RCGigHarbor

I've just taken delivery on my new A6 from an out of state dealer. It took some time for the car to reach me and I've already been contacted by AoA to rate the experience. I've asked them to call back after the transaction is complete (delivered, registered, etc.). The salesman told my wife that while he knows his after sales service and the whole process was filled with mistakes and lack of follow through on his part, he really would like us to give him a good rating and that the rating has no effect on his dealership but solely on the sales guy personally. I believe the sales guy was genuinely well-intentioned, but he kept (and continues to) fall short of efficient in his performance... I don't want to get him fired, but wouldn't mind sending a message. What is your experience with the effectiveness of these surveys?

By the way, I won't be using this dealership for service.

Thanks

DarrenCT

I am in that line of work, and no matter how bad or good you score him, he won't get fired. Those surveys are "CSI" reports, and in my case, if I get above a 90, the manufacturer sends me $100 for each unit. The score reflects the individual salesperson's performance. If it is not good, or if he/she has not made efforts to make good on the problems you've had, rate them accordingly. The worst that will happen is they may not get the extra "pull" check from Audi. Give them what they deserve. It pisses me off that people still conduct business that way. My profession has a bad enough rep w/o anymore morons adding to it.

Auto Union Jack

experience. Burn 'em. Audi needs as little dead weight in the dealership as possible, IMHO.

phred

I was told by several service writers at BH Audi about one of their ilk who got bad scores and was fired. And I've seen them poring over the ratings sheet because there seems to be more than just money at stake.

I think you have to think about the repercussions of giving a low score before you do it, it really might get someone fired. Maybe it's better to think about why the bad service happened - inexperience, things out of the salesperson's control, or malice or lack of interest? If they were relatively minor and honest mistakes, maybe a good compromise would be to give all 4s. The salesperson will still get busted (because 5 is the only passing grade), but you can claim that you still gave very good scores.

April

If the salesperson has a really good overall scores, they do see some money from Audi. Truely bad consistantly bad scores will get a salesperson fired - and for good reason. Yes, the score reflects only on that salesperson, whether they have control over certain situations or not.

Any time you do an across state line sale, it can be tricky. If the salesperson or manager doesn't have experience, there are bound to be screw-ups. In this case, it is something you need to recognize and decide if it is acceptable.

If you feel the experience could have been better ( things under the direct control of the salesperson ), then consider a lower score when JD Power calls. More effective in some ways, would be a brief letter to the sales manager, dealer principle ( owner ), and AoA, telling them what worked, and what didn't.

The feedback may actually do some good at the dealership, and it won't erode resale for you, like giving a low score on the survey would do.

steve63

People that are supposed to provide customer service and then don't need to get into another field. IT IS EVEN WORSE when they ask you to cover for their short-comings! Give me a break, that guy is trying to play you AND the company he works for.

steve63

if something out of my control happens I am quick to contact the customer and explain the situation and also compensate them, i.e. gift or dinner certificate. I never let someones elses screw up affect my customers. I cannot control situations but it is very easy to make a customer happy by doing something nice for them and not just saying "it was'nt my fault" and walking away with their money.

RCGigHarbor

I believe that many of the mistakes were due to the salesperson's and manager's lack of experience in this type of sale. However, every mistake would have been acceptable if the salesperson or his manager would have called us to keep us informed. Most recently, we were promised when the car was picked up that a temporary California registration would ship with the car so that we could drive it while waiting for the additional paperwork necessary to register the car in Washington. Not once during the four transit days did anyone call to say the registration was not included. When we received the car and called the dealership the salesman said that the transport company must have lost the registration and the dealership would overnight it to us. When it did not appear for two more days we called and spoke to someone in finance who informed us (correctly) that if the car was not going to be registered in California they could not provide a temporary registration. The sales guy was not telling the truth, or when he found out the truth he did not tell us. Again, mistakes are acceptable, lack of communication and avoidance of bad news is not. And this is just one example in a long line of similar mistakes.

Thanks again for your posts. I'm more annoyed just typing this and will probably rate him honestly. With all that said, the car is in the garage (hopefully to be registered Monday), AND IT's ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL~!!!! It's difficult to be too upset!