Is this the World's Most Perfect Dealer Service Dept.?

Photo: Subaru

With luxury automotive brands struggling to differentiate themselves in a world where all cars are getting better, some manufacturers are looking to set themselves apart through improvements in the "customer experience."  Mercedes-Benz, for example, has created something called "Mercedes me," which sets out to improve customer relations in five areas: mobility, connectivity, service, financing and inspiration. "In this way," says the company's website, "'Mercedes me' allows all service and mobility areas to be integrated seamlessly and conveniently, thus raising the bar once again for individual customer care."

If you read the details on the site, it all sounds very scientific and futuristic and hip.  But we'd like to offer a good, old-fashioned alternative in the form of our local Subaru dealer, which, in our estimation, could vie for the title of world's most perfect dealer service department.  Here is what it does so well:

• People in the showroom and the service department know your name.
• You get a friendly greeting when you bring your car in for service.
• When you drop your ride at the dealership, it's often swept into the service bay before you leave.
• Fairly modest prices for most major services are posted on a bulletin board and on a TV in the waiting room.
• The service manager doesn't force you to buy unwanted packages or "spring service specials."
• Oil changes are hardly more costly than the speedy lube outlets.
• Tires and batteries are priced so fairly that it's not worth shopping elsewhere.
• Like a good doctor, the service manager sits down with each customer and carefully explains needed repairs.
• You get a loaner car -- often a new model -- even when your own ride is out of warranty.
• At the end of the day, you don't have to strap on your seatbelt and brace yourself for a huge bill.
• You leave feeling that the dealership has respect for you and that you've been treated fairly.

This dealership is so good that some customers have written to the manufacturer claiming that staffers were so helpful and courteous that they almost appeared to be "actors" and not real people.  No, you won't see the ubiquitous cappuccino machines found at so many high-end dealers. The showroom has regular coffee and lounge chairs and a TV, but people don't come there for that.  They come for fair treatment and fair prices, something we have not always seen at the numerous luxury dealerships we've patronized over the years.

Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Cadillac, Jaguar, Porsche and others, take note:  Good customer service is not rocket science.  Follow the basics and you'll do just fine.  Better yet, dismiss the fancy marketers and behavioral scientists, and just follow this Subaru service manager around for a day.  We guarantee you'll come away impressed.

Do you frequent a dealer like this?   Tell us your story here.

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