Ram Dealers begging for positive ratings?

[tap4154]

Is this just in CA? When I bought the truck everyone I interacted with begged to be rated 10 on the email customer satisfaction survey they send. In fact at the dealer they have big signs "Only a 10". But everyone I dealt with - from sales, to finance to service - was horrible, and in the end I didn't give any rating (salesman was new, but a very nice young guy with a family, so I didn't want to harm him), but I left a very stinging review of that dealership on Yelp.

So now I go to another nearby dealer just for the recall work, and they do the same thing. Sending emails begging for a 10 (anything else means nothing, it says). Even suggesting that I dig though my spam folder to find the rating link, if I missed it.

BTW when I recently took it in just for recall work, the service advisor asked if I wanted to wait, or she would provide Uber free. I would normally stay, but accepted the Uber (assuming it was 2-way, like the shuttles always were). Two hours later she calls and says it's ready, I ask if the Uber will be picking me up, she says no, they only provide a ride home. Had I known that, I would have stayed at the dealer!

So never having used Uber, I downloaded the app, signed up, and got a ride. The driver didn't speak English, almost gets us killed twice on a 6 mile trip making a u-turn into traffic, and a sudden 2 lane turn into the parking lot. The first driver on the ride home was great, however.

So @RamCares, if you're listening, this "Only a 10" policy is just corporate BS that leave employees spending more time begging for a 10, than actually providing great customer experience. Whoever in the main office that came up with this policy, I rate at -10.

 

[chrisbh17]

My understanding is that the ratings could reflect negatively enough that FCA/whoever would talk to the dealer about them.

If that is true, I do not know. Personally, my answer to "give me a 10!" suggestions has always been "earn the 10 and you'll get one"

I once gave below maximum on a service survey for our old Acura. That lead to a snail mailed much more in-depth survey, which lead to....nothing. Ever since then I just stopped bothering. I have yet to have a "10" from anyone in the new or used car industry.

Instead of begging, why dont they just do a better job?

 

[tap4154]

My understanding is that the ratings could reflect negatively enough that FCA/whoever would talk to the dealer about them.

If that is true, I do not know. Personally, my answer to "give me a 10!" suggestions has always been "earn the 10 and you'll get one"

I once gave below maximum on a service survey for our old Acura. That lead to a snail mailed much more in-depth survey, which lead to....nothing. Ever since then I just stopped bothering. I have yet to have a "10" from anyone in the new or used car industry.

Instead of begging, why dont they just do a better job?

Yes, the feeling I get is that there ARE severe consequences if they get less than a 9 or 10. I mean they seem in constant fear of losing their jobs if they don't get that 10. That's a hostile work environment IMHO.

Here's the latest email from the dealer's manager, with names redacted:

Chrysler Corporation has recently emailed you at xxxxxxxxx.com about your last service visit to xxxxxxx Jeep Chrysler Dodge Fiat. The email is from “dealership experience survey”, if you need to search for it. This is a very important survey about how your experience was with your Service advisor xxxx xxxx. If you could please take a moment of your time to complete the survey in full, I would really appreciate it. The questions about your personal information can be skipped. Some of my Customers find this email in the “spam or junk “ folders.


Scores of a 9 or 10 “Truly Exceptional” are the only scores that count, everything else is considered a zero. If there is anything, I can do that we might have missed that would prevent your scoring a 9 or 10, please contact me and tell me what I can do.

 

[chrisbh17]

Yep looks familiar. I have not gotten any (that I know of) from RAM/FCA, but I did from Infiniti and Acura for my other vehicles. Infiniti actually earned 10 because they went above and beyond when I first got my car. Acura, not so much, and I let them know.

In both cases, I have a feeling nothing ever came from either survey, but I at least let "corporate" (or whoever was collecting the data) know how I felt.

 

[buddy guy]

this reminded me i saw somewhere "you'll be contacted soon regarding a survey blah blah blah". i think it must have been when i got my oil change done or remote starter wiring issue fixed. but that was 2 weeks ago i think and nothing so far. Last time I remember a dealership pushing hard for perfect numbers on a survey was when i bought my Cadillac new in 2005.

 

[fraleywp]

This is at all dealers for all brands. It is sadly how the dealer management decides whether people are doing their jobs as well as for rankings by the manufacturers. Management by metrics.

Sent from my Z2_PRO using Tapatalk

 

[Josh keller]

i told them id give them a 10 if they knocked 1500 more off the truck? it worked

 

[BWL]

The whole thing seems ridiculous. Kind of like ebay and anything less than 5 stars is negative. You don't have to get 10 out of 10 on everything to be good or worthy of doing business with. Companies with this sort of policy mean their feedback ratings mean very little in my opinion.

 

[chrisbh17]

A former boss used to say (and I tended to agree with him):

"I will never give you a 5 out of 5, because that means you have no room left to learn, grow or improve. Likewise, I never expect you to give me a 5 out of 5 on any review you do of me."

 

[22hemi13]

i told them id give them a 10 if they knocked 1500 more off the truck? it worked

Sad that’s how much those stupid ratings work lol

 

[JHayez1911]

In my opinion those rating mean little to nothing, no one is going to lose there job, get a pay raise etc. In my opinion it’s just a scale to monitor how they’re doing as a company. Normally they get all the reviews tally up the scores and then the company can determine the strength and weaknesses of the organization and they use the data as a training tool to capitalize on the strengths and train and get better in the area in which need improvement. It’s not that serious, like was mentioned early most all dealers do it, most sales organizations do it, hell the cable company sends surveys after a install.

 

[Bluesurf]

This is almost everywhere today. I learned of this on my recent recall at RAM. Months ago at Land Rover my Service Agents told me that if they don't get a 10 they are dismissed. They beg. For one guy, I didn't get his survey and I don't think it ended up in my spam. The poor guy called me and told me he was terminated. He was counting on my "10" for his objective and he didn't make it. I think its just horrible how people are treated. I felt really down about this.

 

[Tray Burge]

NEVER ****'n Uber! You're actually putting your life in the hands of a complete moron most of the time! smh

 

[JHayez1911]

NEVER ****'n Uber! You're actually putting your life in the hands of a complete moron most of the time! smh

Don’t sugar coat it Tray. Lol. Tell us how you really feel. Lol

 

[BigRed4x4]

A few years ago when I was in for broken manifold bolts which was covered under warranty the service manager actually called me to ask if I'd fill out the survey and give it all 10's. They did fix the bolts but I had to take it back twice and basically explain it to them.

Recently I was back to that dealership for non warranty work and instead of diagnosing the problem they just suggested I start replacing the most expensive parts possible and actually said they're not sure that would fix the problem. It's an ABS system issue. I said no thanks and left and didn't even receive the email to fill out the survey. They knew they'd get low marks. Lol

 

[aces-n-eights]

This is almost everywhere today. I learned of this on my recent recall at RAM. Months ago at Land Rover my Service Agents told me that if they don't get a 10 they are dismissed. They beg. For one guy, I didn't get his survey and I don't think it ended up in my spam. The poor guy called me and told me he was terminated. He was counting on my "10" for his objective and he didn't make it. I think its just horrible how people are treated. I felt really down about this.

If someone got fired for not getting a 10 on survey, well, i think there's something else going on. Why did he call you - to shift the blame to someone else instead of looking in the mirror. I wouldn't feel too bad about it... He's to blame.

 

[Random_Walk]

Man, that's freaky... my dealership (didn't buy the truck there, but I do all my recall/repair/oil-change/etc business with 'em) never asked me for any such thing until I got an email asking nicely to do a survey for them; showed up in my email a bit after the last time I went for service.

They never asked for top scores, but damn they go out of their way to earn it, so yeah, I scored them as high as the survey let me.

Forgot to take pix this past weekend at the county fair, but they had a display and I spent time chatting with 'em. Turns out they're wanting to sell tires, and promised to price-match the Falken Wildpeaks I'd been eyeballing for awhile, so when it comes time for that? I intend to put 'em to that test as well.

But anyrate, point is that the good ones don't have to ask, and usually don't ask.

(and dammit, *now* they have a Classic/4th-Gen EcoDiesel, when I couldn't find one for love or money when I went buying last year...)

 

[chri5k]

My local dealer in FL does this as well. They ask before they have even done anything! In my mind you have to earn a 10 with outstanding service, clean facilities and people who really care about you as a customer. Begging for 10's when they didn't solve your issue or just did their job to the minimal level shows they don't really care about you as a customer.

 

[Bigskyroadglide]

if they want a 10, give better service. Two week wait to get a damn nanny light turned off on the dash, as its not important and could wait. Yeah not important to YOU, but damn important to me.

 

[mtofell]

A buddy at a dealership told me there are heavy financial incentives for staff to get 10s. Ram (and other brands I imagine) take anything less as sub par. This is part of the modern day rah rah marketing. "We're so great that we will accept nothing less than perfection" blah, blah, blah.

This type of thing has been going on for years.... a heavily corporate restaurant chain I worked for years ago based about 20% of the manager's pay on secret shopper and other bonus criteria like these ratings.

If there weren't money involved there is no way anyone at the dealership would care so much. I can't walk through my dealership without someone telling me to "be sure to give us a 10".