Sometimes I sit around the dealership and think about new ideas and things to offer my customers. It can be difficult for me to come up with all the answers and the best ideas. I wanted to hear from the Scion owner base what you guys and gals are looking for and expecting from a dealership experience whether it be when youre buying a new Scion or when you bring it in for routine maintenance. I want this to be thread for owners to be heard. I know what Scion thinks their customers want, but sometimes Scion isnt perfect. So lets hear it folks...


...what do you want out of a Scion dealership?

 

... ummm .... hmm ... anything?

 

What I like best about my dealership is that they greet me by name. Every time I come in, I go and talk to the parts guy and he always says hi to me. Granted, I am in there about every other week, it is still nice. Also, pretty much every time I go in for any maintenance, if my saleslady sees me, she always makes a point to come over and ask how it is going and makes sure everything is going well. It is the customer service after the sale that keeps me going back to my dealer. That, and I sometimes get freebies for going in. That definately helps.

 

I want the good dealers, to put preasure on the bad franchises, some of them do not seem to be embracing the the marketing system scion has developed. The marketing Idea is awesome, so hassle free but then when the individual dealers start manipulating the system to bleed the customer dry it defeats the purpose.
I know there are alot of good dealers that love the car they represent, and that they do what they can to promote the brand, but some of the stories of misinformation and blatent fraud that I have heard really begin to stereotype the market again.
I want honesty, and consistancy when it comes to dealing with customers, I want more customer service and less poaching of add on sales. I want to see people walking away not questioning thier deal.....
and I want to see more compeditivly priced add ons......
If this is to be a true tuner car dealer options and parts need to be more consistant with the rest of the aftermarket companies.
I want to see a "scion only" service writer and tech, not some idiot who services prius and corrolas all day......I want them to be familiar with the brand and the problems that are being brought in. I think the dealer needs to keep the SCION brand seperate from the rest of the toyota brand. They seem to be doing a decent job, but in reality it needs to be completely seperate....
that is all for now....
to all the honest dealers keep up the good work......for all the dishonest dealers go f-yourself

 

We actually have a special Scion tech who does all my Scion work. He's a younger guy who also mods his Civic for fun so he knows all about the Tuner community. At our dealership we offer tons of aftermarket companies in addition to the normal Scion things at competitive pricing...

 

That is a very good idea. I am always so nervous when I take my car to the dealership. I want someone working on my car that loves the brand as much as I do. Also, it would be nice to have a Scion service guy to talk to when I drop my car off instead of some genaric Toyota guy. I want to explain my problems/issues with someone familiar with the issues Scions have.

Very good point Kilo.

 

I like it. Keep the good ideas coming...

 

Some dealers do not always have a Scion sales person there. Its nice when they know Scion because its what they sell.

 

I took mine in for teh sunroof rattle and the guy (service writer) claims he never had heard of such an issue.......which is wrong. I would vote for more segragation of the scion brand from toyota.

 

We have a whole separate service department for Scion, complete with separate service writers, techs, waiting room, even a Scion-only parts department. The parts department really helps because we can keep most of the parts in stock so a customer does not have to wait a few days just to buy a shift **** for his/her Scion. We also have a full staff of Scion techs on hand who know all about the Scion accessories and how to install them. I think it goes a long way to keep customers happy and make the dealership a place they like visiting. That's a big deal, making the customer feel wanted and comfortable even if they are just there for an oil change.

Keep the ideas coming everybody, the good dealers are always looking to improve and are always open to new ideas

 

(The following applies to SOME dealerships - there may be others without these common sorts of problems...)

1) Lose the finance weasel. One of these days, only ONE of us will be walking out of that little room...

2) Don't try to milk as much as you can from me every damned time we do a transaction - that includes the service department.

Want an example? OK. My dealership uses Castrol GTX as their 'standard' oil for oil changes. They also offer Castrol Syntec if the customer wants to upgrade.

My general purpose Toyota/Scion service writer* told me they would substitute Syntec for the GTX for "only the difference in the cost of the oil" during my 'free' Scion oil change. (Castrol Syntec is $3.99/quart right now at retail (Target), GTX is $2.19.)

The "DIFFERENCE" in price at the dealership is $30 for 4 quarts, according to my invoice.

This may explain why I'm looking for a new dealership...

All I ask for is honest dealing with me, the customer.

If your dealership doesn't have these problems, keep it that way - if it does, FIX IT.





*Eliizabeth, 'Green Team,' at Titus-Will Scion in Tacoma, WA.