Picked up a new car last week and generally speaking was happy with the overall experience. After signing we were out by the car and the sunlight had come up a bit, we both noticed there were a handful of pretty noticeable scratches in the paint right at the front of the hood, almost as if someone had pulled the shipping wrap off the hood wearing a ring and struggled with it a bit. He immediately brought it over to service and had them try and buff it out, no luck. He asked me to come back this week when they had a guy who handles minor repairs back, so I did and he got most of them out, but not all as some are through the clear coat. He asked me to come back again next week to they can take it to a body shop to repair, but said it may take 1-3 days max.
The dealer is about an hour from my house so I asked about a loaner and he said he would try but couldn’t guarantee it, I assume since this isn’t warranty work through the manufacturer? He said worst case he could reimburse me for the Uber back and forth. Not ideal as we have kids afterschool activities, but I said ok.
Anyway, he calls me yesterday to talk about the survey that would be hitting my inbox soon and wanted to make sure I was aware of some questions it was going to ask me, specifically ‘Please describe the condition of my new car at delivery’ with options such as perfect condition, dings/dents/scratches, etc, and a 1-10 rating of the ‘Condition of your vehicle at delivery’.
He said they have been actively trying to fix it which I agree, but then said something that rubbed me the wrong way - that he could guarantee me a loaner next week if I gave him all 10’s.
I get it - the survey is beyond important to them and they need all 10’s across the board, but I’m a bit taken aback by their approach here. I opened the survey and one additional question is “Did anyone at the dealer influence you in any way on how to respond to this survey?”
Just curious what ya’ll think - am I overthinking this? or should I be rightfully annoyed here that they are trying to condition my ability to get a loaner on giving them all 10’s?
Been a lot of recent discussion about surveys, humorous and serious. Up to others if they want to rehash that here.
In YOUR case, I’d be open to something like “I understand how important surveys are, I’m not completing mine until it comes back from this next dealer visit, and as long as we both agree all the scratches and paint work are done when I leave there, all 10s.”
A loaner car can properly go fuck itself. I want the problem dealt with, influence or not.
Aside: what hackr who is waiting to go into the box doesn’t use that time to do their own PDI?
Just don`t fill out the survey until everything is done. If they fix the car and everything is good, you can fill it out with a perfect rating, especially that most likely affects the salesperson pay plan.
A loaner car contingent upon a 10 survey is messed up. I would just tell them that the delivery process is technically not complete so the survey will be submitted after they resolve this issue to your satisfaction. And this would include providing a loaner for the 3 days you will be left without your car.
You paid for a perfect new car. They did not deliver.
4/10
Do not give a 1/10 as they can be challenged.
give a 4/10 and copy/paste the paragraph you wrote above. Make sure to mention that the dealership was pressuring you to give out a 10/10 and held a loaner over your head for the survey.
Yeah and the SALESPERSON is responsible PRIOR to delivery to go over their car.
The SALESPERSON did not do that.
They can eat the 4/10 and good luck hitting bonus.
You do not deserve a bonus if you can’t even deliver a clean car.
Actually the sales person deserves a tip: “do your job”
Also remember the money they make on bonus could have been used to give you a better deal
play them the lease hakr anthem “Get rekt in e minor”
i think if you’re happy with the car and the deal you got and they’re responding to you to make it right, why roast them?
most dealerships don’t even answer people when they have issues, you signed the car and drove off it’s your problem now, you “got those scratches at home” type of mentality because most contract packages have a “we owe you nothing” due bill which means they’re not responsible to do anything, it’s all out of good will and building a repeat customer relationship.
a car touches the factory, open storage lots, trains, boats, transport trucks, service drives, lot porters, detail guys, and potential test drivers before someone buys it. unfortunately scratches sometimes happen and sometimes they’re missed at delivery but having a good follow up for when someone isn’t perfect is what we all hope for.
And they would be fully deserving of a non perfect survey score.
If you deliver the car to me with scratches that are through the clearcoat whether I caught it before driving off or not, does not change the fact that someone didn’t do their job in preparation. Giving them a chance to resolve it which involves driving an hour each way is the most goodwill you will receive. The very least they can do is provide a loaner. And making that contingent on a survey score is scummy as hell.
aside from the loaner situation…
some scratches you can’t even see until you lean sideways in the correct light, if it’s prepped and delivered at night the whole car could be scratched and it’d just blend in.
in this situation the signer saw the scratches at delivery and still opted to take the car, they could’ve cancelled the sale when the buffing from detail didn’t work that same day. the salesperson is trying in earnest to make it right for something they likely didn’t do, as OP says it looked like covering was removed wrong. salespeople don’t take off the plastic on delivery, so the salesperson should get railed for trying to make it right?
