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I am a little slow on the uptake I guess. I have now realised that some of you would rather chew your arm off than go to a dealer. I can't blame you for the most part, but you must understand that we charge more because we offer more.
Where I work we have "free" pickup and delivery for oil changes. That means paying people, and people don't work cheap. We use semi-retired old folks, but for some reason they won't work for no pay.
We have the "free" Starbucks and doughnuts too.
I think I have it down now after 23 years in dealerships from DC to Richmond, VA and where I am now.
There are several layers of SAAB customer. My customers value their time more than the expense of my time. My customers have no problem paying $400 for a brake job. They might even give me a bottle of wine at Christmas.
The next layer can't really afford the car, but feels that the dealer is the best place to go for service. I am sorry about charging these folks for doughnuts, but it's part of the dealer experience.
The next layer is a warranty layer. They can afford the car and are nitpickers. Excuse me if the order is off by one or two. The nit pickers buy the car and take it home and pick it apart. I actually like these people if they have a legitimate concern. Some do some don't.
The next layer is cars out of warranty and people who threaten that they will never buy another SAAB if I don't fix their car for free. That depends on whether or not you have bought the $400 brake job before. You might get goodwill if you have not been an ass. This is where giving your service advisor good surveys works for you bigtime. All I care about is the fixed right the first time question.
The next layer is beyond goodwill and was a pain during warranty while going to Pep Boys for their brakes or DIY, but still bought the car new. I'm ok with these but nothiong is "free". Please buy new SAAB's.
The next layer is the second owner, out of warranty. Some of you want the best service and some of you want the cheapest. This layer is my target audience. I have to balance quality vs. price. I can not compete with Pep Boys on price. I certainly can't compete with DIY. I have to go back to the people who value their time more than I value mine. In other words, some who here call me thief and crook are just cheap. They will spend a weekend on their car because a weekend has less value than a day of my time. I don't mean to offend. It's just that the new company will not survive on Classic 900 enthusiasts.
There is another layer or two. If someone calls me with an emergency on the order of " I can barely speak english and my handbrake is stuck at tha Grand Canyon"
I will solve the problem over the phone. I will never forget the sounds of cheering from the folks in the parking lot. Warm fuzzies.
The second to the last layer is the guy with the classic 900, who pays me to diagnose, then goes DIY. The bottom is the guy who thinks that because he owns a third or fourth hand SAAB that I owe him a favor. I don't.
When you are able, buy a new SAAB please. My 23 years of experience are here and I will personnaly guarantee that I will do everything in my power to make this project succeed. God bless Robert Sinclair.
posted by 98.165.92...
, Tue, 30 Mar 2010 09:23:58
, Mon, 29 Mar 2010 11:06:57
, Fri, 9 Apr 2010 06:49:58, Mon, 29 Mar 2010 08:08:37, Mon, 29 Mar 2010 10:45:14
, Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:17:31, Sun, 28 Mar 2010 10:45:35, Sun, 28 Mar 2010 11:17:43
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