Modern Tire Dealer Editor Bob Ulrich’s blog on a recent hidden-camera report on deceptive sales practices at a tire dealership generated many comments, including one reader who says: “A lot of auto repair facilities could be caught using similar practices.”
Other readers pointed out the media’s failure to balance the report with examples of good customer service, shared similar experiences, and expressed their outrage at the technicians’ actions. Here are a few comments:
* In TV, shock value sells. What they didn’t show you were the 15-20 other shops they visited in which they received perfect service. That wouldn’t be interesting TV. In media, that’s just called good editing.
* Let's be honest. A lot of auto repair facilities could be "caught" using similar practices....I have been in training seminars that taught technicians how to bleed every vehicle that comes into that bay for every nickel's worth of service possible....We need a change in how service labor is shared.
* With people holding on to their vehicles for longer periods of time, there is more than enough legitimate work to be found on the average vehicle, as evidenced by that broken part they found.
* I am not surprised. Poor training and impossible quotas are to blame. If you run a B2C operation you should always remember that doing the right thing all of the time will earn you loyal customers and generate positive reviews.
* Actions like this help to perpetuate the myth that all shops want to rip off the customer. We all need to take heed of such scenarios.
What would a hidden camera find in your shop? Take a look at the blog and news story, read the comments and add your own.
