Service Department Rant!

[LEJ ZO6]

There are a lot of reasons that GM is in trouble and none of them are going to be easy to fix. As a customer I have a complaint about GM service departments that I would like to have addressed while they are trying to clean up their act.

I have purchased and driven GM vehicles since 1965. Most of them have been Corvettes. I think they are great cars and both quality and performance has improved by leaps and bounds over the years. While it isn’t always a pleasant experience negotiating the purchase I have learned to deal with the sales organization. With the help of the internet I feel that I can, at least, get a fair price from an honest dealer.

Looking back over the years, however, I cannot recall ever having had a pleasant, positive experience with a service department. I try to do my part by purchasing the GMPP extended warranty sold by the dealer so that any vehicle defects should be addressed with a minimum of hassle. GM customers are led to believe that most everything will be repaired at no cost under these warranties.

When I have to take the vehicle in for repair the initial contact with the service advisor is usually pleasant. Things often go down hill from there. Because of the quantity of cars returned for service/repair each day it is almost impossible to have a problem addressed and/or fixed, or even looked at while you wait. This means you have to have someone pick you up from the dealership and take you somewhere while your car is waiting to be looked at or you have to wait for dealer provided transportation to take you somewhere on their schedule and at their convenience. Then you have to deal with the same process at the end of the day to get back to the dealership to pick up your car.

As a customer I view the service advisor as my representative to the dealership and feel they should represent my interests and assure that I am satisfied and that I have a positive experience. Unfortunately, I get the impression that the dealership mouths the words “customer satisfaction” but that they don’t have that very high on their priority list. It is rare that I take the car in that the service advisor doesn’t find some reason that I have to pay for something. If it isn’t an extended warranty co-pay it is something that is not covered or some service that they feel needs to be performed. It seems that the dealerships are trying to turn the service advisor into a sales person for the service department. Not very good for customer relations.

The last time I took my 2008 ZO6 to the dealer was for a “service engine soon” light. Getting the problem corrected took ½ day of my time, a $100 fee and an attempt by the female service advisor to convince me I needed to have my oil changed even though the DIC said I was 35% away from the recommended service interval.