Totally agree mate, its the individuals that make the difference and perhaps alot of dealership staff are as frustrated as the customers? Personally as a DET I am salaried, yet I work minimum of 9 hours a day and often more looking after customers needs from 7 am to 8 pm. I know T does exactly the same, I also know alot of staff at dealerships work bloody hard with no thanks from many customers. Alot of customers honestly believe we have techs hanging on pegs waiting for their car to arrive at the dealership, and all we do is take the tech of the peg, and give them the car to work on. Same with courtesy cars, we have an endless supply of them.

I think though to make dealerships work to satisfy customer expectation the customer must change their perception of what happens in a dealership and understand that the customer may need to put time aside to give information to the dealership.

Alot of techs try to explain their role as being like a doctor, in truth its not its more like a vet, because our patients cant talk or tell us what the problem is.

If you take your dog to the vets you dont dump him at the reception and say hes throwing up, then leave no contact number and refuse to pay the vet after the consultation do you?

The idea of the DET was to help interview customers on behalf of reception and gain vital information from the customer, that a receptionist may not gather. (You speak directly to the vet or doctor dont you? So why not the DET or tech?) Yet many customers dont get to speak directly to technical staff because dealerships havent embraced this role fully.

Can't shove an examiner in a dog though

Thats the problem you see, customers think examiner tells all, it doesnt.

Techs get the info, and interpret parameters, to diagnose problems, examiner is just a tool.

Dont vets have all manor of tools to help diagnose problems?

Numanr good point...would be nice to talk to techs directly...perhaps get a better idea of how a car works...might even save on visits to the garage....o wait...that might not be so great for the garage....:chin:.....mmm maybe better to leave it to the receptionist.....

T14086 said:

I agree totally Tony but having a tech idle is a big no no even for 15mins!

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I come from a tech environment. Being idle is not excuse. There is a huge amount that can be done in that time. Training, learning, problem management, hey, even calling a customer !

T14086 said:

Dealership managers have to reach impossible targets mainly set by group managers who have little or no idea of the modern car.Profits are often more important than customer satisfaction which is often done off the individuals own back who will only recieve a thank you from the customer...but its a genuine thank you that makes the individuals extra effort worthwhile

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But yes, I agree, both the dealerships and FIAT have to agree to make the resources and funding available to enable a class leading service.

T14086 said:

I'm not trying to shoot down anyones ideas in flames but be realistic & maybe (just maybe!) something can be done?

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So expecting timely repairs/serviceing is unrealistic? :devil:

T14086 said:

I agree totally Tony but having a tech idle is a big no no even for 15mins!

Click to expand...

I come from a tech environment. Being idle is not excuse. There is a huge amount that can be done in that time. Training, learning, problem management, hey, even calling a customer !

T14086 said:

Dealership managers have to reach impossible targets mainly set by group managers who have little or no idea of the modern car.Profits are often more important than customer satisfaction which is often done off the individuals own back who will only recieve a thank you from the customer...but its a genuine thank you that makes the individuals extra effort worthwhile

Click to expand...

But yes, I agree, both the dealerships and FIAT have to agree to make the resources and funding available to enable a class leading service.

T14086 said:

I'm not trying to shoot down anyones ideas in flames but be realistic & maybe (just maybe!) something can be done?

Click to expand...

So expecting timely repairs/serviceing is unrealistic? :devil:

Okay, thought I'd jump into the 'how can Fiat improve' debate. Now, I've never owned a Fiat (my mum had a 126 many years ago though!) and my 500 is my first experience of them, so can only comment on the order process so far.

I would think that the first thing to look at is comms - both within Fiat and to the customer. Internally, Fiat HO need to have a better method of comms with their dealerships, and to be quicker to release information to them - do they use an intranet? I would expect a large company to have an intranet accessible by all dealerships where bulletins and updates are posted on a daily basis so that the same information is available to all at the same time. In the even of an intranet failure, I would expect dealers to have the ability to receive the daily bulletin in fax form, or have a phone number for a named individual that can provide it over the phone. This might already be in place - if it is, it's not reflected my experience.

Re comms with customers - everyone I've dealt with has been very pleasant. However, training on setting customers expectations and proactive customer contact would benefit. I have had to chase for any information I require - currently awaiting responses to 2 e-mails sent to my dealer at the weekend. I would suggest a clear protocol for information that has to be supplied at point of sale - build week, copy of order form etc. Staff should be performance managed on their customer service skills as well as sales skills - i.e. an assessment of x sales a month to ensure the process had been followed. Again, this may be in place, but it is not reflected in my experience. I would suggest a process of agreeing proactive contact with your customer - 'it's going to be x weeks before your vehicle's here Mr Smith, but I will call you once a week just to check in with you.' This doesn't have to be the salesman, could be a receptionist etc, just to make the customer feel he's not been forgotton and he can raise any concerns or queries. I totally appreciate that a salesman's time needs to be spent selling, and as I say, I don't have much experience of dealerships (have only visited once for a test drive - all my ordering and spec was done by phone / e-mail without ever having been to a Fiat dealership) but maybe each dealership should have a sales support staff - an individual who does the administration work to free up the sales staff; handling customer queries that don't need to go to the sales folk, proactive calls etc.

Anyway, that's my 2p worth on my experience so far. I have to say, I'm enjoying the experience so far, but I'll be honest - it's because my expectations were so low due to what I'd read about Fiat customer service. It's such a shame and I hope their reputation improves. Can't wait for the car - 11 sleeps and counting!

Hellcat said:

Can't shove an examiner in a dog though

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wanna bet,examiner can act as a perfectly good thermometer

tonywalk said:

I come from a tech environment. Being idle is not excuse. There is a huge amount that can be done in that time. Training, learning, problem management, hey, even calling a customer !

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Agree totally...but none of the above make money (directly speaking) which is unfortunally all some garages/dealers think about.You have 15 idle minutes on our time ticket so you have to make that up on the next job which in my opinion means that customer gets 15minutes less time spent on their car or corners are cut.I have had my balls booted many times over times but as I have stated many times on FF at least I can sleep at night with clear consience that customer got what they payed for...hopefully

tonywalk said:

So expecting timely repairs/serviceing is unrealistic? :devil:

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No never said that,I agree but things can & do go wrong so a little understanding from the customer is welcome here.As for person who arrives for a pre-booked service at 8am (1.5 hour service time) and their car is still sitting outside at 10am....I cant answer because that is up to pre-booking & the reception to organise the 'work load' within suitable limits/realistic expectations.

Zakkala said:

Anyway, that's my 2p worth on my experience so far. I have to say, I'm enjoying the experience so far, but I'll be honest - it's because my expectations were so low due to what I'd read about Fiat customer service. It's such a shame and I hope their reputation improves. Can't wait for the car - 11 sleeps and counting!

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And your 2p worth is most welcome,personally what you say is not my department but any salesmen here can maybe answer?

How can Fiat dealers improve ?

Dead simple, ask Skoda what they do, as they are consistanly in the top 5 of satisfied customers ( JD Power )

My last 10 years of Skoda ownership has been consistantly excellent, although I am hoping not to be to disappointed with my new cars after sales service.

Lets just see how it goes.
LFC958

lfc958 said:

How can Fiat dealers improve ?

Dead simple, ask Skoda what they do, as they are consistanly in the top 5 of satisfied customers ( JD Power )

My last 10 years of Skoda ownership has been consistantly excellent, although I am hoping not to be to disappointed with my new cars after sales service.

Lets just see how it goes.
LFC958

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Whats the difference between them tho? Why are Skoda so high when Fiat are so low?

lfc958 said:

Dead simple, ask Skoda what they do, as they are consistanly in the top 5 of satisfied customers ( JD Power )

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which is

(Why are you buying a Fiat cause they always near bottom of JD power)

Lets not forget Fiat sell alot more new 'units' (plus the vast secondhand market/owners) than skoda so garages have much heavier work schedules.

my mates bird has a skoda, before she was my mates bird she always had it mot'd at main dealer, but the last one it got took to where i go,

she was totally shocked when told all she owed was the price of mot, she said but every other time its cost me over £200.
turned out every year the skoda garage had failed it on the same parts and charged her to replace them, strange as she only did about 3k miles a year :chin:

so moral to the story is, skoda owners are a bit divy so dont even know they getting ripped off, so less complaints

dave said:

oh no dont let them bmw mini lot have them

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^As above, and my bro was a mini-driver. :bang: I remember refusing to go to the dealership to order the car (and i tend to play a part in our family's purchases, helping to spec up my dad's S500 nd my mum's Q7). I told them it'd be a bad choice and after 3.5 years of complete unreliability it stopped working and the engine would no longer start. Also, the majority of Mini drivers seem to be "tossers" (not my word, but it seems to fit). Not all though, but i hope the same thing doesn't happen to the 500 as it did to the Minis; the mini was a joke and in my eyes that joke got old very, very quickly. Ah well, at least if i get a 500, it'll be a lot nicer than my brother's Mini...

T14086 said:

which is

(Why are you buying a Fiat cause they always near bottom of JD power)

Lets not forget Fiat sell alot more new 'units' (plus the vast secondhand market/owners) than skoda so garages have much heavier work schedules.

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Skoda sales 2007 - 39k, Fiat Sales 2007 - 59k

'I'm sorry your ipod is broke but we sell millions of these each year, so as you can imagine we really are rather busy'

You need to employ the right number of people to support the level of sales, services, complaints etc. that you recieve.

My experiences so far (these are my first) with FIAT dealers has not been as expected:

- You know more about the car than the dealer
- Test Drive appointments where the clock slips by 45 minutes while you wait
- People don't call you back.

Well, my experiance has so far been great. Dealer called back as promised, test drive exactly as booked and he allowed me an extended run. Also got offered another drive in a Panda to compare engines and then when I asked for another drive in the 500, unexpectedly I would ad, it wasnt a problem. Now Ive handed over some cash I imagine things might just go downhill, but I have an open and hopeful mind
Obviously we know more about the car, we are enthusiasts, dealers are making money.

I'm a classic mini owner, and i'd have a BMW MINI, albeit in Cooper S Cabrio form, but jeez they are just so expensive. And they stay expensive because its fashion snobs who buy them.... and so now it seems they think the 500 will be the next fashion accessory, which it will be until FIAT reliability (although pretty good in my experience, but not excellent) and hellish FIAT dealership experience drives them away from the 500.

The 500 could be so good for Fiat...... IF....... Fiat Dealerships don't louse it up for them! I can't vouch for all dealers obviously, but here in Scotland where it seems 99% of Fiat dealerships are Arnold Clark i can see the car struggling.

Since its release i've seen only 1 Fiat 500 in my area, and that was a demonstrator being razzed, which did it no favours as it was the 1.3 diesel.

Price for a high spec 1.3TD is good though, i was just speccing one the other day.

It is a shame that the fashion concious are wanting the 500s, me... Im just a regular Fiat enthusiast who likes the car! Have to say at first the fashion tag put me right off and for a time I slated the 500, but it was really the hype it created that I was against. Been wanting one since March 2004, when I saw the Trepiuno... now mines on its way.
I do hope that I dont get all the fashion peeps talking to me about it though, Im a car nut and couldnt give a stuff about fashion and looking good etc. Theres an idea for a window sticker.... LOL

nuovapanda said:

It is a shame that the fashion concious are wanting the 500s, me... Im just a regular Fiat enthusiast who likes the car! Have to say at first the fashion tag put me right off and for a time I slated the 500, but it was really the hype it created that I was against. Been wanting one since March 2004, when I saw the Trepiuno... now mines on its way.
I do hope that I dont get all the fashion peeps talking to me about it though, Im a car nut and couldnt give a stuff about fashion and looking good etc. Theres an idea for a window sticker.... LOL

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Same here Nuova! A few months ago I decided I wasn't going to get a 500, even though ever since seeing the Trepiuno concept I knew I had to have one. There was so much hype and I just cringed at the whole 'fashion' aspect of it. I'm a big fan of small cars and will probably never own anything bigger than a Punto/Fiesta/Clio and the 500 is just perfect. I decided to just go for it at the beginning of January and haven't regreted it since!

How about FIAT dealers having a dedicated Tech who gets out and about in a van fixing the minor warranty faults on site at home or work? This would save a lot of expensive Workshop man-hours and really please the Customers!