Fixed Ops Journal - August 2017 - 42

FIXED OPS JOURNAL

FEEDBACK
 Lounge wears well on service customers

ustomers are generally pleased with
the service lounge.
Most respondents to an online survey
conducted by DealerRater for Fixed
Ops Journal said they waited in the dealership
lounge the last time they brought their car or
truck in for service. Of those, a strong plurality
said they found the experience pleasant.
The survey also found that just more than
one-quarter of respondents left their vehicle for
service and picked it up after the work was done.
About one in five said they were provided a loaner
or that the dealership picked up the vehicle and delivered it to the customer after the work was done.
The lounge experience varies by brand, the survey suggests. There also was a notable divide between luxury brands that offer loaners and those
that pick up and deliver the vehicle.
Among the respondents, 53 percent said they
waited in the service lounge; 46 percent said the
experience was pleasant and 3 percent said it was

unpleasant.
Honda dealerships led in the "pleasant" category, with 57 percent, followed by Mazda, Subaru
and Toyota at 54 percent.
In contrast, Hyundai had the highest "unpleasant" tally, at 5.7 percent, followed by Kia at 4.5
percent and Nissan at 4.1 percent. The lowest
"unpleasant" score: Audi's 0.4 percent.
Import luxury brands led in loaners. Among respondents who said they were given a loaner, 45 percent had gone to a BMW dealership, followed by Mercedes-Benz, 44 percent; Audi, 43 percent; Infiniti, 37
percent; Lexus, 36 percent; and Acura, 31 percent.
In contrast, domestic luxury brands were more
likely to pick up a vehicle for service and drop it
off afterward. The leaders in those responses were
Lincoln, 8.7 percent; and Cadillac, 6.9 percent.
They were followed by Infiniti, 6.4 percent; Mercedes-Benz, 5.3 percent; Buick-GMC, 4.9 percent; BMW, 4.6 percent; and Audi, 4.3 percent.
- James B. Treece

Rating the
wait experience
"Which best describes your
experience the last time you had
your vehicle serviced at a
dealership?"
I stayed in the service
lounge and waited;
the experience was pleasant.
I left the dealership
and came back for my
car after the work was done.
The dealership gave
me a loaner vehicle
while the work was being done.
I stayed in the service
lounge and waited; the
experience was fair.
The dealership picked up
and dropped off my
vehicle at my home or office.
I stayed in the service
lounge and waited; the
experience was unpleasant.

46%
26%
18%
4%
3%
3%

Note: Excludes response "Other (e.g., as a
first-time buyer, I've never had a vehicle
serviced)"
Source: DealerRater survey conducted
July 12-24; 18,365 responses

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PAGE 42

AUGUST 2017

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Fixed Ops Journal - August 2017