Hi all,

Bought a CPO'd 2012 997.2 from a dealership about a month ago. The transaction was far from stellar (to say the least) and now I get (via email ) a customer satisfaction survey from Porsche of NA.

My question is: How important is this to the dealership? The Finance lady at the store kind of pounded it into my head that I needed to leave them positive feedback on this survey. What happens if you leave less than stellar feedback on the survey? How does this impact the dealership? And, does it have any impact on me? Is it anonymous to the dealer?

As always, thank you all in advance!

Steve

 

Don't know about Porsche but I once left, what I thought was a good (but not great) satisfaction survey for a new SL500 I bought, and the salesman told me "You killed us on the survey. What was wrong?" If they don't get 100% on every aspect of the transaction the dealership gets dinged. It affects their future allocation etc.

 

My son, a salesman for Lexus, tells me not only does the survey mean something but it comes down on the salesman in terms of $ it costs the salesman. $50/$100. The general manager of the dealership gets it and rains holy he##
down the food chain...sales manager to salesman- who catches the most heat.

 

Are you in a location where you can have the car serviced/repaired by a different dealership going forward? If a dealer sucks, I'm not comfortable pretending everything is perfect but if I have no choice but to depend on that dealer's service department I"m not sure what I would do. I agree with those who say having a good relationship with your service manager is invaluable. If he likes you he can save you a lot of money putting his thumb on the scale when it matters. And if he doesn't like you or is told not to like you he has the option of putting his thumb on the wrong side of the scale in borderline cases. All said, I don't think I would like having to rely on a dealership with an ax to grind.

 

If it did not go well I would take the survey and be honest. My experience was really good so I gave good scores. I did have an issue with Honda and they guy told me I killed him by giving those scores, I told him you killed yourself by the crappy service you provided. He knew it, the nerve of him to try to blame me for his terrible service.

There is no room for bad service these days.

 

I would just tell the truth. Tell them what was great and what sucked! They wont change otherwise

 

The survey's I have taken from PCNA about my dealership experiences had a choice about revealing it to the dealership or keeping it anonymous. I believe it was the last question.

 

Err if you are afraid of telling the truth about a bad experience at a particular car brand / dealership then you prolly shouldn't own that marque. Having a good relationship with the service and parts counter is important but unless your are dumping on those departments there is nothing to worry about. One of the best way to get in with the service manager is to set up an appointment with him/her and even do something nice for them like lunch if they can make room for it. They will never forget you for doing it and when there is a problem they will go to bat for you. Making good with those folks is just like sales - pitch, promote and bribe:-D

 

Unless a company surveys me to death, I typically fill out most surveys as accurately as possible. I own my business, and I cannot fix things I don't know about, and some employees cannot bring themselves to admit to any errors, even to the point of actively hiding them. Consequently, I view these surveys as a favor to other business owners to help them improve their own products and services.

Of course, management can make things worse by always hammering every employee's failures every time -- tends to drive *everyone* underground -- a bad sign. I suppose these surveys are designed to address this problem, but problem resolution management is always a delicate balance, given human nature.

Last month, I received a surprise complimentary gift in the mail from a company which sold me a large piece of equipment. With postage due. I already have a good business relationship with the company's owner, so I scanned the shipping label with all the Post Office postage due stamps and emailed it to her just to advise her about the problem.

She told me they had been mailing out these follow-up gifts forever with the same postage and nobody ever said anything. She thanked me and promptly corrected her system. Can you imagine not knowing that every promotional item you sent out with the intent of generating good will for your company was actually making you a laughingstock, and no one bothered to tell you? It's like walking around in public with your fly open.

If the employees involved hold it against me that I reported the truth on any survey, then I know for sure what type employees they are and don't want my car in their hands.

 

It's huge, be honest.

 

I actually live about 60 miles from the dealership and have no intention of going back there for service (actually, a big part of my issue with them was their service department when it came time for the due bill stuff part of the deal). I wouldn't use them again!

There are a few dealerships relatively close. Too bad the closest one is Beverly Hills Porsche. They have a horrible reputation for both sales and service, but are very convenient to me. I may have to give them another try. Had a couple horrible experiences with them with my 2007 997.1.

Thanks everyone for your information. I know what I need to do and if anyone wants the scoop about which dealership (in OC), please PM me and I'll give you the 411.

Steve

 

Mmm....I beg to differ. A friend of mine received a survey just like the one the OP described and gave the sales department less than stellar reviews. Ice cold shoulder from the service department followed and he's not in an area where he can just go to a different dealer. Some GM's are vindictive jerks who waste no time getting the word out about a "difficult" customer who had the nerve to complain.

Don't get me wrong now. I detest pandering and a$$ kissing to authority for fear of retribution. The point is that depending on circumstances and location in the country, the old rule that "standing on principle can get expensive" should probably be considered before trashing any department of a dealership you have no choice but to depend on.

 

Yes, your name will be on the survey
Yes, it is important to the dealership.
No, you can't hurt the dealership with a survey if you are mad.

Different manufacturers have different standards for satisfaction surveys
Mostly they are used to rank dealerships among each other, to see who is the best.
They are also used for brownie points to the manufacturer so maybe they can get that rare color/optioned car they want.
Most dealerships bonus good surveys, so your salesman/Finance rep will ask for a good survey

I have just a tiny bit of experience with dealerships

 

What sandwedge says is just common sense.......I'd take that advice all day long!

Tom

 

To add to what sandwedge said, sometimes honesty will get you nowhere. Why go there? So your wife catches what she thinks is you getting a glimpse of some babe in your periphery. Do you freely admit that you were checking out that hot chick's ***? I would not recommend that. It will get you nowhere.

Especially if you are tied to the dealership for service, you may have more to lose than to gain by being honest. PCNA may even get you taken care of in the end, but the dealership will hold all the cards, and if they are inclined, will always be in position to get their pound of flesh. Think long-term.