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Beaukz28 · 08-28-2014, 09:20 PM

This is a complicated topic. How about a dealer's perspective. I have been a Chevrolet service manager for several years now at a fairly large dealership. And I will start out by saying that I am willing to try to help everyone I can within reason. The only thing that keeps customers coming in the door is customer service! But the dealer is definitely not GM. And it's the same with any other brand (we have them all.) The dealer is independently owned and agrees to follow the policy and procedures manual that every manufacturer has.
It's a tough business, but in the end it is just that, a business.
Let's be honest! Not every customer deserves to be treated the same. Because they aren't all the same. There are different levels and types of customers. And I have dealt with all of them. Some are happy that you tried, some are happy that you are willing to try and some will just never be happy no matter what you do for them. Every franchise has some stores that are better than others. Some have great employees and polices and some have terrible ones. And some want to be better but get stuck with terrible employees that give them a bad rap.
I watch a lot of forums and we track internet posts like crazy. I have found that probably 80% of the people that bitch are the unreasonable customer with ridiculous expectations. 10% fell through the cracks and the other 10% we probably dropped the ball with to be honest. But we are human, working with machines made with thousands of parts from the cheapest bidder!! And we do what we can to make things right for those customers.
these vehicles are mass produced. They are built to suit a majority of customers, not custom made for each individual. A majority of our pissed customers are people that have a vehicle that works just like every other one on the road but they want it to do something different, or in their opinion "that's not how this car should operate." The dealer cannot re-engineer your car. It may not be for you. I have had people threaten to sue me and the dealer because they don't like the RPM there new Tahoe goes into 4cylinder mode. Then they tell everyone how terrible our dealer is because we won't help them or fix their car. Sorry. Another bad rap for the dealer.
And here is the big one. Every warranty concern you all complain about has to be processed from start to finish correctly. So if I am not sure that we can get your claim paid, then I am not proceeding. Sorry, but I am not eating the bill. No dealer (of any franchise) has an endless account to bill the manufacturer with. It all has to fall within their guidelines. Now I do my share of work for customers that GM will not pay us for. It's called goodwill. To help out a deserving customer. So let's define deserving customer.
Is it the guy that comes in screaming at me and demanding to talk to the service manager (As that other post states) telling me what I have to do for him. Nope!
Is it the guy that wants me to fix his other dealers mistake for a warranty issue that I cannot claim and get paid for? Nope
Is it the guy that finally bought his dream car only to find out that he can't afford the payment and will complain to no end to try to get it bought back. Nope (and yes those are out there)
Is it the customer that has a legitimate issue? Yes
Is it the customer that is willing to work with you to get it resolved? Yes
Is it the customer that bought his last several vehicles from you and does all his service work with you? Yes (and he is probably getting bumped to the front of the line)
Ask any business owner out there. A great customer is one that spends money with you.
Most dealers these days know that it takes good customer service and that you have to try to bend over backwards for most customers. So if you are one of those people that finds yourself bitching that three dealers could not take care of you then you are probably just one of those customers that is just a complainer that doesn't really have a legitimate issue.
Sorry for the long rant but there are two sides to every story! I will sum all of this up by saying again. There are so many customers with issues, and I will bend over backwards to help any great customer or potential new customer with in the policy guidelines that I have to operate in for GM to reimburse us for the claim. But if you are a terrible unreasonable customer, I will simply wish you a nice day and move on to the next deserving customer. As this is an independent company and I can accept OR refuse service to anyone that comes through the door. I will be happy to answer any questions. Thanks!

08-28-2014, 09:20 PM	#24
Beaukz28 Drives: 2010 2SS M6 Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: PA Posts: 41	This is a complicated topic. How about a dealer's perspective. I have been a Chevrolet service manager for several years now at a fairly large dealership. And I will start out by saying that I am willing to try to help everyone I can within reason. The only thing that keeps customers coming in the door is customer service! But the dealer is definitely not GM. And it's the same with any other brand (we have them all.) The dealer is independently owned and agrees to follow the policy and procedures manual that every manufacturer has. It's a tough business, but in the end it is just that, a business. Let's be honest! Not every customer deserves to be treated the same. Because they aren't all the same. There are different levels and types of customers. And I have dealt with all of them. Some are happy that you tried, some are happy that you are willing to try and some will just never be happy no matter what you do for them. Every franchise has some stores that are better than others. Some have great employees and polices and some have terrible ones. And some want to be better but get stuck with terrible employees that give them a bad rap. I watch a lot of forums and we track internet posts like crazy. I have found that probably 80% of the people that bitch are the unreasonable customer with ridiculous expectations. 10% fell through the cracks and the other 10% we probably dropped the ball with to be honest. But we are human, working with machines made with thousands of parts from the cheapest bidder!! And we do what we can to make things right for those customers. these vehicles are mass produced. They are built to suit a majority of customers, not custom made for each individual. A majority of our pissed customers are people that have a vehicle that works just like every other one on the road but they want it to do something different, or in their opinion "that's not how this car should operate." The dealer cannot re-engineer your car. It may not be for you. I have had people threaten to sue me and the dealer because they don't like the RPM there new Tahoe goes into 4cylinder mode. Then they tell everyone how terrible our dealer is because we won't help them or fix their car. Sorry. Another bad rap for the dealer. And here is the big one. Every warranty concern you all complain about has to be processed from start to finish correctly. So if I am not sure that we can get your claim paid, then I am not proceeding. Sorry, but I am not eating the bill. No dealer (of any franchise) has an endless account to bill the manufacturer with. It all has to fall within their guidelines. Now I do my share of work for customers that GM will not pay us for. It's called goodwill. To help out a deserving customer. So let's define deserving customer. Is it the guy that comes in screaming at me and demanding to talk to the service manager (As that other post states) telling me what I have to do for him. Nope! Is it the guy that wants me to fix his other dealers mistake for a warranty issue that I cannot claim and get paid for? Nope Is it the guy that finally bought his dream car only to find out that he can't afford the payment and will complain to no end to try to get it bought back. Nope (and yes those are out there) Is it the customer that has a legitimate issue? Yes Is it the customer that is willing to work with you to get it resolved? Yes Is it the customer that bought his last several vehicles from you and does all his service work with you? Yes (and he is probably getting bumped to the front of the line) Ask any business owner out there. A great customer is one that spends money with you. Most dealers these days know that it takes good customer service and that you have to try to bend over backwards for most customers. So if you are one of those people that finds yourself bitching that three dealers could not take care of you then you are probably just one of those customers that is just a complainer that doesn't really have a legitimate issue. Sorry for the long rant but there are two sides to every story! I will sum all of this up by saying again. There are so many customers with issues, and I will bend over backwards to help any great customer or potential new customer with in the policy guidelines that I have to operate in for GM to reimburse us for the claim. But if you are a terrible unreasonable customer, I will simply wish you a nice day and move on to the next deserving customer. As this is an independent company and I can accept OR refuse service to anyone that comes through the door. I will be happy to answer any questions. Thanks!