Online Service Scheduling

[Sasquatchtdg]

The other day I decided to schedule a service appointment online with a local dealership's scheduling app. Filled it out completely, did not include a phone number, said contact via email to discuss. Laid out all the concerns I had, stated I have an extended warranty, stated I wanted to get plugs changed out - I have the parts, and to email me to finalize the scheduling.
1hr later
*Phone Buzzes* Text: Hi I'm (insert name here) at (insert dealership here) and I heard you were looking to buy a new truck.
30mins later
*Phone Rings* Dealership calling

I don't want to buy a new truck, they don't have a truck I'd be interested in, my truck will be paid off in 10 days!

 

[Marmay]

Yaa,I went for oil change and now I am receiving text messages from the dealer about trade my truck for a new one, great offer,only $10.000 more .

 

[joelmic]

I got them all the time on my old 07 Ram even while it was nearing 150K.... turns out God took care of getting me a new one. Got T-B o n e d for a total loss and got 20k for that old POS, I love my 2017 and I only added 6k outta pocket.
HAHAHA, I still get calls from that old dealership... "BLOCK"

 

[GTyankee]

I went to my dealership last week & asked if i could speak to Dave
another person looked at me & said Daves not here

I felt like i had heard that before
any way, i asked if it was Daves day off & the guy said Dave is no longer here.

Dave was the only Service Assistant that i have used for about 4 years & he was damn good at his job.

So the guy said can i help you & i said that i don't know if you can
Then i told him that my Ram eco-diesel was due for Registration & the DMV wanted a statement that the Recall V08
Diesel EGR Cooler Safety Recall had been completed
The DMV won't give me Tags for 2022 without it.
The guy really does not help me even a little bit.
He did give me an old work order that referred to my last service & that the needed parts were on back order with no ETA.
I left & went to one of those Registration places that are everywhere in every town & village in Calif.
I paid for the registration so i would not be penalized with late fees & they got me a 1 month TEMP paper.

Now yesterday, i went back to the dealership, i was going to get an answer about the recall, if i had to ask the owner himself.

I was going to ask the Parts Dept first & then find the Finance Officer 2nd, but i ran into a lady Service Assistant & she asked me if she could help me.
I told her the story & she said that she thought that sounded wrong.

She went into the Parts Dept. & came back about 10 minutes later & asked me what date i want to get the Recall done.
It turns out that the parts are available at the Los Angeles Warehouse.

So the first SA that i talked to last week, did not know his butt from a hole in the ground, he ought to back to selling BS

& Daves not there

 

[Sasquatchtdg]

Had a similar experience before, had a guy that I dealt with, would always hook me up any way he could. Got me loaner vehicles, dealt with my aftermarket warrant, even grabbed promotional swag when it was available. Come back a few months later, "Oh he doesn't work with us anymore."

Continuity is a great thing when it comes to actual truck people. Most of us don't buy for the short run. I'd compare it to a family doctor, you don't bounce around from one to another if you can help it. Stick with people that know you, know your vehicle, and know your mindset on taking care of it.

I know service advisors thrive on people that bring their vehicle in, drop it off, and pay when its done. Zero engagement, tell me what it needs, I pay, I leave. I guess it is rare to have knowledgeable owners that do their research.

 

[joelmic]

I went to my dealership last week & asked if i could speak to Dave
another person looked at me & said Daves not here

I felt like i had heard that before
any way, i asked if it was Daves day off & the guy said Dave is no longer here.

Dave was the only Service Assistant that i have used for about 4 years & he was damn good at his job.

HAHAHAHAHA "no man, I'm Dave"

I had about 3 FAVs and everyone wouldn't last long enough for me to get my usual treatment!!
One guy had me marked for replacement part under a recall the next time I came in cuz it was outta stock... no guy, no part, and no record of it being promised to me.
No one else even gave a crap about it.

 

[Jeepwalker]

....I asked if it was Daves day off & the guy said Dave is no longer here.

Dave was the only Service Assistant that i have used for about 4 years & he was damn good at his job.

A good SA needs to possess a high degree of product knowledge, organizational skills, computer skills, be self-reliant, able to handle/navigate the inevitable corporate BS, make good decisions on the spot, able to handle a lot of stress, and above all possess good customer communication skills and empathy.

That's a long list. Skills like these in one package are in very short supply. That's why he was so good. People who possess a lot of those skills and have a good head on their shoulders are always in need. The fact is self-starters and doers can go to about any job and do well. The auto industry is kind of a easy point-of-entry for a lot of guys, then they move on. Lot of turnover ..always has been. I suspect he's one of the millions who left for a better paying and probably less stressful job somewhere else where he could spend more time with his family too. Good for him, bad for the dealer ...and you (unfortunately). Of course he might have been an a$$ to work with and there could have been behind-the-scenes shennanigans. But let's go with 'found a better job' ...it sounds better . What these service assistants do is pretty stressful. Lot of times these guys move to the Parts depts where the pace is more methodical and measured, a competing dealership or out of the industry.

We used to hire commercial HVAC techs from car dealers. Guys who were highly rated. They had a better job with us and the pay was way higher ...and they weren't stuck in the same ole garage bay their entire lives. They were our best techs, and we treated them so. A good tech and service mgr can make or break a serv dept. Usually every service dept has at least one, if not two superstar techs and serv personal. (the rest mediocre)

Hopefully they'll find a new SA that you can get along with. People leave jobs all the time. Eventually they'll get someone in there who knows their stuff. Maybe yer old SA will return if the dealer coughs up more $$. Some dealerships that are well run people feel a sense of 'family' and really like the environment. But a lot have gone big and corporate too these days.

 

[GTyankee]

Dave was a good SA, if he did not have the answer to a query, he would try to get it.
He drove a Ford, because it was what he had, not because he thought everyone should drive one.

I own a Ram & it is my 2nd one in a row, not because i think they are great
I bought the first one because a Chevy salesman did not know that 2009 Chevy 1/2 tons had disc brakes on all 4 wheels, he insisted that they had drum rear brakes.

Then i went directly to a Toyota dealership & i walked onto their lot & looked around at every pickup & about 5 salesmen were watching me from a shaded area. Not a single one left that shaded area, until i was walking back to my Chevy pickup that was parked on the street.

Now to be honest, i weighed about 250 pounds at that time, my jeans were torn & dirty & my T shirt was filthy, lastly my beard & head hair is below my shoulders.

This is what i looked like in 2003



2009, i looked more like this



so maybe the salesmen thought that i was looking for a place to sleep

they should see me now, i let my hair grow out