How My Car Dealer Lost My Customer Loyalty

It was not a single event, but a series of interactions over the span of a few years that caused me to no longer feel like a valued customer. The local, family owned car dealership had earned my loyalty for the past 25 years.  My family had purchased a total of 16 new vehicles from them and we opted to have the cars serviced exclusively at their facility. I kept going back and giving them my business because I knew I would get a fair deal and because they made the whole experience so incredibly pleasant.

Over the past few years, I noticed an attitude shift in the ownership and staff.  Instead of approaching me with a smile, they walked by me, trying not to make eye contact.  My service advisor stopped acknowledging that I had been a longstanding customer.  The car service remained competent but my customer service experience declined.  Prices went up, smiles went down.

Other customers noticed this change as well.

The day after my car was serviced, I would receive a string of follow up calls and surveys. All they were interested in was my completion of their service satisfaction survey.  The calls became intrusive, as did their automated, recorded phone calls to wish me a happy birthday or to remind me to bring my car in for service.

I bought a new car from them 18 months ago and the team was just “okay”.  A few months ago, I needed to buy a truck.  I decided I was going to shop around.  Why?  The prices had increased and my overall experience at my preferred dealership had declined.  The intrusive phone calls were irritating me and the sales manager, with whom I had dealt for ten years, failed to even stand up when I entered his office for our scheduled appointment.  I felt devalued and taken for granted.

I went to another dealership and found the same truck for $200.00 less.  In the past, I would have happily paid $200 more for the pleasant, reliable customer service experience I had come to rely on at my favorite dealership.  This time, I returned to my dealership and negotiated a $500 discount.  The change in their attitude and behavior cost them $500.00.  They no longer have my exclusive trust and the next time I need to purchase a car, you can bet I will shop around.