Right - service department vendetta. What could go wrong (for them) there?

 

Me too re Appleholic and always get fast and great treatment there too. Going tomorrow and Weds and next Tues for seminars or Genius Bar. Maybe I'm a Porsche/Apple store groupie, maybe I have too much time on my hands and zero friends. Maybe I am really impressed by myself but don't expect others to be.
Maybe I have a low standard but many Porsches and Apples later I doubt that.

 

I agree.

If service was excellent, i fill out the survey. If not, I skip it and just speak to the SA about my expectations. Those corporate surveys are a joke if you get raked over the coals for less than a 5.

My company does customer surveys. I don't tell my buyers to be less than honest. I tell them I want to earn their recommendation (never mention an actual number on the survey), and if they feel like I cannot achieve that, please let me know. I mention to them that it is my chance at a "report card" but I want them to be honest. I've had very good survey results, but certainly not 100%. My bonus is not tied to it and while it's important, I don't get beat up over a bad survey.

The way car manufacturers do it is stupid.

 

While what you say has merit, I will also say that it's certainly not the catalyst for the majority of the idiotic dealership encounters I've ever had. Or witnessed. As a serial car shopper (seriously, it's an addiction) at dealerships ranging from Chevy to McLaren, I've probably been to well over 100 dealerships over the last 8 years (seriously, an addiction) in two large metropolitan areas. I've generally seen sales people fall into three categories:

1. The professional. Studies his brand and his competitors. Knows facts, but does not push them on you. Answers all questions quickly and accurately. Knows about options, option availability, ordering process, allocations, etc. Can tactfully compare their vehicle to a competitor without putting the competitor down. Does not play games, does not "run to his manager" for every question. These people are rare.

2. The average. This is where most of the people fall into, so there is a broad spectrum. Various levels of knowledge ranging from very good with a few mistakes, to not so good with a lot of mistakes. Varying attitudes from very helpful to indifferent. Varying levels of knowledge of the F&I process, etc.

3. The jerk. Not as rare as the professional, unfortunately. These guys act like they know facts, but they know nothing about their product. They will challenge you when you dispute a fact. Not only that, but they will, at various times, insult you or your current car. They use lines like "what will it take to get you to walk out of here with a car today". They sell based on payments and try to hide numbers. They act as if their vehicles are superior and they are doing you a favor selling one to you. They will act like you can't afford the car if you question the car's value. And so on.

As I said, I've been to a LOT of dealerships over the last 8 years or so. In 95% of the time, I know more about the vehicle that I'm coming to look at than the sales person, but I don't let on about that at all. I let them give their presentation and ask questions that I want to find out that I cannot find out from online / in print. I am polite and do not ask for special treatment. I don't brag about what I can afford, and I don't treat a Porsche dealer differently than the Mazda dealer.

The "jerk" exists in all brands, at all levels. I've been to dealerships of the same marque in the same city and been treated completely differently. Some toss me the keys to a $100k car for a test drive without even asking for my license. I've had one dealer want to take a thumb print to take a test drive. There's no consistency. I'd say that on average, Audi has the most consistent dealership experience, followed by Lexus, then BMW. Porsche is a bit less consistent. Most of the domestics are consistently bad, LOL.

I could list some of the more egregious things I've seen but that would require time after work and a beer. But it would probably make for some good chuckles.

Bottom line, it's an industry that has lots of turnover and is traditionally set up as very cutthroat. There is arrogance at every level of interaction and it's generally not consistent. Not the greatest business model out there..

 

I bought all my Porsches new. Except for a problem for European delivery on my 1995, I have never had a problem. I bought 4 of my 6 Porsches from them and my one Mercedes and 2 Audis. I have a great relationship with my sales associate and service advisor. When I ordered the GTS, I notified the dealership of my ordering errors and they made them good AFTER DELIVERY at no expense for me. With a bit of kindness I am shown similar kindness that materializes as good discount on purchases and some kind attention on service. I can even go into the shop and show the technician how I want the work to be done. No problems and no claims. I am trying to talk my wife into a Macan but she wants a Tesla. Can someone provide me with bad news about Tesla that I can relate to my wife?

 

Bad News on Tesla's

Some studies are starting to show a postive correlation between extensive E-Car driving time and the size of your hips/butt. The theory is the strong electric fields, in E-Cars such as the Tesla, effect hormones that stimulate fat growth in those regions of the body. Its seems to be more prevalent among females, than males drivers.

 

Sorry, I am an Endocrinologist and there is no scientic data accepted on this concept. Trust me. Please provide me one reference and I will read it and comment.

 

Good to know.

 

Evidence enough. Its real.

 

I recommend getting you humor hormone level checked STAT. It's dangerously low.

 

freeman, I will gladly provide you copies of the scientific papers I have on the topic. However, they are written in Ancient Klingon if that is OK with you

 

I like the idea of supporting Tesla in principle. I have a lot of respect for Elon Musk whether he ultimately succeeds or fails, because these days hardly anyone else is even trying. Unfortunately, at the time I bought my last Porsche, Tesla had nothing for sale that met my needs. I like the idea of jumping in the car in the morning and ending up a thousand miles away that night in any direction I choose. Nobody does that better that Porsche, and Tesla can't do it at all.

There are some things about Tesla's business practices that I really like, such as their goal of disrupting the traditional dealership model. But they have one business practice I object strongly to. They refuse to make service information available to customers except in Massachusetts, where the state's "Right to Repair" law requires them to. Porsche will sell a PIWIS subscription to anyone with the requisite cash, but Tesla will not. That's not how you earn my business. It's a dealbreaker for me, but probably not for you or your wife.

Additionally, Tesla's quality and reliability metrics are objectively far below Porsche's. Everyone I know with a Tesla has found it to be a huge pain in the *** to own -- or at least, it would be if the company didn't support them extremely well. Some Tesla customers have had much worse luck. To some extent this is inevitable with any limited production manufacturer, and I don't really expect Tesla to be perfect at this stage of the game. Maybe this is a big deal to your wife, maybe it isn't.

But there's also the question of material quality and design. A $100,000 Tesla is hard to distinguish from a $40,000 Chevy, and that is a problem. Beyond mere luxuries and creature comforts, a truly great car has a quality of endurance. What will it be like to drive this car in 10 years? Will someone still want it in 20? How about 30? With Porsche, we have a track record to go by.

That ties into the question of where you want to be on the timeline. Every car on the road will eventually work much like a Tesla does now. Buying a Tesla today will grant you (or your wife) passage to that future before most other car buyers will experience it. But make no mistake, you'll be an early adopter. You're not buying a car with a computer built in, so much as a computer with wheels built in. Is that what your wife wants? There are no wrong answers, but no right ones either.

 

Don't let the wealthy friend BS get to your head. Seems like maybe you're walking in there with the wrong mindset to be honest. People can read body language.

I went to 5-6 Porsche dealerships in the beginning of my search while still in my 20s and was treated very well. They let me drive Turbo and Turbo S models no issue and were all friendly. I was just a schmuck in a polo shirt and shorts.

I'm really surprised they're not acting friendly towards you. Also, how come you haven't built up any dealer connections by now?

 

Need range extender ASAP!!!!

 

Here you go:

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/humor