I’m not a big fan of car dealerships.
I try to avoid them whenever possible, for two reasons.
First, sales people at dealerships are like vultures perched on top of telephone poles waiting to swoop down on any prey in sight. They’re so eager to sell you a new car, which some say depreciates about 10% the moment you drive it off the lot.
And 60% after five years.
All while a car salesperson pockets 20-30% commission.
Interesting business model, eh? Well, it is what it is.
Second, car repairs at dealerships are outrageous. Hourly rates typically exceed $200. That’s at least double that of independent auto repair shops.
Purchasing OEM parts is also quite costly.
The Russian Roulette Starting Conundrum
But I had no choice. My Honda Civic had an electrical issue in the steering column, and that required a Honda dealer service department’s expertise to diagnose and repair.
Not something any independent mechanic I knew could tackle. My two local mechanics don’t mess with anything electrical.
I knew it was going to be costly, but I couldn’t afford to be routinely delayed for up to an hour waiting for the car to decide to restart after stopping during my long trips.
As I explained in last week’s message, after driving for several hours the car sometimes needed to cool down for up to an hour before it would restart.
When I took it to the Honda dealer in Wisconsin, I was told they couldn’t do anything about it if it wasn’t acting up during their diagnosis.
Johnson City Honda to the Rescue
On Thursday, Nov. 6, I dropped the car off at my local Honda dealer in Johnson City, TN.
That’s where I met Peter, the service dept. representative who checked me in. Super nice guy. He patiently listened while I explained my Russian roulette starter situation in detail. (I could have just had him read my blog post.)
I told him the Honda dealer in Wisconsin thought it was the aftermarket starter my local mechanic, Bo, had installed. At the same time, I shared what Bo said, “It’s not the starter.”
On Friday, Peter called. He asked for permission for his mechanic to drive the car home and see if he can replicate the behavior. The mechanic lives about 40 minutes away. I was like, “Of course! Whatever it takes to fix this problem.”
On Saturday, Peter called me back. He said the mechanic even drove the car partway up a mountain to get the engine as warm as possible, then started testing wires. The mechanic discovered the wiring for the ignition switch and starter relay sometimes failed to conduct electricity properly when it got too hot. (Or something like that.)
Peter said those two parts would arrive Tuesday.
The repair was completed that same day, and after paying $863 ($630 was labor alone), we picked up our car.
I pray their diagnosis and repair were correct. I’ll know during my next long drive.
But my customer experience (CX) with this Honda dealer was fascinating to me from the public relations perspective. They hit several home runs, but they also hit a few foul balls. Let me explain…
3 Honda Home Runs
Here’s where the Honda dealer’s PR (and CX) shone:
- They didn’t turn me away. Unlike the Wisconsin dealership, they didn’t tell me there wasn’t anything they could do because the car wasn’t currently displaying the problem. They took careful notes of my explanation of the issue and checked it in.
- The mechanic went above and beyond. He took the car home for the weekend to perform additional testing and diagnostics. Who does that? Apparently, Johnson City Honda mechanics do.
- They diagnosed the problem and made the repair. After all those failed attempts by others, they actually figured it out.
Now, if the mechanic was correct in his diagnosis and the car has no more issues starting after long drives, then this Honda dealer also hit a grand slam.
3 Honda Foul Balls
Some of the follow-up and lack of attention to details surprised me. And this all falls on management. For example:
- Horribly written, generic thank you letter. It starts with, “Dear Valued Client, I want to personally thank you for choosing Johnson City Honda…” What? You can’t personalize it with MY NAME? And are you REALLY personally thanking me when it ends with, “Your Johnson City Honda Service Advisor” typewritten? Is it that hard to hand service rep Peter a pen and ask him to sign his name? Click here to see this letter.
- Thank you letter wants me to either only give “excellent scores” or take the time to contact them and “work out a resolution” for any score that falls short of excellent. The letter explains that anything less than “excellent” on American Honda’s customer survey is considered a failing score.
I get it — corporate customer satisfaction metrics can be brutal. But demanding perfection for every question? That’s not realistic. And it puts pressure on the customer to just score everything as excellent so the rep doesn’t get in trouble. That’s not going to generate authentic responses.
- Faded copy of multi-point vehicle inspection checklist. The original checklist was obviously in color, but the customer only receives a poor-quality black-and-white copy of it?
You charge $180/hour for labor (which is actually reasonable compared to dealerships in larger markets that exceed $200/hour), and you can’t afford to give the customer a color copy of this checklist? Wow. Is your accountant running your customer service strategy?
Look, I understand cost management. But when you’re asking customers to pay nearly $900 for a repair, don’t undermine the perceived value of your service with a faded photocopy that looks like it came from a 1987 Xerox machine. Click here to see this inspection checklist.
The Bigger Picture
Here’s what fascinates me about this experience: Johnson City Honda got the hard stuff right and fumbled the easy stuff.
They solved a complex electrical problem that stumped everyone else. Their mechanic literally drove my car up a mountain on his own time. That’s extraordinary.
But then they hand me a form letter that doesn’t even include my name and a checklist that looks like it was copied on a copier that’s begging for retirement.
It’s like watching a chef prepare a perfect filet mignon, then serve it on a flimsy paper plate with a plastic fork that’s missing one tine.
The fundamentals of great customer service — personalization, attention to detail, showing customers they’re valued — aren’t expensive. They just require intentionality.
The 3 Big Takeaways
- As the famous line from the offbeat movie “Galaxy Quest” goes, “Never give up, never surrender!” Great customer service is doing whatever it takes to find a solution to a customer’s problem. Johnson City Honda nailed this!
- Personalize the customer’s experience whenever and wherever possible. At least, use the customer’s name in the thank you letter.
- Avoid the appearance of looking cheap. It hurts your perceived value. If your inspection checklist is printed in color, don’t give the customer a poor-quality, black and white copy of it.
Did you enjoy this saga of my experiences at the two Honda dealerships? What stood out? What shocked or surprised you? Have you experienced anything similar at a dealership? Do share!
Above all, stay driven to always be authentic!
Jeffery E. Pizzino, APR (seen here in a vintage photo circa 1983 serendipitously doing a Clash impersonation in a since-forgotten location) is a spin-free public relations pro who is passionate about telling the why of your story with clarity, impact and authenticity. He began his PR career in 1987 at Ketchum Public Relations in New York City but has spent the majority of his career as a solopreneur. He’s the Chief Authentic Officer of the Johnson City, TN-based public relations firm, AuthenticityPR. He also functions as the fractional CCO for technology startup Converus.
Jeff has an MBA in Management from Western International University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications — with an emphasis in PR — from Brigham Young University (rise and shout!). He’s a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but also holds an Italian citizenship. Jeff and his storyteller wife Leticia have four children and four grandchildren. In his extremely limited nonwork hours, he studies italiano, practices guitar, write songs, gardens, disc golfs, reads, listens to New Wave music, serves in his church, watches BYU football, and plays Dominion and Seven Wonders. Email Jeff.
