adaycj

Your post has some good points. It also sounds a little like your organization is looking for a reason to disregard people who act a certain way.

The dealer isn't Ford. But it is really the only way a consumer can communicate with Ford. A customer service line is all fine and dandy, but they don't fix cars and trucks. There is no factory service center that fixes Fords. If the dealer can't or won't do it it doesn't get done. Customers know this which is now many situations get stressful for them. It is also one of the reasons your hear "... and shouldn't happen on a $50K truck" over and over and over again. They have very little recourse if the dealer can't get the job done and they think that reminding everyone in earshot that they paid (or more likely "are paying") a lot is somehow going to steer the system in their favor. It is mostly a lame and entitled argument, but it is sometimes made out of desperation.

I worked at a dealership for years, as a tech. Customers that diagnose their own vehicles can be annoying, and they are wrong 50% of the time. But it didn't start with the internet. Every dude and his brother claims they used to be a mechanic. A small part is customers trying to avoid diagnosis fees. The rest is just that they don't have faith that a tech can figure it out. That stems from many things, and one of them is the fact that the rest of the world can know about upcoming problems before a tech. Mostly, techs are busy and don't have time to surf forums. They also are not typically told about patterns or occurrence rates when they are on the tech line, or when warranty is approved. I once had a dealer tell me they had never heard of a common engine defect. When I showed them internet pictures of the defect being fixed on their own shop floor they acted surprised and finally did some research. They also finally advocated for warranty, where they were all about customer pay 5 minutes earlier.

Finally, techs can and do fix problems they cannot replicate. They do it every day. I know warranty is stingy, and diagnosis is thin or non existent but sometimes the problem is intermittent. It can take time and effort. Just like any other tech, I sent vehicles back to the customer because I couldn't figure it out. But it depended on the severity of the situation. A blanket statement, like "can't replicate, can't fix" isn't a good sign.

I agree that people who yell, scream, and throw fits are not ok. Some people to need to vent, and then they will act normal. The trick is identifying which ones will calm down and get back to business and which ones are going to escalate to throwing punches. When it starts to move towards assault I would simply ask them to leave. If more businesses did this less people would act that way. Many businesses could also do their part not to have a predetermined system to continue to push towards more escalation. I had a GM that was very skilled at taking care of irate customers, and he never gave away a thing. Sometimes they just need to hear that you understand how ridiculous of a situation has occurred, even if you can't solve their problem.

LoneWolfTrucker

Awesome post. And needed. These forums tend to draw the irate and angry due to issues (many small) with their trucks. People need to realize what was stated above.

Undercover Brother

iTrader: (4)

Having a $50K truck means you have more options and exponentially more things that can break. Does not mean you paid extra for more quality than let's say the guy like me that paid $30K with a base level truck and less things that will break.

sticker500

iTrader: (1)

You make a valid point but also be mindful that some of the items that owners may complain about are things that are common i.e. leather seats in a Platinum vs Leather seats in a Lariat. Platinum owners did in fact pay more for a higher quality leather.

Turbo_Bimmer

What I don't understand is why Ford always have parts on BO.
I drove BMWs for the last 20 years, and parts were available the next morning, shipped overnight. On the rare occasions they were not available in Canada, they were ordered from Germany within 10 days.

I find that part of Ford a bit irritating. Waiting 3-4 weeks to receive a master cylinder or a simple HDC switch doesn't make sense to me.

And it is not a question of price. The F150 sells for the same price as a BMW 3 serie, a Raptor same as a M4 or M3, so, I would like to hear what Ford has to say about that.

Undercover Brother

iTrader: (4)

DO NOT assume every customer is an idiot either, it goes both ways here. Nothing pisses me off more when I have an issue figured out that is turn key to fix and the service advisor does not even pass the info to the tech and wastes my time by having to bring it back in two more times to get done what was already figured out because the tech's pride got in the way or service advisor rather play the "process" than use common sense.

This board has plenty of threads started with examples of both service advisors and dealership techs ignorant of TSB's and SSM's for things brought in to be fixed and wasting people's time because you did not want to listen to the customer with information in hand you should have known from the get go.

flywithgz

Every time I buy a new vehicle I walk in to the dealership thinking there's a bunch of friends here that I just haven't made yet. I think it does everyone a disservice when I read about "stealerships" and such. I want a dealership that is a partner in my ownership experience to make it better and if I give them my business and treat them with respect, then I have the same expectation in return. Over my lifetime I've owned a number of vehicles that have had problems that were sometimes hard to diagnose but when this approach to the dealership, I've always found them willing to go to bat for me with the manufacturer and ultimately make it right. I really cringe when I'm standing in a business and someone is yelling and trying to be all intimidating to some poor sales girl or service writer or whatever. That's just stupid and like yelling at your surgeon because your gall bladder is failing. If he thinks you're a jerk, how do you expect that to work out for you?

sticker500

iTrader: (1)

Exactly! I think one of the only valid points the OP made was not being angry, or venting hostility towards anyone. Usually you catch more flies with honey than vinegar ALTHOUGH I have reached the point of frustration with service advisors that are rude and unkind.

The internet has leveled the playing field for "smart" people and raised the bar for those who are truly creative and forward thinking. I am not a mechanic by trade but I certainly can hang with some folks that are getting paid to do it by trade. If you are a true technician then you will be genuinely concerned in fixing it and getting it right the first time. I am not saying you will, but that's your goal and you take pride in what you do. So go home and do your research, be the best at your skill and make a difference!

I am going to come in educated but humble when I have a concern about MY vehicle that I purchased with MY money.

It starts with the service advisor just like a hostess in the restaurant, you set the experience.

npcampbell

I understand that this is your point of view coming from the standpoint of the dealership but ...

Why does bringing up a possible cause make your service adviser change their procedures for filing a claim??? I've got to disagree with you here. An informed customer will routinely prevent expensive and unnecessary repairs. Google away.


However, if this is a new vehicle, do notate how long your vehicle is out of service. Depending on your states lemon laws, the mere mention of "lemon law" can be a significant incentive for the dealer to magically find that back-ordered part elsewhere.


So you are saying you would retaliate against a customer who writes a bad review or gives a poor survey? Really?


Better treatment, no. Better service, yes.


Raptor?

LoneWolfTrucker

This! I remember being a kid in the 80s asking my dad why we didn't have power windows in our car. His exact words: "The more power options you have the more things there are to break!"