[Groucho]

...suprisingly rocks! Just had my oil changed at the dealer (hey, I had free certificates for letting the salesguy put my Goat in a car show), and was pleasantly shocked at how, well, pleasant it was. Nice waiting room, helpful staff, quick service-- it was everything the dealer for my wife's Volvo is not.

The local Volvo dealership sucks. Must be the Ford influence.

My last car was a BMW, and this after-the-sale experience for my GTO was every bit as good as the Bavarian marque's.

Hats off, Pontiac. Keep importing Holden Aussie Monsters and keep up the service, and my next car may just have a red wedge on the nose.

 

[Xman]

My experience has been satisfying also. We have a GMC Yukon XL as the primary vehicle so I have two cars that go to the same dealer. They always have been great on vehicle price and repairs. Their service department continues to get it right - I've never had to return because it didn't get fixed properly the first time. I also like having both cars serviced at the same location because they know me by name and I can build a good working relationship with the service manager. The one complaint I have of the dealership is their price for parts - they mark them up 25 to 50% over GM list. This is one area where I don't use my dealer.

And yes - I've had Volvos for 20 years before this and the service has been as good if not better!

 

[SDMF Jon]

Hmmmm.......well, so far I'm not impressed with my local Stealership. I emailed them yesterday to schedule a test drive and I got a fairly quick response saying I'd get an answer very soon. Then nothing.......

 

[SDMF Jon]

....and almost 48 hours later, still nothing. They must not want my business. Typical.

 

[Baron Samedi]

Give 'em a break!

Not everyone (especially in the car business) is as wired as we'd like them to be.

Try a phone call. Odds are they are configured to handle that method of communication well.

And BTW "stealership" is getting a little old. People in the car business have to make a living too and not everyone's dishonest.

Just my $.02.

 

[SDMF Jon]

You're right about the stealership part. Perhaps I got carried away. But in my defense, this particular car sales office are underhanded and treat me like an idiot even when I've called them out on their tricks. I do my window shopping and any warranty work with them because they're local, but I'll never buy from them.

Which is the same reason I don't want to make a phone call. Email keeps them from calling me back when I don't require follow-up calls. Besides, they offered me the option of using email, I didn't go out of my way to seek it out. If they can't properly respond via that method, they shouldn't offer it. Especialyl after already replying to me saying an official response was forthcoming.......and then nothing.

I always give the benefit of the doubt, sometimes for too long. But this STEALERSHIP has proven time and again that they can't shake hands without crossing their fingers behind their back. I can't continue to forgive that.

*steps off soap box*

 

[Baron Samedi]

Certainly can't blame you given your experience and you're right that if they can't follow through, they shouldn't offer.

I had a similar electronic experience with our local Pontiac store. I made an inquiry via GM Buypower on the GTO site. I got the automated reply which was actually followed (4hrs later) by a message from the sales manager offering me a $1,200 discount on a Cosmos Purple M6. In the meantime I had visited the store and spoken to a Salesman. When I got back to my office, I replied to the email, told the Sales Manager I'd spoken to another person in his store and asked when the '05s are arriving. I've never heard back.

Unfortunately, sometimes manufacturers try to force technology (communication, service diagnostic, etc.) on the dealer body without realizing that the dealer body is made up of people who've been "doing it the old-fashioned way" (and generally reasonably successfully from their point of view) for years. What ususally happens is that one or two people have used email once or twice and are assigned the task of responding to all the electronic correspondence. Rarely do they realize that many people today monitor their email constantly and expect a reply within 15 minutes or 1/2 an hour. Instead, they regard email inquirers as "strokers" who never buy and treat them as such. It therefore becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Email leads don't buy because they're not handled properly.

Now it's time for ME to step down off my soap box.

 

[SDMF Jon]

Excellent anaylsis! :cheers

 

[LarryM]

Since the initally this thread was about "Service" I'll add that twice I've taken my Blazer to the Pontiac dealer now where I got my GTO. Both times exactly what was wrong was quickly fixed, and more importantly, ACCURATELY fixed - the car did not have to go back for the same problem.

The first visit was for the alternator, which turned out to be a corroded washer. They could have easily charged me for a whole new alternator, but didnt.


As far as the "side" topic, of salesmen, email, and such... The hard part to remember about a dealership is that it is NOT a monolithic organization, its a bunch of individuals. Some pay attention to their emails, some do not. I initially got my Blazer on a lease. When it was about to expire, I went back to the dealer to see what kind of new Blazers he had. I was VERY surprised that the sales guy could hardly be bothered to take me out to the lot and show me what they had. I was definitely an imposition - which I don't understand at all. I was a returning customer interested in a fairly expensive vehicle, and in something of a time crunch. I ended up just buying the Blazer from the lease company, and good thing. If I'd have leased/bought a new Blazer, I'd have never convinced my wife of my desparate NEED to get a GTO!

---Larry

 

[Groucho]

Welcome back, Larry!

 

[lisatw151]

I must say, as a female, my service experience has not been quite up to par. Not bad, but not quite what I'd like. I've had my goat in twice for oil changes. The first time, I also had them check a shimmy in the steering wheel at about 60mph. They rebalanced the tires. The shimmy moved up to 70mph and got worse. The second oil change, I had them check the shimmy again and also had them check that problem I've been having with the headlights dimming briefly when deccelerating to a stop with the clutch pushed in. They couldn't reproduce that and then told me that the shimmy was either road "noise" or engine vibration. Come on... yes I'm a girl, but a girl that's totally into my car. (okay...a tomboy) I'm not stupid. It probably wouldn't have been quite as bad if the service writer hadn't had such a condescending tone of voice. Maybe on the next trip he'll treat me a little differently since he and I had an extended conversation as I got ready to leave last time. We talked a lot about the GTO vs. Mustang vs. RX8 etc, etc... and I held my own in the conversation. But then, we got started talked about bass fishing (one of my BIGGEST passtimes) and I think it blew him away. So we'll see...

 

[Baron Samedi]

I initially got my Blazer on a lease. When it was about to expire, I went back to the dealer to see what kind of new Blazers he had. I was VERY surprised that the sales guy could hardly be bothered to take me out to the lot and show me what they had. I was definitely an imposition - which I don't understand at all. I was a returning customer interested in a fairly expensive vehicle, and in something of a time crunch. I ended up just buying the Blazer from the lease company, and good thing. If I'd have leased/bought a new Blazer, I'd have never convinced my wife of my desparate NEED to get a GTO!

---Larry

That's amazing to me also.

The same thing happens in the dealership (Porsche and Audi) where I work. Sales people who've been selling here for years have this huge book of business and we know exactly what the customers pay/month and when their lease/finance term expires. We know when they'll need a car, what kind of cars they like and what they're willing to pay. But do we at least contact them 3 months or so before term expiration to interest them in the latest and greatest stuff? Hell no! We don't contact them at all during the term of their contract and then get pi$$ed when we find they've bought a Mercedes or BMW or Ferrari or something. Foolish to say the least.

Sorry to get off topic. This is one of my pet peeves (can you tell?)

 

[LarryM]

Welcome back, Larry!

Well, I've kinda sorta still been here, just not right on top of things... the boss actually started to expect me to do some work around here! What an imposition, oh wait a minute, that's what we're talking about.


Besides I didn't want to be confused with that other Larry. This one LIKES GTOs. I'd say love, but then somebody would get it all twisted and make some other comment about taking off the TCS first...


---Larry