[DenverTaco07]

Sounds like your family's business will be missed by that dealer, you've done a lot of business with them.

[Lanzz]

Kite's experience is why it's hard to own a Chevy, Dodge or Ford... I've had the same conversation several times - you make an appointment, build the rest of your day around it, then the dealer acts like you are the crazy one. Not unique to that dealership. The dealership that best understands that people are busy and can't spend all day waiting is the local Benz dealer... Lot of money to spend to have your time respected, but some days it's worth it. (and oddly enough, we have a Mazda dealer here that treats you like gold in the service department, go figure...)

[Frisbey]

Interesting thread that’s morphed into multiple topics.

The OP has hit the nail on the head, whether you think he was rude or not,
He is right in his point of view. I’m old school and strongly believe in a extraordinary customer experience, period!
For the last 45 years, If I make an appointment for a specific service to be done, I expect it to be done, period! NOT TO MAKE ANOTHER APPOINMENT, unless something unexpected happens, which would be understandable. but that didn’t happen here.
I’m taking time out of my busy schedule to come see you at the time you requested to have a specific job done. I expect to be treated promptly and fairly.
Any business that can’t do that, won’t be here very long.

If a business treats me that way, I give them a fair chance, which it sounds like the OP did, even writing a letter to management, who didn’t even reply.
After that, I’d bolt too.

It takes a lot to get new customers, a phone call might have saved this one.
It’s certainly a LOT harder and costly to get a new customer than to keep an existing one. A concept that seams to be foreign to the current generation
And it’s no just about this purchase, it’s also about the lifetime future buying cycle of each customer and their referrals and reviews. Some dealers just don’t get it, it’s business 101.

Regarding the twist on the thread of dealer profit,
Something to remember, the dealers need to make a reasonable profit to stay in business, to keep up infrastructure, hire and train quality staff and tech’s.
Without this, we get what everyone is talking about, chaos and a lack of customer service. We all want a good deal, but beating them up to get that extra $500.00 is costing us in the long run. JMHO.

I’ve watched the poor service happen at my local dealer as well.
I purchased my first car from them in 1973 and most since then.
I’ve been a loyal customer, until last fall when they forgot about treating me like they would want to be treated. They sent me looking somewhere else, where I had a wonderful experience! Becky

[JCunningham]

my dealer doesn't just offer you a loaner but the tech that will be working on it gets your keys and starts working on your car when you drop it off. as long as his previous job is done on time. you usually wait.

[Gunkk]

Originally Posted by Lanzz

and oddly enough, we have a Mazda dealer here that treats you like gold in the service department, go figure...

That dealership has a clue about customer service. Plenty of them out there.

If the owner cares, then the GM will care, then the SM will care.

[FrostySS]

Sounds like a big miscommunication somewhere(not saying it's your fault). She didn't put you down as a waiter, assumed it was a bigger job and just ASSumed you were getting a loaner. That's where she needs to be trained to ask the right questions. Most of the time those people are just there to take appointments with zero automotive knowledge or ability to think outside the box. Now, that could be a learning lesson for you as well, make sure you know you're waiting for this and not leaving the vehicle. Again, not saying it's your fault, just another way everyone can make sure they're on the same page. That starts off the entire process on the wrong foot. There was absolutely no need for the advisor to get shitty with you. No matter how bad OUR day is(when I say "our" I mean advisor/manager, former long time GM advisor and manager here) it's our job to take care of you. It gets tough sometimes, working in service is a grind, working with idiot, know-nothing customers wears on you but that's what we get paid to deal with. It sucks man, all this drama and hassle for a stupid loose bolt.

I do want to address something a few people have said already in this thread. "If I have an appointment for 9AM the car better be in the shop at 9:05". I'm paraphrasing here but what's with this attitude and expectation? Why is this industry different than say....a doctor's appointment? I don't know of a single doctor's office, unless you're first appointment of the day, that gets you in as soon as you get there. Why is it acceptable or the norm to wait 20-40 minutes for a doctor to see you but 6 minutes after you're written up for service work the sky is f'in falling if your car is still sitting there. It's just some food for thought and something to think about. The expectation that there is a tech waiting just for you(unless you're the first appointments of the day) is ridiculous, sorry to say it but it is. Sometimes things happen and things get backed up.

It sucks some of you guys have had bad experiences at dealerships. It's one thing to make a mistake, everyone is human, independent shops **** things up too, but the lack of customer service and appreciation is definitely a more common thing now, unfortunately. This industry is tough, you get shit from every angle and it seems like more and more people that are working the service desk are there to fill a seat. Some service managers have no clue either, they're just there to be profitable and hopefully don't piss off too many customers. I fear for this industry in the next 10 years. As the good people get fed up, as the old techs that can actually diagnose and fix things leave the industry due to retirement, opening their own shop, or just switch industries all together it's going to be tough to replace them, the younger generation coming out of these tech schools....well....some of them are scary. I wouldn't let them change a spark plug on a lawnmower lol. Even though I loved my customers where I was at, loved the auto group that owned the dealership I'm so glad to be out of that part of the automotive industry.

[Gunkk]

Originally Posted by FrostySS

I don't know of a single doctor's office, unless you're first appointment of the day, that gets you in as soon as you get there.

All of mine get me in and out on time.

If your primary purpose in business is to make money is performing a service, then delighting customers with an excellent customer experience is your one and only objective. Elective medical treatment or automotive maintenance and repair doesn't matter. Piss off your customers by making them wait or trying to pull a BS upsell and they will walk.

[FrostySS]

Oh here I thought we were in business to lose $$$ and go bankrupt. Thank God for you and your inside info.

You missed my point, generally speaking people are OK for waiting for a doctor's appointment or budget time for it but freak the F out if their car sits a few minutes before getting in.

So you're saying you've never had to wait a few extra minutes to be seen? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight lmao.

It's a ridiculous expectation to assume you won't have to wait a few minutes. Now if we're talking 20-30+ minutes then OK....but 5-10 minutes? I just laughed on the inside if/when people bitched at that.

A lot of us are car guys and "get it", most customers aren't. I loved my customers and treated them with the utmost respect because they were basically my paycheck but some people are just ridiculous. We got a guy in and out one time because he was in a super big rush, oil change, rotate, MPI and had him charged out. He was most likely getting those stupid CSI surveys and we told him to keep an eye out for it and to help us out since we got him done quickly and efficiently. His response was that he never gives perfect scores because it could always be better. We could've done it in 20 minutes, not 22. Oh and he was 20 minutes late to his appointment. It's crap like that...I'm glad I'm out.

Anyway, I'm rambling, my point is that for some reason the same perception and understanding applied to other industries certainly isn't applied to the auto repair and service field and I don't know why. It's really strange. I used the very same analogy to a customer before with the doctors office and they couldn't give a logical answer, it was just some food for thought for them.

Ah well, glad I'm in a different type of shop environment now where people WANT to spend $$$ on their cars.

[motorhead]

I would be extremely pissed too if I made an appointment at a specific time to be told it wasn't happening at said time. What a bunch of idiots you are dealing with OP. Here is a nice concept..
IF YOU CAN'T DO IT AT 8:45 ON A CERTAIN DAY DON'T SIGN THE CUSTOMER UP FOR THAT DAY AND TIME!! We are living in a sea of morons these days.

I read post like this all the time, and it makes me extremely great full for the dealers I have around here.
They rock customer service.

[Gunkk]

Originally Posted by FrostySS

You missed my point, generally speaking people are OK for waiting for a doctor's appointment or budget time for it but freak the F out if their car sits a few minutes before getting in.

No I do not think I missed your point. I understand that you, as a service provider, have had bad experiences with grumpy customers. You're sympathizing with the OP's dealer and that's probably natural for someone who's been on the other side of the counter.

You want it to be okay for automotive service providers to make a customer wait because you say that the general public perceives that it's OK to wait at doctor's office.

But poor customer service is poor customer service. It is not OK service or good service or great service. It's poor service.

If you manage your customer's expectations well, they won't be as grumpy with you as a service provider. But if you're expecting that it's OK for you to make your customers wait because you think they're OK waiting elsewhere is not a winning strategy.

Originally Posted by FrostySS

So you're saying you've never had to wait a few extra minutes to be seen?

Of course I've been made to wait in the past. I have had bad experiences with both doctors and auto shops, and I did because I didn't manage the provider's expectations.

Then I learned how to communicate and manage my and others' expectations. I do not have bad experiences now because I can actively and effectively communicate my expectations with my service providers and I manage them to that expectation.

Pro Tip example #1: My very first question when I walk into a service shop after exchanging the pleasantries and agreeing on scope of work is "Can you finish by X:XX time? I have to be at YYYY by Z:ZZ time."

The times I give are more than reasonable (1 clock hour for an oil change).

And no, I'm happy to say that I have never had a single bad experience when I actively managed the service provider's expectations toward what I consider acceptable customer service.

[Norm Peterson]

Originally Posted by Kiteboarder85

This is the 3rd time my sway bar has become loose and without going to the dealer, they wouldn't be able to log it. There are countless amounts of 6th gens with sway bars becoming lose at low mileage and so far GM has done nothing about the issue.

If all that is true, why should you have expected a different outcome this time? Or at least postponed it out past your meeting? Worst case, what - you have to put up with a little clunking for another day or two?

I get that you might still be a bit annoyed about them screwing up the tire rotation.

Also, with the lift I have the axle would be hanging which puts tension on the sway bar link. I can't tighten it myself with what I have unfortunately.

Is that a tow hook I see? No ramps or any other means of getting the car raised with full weight on the tires, like use your lift to lift the car, stack up a few 2x10's under each tire, and then lower the car back down onto them?


Norm

[Timbo-1LE]

GM should be all over these things. This is why a good friend left a Buick dealer and went to Lexus. Now I know Chevrolet is not @ Lexus, but Cadillac is. My wife's 2011 SRX with 70k, cyl 6 misfire, threw every part at it and then said, you need a new engine @ $8k. After complaining via letter, they offered to help. They already lost me. They do not understand "proactive" customer service... and care for your car like it was their own, basic simple things... I do believe Mary B is a change agent, a great CEO, products improving, service is next, and it's more than survey emails...

[Kiteboarder85]

Originally Posted by FrostySS

I do want to address something a few people have said already in this thread. "If I have an appointment for 9AM the car better be in the shop at 9:05". I'm paraphrasing here but what's with this attitude and expectation? Why is this industry different than say....a doctor's appointment? I don't know of a single doctor's office, unless you're first appointment of the day, that gets you in as soon as you get there. Why is it acceptable or the norm to wait 20-40 minutes for a doctor to see you but 6 minutes after you're written up for service work the sky is f'in falling if your car is still sitting there. It's just some food for thought and something to think about. The expectation that there is a tech waiting just for you(unless you're the first appointments of the day) is ridiculous, sorry to say it but it is. Sometimes things happen and things get backed up.

Thanks for your comments. I'm a customer who does give businesses a chance to do the right thing. Ie...bringing the car back even after the same dealer rotated my staggered tires back to front.

I do want to reply to your comment about being backed up. I took the car in at 8:30, a half hour after opening their doors. It shouldn't be backed up already into the late afternoon

I don't personally expect a business to jump on an appointment right when the clock strikes the appointment time. I do expect them to be somewhat close within an hour. If they are that backed up, they should have someone making courtesy calls letting customers know that their service time will not be met and to ask to make alternate arrangements - not wait until a customer moves mountains to make it into the shop at a certain time and expect the rest of their afternoon and evening are wide open.

I believe my dealer is going down hill quickly. Over the weekend I had chats with locals during my kids sporting events and neighborhood gatherings, and the energy around town is that this dealers service is getting worse and they are driving many people outside of town to different dealers to get service done.

[Hrick]

It is not just your dealer my 2017, with 14000 miles on it, had the bumper on the right side come loose- we could see the clips. I took it to the dealer in Colorado where I purchased it and I got the run around about getting it taken care of under warranty. It had been 3 weeks and nothing but excuses! I finally had to call corporate customer service, and wow the dealer body shop said they ordered the part and I could come down as soon as it was in- I finally got an 45 minute job fixed.
We also have bought 5 vehicles from this dealer- 2 1 ton Chevy duramax’s, a Tahoe, and a traverse. We had problems with the service dept with the 11 duramax, but nothing again till now. I believe not many dealers are left that care about the people. Only care about the sale! Our salesman is amazing and hate for him to lose our business but service after the sale is long term and matters even more!