A Satisfied Customer is a BAD Customer

A "Satisfied" Customer Is A Bad Customer

In a time when General Motors is discontinuing and downsizing product lines, losing market share to compeditors, and shaky over their own financial future, the company's Customer Satisfction Index (CSI) policy only makes things harder for the company to survive.

Working with CSI program nearly 2 decades old, the financial penalties toward the dealerships trickle down directly to the way consumers are treated by dealership employees. A customer who gives less than a  Completely Satisfied score is viewed as a bad customer, and a financial risk. A customer who repeatedly sends in a survey with poor markings is often seen by a dealership to be undesirable as a consumer. In fact, the dealership stands to be more financially sound to lose that customer entirely, then to service them and receive poor survey scores by continuing to sell them cars and service their vehicles, under the current CSI program.

The GM survey gives the customer five possible answers. Completely Satisfied, Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Somewhat Satisfied, and Not At All Satisfied. The only answer the dealership can afford to have on every survey is choice #1: Completely Satisfied. Mathematically speaking, if a customer chooses 80% of the available answers, the survey is a failure to the dealership, and there are financial consequences to the dealership and the employees.

Sales staff and Service personnell stress to the consumer that only one answer is correct. Some dealers go to the point of stating the "in order to continue" serving them, Completely Satisfied is the only answer for the consumer to check. If anything is needed to demonstrate the flawed system GM is running this should be enough right there. Some dealers offer free services, others offer prizes or incentives, and others outright strongarm their customers into getting the scores that they need. How is this program benefitting the consumer? How is it benefitting GM? It's not.

Let's look at the available answers on the GM survey. Is a "Satisfied" customer a bad customer? Is a "Somewhat Satisfied" customer a bad customer? I believe a good customer is a customer who purchases GM vehicles, and has them serviced at a GM dealership, reguardless of what they fill out on a sheet of paper. Unfortunately, under the defunkt GM CSI program, simply being devoted to GM products and services is not enough. Service Advisors shun people who send in poor surveys, as they are paid based upon the scores marked on them (the "trickle down" financial penalties to the dealership in action).

Now let's consider how reliable the surveys are alltogether. For example, when a spouse or sibling fills out the survey, and not the person who actually brought the vehicle in for service. This person may not understand the magnitude of how important it is to have the survey filled out Completely Satisfied. Also, if the survey gets into the hands of the correct person, they may fill it out while they are having a bad day, and project their frustrations onto the survey. They could be angry that their expensive new vehicle broke in the first place, and now they have a piece of paper where they can purge their feelings onto. They could also be offended that the dealership insisted to them that only one answer was acceptable, and complete the survey with their genuine answers in rebelliance to a totalitarian system.

Let's also consider exactly what Completely Satisfied means. To me, one would think this means that all aspects involved were the best they could ever be, with no room for improvement. The cream of the crop. It can't get any better than this. Well, this is impossible. Any business person knows there is ALWAYS room for improvement. There are always ways of doing things better. If a consumer checks that they are Completely Satisfied, they are essentially limiting their service experience. A consumer always wants more, they always want better, and they always want new. What is the incentive to conceding you are Completely Satisfied, when in fact, satisfaction can not be measured. The limits of what makes someone satisfied are constantly changing.

If the treatment you receive at the dealership you purchased your vehicle from is based upon a survey score, would you purchase another vehicle there, or continue to business with them? Would you continue to do business with them if you are constantly told what to put on your surveys, or treated differently if you did not comply?

I doubt it.  

Didnt you post this somewhere else too?  

This Papasito has beem spamming every automotive forum on the Net with this non-sense. Also, from what I understand he owns a '06 Toyota Tundra, so go figure.  

Really... well maybe i should delete his post then  

I own an "08 Chevy Malibu..which I do love.  But the guy is absolutely right about the surveys.  As for him owning a "06 Toyota Tundra, I don't blame him.  Had I known what I now know I would have bought a Toyota Camry.  

We've always been a GM family, but I just met someone recently who owns a Tundra with 200,000 miles on it...and it looks and drives like a brand new vehicle! In 30 years of experience with GM vehicles we've NEVER put that many miles on a vehicle before it was "junk."  Actually we've never had one with more than 50,000 - 80,000 miles on it.  At that point they become a constant headache of repairs.  And I do mean "headache."  

I just took my Malibu to have the breaks checked out because they were sqeaking.  Breaks shouldn't need service on a 6 month old car with less than 13,000 miles on it.  The girl making appts. was rude and would not find me something to drive until mine was fixed.  I had to talk to the owner who got me a car but pretty much accused me of lying about what the girl had told me.  I won't be back and this is probably the last GM vehicle I will ever own.

Could I have stumbled onto why GM is "demanding" (yes, demanding and whining and refusing to comply) help to stay in business?  This isn't rocket science.  If people aren't buying cars...stop making them!  Do like the rest of us and cut back on wages and hours or whatever it takes to slow production and save the company.  Add to that poor service and bad attitudes in the service dept. and yes...they need to wake up.  

Furthermore, after saving GM points on my credit card for several years, I could only use $1,000 of the 2,000 points that I had earned.  Then just yesterday I received notice of a "bonus" that brings my points to $3,000.  Great news if I want to buy 3 new cars!!!  They could AT LEAST let you use the extra points toward the purchase of GM parts, accessories or tires.  I can't even let friends or family use them on an auto purchase.  

qma_1960 I can totally agree with how GM gets a from crappy service repair and also how there cars don't last past 125,000 miles.

My grandfather has been an American car buys for years and he has never had a car that has gone past 150,000 miles. He was also tired of GM dealerships never knowing what was wrong with his vehicle. So when it came for his next car he bought a Toyota Avalon because he told me even though he wanted an American car he just wanted something more reliable. So I understand your love for your Malibu, but you don't want the headache that comes with it.  

sorry guys i have to disagree with you on the milage comment.  I have a 2002 silverado HD with a 6.0L in it,  it has 254,674 miles and still kicking.  the only major repair was the tranny had to be rebuild because the 2nd gear clutch pack finally went out.  otherwise it is still going.  sont get me wrong toyota makes a great product,  but the new LS engines are really durable and powerfull.  

I don't know what you Toyota lovers are doing on a GM website, but if you know how to treat a car it can go for a long time!!! I had a '97 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP with 212,000 miles, sold it to my cousin and it still runs "very" strong!!! I also had a '91 Silverado with 250,000 miles on it back in '99, nothing wrong with it!  
AMERICAN MUSCLE!!! GM

I really think the dealer service department interface is one of most important part of long vehicle life for most owners. Keep in mind, lot's of owners don't even know how to fill the washer fluid. The foreign makers really stress bringing vehicles in for extensive dealer check ups at regular service intervals and usually word notices in a way of keeping the warranty valid. I was suprised to see my friends bill of $400, for his Toyota Tundra check up. Seems like a lot, but actually a good idea. You know full well, lot's of extra little things get caught, in these frequent visits. I've met people who never changed the oil in a three year domestic lease car. Think a good dealer/customer service interface, can be a real big factor here. I've always owned domestic's and do most of my own service work, but when dealer visits where needed, I was quite satisfied. One exception though. Left my car overnight for some air intake repairs and a $50 aftermarket performance part some how dissapeared. Talked to the service manager about replacing it and basically told me to take a hike. Wrote a letter to the dealer manager and same thing. These are the guy's giving things a bad name. Fortunately, we have a pretty good Corvette dealership, here in the Detroit area. I've decided to spend a little extra and have him do him service my ZO-6. I want the service paperwork, if something happens to the LS-7. He's been good so far.