Lincoln sets J.D. Power service satisfaction record (merged threads)
07-21-04, 06:32 AM
#1
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
Lincoln sets J.D. Power service satisfaction record
Lincoln tops in service satisfaction
J.D. Power survey finds more satisfaction with dealers' service departments; Lincoln sets record.
July 21, 2004: 7:31 AM EDT
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - U.S. auto buyers are more satisfied with their dealerships' service departments than in the past, and Lincoln dealers got top marks for the first time, according to a survey from J.D. Power & Associates.
The J.D. Power "Customer Service Index," which measures customers satisfaction with the service department the first three years they own a vehicle, found nearly half of the brands measured improved at least 10 points out of a possible 1,000, and seven brands topped 900, a mark previously reached by only the Lexus and Saturn brands.
Lincoln came in at a 912 rating, the best rating ever received by any brand in history of the 24-year old survey. It was up 17 points from a year earlier.
"Lincoln's CSI performance was also helped by improved vehicle quality," said Joe Ivers, executive director of quality/customer satisfaction at J.D. Power. "This has translated into a 14 percent decline in the volume of repairs needed, meaning that more of Lincoln's work is maintenance-only, which is easier from a customer satisfaction viewpoint."
Other brands that topped the 900 benchmark include Buick (909), Infiniti (908), Cadillac (904), Lexus (902), Saturn (901) and Acura (900).
The best improvement on the index in 2004 came at Audi and Jaguar, which each improved an impressive 31 points over 2003, and Land Rover, which improved 29 points. Lincoln, Jaguar, and Land Rover are all Ford Motor Co. brands. Ford competitor General Motors Corp. also scored some success, as all of its brands scored above the industry average of 862; Saturn, Buick and Cadillac are GM brands.
Korean automaker Daewoo came in at the bottom of the rankings, with a score of 754, and the two other major Korean automakers -- Hyundai and Kia, also were in the bottom five with scores of 832 for Hyundai and 813 for Kia.
Two smaller Japanese automakers round out the bottom five with Suzuki coming in at 809 and Isuzu at 786. But two of the largest Japanese automakers also came in below the industry average, with Toyota scoring an 845 rating and Nissan coming in at 847. Only Honda scored above average among the non-luxury Japanese brands.
Find this article at:
http://money.cnn.com/2004/07/21/pf/a...tion/index.htm
J.D. Power survey finds more satisfaction with dealers' service departments; Lincoln sets record.
July 21, 2004: 7:31 AM EDT
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - U.S. auto buyers are more satisfied with their dealerships' service departments than in the past, and Lincoln dealers got top marks for the first time, according to a survey from J.D. Power & Associates.
The J.D. Power "Customer Service Index," which measures customers satisfaction with the service department the first three years they own a vehicle, found nearly half of the brands measured improved at least 10 points out of a possible 1,000, and seven brands topped 900, a mark previously reached by only the Lexus and Saturn brands.
Lincoln came in at a 912 rating, the best rating ever received by any brand in history of the 24-year old survey. It was up 17 points from a year earlier.
"Lincoln's CSI performance was also helped by improved vehicle quality," said Joe Ivers, executive director of quality/customer satisfaction at J.D. Power. "This has translated into a 14 percent decline in the volume of repairs needed, meaning that more of Lincoln's work is maintenance-only, which is easier from a customer satisfaction viewpoint."
Other brands that topped the 900 benchmark include Buick (909), Infiniti (908), Cadillac (904), Lexus (902), Saturn (901) and Acura (900).
The best improvement on the index in 2004 came at Audi and Jaguar, which each improved an impressive 31 points over 2003, and Land Rover, which improved 29 points. Lincoln, Jaguar, and Land Rover are all Ford Motor Co. brands. Ford competitor General Motors Corp. also scored some success, as all of its brands scored above the industry average of 862; Saturn, Buick and Cadillac are GM brands.
Korean automaker Daewoo came in at the bottom of the rankings, with a score of 754, and the two other major Korean automakers -- Hyundai and Kia, also were in the bottom five with scores of 832 for Hyundai and 813 for Kia.
Two smaller Japanese automakers round out the bottom five with Suzuki coming in at 809 and Isuzu at 786. But two of the largest Japanese automakers also came in below the industry average, with Toyota scoring an 845 rating and Nissan coming in at 847. Only Honda scored above average among the non-luxury Japanese brands.
Find this article at:
http://money.cnn.com/2004/07/21/pf/a...tion/index.htm
07-21-04, 08:32 AM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
This contrasts 100% with the rating that Consumer Reports gave Lincoln for number of defects per 100 cars for brand-new vehicles.....dead LAST. Lincoln apparantly has serious quality-control problems at the factory........even more so than VW and Mercedes.
07-21-04, 09:39 AM
#4
Pole Position
Lincoln Beats Lexus in Deale. Satisfaction!
Amazing. Lincoln just got the JDPowers award for top dealer satisfaction. This is NOT the vehicle quality award. But perhaps a comment on some of what we see here on this board. Lexi seems to sell themselves....you want it or you don't. So perhaps this has led to dealer complacency.
My question is this: Of all of these "awards", why isn't LONG TERM DURABILITY touted more? THAT, in my humble opinion, is the MAIN measure of quality. Most people can put up with a new car bug here or there that is covered under warranty, even if it does mean an inconvenient trip tp the dealer. But long term durability is what drives resale value and brand name. That's why Mercedes is in such a pickle...after the warranty everyone is afraid of the costs to own. So resale falls to reflect this.
Anyway, Lincoln dealers are now tops. Go figure!
My question is this: Of all of these "awards", why isn't LONG TERM DURABILITY touted more? THAT, in my humble opinion, is the MAIN measure of quality. Most people can put up with a new car bug here or there that is covered under warranty, even if it does mean an inconvenient trip tp the dealer. But long term durability is what drives resale value and brand name. That's why Mercedes is in such a pickle...after the warranty everyone is afraid of the costs to own. So resale falls to reflect this.
Anyway, Lincoln dealers are now tops. Go figure!
07-21-04, 10:46 AM
#6
Lexus Test Driver
Like i said.
I had a post about my treatment by lexus that i started a week ago and this is what i meant. And darlly40 is right about the complacency of dealers, the product and reputation of lexus' durability is what has been selling it the last 4 years and since 1990. I purchased my first lexus in 1997, a ES300 black on black, with car phone. I can't say how much nicer they were to me then and how it kept me with them. 3 years later is when i noticed the cockiness. Sometimes people that usta speak to me didn't in the showroom, and at this point i was on my 3rd lexus. Then i was told by the GeneralManager/Owner of this dealership, if i go and buy elsewere that he wouldn't want to do service on my car. I did nothing wrong but buy 3 cars paid in full from this same dealer. And i know there are good dealers out there, but luxury dealerships aren't supposed to behave like that. When you fly on a plane and pay for first class you expect it, and deserve it you owe the airline nothing you are the customer. I feel we all, including myself have been blinded by the quality of lexus in the past, so we overlook what's going on in the present. There have been more complaints about quality also. I have a 2001 LS430 and have had at least 6 problems with this car. When i talk about it on this site, people tend to stick up for lexus instead of having concern. I didn't build the car i just bought it. We need to make the site a place were we can try and not be biased about the car company we like, but lets not worship lexus. They are capable of slipping just like benz did before lexus came along and took alot of its customers away. Alot of us are former Benz customers and BMW and JAG customers . Just like lexus came from out of nowhere another car company can do the same. I'm a lexus man and will continue to be one, i like there cars and will find another dealership to deal with. But if there wrong lets check them so they don't start fallling in quality. I say this because i like lexus not dislike lexus, we all are on this site because of that. GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME. AND GOD IS ALWAYS ON TIME.
07-21-04, 10:54 AM
#7
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
Clements
Denny Clements (VP, Lexus) is on top of it...
Clements adds that even in the automotive industry, where relationships between manufacturers and dealers can be downright antagonistic, Toyota manages to maintain unusually harmonious partnerships with the folks who sell the company's cars.
"Our first consideration on the sales and marketing side is always the success of our dealers and the welfare of our customers," he says. "We have great products, but we don't have a monopoly on great products. We have great dealers, but we don't have a monopoly on great dealers, either. So that's not why we're successful. The difference is that we have advocacy with our dealers. Our dealers will do things for us they won't do for other manufacturers because they know there's a trust level and that, at our core, we're with them. There's never an adversarial relationship, because they know that the power and might of Toyota Motor Corporation is dedicated to their success every day. That is probably 180 degrees from where most manufacturers are and, frankly, it represents a huge competitive advantage for us."
BEGINNER'S LUXURY
Introduced to the American market in 1989, the Lexus marked a Japanese manufacturer's first foray into the import luxury-automobile battleground then dominated by such Teutonic titans as Mercedes and BMW. Predictably, critics reacted to the news with a mixture of ridicule and disbelief. Sure, the Japanese could build perfectly serviceable economy cars, the thinking went, but luxury?
Not only did Toyota build a luxury car to compete with the best Germany had to offer, but the Lexus in fact redefined the concept by setting a new standard for both European and American automakers to match - or be left in the dust. But as Clements emphasizes, what truly made Lexus different wasn't the comfier seats, better handling or features no one had ever thought to put in a car before. The difference, he explains, was in the service.
"The LS400 was a phenomenal success for the first four or five months," Clements says. "One of the articles said that the Lexus had gone 'from a question mark to a benchmark.' That helped dispel the notion that the Japanese couldn't build a genuine luxury car and luxury channel. But then we ran into a quality problem - our first recall. At that time the people here elected to do something that no one else had ever done before. They had a massive recall, went out and picked up every customer's car, made the repair, washed every car and then gave every owner a gift. Nobody had ever done that before - taken a recall and turned it into an opportunity to build customer loyalty. And what it did was give our dealers a level of authenticity - it showed that we were for real, that we meant it when we said we are all about a superb customer experience. So out of that initial adversity, we were very fortunate."
DISCRETION: THE BETTER PART OF VALUE
The goal at Lexus, says Clements, is not simply to offer good customer service, a concept so bland that it has almost lost all meaning, but to "surprise and delight" customers in a way that no one else does. That requires an unexpected level of commitment, something the company calls "discretionary effort."
"Discretionary effort is when a company representative does something for a customer when no one is looking that he or she doesn't have to do," he explains. "You can't pay people to do that. They have to really want to give it. And you can only get that kind of effort from loyal associates. You get loyal associates by having people who believe that this is a company that really cares about them as individuals and is going to give them the tools and training they need to be successful. And it's not about money, although we have a lot of people here who are very successful. But money doesn't get you a story like the one about the sales rep who was willing to drive 140 miles round trip to a customer's house on a Friday night to demonstrate a car that the rep would have had no trouble selling to someone else the next day. That only happens when you have the loyalty of the people, when they believe that Lexus is a great place to work, a place where they can achieve their goals."
In a business environment where for many companies customer advocacy is more about public relations than genuinely expending the effort to put customers first, Toyota represents a refreshing departure. And rather than buying into the mentality that every corporate decision should be made with one eye nervously affixed on the stock price, Esmond says, Toyota focuses its attention on smart growth that's grounded in giving customers what they want and staying true to core company values.
"Growth depends on how well you listen to your customers," he says. "So the better the relationships you have with your dealers and your customers, the more likely you are to grow. You don't get too greedy. You set your own internal targets and objectives and then play true to them. And in today's day and time, you don't read the newspaper, except maybe the sports pages.
"From our perspective, it's a real simple business. Our job as a manufacturer is to produce good quality products the customers want. Our dealers' job is to sell and service the needs of customers. And, as long as we clearly separate that, it's a partnership that's going to work. When you start getting into trouble is when you start forgetting what your job is. Even though it's not written anywhere into the Toyota Way, one thing I've found very clearly here is that the customer comes first, the dealer comes second, and then we come third. So as long as you always make your decisions with that order in mind, you should be all right."
"If your focus is always that the customer needs to win, then there is a certain limit to how much you should grow," he explains. "Yes, you can take a short-term view and say, 'We're going to build as many cars as possible and just sell them.' Or you can stay true to your core values and say, 'We're going to grow, but we're going to do it at a level that sustains or even improves customer relationships.'
"Because of this mind-set that all our business partners must be successful, we can't become arrogant. It isn't a matter of 'We build great cars, we're selling everything we're making, and our market share is going up.' The reality is, I have 200 Lexus dealers to worry about, to make sure they're successful. This attitude keeps you from changing, growing and improving. A colleague once said to me, 'You guys are a lap ahead, but you always act like you're a lap behind.' Success can be deadly because you forget what got you there, or you begin to feel like you're entitled to it. That doesn't happen here."
http://www.sellingpower.com/article/...207&pageTitle=
Clements adds that even in the automotive industry, where relationships between manufacturers and dealers can be downright antagonistic, Toyota manages to maintain unusually harmonious partnerships with the folks who sell the company's cars.
"Our first consideration on the sales and marketing side is always the success of our dealers and the welfare of our customers," he says. "We have great products, but we don't have a monopoly on great products. We have great dealers, but we don't have a monopoly on great dealers, either. So that's not why we're successful. The difference is that we have advocacy with our dealers. Our dealers will do things for us they won't do for other manufacturers because they know there's a trust level and that, at our core, we're with them. There's never an adversarial relationship, because they know that the power and might of Toyota Motor Corporation is dedicated to their success every day. That is probably 180 degrees from where most manufacturers are and, frankly, it represents a huge competitive advantage for us."
BEGINNER'S LUXURY
Introduced to the American market in 1989, the Lexus marked a Japanese manufacturer's first foray into the import luxury-automobile battleground then dominated by such Teutonic titans as Mercedes and BMW. Predictably, critics reacted to the news with a mixture of ridicule and disbelief. Sure, the Japanese could build perfectly serviceable economy cars, the thinking went, but luxury?
Not only did Toyota build a luxury car to compete with the best Germany had to offer, but the Lexus in fact redefined the concept by setting a new standard for both European and American automakers to match - or be left in the dust. But as Clements emphasizes, what truly made Lexus different wasn't the comfier seats, better handling or features no one had ever thought to put in a car before. The difference, he explains, was in the service.
"The LS400 was a phenomenal success for the first four or five months," Clements says. "One of the articles said that the Lexus had gone 'from a question mark to a benchmark.' That helped dispel the notion that the Japanese couldn't build a genuine luxury car and luxury channel. But then we ran into a quality problem - our first recall. At that time the people here elected to do something that no one else had ever done before. They had a massive recall, went out and picked up every customer's car, made the repair, washed every car and then gave every owner a gift. Nobody had ever done that before - taken a recall and turned it into an opportunity to build customer loyalty. And what it did was give our dealers a level of authenticity - it showed that we were for real, that we meant it when we said we are all about a superb customer experience. So out of that initial adversity, we were very fortunate."
DISCRETION: THE BETTER PART OF VALUE
The goal at Lexus, says Clements, is not simply to offer good customer service, a concept so bland that it has almost lost all meaning, but to "surprise and delight" customers in a way that no one else does. That requires an unexpected level of commitment, something the company calls "discretionary effort."
"Discretionary effort is when a company representative does something for a customer when no one is looking that he or she doesn't have to do," he explains. "You can't pay people to do that. They have to really want to give it. And you can only get that kind of effort from loyal associates. You get loyal associates by having people who believe that this is a company that really cares about them as individuals and is going to give them the tools and training they need to be successful. And it's not about money, although we have a lot of people here who are very successful. But money doesn't get you a story like the one about the sales rep who was willing to drive 140 miles round trip to a customer's house on a Friday night to demonstrate a car that the rep would have had no trouble selling to someone else the next day. That only happens when you have the loyalty of the people, when they believe that Lexus is a great place to work, a place where they can achieve their goals."
In a business environment where for many companies customer advocacy is more about public relations than genuinely expending the effort to put customers first, Toyota represents a refreshing departure. And rather than buying into the mentality that every corporate decision should be made with one eye nervously affixed on the stock price, Esmond says, Toyota focuses its attention on smart growth that's grounded in giving customers what they want and staying true to core company values.
"Growth depends on how well you listen to your customers," he says. "So the better the relationships you have with your dealers and your customers, the more likely you are to grow. You don't get too greedy. You set your own internal targets and objectives and then play true to them. And in today's day and time, you don't read the newspaper, except maybe the sports pages.
"From our perspective, it's a real simple business. Our job as a manufacturer is to produce good quality products the customers want. Our dealers' job is to sell and service the needs of customers. And, as long as we clearly separate that, it's a partnership that's going to work. When you start getting into trouble is when you start forgetting what your job is. Even though it's not written anywhere into the Toyota Way, one thing I've found very clearly here is that the customer comes first, the dealer comes second, and then we come third. So as long as you always make your decisions with that order in mind, you should be all right."
"If your focus is always that the customer needs to win, then there is a certain limit to how much you should grow," he explains. "Yes, you can take a short-term view and say, 'We're going to build as many cars as possible and just sell them.' Or you can stay true to your core values and say, 'We're going to grow, but we're going to do it at a level that sustains or even improves customer relationships.'
"Because of this mind-set that all our business partners must be successful, we can't become arrogant. It isn't a matter of 'We build great cars, we're selling everything we're making, and our market share is going up.' The reality is, I have 200 Lexus dealers to worry about, to make sure they're successful. This attitude keeps you from changing, growing and improving. A colleague once said to me, 'You guys are a lap ahead, but you always act like you're a lap behind.' Success can be deadly because you forget what got you there, or you begin to feel like you're entitled to it. That doesn't happen here."
http://www.sellingpower.com/article/...207&pageTitle=
Trending Topics
07-21-04, 11:11 AM
#8
Lexus Test Driver
Oh i forgot!
Someone made a comment when i posted about my treatment by lexus when i stated how mercedes treated me better, that i just wanted to go back for there complimentary cakes and candy. I don't get that comment to this day. The mark-up of the LS is between $8,000 and $12,000 for a base model, there making lots of money on there sales. I just ask to be treated better. Its not the cake and candy and wine mercedes gave me for the 2 cars i bought from them. Its the thought of it. I pay $50,000 for an ML benz truck and $79,000 for a S430 sedan thats first class, not coach. If i wanted coach class treatment i would have purchased a Kia (no disrepect to kia owners sorry if offended) not a lexus or benz. The reason i stayed at benz after the first car i had gave me trouble was how they treated me. Don't get me wrong im sure there are stories of benz treatating people wrong. For me mercedes to this day has treated me better than lexus. I never had to fight for the price i wanted with benz not once from my 1st car to my second. This is not about quality, im talking of treatment by human beings. Cars cant talk or say thanks. Its up to the people selling products to make people feel good about there experience. Its like fast food as opposed to a fine dining eatery. You pay for better food and service and it reflects in the price. You can't charge Kincaids prices and give out Mcdonalds treatment. Every customer at lexus should be treated like they just purchased first class. And I don't need the cake to feel like iv'e been treated right. I just need to be talked to and treated with respect and I hate to say it, I havent by the 2 lexus dealerships iv'e dealt with in Virginia and Maryland. Just my experience, i understand some of us have been treated great and we all deserve that. AGAIN WE ALL DESERVE GREAT TREATMENT. Not just the doctor or pastor, but the mechanic who saved his money for the 2004 GS300, and the landscaper who worked his business for 3 years before qualifying for the loan for the car he wanted, which was a LS430. And last me, the abused kid and past ward of the state, who was took in by his aunt and uncle and became a self made business owner and not a millionare, but thousandaire threw the glory of GOD ALMIGHTY. WE DESERVE BETTER NOT JUST ME, WE. The treatment is important to me because i was always treated second class. GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME. AND GOD IS ALWAYS ON TIME.
Last edited by usermel; 07-21-04 at 11:18 AM.
07-21-04, 11:13 AM
#9
Re: Like i said.
Originally posted by usermel
I did nothing wrong but buy 3 cars paid in full from this same dealer. And i know there are good dealers out there, but luxury dealerships aren't supposed to behave like that....But if there wrong lets check them so they don't start fallling in quality. I say this because i like lexus not dislike lexus, we all are on this site because of that.
I did nothing wrong but buy 3 cars paid in full from this same dealer. And i know there are good dealers out there, but luxury dealerships aren't supposed to behave like that....But if there wrong lets check them so they don't start fallling in quality. I say this because i like lexus not dislike lexus, we all are on this site because of that.
j/k . No, we don't need to defend ANY company whatsoever, especially if they're lagging in customer service. Period! I might expect this when buying a cheap car...won't mention any name, but if you're in the luxury division, you have to expect good customer satisfaction.
Last edited by GS3Tek; 07-21-04 at 11:15 AM.
07-21-04, 11:33 AM
#10
Lexus Test Driver
Thanks for seeing my point GS3tek!
Thanks GS3tek for your comment. Like i said this is not a bashing of lexus at all. Im speaking up because i don't want anyone not just me to be treated like i have. True if you have the money you can go somewere else and spend it. Its still not right, and is why dealerships continue to get away with there treatment of peolpe to this day. If someone doesn't like you they have no right to treat you better than someone they do in the car business. They can, but its against the law and goes against everything this country was built on. We might not think so but we are a team, and were called the customers. So if we have issue about treatment from any of us, im concerned because it could have been me. Again don't argue with me, i didn't overcharge you for that service or for your car purchase. I just want to bring some truth to the light. If i say nothing then it seems as if theres no problem, lets bring up not just the good, but the bad that happens to us at the dealerships so we can let them know we won't take being treated like we purchased a 1982 Toyota Celica. Also i was told by an employee of the virginia lexus i purchased 4 cars from that they were joking on me about how they overcharged me for my cars. God always brings truth to the light eventually. Don't take this lightly it could be you. Again there getting cocky Mr. Clements. GODBLESS ALL OF US.
Last edited by usermel; 07-21-04 at 11:40 AM.
07-21-04, 11:34 AM
#11
Lexus Fanatic
Re: Re: Like i said.
Originally posted by GS3Tek
Hi usermel. I see your mistake: YOu bought 3 Lexuses PAID IN FULL!!! How the hell are the finance dept. going to make any $$$ off of you? j/k . No, we don't need to defend ANY company whatsoever, especially if they're lagging in customer service. Period! I might expect this when buying a cheap car...won't mention any name, but if you're in the luxury division, you have to expect good customer satisfaction.
Hi usermel. I see your mistake: YOu bought 3 Lexuses PAID IN FULL!!! How the hell are the finance dept. going to make any $$$ off of you?
j/k . No, we don't need to defend ANY company whatsoever, especially if they're lagging in customer service. Period! I might expect this when buying a cheap car...won't mention any name, but if you're in the luxury division, you have to expect good customer satisfaction.
This may be a litle off topic, but I don't agree with your reasoning here. You say that the dealer's finance dept. loses money on a cash sale. That's B.S.......a car that is paid in full is paid for, period....the dealer gets all of his/her money up front with no further worries. The buyer CANNOT default.......except, of course, in those rare sales that involve counterfeit bills or drug money, which can be confiscated by law enforcement. But dealerships and banks often have to deal with buyers that signed for long-term financing and then couldn't make the payments, do the dealer reposses the car and is stuck with it. Usually these cars end up on the auction block for whatever a prospective buyer will bid.
Interestingly, Lexus people have told me that the IS300.....generaly the cheapest new lexus....also has the highest repossession rate....not in total numbers, but in percentages of sales. This may be due to its popularity among younger and less-affluent buyers who are more likely to default that the more-affluent buyers who buy the more expensive Lexus models....they can afford it more.
07-21-04, 12:48 PM
#12
Pole Position
You're both right and both wrong. Yes, a cash sale is still a sale and on Lexus that still means big profits. But you're wrong about the dealer having risk in defaults. Once the loan is approved by the bank or finance company, the dealer is off the hook and it's the same as cash. Yes, they usually make money on the loan but do not have risk. Some used car dealerships may have a deal with the finance companies where they assume some risk, but not a high end place like a Lexus dealership. I always pay cash and they kiss my wallet just as well as they kissed it back in the days when I financed/leased.
07-21-04, 01:31 PM
#13
Instructor
usermel, I see your point and totally agree with you. In fact I have the same impresson that Lexus service/quality is sliding. My girlfriend's 2002 LS430 has more problems than my '98. She made several trips to the dealer before the problems were fixed correctly. Now, about the dealer that treats you like shxt, is it Pohanka Lexus in nova? I had the same experience at that place. I told the pre-owned sales manager that I felt like I was buying a used Kia. I never went back to Pohanka again.
I said this before and I will say it again: don't be suprised if Hyundai launches a luxruy brand 10-15 years from now and steals customers from Lexus. I will buy from anyone who offers the best reliability and service.
I said this before and I will say it again: don't be suprised if Hyundai launches a luxruy brand 10-15 years from now and steals customers from Lexus. I will buy from anyone who offers the best reliability and service.
Last edited by BrickHead; 07-21-04 at 01:35 PM.
07-21-04, 03:05 PM
#14
I should've clarified. Yeah the dealers made their profit from selling the car, but the finance dept. didn't earn any extra $ from financing the car making $ from the interest rates. Fortunately, the Lexus Dealer here in So Cali are great, not excellent, but great. Now that my warranty is out, I take my car to my mechanic who is excellent, cheaper and no beating-around-the-bush.
07-21-04, 03:13 PM
#15
To follow-up usermel's comments. My last service visit I was sitting next to a gentleman who was quite peeved with the treatment he'd received from Lexus. He was in for an oil change on his GX and had been in the waiting room 2+ hours and this was not the first time. His complaints to the 800 number have not gone answered. He told me when he takes his MB to the dealer, it is fast and efficinet...Lexus can learn something from them.
We also discussed the rapid increase in sales and how the heck was Lexus going to serivice all these vehicles...I agreed. If they are having quality issues, this may get ugly if they don't address it.
We also discussed the rapid increase in sales and how the heck was Lexus going to serivice all these vehicles...I agreed. If they are having quality issues, this may get ugly if they don't address it.