Is My Dealer Kissing My Butt?

[Chief]

I won't deny that my dealer treats me with kid gloves. They know about the site and the growth but I want to make it clear I don't flaunt the access that I have. Today I went in for a cracked passenger side view mirror and a burned out license plate light. They did the license plate light for free. This felt weird to me - yes I'm under my 3/36K but a wear item covered under warranty after the first 12 months? I know it's very minor but to be honest if they weren't suppose to do that I was more than ready to pay (would have done it myself but it's been raining and raining and raining and no dry place to crawl around on the ground.

So - are light bulbs a warranty item up to the 3/36K or did the dealer kiss my butt?

 

[fitchr]

Chief: That's a coincidence, my drivers side rearview got a mysterious crack about 1" long starting at the bottom, in the middle of the mirror. They replaced it under warranty, 14K, good thing it's $375. for the whole unit, can't replace just the glass. While it was on order this sticky thick liquid stuff kept dripping on the running board. Tey said that is what get's heated. Good Luck with yours, but I still wonder how it got the crack.

 

[chrisntam]

I'd like to think that customer service is the driving factor. If they replace a 50 cent light bulb at no charge, maybe you'll tell people about it, they will take their vehicle in and the dealer with make that back 100 times over. Or if you take it in for service to the dealer instead of taking the truck elsewhere for service. I'd say it was a good investment for the future! Let's hope great customer service isn't a thing of the past.

 

[BlackAv2002]

I think the dealer was just providing quality customer service. ? How much does a bulb actually cost them

If you think about it if they provided the little things for CS ( CS= customer service) they would increase their repeat business.

My company deals with quite a few dealers here in the tri state area, and the biggest problem is getting return buyers. Lets face it in todays market the only loyalty that there is, is in the almighty dollar. ?So a dealer loses out on many sales because 85% of there customers look for a deal not the service.

So replacing a bulb free of charge on a vehicle that is under the 36k warranty is just good business sense when it comes to CS. ? That customer feels that the dealer went beyond themselves and that sticks in the customers head.

Its the little things that count when it comes to satisfying the customer. ? And today, that is what a dealer must do if he wants repeat business.

Now if the dealer was KISSING your behind.... then that dealer is foolish because that is what they should be doing for all customers that have a year old truck in for service.

Dealers are dollar wise and penny foolish ... todays market they spend loads on big advertising when a little item such as a light bulb makes for the best advertising.

See chief ?you are talking about your dealer... word of mouth... the best solid ad a business could ever get.

now if you didn't have this web site and think that may be the reason they did this for you and you were a regular Avalanche owner, you would be saying how great and nice your dealer was for doing that. ?

You wouldn't be wondering if they were kissing your butt.

As far as your dealer treating you with "kid gloves" ?that is really ridiculous, ?they should treat every customer like they treat you. ?A single local person being unsatisfied could hurt a dealer more sometimes than an owner of a ?website with 6000 worldwide members could do. ?

 

[Wiki]

I won't deny that my dealer treats me with kid gloves. ?They know about the site and the growth but I want to make it clear I don't flaunt the access that I have. ?Today I went in for a cracked passenger side view mirror and a burned out license plate light. ?They did the license plate light for free. ?This felt weird to me - yes I'm under my 3/36K but a wear item covered under warranty after the first 12 months? ?I know it's very minor but to be honest if they weren't suppose to do that I was more than ready to pay (would have done it myself but it's been raining and raining and raining and no dry place to crawl around on the ground.

So - are light bulbs a warranty item up to the 3/36K or did the dealer kiss my butt?

When you say kissing butt, I get this mental image of the movie "Toy Story" where Mr. Potato head takes off his lipps and starts planting them on his butt.....anyone else remember that sceene? Im going to see If I can get a clip of it.

Wiki

 

[NJAV]

Hmmm...I smell some folks trying to get free memberships to the site...I would watch out if I were you Chief....lol

Dave

 

[RJLACK]

Whats wrong in the world when good old Customer Service or even doing a favor for someone is questioned. I give small repairs away as a courtesy at my shop everyday - it's called advertising with good will. Heck maybe the world is coming back to the time when things are more personal! I for one would welcome this change.

 

[Chief]

Chief: That's a coincidence, my drivers side rearview got a mysterious crack about 1" long starting at the bottom, in the middle of the mirror. They replaced it under warranty, 14K, good thing it's $375. for the whole unit, can't replace just the glass. While it was on order this sticky thick liquid stuff kept dripping on the running board. Tey said that is what get's heated. Good Luck with yours, but I still wonder how it got the crack.

Actually you can just replace the glass - there is no need to replace the whole unit (that's what the did with me today). This is the second mirror I've had replaced on that side. The first one just stopped working - this one cracked - similar to what you described but not at the middle - closer to the body. Don't know how/why it happened but glad it was covered!

 

[wrchism]

But chief . . . you said yourself that your butt was "so utterly kissable" . . .

Just good customer service IMO!

 

[ColoradoAV]

I almost think Chief feels guilty that he was treated so well ? . ?I would feel guilty too after all the hardships my parents have gone through with GM service reps. and realizing how hard it is to get a service rep. to do something under warranty ?.

I think this is just simply good service. ?All I can say is - it's about time! ?Glad to hear that.

 

[StrobinAvalanche]

Only way to really find out is to have another AVer with a burned out license plate bulb to go to your dealership and see what if they are charged or not. I personally have not had to visit my dealership again since my purchase so I wouldn't be able to tell you. Maybe it's just great service.

 

[Raven]

It's amazing how much good free advertising that dealership is getting just by raplacing your bulb!

As the general Sales Manager of a Saturn dealership, I know what Customer satisfaction means to a dealership! With the tiny amount that GM spends on Saturn Advertising, I have to rely on alot of word of mouth advertising. To me the dealership wasn't doing anything I don't do ten times a day, but I know most other brands don't really care once you drive off the lot.


Credit goes out to the dealership that understands that if you get good service, you tell ten people about it, but if you get BAD service, you tell everyone that you see!


RAVEN

 

[Ghostwheel]

I went to a chevy dealer here in Mesa on Monday to buy a fuse for charging thruogh the trailer hitch and they gave me free copies of my key. That worked out pretty well.

 

[Congelado]

As mentioned earlier in this thread, some dealers are trying to focus on customer service.

The ones I've been to in my area follow up with the customer a couple of days after you pick up your vehicle. When they call, they make sure the specific items the vehicle was taken in for were addressed. Every time we take our Av in, they make sure it's clean (washed) before we get it back. On occasion, they've given us a free tank of gas. It's great to go to a dealer that goes the extra mile.