Strange Customer Satisfaction Survey Process

[Zarger]

OK,
As chuft as I was at collecting my lovely Roc, I was taken back by the customer satisfaction survey process. It kind of went like this ......

Scene: Just filled in all paperwork for the new car, about to go and get in to be shown the toys.

Salesman: Can I just ask you if you are happy with the service that you have had during this purchase?

Me: Yes, it has been great.

Salesman: How satisfied would you say you have been?

Me: Very!

Salesman: Right, I must make you aware that in a few days VW will call you to ask you some questions for the satisfaction survey. Now the thing is, the questions and answers are a little strange. If you said "Very Satisfied", that would mark us down because the top answer is actually "Completely" satisfied. [2 or more example questions and answers later] so you see, you need to be sure on the answers that you give.

Me: Okaaayyy, so why are you putting this effort in to preping me, what difference does it make?

Salesman: Because the dealership is granted discount bonuses based upon customer satisfaction and the more markdowns we get, the less we get to pass down as discounts to the customers, and I will get sacked [laughs].

Me: I will take your word for it.

[Salesman the goes and gets the manager who thanks me for my custom before throwing the same speach at me]

After I left all I could think about was, had I just been groomed to give answers that they want me to give and how valid was their spin on why. Has anyone else had this happen to them and/or can they shed any light on the real story behind this freaky thing?

[silver130]

I had exactly the same "prep" speech from my supplying dealer back in October. Thing is. I have never had this call from VW customer services.
By the way. Which dealer did you use. I am just curious if was the same group as me.

[DavidH]

I had a similar conversation. They seem to need the customer satisfaction brownie points for some reason (bonuses i think) so i was happy to help.

[paulmaddocks]

I had the same prep too...was told that unless i gave them the equivilent of 5 out 5 they for each answer, they would not get thier bonus.

To be honest, i was more than pleased with the assistance etc I got from my dealer, so if i get the chance to show that with a simple 5 min phonecall i was more than happy to follow the 'prep'

I never got a call though.....

[rehmondo]

I got the prep talk as well as the call.

[Zarger]

I had exactly the same "prep" speech from my supplying dealer back in October. Thing is. I have never had this call from VW customer services.
By the way. Which dealer did you use. I am just curious if was the same group as me.

I bought from Warrington VW.

I am more than happy with the service and will be happy to give top marks, but I am naturally nervous to find that they pretty much ask all the customers to give top marks, which is not right what ever the reason.

[Zarger]

I have a reply from a dealer on another forum http://www.scirocconet.co.uk/forum/view ... 2084#p2084

[ryancooke]

basically, they prep you for the answers to make sure they keep there jobs (its true) if they get low marks then they wil get a disaplinary, or something of the sorts, one or two of these and there gone, ive seen quite a few salesmen go through VW and this is one of the reasons

[arlurt]

I had the same experience, and I wasn't entirely happy with the salesman. When the call came, I gave him better marks than I would have done had he not tried to make me feel guilty. If I knew I wouldn't be going back to the dealer then I'd have given VW my honest opinion. Didn't want my card marked for any return visits.

If a salesman wants to be judged as excellent, he should do an excellent job. Being half-arsed, not knowing the product, and just sitting back once he's got your deposit is not the way to be judged as excellent.

[wigit]

we did got briefed but no calls on either of our cars, pitty as our dealer has been excellant, after sales has also been brilliant dealing with small issues and the drls on the roc, they have also taken a warranty issue on our golf seriously, kept us informed when they said and phoned to say the parts are on back order, little things make a difference

[arlurt]

The reception and Sevice staff have been great. They've done what they said they would, when they said they would do it. You really can't ask any more than that. The service guys have worked well trying to get the DRLs switched off, but they can only go with what VW tell them when they have to go to that higher level.

In hindsight I might have bought the car from a different dealer. My previous cars have been SEAT, with my local dealer being owned by the mabn sat at the back of the showroom, and a stable team of really good staff. I like that personal touch, which seems to be missing when you deal with one of the big dealer-chains.

[morrissey]

Likewise.

Same Spiel, no call yet

[coanda]

It's not just VW either, I had this with Renault 15 months ago. Prep and call.

[Midlife]

also got primed to give good answers if VW called, they never did. I would have given top marks anyway, the salesman was perfect did everything he could for me and I even got the car early and he came in on his holiday over xmas to do the handover. Inchcape Chelmsford - Andy was the man.

Having just posted the above the phone rang - yes hey presto a VW/Inchcape survey - however not re the purchase but the very small warranty job of changing the wiper blades - oh well

[Martyn]

The last vw I bought, I had what could only be described as a grim experience (but I really wanted the car and it was the right price!).

The salesman was rude when I picked the car up.

Simple things like offering a coffee where never offered (I had driven 100miles to collect the car and he knew it).

The car was black and scratched to bits...

Well I just let vw know... Marked the garage down really badly when they phoned with the survey.

Salesman phoned after a few days asked me what I had said - the conversation finished with him swearing at me and slaming down the phone

Anyway the managing director of the garage phoned the next day to appologise and he offered £400 to have the car cleaned.. I have no idea what the final outcome was with vw but I assume the garage got their knuckles slapped after reading this thread

So the customer service survey must mean a lot to the garage;)