The Survey

[MechanicalBob]

Every time I get work done at my local dealer, the service advisor tells me to expect a survey email and asks me to give him a great review. I‘m honest in my reviews, and if there was a problem I’m not giving 5 stars in every single category.

I recently had a screw in a tire so I went to QuickLane to get it fixed. After quite a while the advisor comes to tell me there was a problem. Something happened when mounting the tire and the tire bar dinged up the coating on my wheel. They were apologetic and set up a time for someone to come to my house to repair the wheel. It turned out fine.

Yesterday I get The Survey and the first question is ”how likely are you to recommend this dealership to someone else?”. So as some background I’ve had quite a few bad experiences with this dealership and I wouldn’t recommend it to som who has other choices but the advisor was nice so I gave a 3 rating. Most of the others were 3’s too because the service in general was absolutely mediocre. I did give a 5 when asked if any problems I had were taken care of to my satisfaction because they did a great job of fixing my wheel (that they damaged).

So last night after 6pm I get a call from the guy at QuickLane asking why I gave a bad review. I told him I didn’t, that a 3 is average and that’s what I got, at best, but did give them a 5 for how they fixed the problem that they created. He told me anything less than a 5 gets him in trouble with his boss. I told him that’s unfortunate since he’s not the person that damaged my wheel, but I’m not going to say everything was excellent when it was average, except for damaging my stuff, which is below average, and fixing my stuff, which they handled perfectly.

I guess my problem is Ford, at least at thi dealership, uses The Survey as a stick to threaten employees rather than a tool to improve. I’ve had much worse experiences at this dealership and it’s always the same thing. I get mediocre service then a service advisor who probably had nothing to do with causing a problem gets his a$$ ripped.

I’m not giving a glowing review unless I get glowing service. If an innocent service advisor doesn’t like how his employer deals with that, he should find a new employer rather than calling me at home. And the dealership should use The Survey to fix problems, not berate service advisors.

I plan to go to the Lincoln dealership next time I need something. A manager at Ford actually recommended that because he’s seen the same issues and says that doesn’t happen at the Lincoln shop.

Is this common everywhere or do I just have a bad shop?

Sponsored

 

[GhostStrykre]

i recently had a similar experience. had the ford trailer brake controller installed and the dealer boogered it. several things went wrong. including them forgetting to tighten down the battery connections when reconnecting the battery.

so i gave an honest review. the service manager called and we had a long chat about what went wrong. that said, a phone call isn't reversing all the issues. the manager insisted they'd make some changes. so maybe that's the survey actually functioning as intended.

in most cases, however, i agree with you 100%. the survey isn't being used by Ford to improve anything. if anything, it just annoys the sh*t outta me as a consumer. i'd prefer to say nothing and just not return. the phone calls are awkward (i'm not one to yell at someone on the phone).

manager: we're very sorry your car battery completely disconnected itself while you were out driving. we'll be better.
me: okay then.
manager: is it reasonable to say that you'll give us another shot to get it right?
me: uhh no... sorry, but no.
manager: uhh..... well i'm sorry to hear that.

i hate that crap.

i remember years ago getting directv installed. the installer asks, "you're going to get a survey and i need you to give it all 5's. if you answer anything other than a 5 i have to come back and fix what wasn't a 5."

wtf is the point of that?? i'm just gonna answer 5 so i don't have to be bothered again!

 

[RedlandRanger]

It is a perfect example of "performing to the metrics" - I've seen it over and over. The idea is good, but the execution is horrible, and it does not end up having the intended effect.

Quite honestly, giving 5s for everything, every time feels like "everyone gets a trophy". 5 should be for exceptional service, not for every interaction you have.

My brother had an identical experience - he was honest, got a phone call and they refunded his cost for a new battery in exchange for him altering his review with all 5s.

 

[MechanicalBob]

Quite honestly, giving 5s for everything, every time feels like "everyone gets a trophy". 5 should be for exceptional service, not for every interaction you have.

Exactly. Or the trend of everyone expecting a tip for doing nothing more than what they're getting paid for. The coffee shop guy pushes the card reader in front of you and watches as you look at the tip options.

 

[JimJa]

Understand the feellings of each responder. Yes, these surveys are "overrated," and, like everyone, I sometimes have to bite my lip when I'm asked to give the business an "outstanding" when an "average" is appropriate.

Here's the other side and how these surveys work. If the business does not get a maximum, and I think it has to be 100% or close to it, from responders they are denied a bonus at the end of the year. Even one average mark can defeat that. Most of the people involved in the business we deal with are not making a $100K a year and like all of us, find costs of common everyday items crazy expensive. They need all the help they can get. I try to ask myself to think about this guy's life. Is he trying to do a good job and help, but is having a bad day. If the guy is a jerk and doesn't try to help, or use common courtesy, I'll mark them down, but otherwise they get marked up. I also never get confrontational and always initially assume the guy really wants to help resolve any issue and work at a cooperative solution. Don't like the way it is and not very realistic, but it is what it is.

 

[MechanicalBob]

Understand the feellings of each responder. Yes, these surveys are "overrated," and, like everyone, I sometimes have to bite my lip when I'm asked to give the business an "outstanding" when an "average" is appropriate.

Here's the other side and how these surveys work. If the business does not get a maximum, and I think it has to be 100% or close to it, from responders they are denied a bonus at the end of the year. Even one average mark can defeat that. Most of the people involved in the business we deal with are not making a $100K a year and like all of us, find costs of common everyday items crazy expensive. They need all the help they can get. I try to ask myself to think about this guy's life. Is he trying to do a good job and help, but is having a bad day. If the guy is a jerk and doesn't try to help, or use common courtesy, I'll mark them down, but otherwise they get marked up. I also never get confrontational and always initially assume the guy really wants to help resolve any issue and work at a cooperative solution. Don't like the way it is and not very realistic, but it is what it is.

I hear what you're saying but can't really agree with it.

If I'm a teacher I'm not going to give a kid an "A" if he doesn't earn it, even if he's nice and is trying. If he's borderline D-C or C-B, or even B-A, I'd probably round up if he's been trying, but he doesn't get an automatic A because he's nice or has been trying. Giving 5 stars is an automatic A.

Also, especially in this particular case, if I have a history of disappointing experiences (I know, why do I even go there?) then I'm not going to say I'd absolutely 5 star recommend this dealership to someone else. What would I say? "Buddy, you need to go to my Ford dealer. The service is outstanding, except for the occasional chips to your coating, or the scratched up dash, or the parts installed incorrectly, or the parts not being available even though they scheduled you in to have the parts replaced. Other than that, it's AWESOME!".

Finally, I do have compassion for the service advisor who did his best to help out, but someone else in the process screwed things up. I'll even say in a survey "Joe Bob was outstanding in helping me out, and please don't take it out on him. The problem was with Billy the Dash Scratcher. He needs some help", but the dealership (or Ford) has this thing where a bad review is all the fault of the service advisor. That's an internal process problem, not mine. If I'm getting treated unfairly where I work, I look for a new job where I'll be treated fairly. I don't call my customers and tell them to give my employer a good review so I don't get yelled at.

 

[MountainGoat]

What a bunch of babies. "You want a 5 star review for a 3 star job?" would be my response. I would be pretty annoyed with them calling me at dinnertime to whine and beg for a better review. For Christ sake.

I'm glad I have these local shops. I show up, guy pulls my truck in right away, aligns in 20 minutes, I pay in $60 cash, I leave. I did not have to give him a pat on the back the next day.

Understand the feellings of each responder. Yes, these surveys are "overrated," and, like everyone, I sometimes have to bite my lip when I'm asked to give the business an "outstanding" when an "average" is appropriate.

Here's the other side and how these surveys work. If the business does not get a maximum, and I think it has to be 100% or close to it, from responders they are denied a bonus at the end of the year. Even one average mark can defeat that. Most of the people involved in the business we deal with are not making a $100K a year and like all of us, find costs of common everyday items crazy expensive. They need all the help they can get. I try to ask myself to think about this guy's life. Is he trying to do a good job and help, but is having a bad day. If the guy is a jerk and doesn't try to help, or use common courtesy, I'll mark them down, but otherwise they get marked up. I also never get confrontational and always initially assume the guy really wants to help resolve any issue and work at a cooperative solution. Don't like the way it is and not very realistic, but it is what it is.

We're not the ones who came up with that though. It's not my fault whatever CEO decided to make their jobs like that Black Mirror facebook episode and I'm just not going to play along. If you want 5 stars you better have the Demeanor of the Gods!

 

[DukeCanBuildit]

One of the breakdowns here is the way the metrics are used as you go down the chain of command. The intentions of the survey get lost, or thrown out along the way. This happens everywhere, really.

By the time it flows down to the individual contributor, it’s been weaponized as a form of punishment because most middle or senior managers don’t have a clue how to coach to the metrics and as @RedlandRanger says, they perform to the metrics.

I use curbside pickup at Home Depot and the location I used to frequent games the metrics by fudging the stages of the online order pickup process. I’ve rec’d the Ready for Pick-up email without the order even being picked. Often, when I checked in, the status in the app went directly through Processing, On My Way, to Done, all in a split second. Then I’d sit there and wait, often for far too long.

My take on the Ford survey is that my input is not going to be used properly for coaching and continuous improvement, so I don’t waste my time filling it out.

At Home Depot, it’s a different story. They think they’re being smart but “Done” triggers the email with the link to the survey, which I gladly fill out while stewing in the pickup area wondering where the blazes my order is.

 

[JimJa]

@MountainGoat: Completely understand your feelings. One thing I'm not sure of is exactly who originates those surveys. I don't believe it's the CEO. It sounds like a 3rd party company that goes to the business and offers to conduct the surveys in return for providing bonuses for good results. The selling point is they can help the business improve their service. BUT, I don't know that to be true.

 

[IdahoRanger]

If service is up to par I don't bother with the survey but if service is not to par then they get the appropriate score.

Just do the job correctly and quit asking for a grade. You will hear when you fail!

 

[Fazzie01]

I once filled out the survey for a hotel room my younger brother and I stayed at while on a road trip. I gave it something like 4 stars. It was fine, clean, but nothing special. You know... a cheap hotel room.

My dad (room booked under his name) received a frantic email from the hostess asking about what was wrong with the room and how they could make it better. I was confused and told him I didn't give it a bad review. It was better than average which is why I gave it a 4. He told me then about the survey business and to not give less than 5 stars unless something was wrong (Or just to not bother with the survey at all unless I CAN give 5 stars).

Now Walmart on the other hand, every time I have to go and scan my entire full cart myself at the self checkouts because they got rid of all the human cashiers, I select 1 star about my shopping experience. I know it reflects poorly on the staff there, but I want Walmart to know that I hate shopping at Walmart even though it's the only inexpensive option these days besides Aldi's

 

[got3fords]

Exactly. Or the trend of everyone expecting a tip for doing nothing more than what they're getting paid for. The coffee shop guy pushes the card reader in front of you and watches as you look at the tip options.

Boy I hate that!

 

[Jason B]

I don't do the surveys then get several reminders by e-mail asking do the survey.
Getting a call for giving a 3-star review is ridiculous, but it gets worse for some, and there are numerous examples of people getting sued for leaving bad reviews, even when those reviews are honest.

 

[JustinR]

Years ago, when our old MKX was new, the dealer changed its transmission fluid way early - too early (my wife brought the car in for its first inspection, and the service writer told her it was urgently needed). I think the car had about 12,000 miles on it, and it shifted just fine. I filled out The Survey, and got that same call from the service writer about the 5 stars, but I also got a full refund for the service and a letter from Ford thanking me, and stating they were not happy about their dealerships performing unnecessary service to mark up cost, and that they were directing the dealer to refund me. I don't use that dealership anymore.

 

[MountainGoat]

I don't do the surveys then get several reminders by e-mail asking do the survey.
Getting a call for giving a 3-star review is ridiculous, but it gets worse for some, and there are numerous examples of people getting sued for leaving bad reviews, even when those reviews are honest.

Man I really hate the future.

I looked it up and found the case was dismissed though.
Still a waste of time and money for the couple. They should counter sue but are probably exhausted.
https://odysseyportal.courts.wa.gov/ODYPORTAL/Home/WorkspaceMode?p=0

Sponsored