So I’ve been inspired, after being rubbed the wrong way several times, to regale you with some of my harrowing tales of customer service—or rather, lack thereof, in a new series I’m calling Adventures in Customer Service. Instead of being a great big complain fest, I’ll try to turn it into positive lessons that we can all take from my experiences and maybe they can serve as cautionary tales. Oh, and I do have a few positive experiences to share as well. Need to shine a light on the good guys, too.
I have a 2007 Toyota Yaris. For what it’s worth, it’s a great car. It gets very good mileage, drives well, fits lots of stuff and people for it’s size, and I’ve only had one problem with it so far, a very minor problem, but it was an absolute headache to try and resolve. To be sure, this is not a complaint about the Yaris itself but rather the dealership I took it to to be repaired.
Despite living in Kitchener, I work in Cambridge and when my Yaris started giving me troubles it was to the Cambridge Toyota dealership that I decided to take it. From there I could easily and quickly catch the shuttle van a mere five minutes to work. So that’s what I did.
The problem with the car was a whining sound coming from the back right. The sound was harder to hear at slow speeds but once you hit highway driving—anything above 80km/h—it was a fairly obvious drone. When I brought in my car, and dropped it off, I explained this to the Customer Service Representative at the Service Desk. I told her that it’s making a lot of noise, at the back right, and that the sound increases the faster you drive. I’m not sure if it’s a muffler problem or something with the wheel, I said, but that’s the area it’s coming from, somewhere back there. I’m not an expert on cars by any stretch of the imagination, although I did have a friend once who was a mechanic.
My worry surrounding the noise was that it wasn’t going to be a warranty repair. I had purchased an extended warranty for my Yaris and carefully read the manual. There was a chance it wouldn’t be covered, I knew, but I was hoping that it would be. When the dealership called back to tell me what the problem was—something with the muffler—I was dismayed to hear that it wasn’t a warranty repair. It would cost me $200. Thinking this repair needed to be done, I consented but only after asking if they were sure this was what I needed. I double- and triple-checked because I was disappointed that it wasn’t a warranty repair. And the noise had been getting worse.
Of course, when I picked up my Yaris that night after work the noise was still there. I detected it immediately and it wasn’t even the slightest bit improved, despite my being $200 poorer. As soon as I got home I called the dealership. They arranged for me to bring the car back later in the week and they’d take another look. At this point I was nervous, having already been charged $200 but I decided that they were going to make it right, they must, that’s what good customer service is all about, right?
Dropping off the car I explained to the same Customer Service Agent what the problem was and that it hadn’t been fixed earlier. She assured me that they’d take another look and call me back. I was once again shuttled to work—at this point the van driver and I are on a first name basis and he’s already heard all about my upcoming marriage, job, etc. etc.—and waited for a phone call. A phone call finally came, at the very end of the work day, to say that they needed me to come in and go for a drive with a mechanic so I could point out the noise. I was dumbfounded. At this point they’d had my car all day, they knew I would be back for it by 4 o’clock, and they are only now realizing that I need to go for a ride to point out the noise. So it isn’t going to be fixed today? I asked, at which point I was informed that, actually, all the mechanics had gone home so I would really need to come back later in the following week to do a test drive with a mechanic then.
I was frustrated. The sound was getting worse and I was worried about all the highway driving, back and forth to work not to mention trips on the weekends.
But my frustrations would not end there, unfortunately. The next week, now practically best friends with the shuttle van driver (he is a very nice guy!), I brought my car back to the dealership. This time I went right away with a mechanic for a test drive to hear the noise. Immediately, and by that I mean before we were even 100m from the dealership parking lot, this mechanic heard the noise that I’d been referring to. He also knew, immediately, what the problem was and how to fix it. A wheel bearing. This repair, he told me, was under warranty so it wouldn’t cost me anything. Finally, my car was fixed—I picked it up and driving it back home that night the sound was gone. But it wasn’t the end of my journey into the abyss.
Upon picking up my car I had asked to speak to the Service Manager who unfortunately wasn’t there at the time. My complaint was simple: I’d been charged $200 for an earlier repair that I didn’t need. It didn’t fix the problem, the sound didn’t go away, and it wasn’t until later when the correct repair was made under warranty that the noise issue went away. I wanted my $200 back. When I got a hold of the Service Manager later in the week on the phone her response was incredulous.
After explaining the whole saga I was met with a response akin to something you’d say if you dropped a piece of buttered toast onto a tiled kitchen floor. Oh, I’m sorry. At which point you would get a rag and at least wipe it up. But my apology was followed by silence, and then defensiveness. Yes, it’s terrible that I had to pay $200 for this repair, I was told, but it needed to be done. The mechanics heard a problem with the muffler and fixed it, even if I couldn’t hear it, it needed to be fixed. Needed to be fixed? I said, but I didn’t want it fixed. Even if there was a problem with it that I couldn’t hear, the noise that I heard was an entirely separate thing and the $200 I paid was ostensibly to fix that. Well, the Manager said, you should’ve gone for a test drive so that the mechanic could hear the sound.
Wait. Back it up. Here I was being told that I should’ve gone on a test drive with a mechanic to hear the sound. I should have known that? I shouldv’e been the one to ask for a test drive? That’s my prerogative? Remember, after doing the $200 repair and not fixing the noise, the dealership suggested that I come on a test drive. But only after they couldn’t fix the initial problem. What I was being told was that I should’ve known, I should have suggested, that someone come with me the very first time I brought the car in, to hear the noise. Is that my responsibility? I thought the dealership could figure out what was making the sound and repair it. I thought, if they needed me to point out the sound to them in real-time, they’d ask me. But no such request was made. Even when I was first called about making the $200 repair I asked three times to make sure that this was the solution.
I tried my best to be polite on the phone. I told them that I wasn’t satisfied with that response, and how could it be my responsibility to make sure that the mechanics fix the right problem. And I’m not even accusing anyone of fixing a false problem, one that may not have even really existed, the point is that they didn’t fix the problem, despite assurances that they would, and did, for $200. I told the Service Manager—who has service as part of her title—that my faith was completely shattered in her dealership and that despite being a loyal customer previously—I had oil changes and maintenance there—I would have to find somewhere else. Reluctantly, and believe me it was reluctant, I was offered a free oil change and bronze level car cleaning. It being better than nothing, I accepted, but explained that it still wouldn’t regain my loyalty.
I meant what I said that I wouldn’t frequent that particularly dealership again. They’ve lost a customer and it’s purely a result of poor customer service. A better solution? To refund me my $200. To refund at least the labour or service costs of the repair. Their solution? A free oil change and car detailing which I used, and our relationship is now severed. Considering that I told the Manager I would never be back, it’s incredible that she didn’t try any harder. If this were a lesson in customer service then one thing is clear: if a customer says that they’re leaving, do something to bring them back. Offering me a one-off oil change isn’t going to do it, it does nothing for my loyalty, it does nothing to bring me back again once that oil change has been redeemed. From all perspectives it’s a losing situation. I don’t get my money back. Toyota wastes money on a free oil change and detailing given to a customer who has no intention of ever coming back again once they’ve used it.
And what’s the net effect? Significant. Because as anyone who knows anything about customer service will know, word travels fast, and it’s word of mouth that plays the most significant role in these kind of relationships. If I tell one person about my bad experience, then they will in turn tell another person and another person and another person ad nauseum. If I tell 1,000 people on a website, say…
I think this is a lesson that I’ll keep coming back to throughout this series. All it takes to keep a customer coming back is a little understanding and service. What does it cost to refund a $200 charge that I shouldn’t have incurred in the first place? $200. What is the loss to Cambridge Toyota from one, if not many, customers leaving or never giving them business in the first place as a result of something they heard? A heck of a lot more than $200.
Great post Keith. Having worked in the service industry off and on for over 20 years now, this is one of my biggest pet peeves. It is one of the reason’s I did not spend any money in a Starbuck’s for over a year, or on any of their products.
Steven
Steven, wait until you read my post about Starbucks then!
Your totally right, Keith, word-of-mouth is by far the most influential way of building or destroying a business. For example: I run a painting business, which has operated in Calgary for five years. Over that span of time I have encountered many clients who are poor clients… and, from a business director’s point of view, they ask or expect things that are simply ridiculous. However, as a company, for the most part, we always ‘give-in’ to their requests, because we know that going the extra mile may well mean continued business and a good reference from them to their friends and neighbors. That being said, we have stood up to clients, but if it were a matter of $200 worth of labour, I would simply concede, of course, since even one positive recommendation can lead to our company earning ten-times that loss.
I’ll be honest, in my experience, seldom is the customer actually “right”, but from a company perspective the old adage applies, and we treat them as though they are right. A happy customer, even if they are wrong… and sometimes annoying… keeps putting money into our pockets. Might sound harsh, but that is the fact of it.
However, I think you were completely justified. I mean… as much as I own a business… I’m also a customer in many other areas of my life.
Thanks for the post.
Brent
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