I've always been treated well by MB salespeople in the showroom. Service is a completely different story.

Not surprised Mitsubishi finished last after a dismal experience trying to testdrive an Evo X MR last year.

 

Would be interesting to see exactly where Hyundai and Buick placed on the list since both are offering 'new luxury'

 

Haha, I know! Unless you take your Mum with, the dealerships really don't care that you even exist.

 

Yea I agree that this study is almost irrelevant. It's not so much the brand as it is the dealership. My local Lexus dealership had the worst sales people. I was ready to buy and couldn't even get a test drive. Needless to say, I got my car elsewhere. However, service is top notch.

 

I have to say that the Beshoff Mercedes dealership in San Jose was a great experience. I went in and they essentially threw me a set of keys and told me to bring the car back after I was finished with the test drive. I would have made a purchase if the cars didn't feel so overpriced.

 

Overpriced compared to other Lexus dealers or car brands? Just curious.

 

I test drove a C350 that stickered above 47k, seemed well above what it was worth to me. But hey, its just my opinion. But I just walked out of an Infiniti showroom that had a G37S for 52K, so what do I know.

 

Sure, but corporate can put a lot of pressure on dealers to conform to certain standards of service and customer satisfaction. Lexus tends to be much more sensitive about this, for example.

 

Mercedes Dealers Ranked #1 in Retail Experience

It looks like Mercedes-Benz' focus on retail, including giving sales staff at dealerships iPads and installing interactive video displays on showroom floors, has paid off. The brand's dealers have gotten the highest satisfaction index ranking for the 3rd year in a row in the Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index, which uses mystery shoppers to rank the retail experience.

The automaker has just opened a flagship dealership "laboratory" in Manhattan to test some of the above-mentioned retail innovations, pulling up stakes at its old showroom near the mouth of the Lincoln Tunnel and heading over to the East Side. The company 2 weeks ago held an opening bash for the 5-story facility on East 54th Street.

The Pied Piper study, involving 3,524 paid, anonymous "mystery shoppers" in dealerships nationwide, suggests that overall auto industry performance dropped from 2010 to 2011, after 4 years of gains.

The only gainers were Mini, Infiniti, Buick, Jeep and Scion dealerships. The firm says 2/3s of all of the parameters that go into determining ranking have declined.

The findings suggest that salespeople are less likely to mention maintenance programs and costs, less likely to address specific features and benefits relevant to the shopper, less likely to focus on 3 to 5 memorable features and benefits, and less likely to discuss features that are unique from the competition. What salespeople were more likely to do was offer a brochure, give compelling reasons why consumers should buy now, involve shoppers with visual aids, and determine factors preventing purchase.

Fran O'Hagan, CEO of Pied Piper Management Company LLC, notes that dealerships have been cutting sales staff. "Over the past year, the quantity of car buyers has rebounded, leading to higher sales spread among fewer salespeople, but also leading to deterioration in customer treatment."

Not surprisingly, luxury brands did better than mainstream brands because of higher profitability and higher salesperson commissions per transaction, which encourages salespeople to devote more time and effort to each prospective customer. But Toyota and Chrysler's Ram Truck division achieved 6th place rankings in a tie along with Cadillac and Land Rover.

2nd-place overall among the 35 brands ranked was Jaguar, followed by Lexus, Acura, Infiniti, Cadillac, Land Rover, Ram, Toyota, Audi, BMW, Buick, and Chevrolet. The brands with the lowest-scoring dealerships in the study were, in descending order, GMC, Jeep, Lincoln, Chrysler, Dodge, Saab, Scion, Smart, Suzuki and Mitsubishi.

Pied Piper says Toyota salespeople were 48% more likely to introduce customers to dealership management, 18% more likely to determine factors preventing purchase and 12% more likely to provide compelling reasons to buy from their dealership.

The Ram brand offers a test case because many of the same people who sell Ram also sell Dodge. But they behave differently when they are selling the truck. For example, they were 21% more likely to mention the availability of financing options; compelling reasons to buy from their dealership; and 19% more likely to talk features and benefits than salespeople selling Dodge, per Pied Piper.

 

Pretty cool. Benz has 108, Jag and Lexus 107 each.

 

I was well treated at the MB dealership for my C class, okay treated at the service.

I am always well treated at the Lexus dealership for service, treated "meh" to "bad" when I bought my RX. As I posted in another thread, I was given a better deal on my trade in when I agreed to giving the salesman a better survey

 

The dealership experience, like many things, is also a subjective issue.

It's all about the expectations of the individual.

I'll say this. Both the BMW and VW dealerships where my cars are serviced have been very attentive and accommodating to my needs (and the needs of my cars). I am always offered coffee, cake and something to read (brochures and positive literature about their products). I tend to politely refuse these offerings, though. I've only brought in my BMW and VW for scheduled maintenance and that doesn't take long.

Getting a loaner car for the day is not practiced in Germany and if you want one you need to sign a bunch of papers and pay for one. I tend to spend the time either at the dealership checking out the new and interesting cars, reading (magazines or newspapers) or I take public transportation into the city to spend my day exploring and learning (there are so many sights and sounds of Stuttgart that I have yet to experience). I don't feel that I have to spend my time at the dealership when there are other things to do and experience all around me.

 

Anita,I definitely know of one of those two dealers and maybe the second.
It seems like that dealer changes personnel monthly top down.
The service manager just left.

 

Speaking of dealers...
I went to Herb Chambers in MA with my son in law last weekend(also caught a Red Sox game at Fenway).
Chambers is said to be the biggest Lexus dealer.It was huge.
Salesman was ok and he bought a used loaded '10 LX570 that was in the showroom.

 

The hit or miss part is so true.

Last year I went to a Mitsu shop to ask about the Lancer sport back (prior to intro) and the salesguy was like that won't be available in summer (unlike what Mitsu ads said and he was right). He put me in a regular one and an Evo MR for some fun.

Yesterday I hit the new Fiat shop in Highland Park on the way home. They had about 3 dozen in stock. I went in the show room, one guy said hello as I came in the door but just sat there. After about 10 minutes of looking in the cars, walking out back to see the shop (no tools at most of the work stations) and use the bathroom ($30 Home Depot vanity) I hear the manager call out customer and the under informed saleskid came over.
Starts out with the usual canned "how soon are you in the market question". He did offer a test drive but I passed.

The show room was nothing special, though they had a cool coffee bar.

After I left the show room and was looking at the cars on the lot, the manager came running out to give me his card.

To be honest, I think they are just using the shop as a place holder till the Alfas come. The 500 is a city car and the manager said they will open a shop there (they just opened a Mini shop near my home). They expect the Alfas will do well in Highland Park and I would agree with him there.