, down to the point of making sure your car is clean!
Old 01-10-2006, 04:30 PM
  #31  
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ajeetm, I read Sunnyvale Acura has nice service...
I bought my TL 6MT last week at Acura, Pleasanton, but I don't think I'm going back to that salesperson as he keeps on lying about things such as:
-Mud Guard + Wheel Lock = $150 as a special package (he told me mud guard runs $400 and wheel lock runs $100... what is he smoking?)
-Even Honda and Toyota give out key chains when you buy a new car, so I asked the salesperson to provide me one, and he told me parts department is closed for the day, if I come back on monday, he will get me one. I went back on monday, he pointed me where parts department is and tell me to go buy one. -.-

So, I'm looking for another Dealer to go for services.. probably Sunnyvale one since I work in Santa Clara. Ajeetm, which dealer are you planning on going?
Old 01-11-2006, 12:20 AM
  #32  
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Hey sftroy, you need to clear up your messages so I can send you a PM. But here's my reply:

Yea I had the problems with Stevens Creek Acura. Good to know I'm making the right move by not going back. I'm gonna try out Sunnyvale Acura and hope for the best. You should let Acura Customer Services know about your experiences at Acura of Serramonte, they actually do care.
Old 03-12-2007, 10:32 PM
  #33  
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Acura surveys

The funnies thing happened. When the Service Advisor called me up to confront me why I had given them a 7 out of 10 when he had asked me so nicely to give them all tens. He even dared to say that he put a brandnew transmission in for nothing.
I asked him what the hell he meant with putting it in for nothing, upon which he replied: "You didn't have to pay anything, did you?" Anyway we ended the call with him begging for all tens on the email survey. I just tried to complete that survey but it keeps asking me for an access code which I don't have.
The main reason why I gave them a 7 was because my car was in too long in my opinion (about 6 days) for a transmission change. I wouldn't have cared, but I really was pissed off when I had to drive away in a Pontiac Vibe from Enterprise.
I even mentioned that on the phone and brought up the fact that Lexus and Infinti have the loaner car policy even for longer periods. His reply was: "Well you would also pay 15000 more for the same car". How RUDE!
Old 03-13-2007, 01:02 AM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by pzero23
find a dealer that has an Award Winning Customer Service Precision Team Award Winner. I live in the midwest and goto http://www.acuralibertyville.com/en_US/ . I'm sure there should be one close to you.
acuralibertyville is sacks with Shally - SM, and Glenn - co-owner and service team.
Tlers don't go to acuralibertyville.




And for pzero23 if he liked them use it:


Happy Birthday!

Just wanted to send a note, best wishes and a very happy birthday from Acura of Libertyville.

Please print this email and use it for a 10% off coupon on your vehicles next serivce/repair.

Sincerley,

Jerry Solan

Glenn Bockwinkel
GM/Co-Owner

it's my gift to you pzero23.
Old 03-13-2007, 01:12 AM
  #35  
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So the scoring rating for an advisor is all or nothing? That's good to know. I believe in treating people fairly and giving them a chance to fix things. It may not have been on purpose (not using the OP for example). So, I will let them know up front that my score will reflect their service and I will give them a chance to make amends if I am unhappy.

Perception is everything here. If you are a shady biz and/or a marginal advisor, then you view my intent as a threat to your compensation. If you value my patronage, and stand firm behind your company's myriad ads on TV and radio, then you will gladly accept the challenge to not only take care of me to my satisfaction, but to ensure that I continue on there as a customer and tell others about your excellent service. You know - merit.

I really don't care to argue the issue with them. I brought you my business. You get paid to fix my car. Fix it the right way. WTF???? Just that simple. NO leeway. I will bring it again and again until it is done right!

Question: If we show up and we owe for a repair and we don't have all the money, do they give us the car and let us go? If the bill is $500 and all I have is $275, will they call it even and say thank you? Hell no! So neither will I accept partial work!

Check this out! True story (short version). I bought a car from Brown's Mazda in ALex., Va. Yeah, I'm letting everybody know dammit! Anyway...The car was a Mazda3 for my daughter. Very nice car. She loves it! NBP (well, Mazda's version) just like her Dad's! So when it was time to deliver the car, it was all cleaned up and shining and what not. I was like Damn! 17's and what not on it! But, like the true consumer I am, I walked around it and used peripheral and everything. What did I espy out the corner of my eye, but a scratch on the roof on the passenger side! I was like - what is that? He was like, oh, that's nothing and tried to take some spit on his hand and rub it off thinking it was just a scuff. So now I have spit and a scratch you hear me forum? So, lo and behold, it didn't work. So I left it there and the guy said he would have it taken care of, buffed or something.

Next day, the salesman shows me the car and it is still there. I say I don't want it! I'm leaving. But you know...I had that credit union check in my pocket, and they were drawn to it like a magnet! So salesman says hold on, let me let you speak to somebody higher up on the food chain. So this guy comes out trying to sound like he knows what he's talking about telling me that sir sometimes these things happen in transport, that they can't always be avoided. I sized up the scratch, and said ok, what are you going to give me for my pain and suffering? He said what do you mean? I said how about a rear spoiler? He said, but that costs blah, blah, and this is just a scratch. I said, if this was a Porsche dealership, would it be just a scratch? He looked at me. He said no. I said ok, this is my Porsche. I have a check in my pocket for a brand new car. This is a scratched up like-new car. I said I tell you what. If you can accept me giving you monopoly money, which looks like money, then I will take your car that looks like a brand new car. Deal? He looked at me again with a F'ed up look in his eyes. He said ok man, come on, let's do this. And I have the car and after it got buffed some more by the dealership, you had to be told it was there. But I knew it was! That is all that mattered! They begged me every minute to give them all excellent scores. When the survey came I just junked it! My momma told me that if I don't have anything nice to say, then don't say nothing at all! (I listen sometimes!) LOL!

Stand up for yourself and get what you deserve! Make them earn their score!
Old 03-13-2007, 01:17 AM
  #36  
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funny that someone rivived this thread cause i just completed the survey and burned them on a few topics, mostly how they treat me like shit cause im 21 and they think i dont know what i'm talking about. well wouldnt you know it 2 days later someone calls me inquiring about what i said on the survey, atleast the girl was very pleasant and understanding of what my complaints were. The only thing that pissed me off was she kept asking me what can they do to fix these problems. As a business major i know exactly what to tell her, but being the dick i am i left her with vague hints cause i want her to work for her money and i ain't offering up easy answers. she said that she was responsible for resolving these issues in a monthly meeting, my only concern is that next time i got back i have a feeling the service writer is going to be a dick to me cause he knows that i gave him poor feedback. I guess i'll see next time i go in.
Old 03-13-2007, 01:27 AM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by darksom1
So the scoring rating for an advisor is all or nothing? That's good to know. I believe in treating people fairly and giving them a chance to fix things. It may not have been on purpose (not using the OP for example). So, I will let them know up front that my score will reflect their service and I will give them a chance to make amends if I am unhappy.

Perception is everything here. If you are a shady biz and/or a marginal advisor, then you view my intent as a threat to your compensation. If you value my patronage, and stand firm behind your company's myriad ads on TV and radio, then you will gladly accept the challenge to not only take care of me to my satisfaction, but to ensure that I continue on there as a customer and tell others about your excellent service. You know - merit.

I really don't care to argue the issue with them. I brought you my business. You get paid to fix my car. Fix it the right way. WTF???? Just that simple. NO leeway. I will bring it again and again until it is done right!

Question: If we show up and we owe for a repair and we don't have all the money, do they give us the car and let us go? If the bill is $500 and all I have is $275, will they call it even and say thank you? Hell no! So neither will I accept partial work!

Check this out! True story (short version). I bought a car from Brown's Mazda in ALex., Va. Yeah, I'm letting everybody know dammit! Anyway...The car was a Mazda3 for my daughter. Very nice car. She loves it! NBP (well, Mazda's version) just like her Dad's! So when it was time to deliver the car, it was all cleaned up and shining and what not. I was like Damn! 17's and what not on it! But, like the true consumer I am, I walked around it and used peripheral and everything. What did I espy out the corner of my eye, but a scratch on the roof on the passenger side! I was like - what is that? He was like, oh, that's nothing and tried to take some spit on his hand and rub it off thinking it was just a scuff. So now I have spit and a scratch you hear me forum? So, lo and behold, it didn't work. So I left it there and the guy said he would have it taken care of, buffed or something.

Next day, the salesman shows me the car and it is still there. I say I don't want it! I'm leaving. But you know...I had that credit union check in my pocket, and they were drawn to it like a magnet! So salesman says hold on, let me let you speak to somebody higher up on the food chain. So this guy comes out trying to sound like he knows what he's talking about telling me that sir sometimes these things happen in transport, that they can't always be avoided. I sized up the scratch, and said ok, what are you going to give me for my pain and suffering? He said what do you mean? I said how about a rear spoiler? He said, but that costs blah, blah, and this is just a scratch. I said, if this was a Porsche dealership, would it be just a scratch? He looked at me. He said no. I said ok, this is my Porsche. I have a check in my pocket for a brand new car. This is a scratched up like-new car. I said I tell you what. If you can accept me giving you monopoly money, which looks like money, then I will take your car that looks like a brand new car. Deal? He looked at me again with a F'ed up look in his eyes. He said ok man, come on, let's do this. And I have the car and after it got buffed some more by the dealership, you had to be told it was there. But I knew it was! That is all that mattered! They begged me every minute to give them all excellent scores. When the survey came I just junked it! My momma told me that if I don't have anything nice to say, then don't say nothing at all! (I listen sometimes!) LOL!

Stand up for yourself and get what you deserve! Make them earn their score!

Man, I like it.
Old 03-13-2007, 03:00 AM
  #38  
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i never gotten a survey of my purchasing experience.

The Sales manager said i should get one soon and said i should give all tens. The afternoon after i got my new 05 TL home, i notice one of the door was a shade off and i took it in the next day. He said he doesnt see anything. Anyway...they got me pissed so ...i called acura cs, called the gm, faxed the gm...i finally got a new replacement car. I also told them to change the payment date on the finance paper, since i was not going to pay for a car that i dont have. Took them about a month to get my replacement and no updates. Found out that they did change the payment day on the form and never submited it (just for show to get me off their back).

I wanted to fill out that survey really bad....but never gotten one.

I have gotten a survey for the service.
Old 03-13-2007, 09:23 AM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by A-TLvic882
acuralibertyville is sacks with Shally - SM, and Glenn - co-owner and service team.
Tlers don't go to acuralibertyville.




And for pzero23 if he liked them use it:


Happy Birthday!

Just wanted to send a note, best wishes and a very happy birthday from Acura of Libertyville.

Please print this email and use it for a 10% off coupon on your vehicles next serivce/repair.

Sincerley,

Jerry Solan

Glenn Bockwinkel
GM/Co-Owner

it's my gift to you pzero23.


Hey A-TLvic882 - I bought my TL from this place solely cuz they had a good deal but I am reluctant to go to them for service because they (sales and service) dont even know what they are selling (dont know any stats about apec options or engines or what will be available the up coming year - and various other "shady" experiences) Anyway, can you elaborate on why we should not go there. I didnt understand your message (sorry) and Thanks!
Old 03-13-2007, 11:40 AM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by ajeetm
Sorry in advance for this long post but I could use some opinions on this situation...

So I recieved the customer feedback survey from Acura in the mail after a service visit to get my worn/cracked RSX leather seats replaced and the broken CD changer swapped. The service rep was great through the experience but the job wasn't properly done - they didn't swap the passenger seat (although it was cracked) and they swapped my radio without telling me and it had one of my CD's in it. Because of this I gave less than perfect feedback on the survey. Coincidentally, the day I went back for the follow up service my survey had gone full circle and wound up on my service reps desk, with a failing score. So he took this opportunity to confront me about it, and rambled on about how these scores affect his compensation, and that next time I have a problem with something I should fill out all excellents anyway, and write down the problems. This way he still gets his compensation but they know something went wrong. I was so pissed off by this I told him "If you think I'm gonna lie just for your sake, you can forget it!" In may head I was thinking, why is he coming at me about this, and not the technicians that messed up in the first place?? Later on I sent a detailed letter to the GM about this incident and he called me personally to apologize and also informed me that the survey system has been changed for '06. I said "Thanks for the apology, but what are you going to do to fix this?" To which he didn't have much of a response aside from "I'll make sure your service rep never confronts another customer about this". Oh boy.

Well at least we now know Acura's survey system works (almost).

My main concern is that because the survey is non-anonymous the service reps know I've given a bad score before and I could potentially be blacklisted. So the next time I go in they could "stick it to me" by messing with my car somehow.

I just bought a TL from that same dealership cause they gave a good deal, but I sure ain't going back there for service. Sucks because up until that point they were awesome and I've never gone anywhere else. I'll have to try my luck elsewhere now. I'm probably going to write another letter to the GM telling him that I'm never going back. Not even for the first scheduled oil change on my new TL.

Has anyone else been confronted like this before?
No, don't do that. You should return your TL to the dealer and tell them I'm going to the different dealer. I got bad service from my local dealer too. This is my last Acura, hehe.


Quick Reply: Service Rep confronted me after a bad survey



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