Rating Car Sales
I’ve already made it clear that I think car salesmen are pretty lowly ranked on the food chain. But, help me understand this system they use for evaluating their performance.
If you’ve never bought a new vehicle before, I’ll explain. When your transaction is complete, the salesman goes over a bunch of checklists to make sure you know everything about the car they are buying. In my experience, this usually involves them just really quickly checking things off. The checklist has stuff like “Make sure customer has had a tour of the dealership”. No thanks. You can check that one off.
However, then they go into a different mode. They inform you that you will be receiving a survey in the mail about your impressions of the transaction. You are to answer honestly. However, you are to keep in mind that if you don’t rate them as OUTSTANDING on all accounts, they receive a FAIL on the survey.
Now, how is this supposed to be objective at all? It’s pressuring your customers into rating you as really good. What if you aren’t? That doesn’t matter. You’re supposed to put outstanding on the form.
All car dealers work this way. It’s some kind of survey conspiracy. I don’t get it at all.
We bought the car on Saturday. On Tuesday night the sales manager called me and just wanted to make sure I was happy with everything about the car. Were all my questions answered? And, “would I have any trouble rating everything about the dealership and the transaction as EXCELLENT?”
Then the next day at noon my sales guy calls back. He goes through the same thing with me, but in a much more juvenile tone. His wording was: “dude, my paycheck and bonus depends on this survey, so hook me up please”.
They both made it clear the calls would continue for some time. Just long enough to make sure I return the survey, I’m guessing. I have no doubt their bonuses are really riding on it, but doesn’t it seem more like their bonuses are riding on hounding the customer to answer questions a certain way moreso than ensuring they received good customer service?
Help me to understand this better.
January 25th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
When I bought my new truck last year (2006 Toyota Tacoma) they told me to bring the survey, unfilled out, to them and I would get a free tank of gas. I’m guessing bribery gets them more good ratings than begging.
January 25th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
nice
I would definitely tell them you’re giving them bad marks on the survey unless they have a reason why you should do different.
January 25th, 2007 at 4:26 pm
i think we should hold out for a free tank of gas, celeb!
also, if you just mark excellent, how are the salesman going to know what they need to do to get any better?
January 25th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
can’t remember when I bought my truck if I filled it out honestly (not good marks) and sent in, or if I just didn’t send it in to avoid the dude getting the not good marks. prolly #2.
January 27th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
Just for calling my home twice, I would give them less than excellent on something.
Also, once Craig and I took our car in for a recall repair and even with an appointment, we waited at the dealership for several hours. The entire horrid experience was followed by a survey. We gave pretty low marks and then kept getting calls from the dealership to change them. I guess they wanted us to say they were outstanding. We refused to do so over and over until they finally gave up. I’m not gonna lie just to make some car dealer happy.
February 1st, 2007 at 6:33 am
The world is all screwed, nothing makes sense.
but the global warming will fix it all. the planet will be saved from the virus that we are.
February 3rd, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Re the last comment, um, eh?
They should just add a question to the survey that says “did the dealer tell you to expect this survey and/or discuss how you will respond?” Any yes to this should automatically render the other answers trach.