SHOPSMART AUTOS – CUSTOMER INFORMATION – April 11, 2021 – 4
How is your Dealership’s Service Department? (Part Four)“I’m on Your Side”
Service departments take advantage of the fact that there’s not as much mistrust of them as there is of car salesmen. They play the role of “I’m on your side,” the friendly mechanic. Often they have some mechanical experience but actually, their strong suit is that they have good public relations skills. Their job is to be the counselor to the customer, to tell them what they need and don’t need. I didn’t play this game and sometimes I got in trouble because I wouldn’t sell enough. The service manager would call a meeting and tell the writers, “You made this much but you have to try to make more.” They wanted us to boost profit so that they themselves would get a bonus. It was always, “You’re not selling enough! Get out there and really do it!” My response was, “I’m not going to sell this stuff to people who don’t need it.” Then they said, “What do you mean, ‘need it’? It’s not going to hurt them to change their oil more often, and it’ll help us.” Some customers actually perceived that I did less “selling,” and preferred to go to me for work. At one dealership I worked at, the idea was to go after the wealthy guys, which there were plenty of in that area. But there were also poor customers. Sometimes people would say, “I want you to be honest with me about what I really need,” and we would eventually build relationships and they’d come back even after the warranty was up. After awhile, when you build loyalty, you get returning customers. So my argument to the dealer was that if you kept trying to upsell the customers, they wouldn’t return after their warranty expired. I think the dealers are starting to recognize that, but part of their response is to sell more extended warranties, which are unfortunately kind of a scam. It’s basically an insurance company betting you that your car won’t break down.
Tips From an Insider
I tell people to read the owner’s manual before you go see the dealer. Or go to an online chat and share the knowledge of other owners. (Note: Edmunds.com’s forums are filled with information about maintenance). Also, it helps to do a visual inspection of your car. You don’t have to be mechanically minded — just look to see if the oil is dirty or not. But the most important thing, don’t trust the dealer’s recommended mileages; use the manufacturer’s guidelines in the manual. This is probably the best way to deflect the service guys when they try to upsell you. Copy that page in the manual, hand it to the service advisor and say, “Here’s what I want you to do.” My trick with service managers is to go in and find the oldest one you see, because he’s survived by building up a base of loyal customers. Then I say, “Oh yeah, I think I dealt with him last time I was here. I’ll talk with him.” The other thing to remember is that service advisors are wary of customers who look like they know what they’re doing. So take some time to learn a little about your car. You might find it interesting — and it will definitely save you money the next time you go in for service.
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