To the Customer Service Manager:
I have had a relationship with AutoPark Honda for eight years. I purchased my current vehicle brand-new from your lot, and have used the Service Department for all of my service needs, however small. I have raved about AutoPark Honda to all folks I have encountered who were looking to buy a car. I had planned to purchase my next car from AutoPark within the next two years.
All of that changed with one simple experience.
All of my good feelings about AutoPark Honda have been erased. On the morning of April 23, 2009, I brought my car in for a simple oil change, which should have taken less than an hour. I sat in the designated lobby area with a book. More than two hours later, I went to the one of the service advisers’ desks to inquire what was taking so long.
I was told that the car had been ready for some time, but they could not find me. I had been paged on the intercom and my name had been called. They had also called one of my contact numbers, but gotten no answer. Since I had been sitting in the waiting room the entire time, I was upset. I stated that I was displeased with my experience. The adviser’s response was along the lines of “it’s a shame when this happens,” followed by a shrug.
A few things:
- The intercom is unintelligible from the interior lobby area when both TVs are on and a child is reading a book to her dad nearby. There is no intercom speaker in the waiting room.
- I was listening for my name. I heard other names, and I saw some service advisers directly approach other customers to get their attention. My name was not called loud enough for me to hear. No one approached me in order to get my attention.
- One of my contact numbers was called, but not the other. If the adviser had tried both numbers, he would have lucked into my cell phone number. But he did not go that extra mile.
- The adviser then told me he assumed I had gone for a walk. My receipt and keys were waiting with the cashier, and I think they may have forgotten about me, except when the cashier occasionally paged me on the intercom (see #1 above).
The part that bothers me most is that no one knew who I was. The service advisers did not remember my face well enough to scan the waiting room to see if I was sitting there and did not hear them. To them, I was a faceless customer on a sheet of paper, not a real person.
AutoPark has spent a lot of energy developing the amenities that are available, such as big screen TVs and even chair massages. As a customer, the only amenity I want is for myself and my time to be respected. I did what I was told – I sat in the waiting area patiently. I did not badger the advisers every thirty minutes or otherwise make a nuisance of myself. I thought I was being a good and patient customer. Customer service failed me, sought to make excuses, and shrugged.
I hope you will remind your employees that your customers are people, and being made to feel unimportant, just once, can affect the entire relationship. I am re-evaluating my auto service needs.
Regretfully,
Audrey Podrey
2002 Honda Accord