GM: Dealers Rig Customer Satisfaction Surveys

GM: Dealers Rig Customer Satisfaction Surveys

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General Motors says it is tossing the results of some recent customer satisfaction surveys because dealers tampered with the responses. That decision could cost offending dealerships big factory bonuses. GM surveys customers who buy new vehicles or submit factory warranty claims about their satisfaction with the dealership's performance. Dealerships that get high scores on those surveys and meet sales targets are eligible for quarterly cash incentives that can reach six figures. The satisfaction surveys are sent to customers' homes to discourage dealer influence. Customers respond by mail or online. But an unsigned bulletin that GM sent dealers Aug. 14 says "certain online responses are being received from some dealerships." GM says it is making "appropriate adjustments" to third-quarter survey scores "to reflect interference." GM spokeswoman Susan Garontakos told Automotive News the interference "was not widespread." Some GM dealers say survey tampering occurs because of the high stakes. Under GM's Standards for Excellence program, they note, a dealership can lose its entire quarterly bonus if it falls a fraction of a percentage point below its prescribed score. National Automobile Dealers Association Chairman Dale Willey says he agrees that "it's best to let customers respond on their own" to satisfaction surveys.

Reply to
Jim Higgins
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Reply to
Shep

That would be interesting to hear, Shep.

Reply to
hls

Please tell us! Every survey for every car I ever owned, foreign or domestic, was mailed to my home and returned by me, to the company doing the survey. How do you think the manufacture or their dealer could have adversely influenced" my opinion of my car to "Rig" the survey?

mike

Reply to
Mike Hunter

Reply to
Shep

But this goes on with ALL dealers, not only GM. As long as there are awards there will be people finding ways to influence them. The dealer I bought my Honda from put more pressure on influencing the survey than selling me the van....

Reply to
Woody

Reply to
Shep

I've had dealers tell me how important it is, how they get rated, etc, but I've never had one use unethical tactics to influence what I told the manufacturer.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Nor have I, Ed. We just bought a new car earlier this year. The staff did tell us we would be getting a survey to rate the service and that they hoped they had done a good job and that we would be satisfied.

We were. These people were professionals, service and customer oriented. We were treated like royalty.

They worked, however, for Toyota.

Reply to
hls

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