aklim69

Why would you expect different? Today's people are different from the old days. We are more mobile which means we don't stay in the same small town, work for one of the few places, retire with a gold watch. Some younger people probably change jobs more than their underwear. Today, I am selling Chevy. Tomorrow, I might be selling tractors. I met my motorcycle salesman selling Chevy when he was doing HD a few years back. Without stability, how do you build a relationship? The new paradigm is about what I am going to make this year. It doesn't consider 5 years from now. By which time, I could be in 5 different jobs. I get it that as self serving buyers, we of course would want the company to treat us as a "customer for life". However, the reality is that we will be "customers for the sale". I'm not going to buy from you if you aren't the best price so that shoots loyalty out the window. I might not even buy the same brand next time. So before we ask about this "customer for life" thing, we need to ask if we, the consumer would be willing to be part of that even if we have to pay more today.

Not sure why but I have had bad luck with franchise and non-franchise facilities. My only solution to that is to find a mechanic that is able to work on your car when it is out of warranty be it a franchise or non-franchise.

aklim69

Define "loyal customer", please. When a customer who has bought from a certain dealer before decides to buy from another dealer because the 2nd dealer is cheaper, is that customer loyal to the old dealer? When I have 3 different brands on my driveway, am I loyal to any brand? In today's world, customers that stick to a brand are very rare so, from the customer's POV, they want the loyalty thing till it becomes time for them to pull out the "Long Green". Am I a loyal customer to MB now that after 20 plus years I chose an Audi instead of sticking to MB simply because I didn't like the deal as much? I don't feel it is far for you to demand things of me when you won't offer the same thing. So, are we, as a society, offering to stick with any one brand through the hard times? If I won't, what right do I have to demand that they do?

So the paradigm changes. We decided to become a more disposable society, did we not? Back in the day, people had a Zippo lighter. Today, we have a plastic thing we throw away when done. That goes for everything else we can make disposable. Why would you expect MB to continue "business as usual" when we have changed to "deal of the moment"?

angrypengu

I don't think folks realize that mainstream automakers like Audi, BMW, and Mercedes are...mainstream. The fact of the matter is these are large scale production automakers. My interaction with RR still feels someone personal but even then, these are...mass produced vehicles.

I honestly think the days of people feeling special with their OEM vendor of choice b/c they drive the flagship vehicles are long gone. Cars are a commodity now which is so so so sad to those of us who love our cars.

Everyone is driving a Corolla now, and it's best to view it as such. People treat cars as disposable things and OEMs are facing cost cutting measures YoY. So....yeah.

aklim69

Somehow, I get the feeling it extends to pretty much everything. Today, the car or product is disposable as is the seller. Why should anyone expect any different when you look at how people are today other than it was different when they were growing up?

Torque450

Did you work at an Audi HQ as well as me!? That's exactly what it became like - I left 4 years ago.
Every 2-3 years the senior management team changed. It was company policy that they had to be 'leaders' and not skilled in the area they managed, because they would do a career-hop to a different team in 2-3 years again. For specialists it became frustrating because all the longevity and joined up thinking went, and 're-inventing the wheel' in order to improve margin in that financial year became the thing. Plus, another cycle of proving that you knew what you were doing yet again and explaining all the programmes in place to improve service.

A final straw was a director instructing us to change several major service partners all at the same time on the promise of slightly better (unproven)financial savings. Massive risk, destabilized service to retailers and customers. I left the business. He went back to Corporate HQ a year later with a pat on the back for saving some money (on paper), and a new role in a different country leaving disruption in their wake.






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pcc125

We can all go on and on about analyzing the OEM's strategies until we are blue in the face and they will continue doing business as they wish. Like angrypengu stated, they are all mainstream automakers. @aklim69 I do not think the definition of "loyal" matters as we each interpret loyalty a different way. It does not matter how you or I define it. With the way the world is moving where all mom and pop dealerships are being consolidated into large conglomerates (the same applies to car manufacturers) customers are left with limited options in their respective localities. As an example, the area where I live had over 20 car dealerships owned by 20 different family entities, and in the last 5 years, 2 conglomerates own all the local dealerships. In the final analysis, customer choices and loyalties shift as do market dynamics. Is bigger better? I guess we will find out in the next decade or so. Look at how MB divested its acquisition of Chrysler....

aklim69

I didn't work for any dealer but I see how the buyer is and I can project how the seller is going to be. I don't know who started it first nor do I care about 2 kids fighting in the backseat of the car. I accept the paradigm shift as it is and adjust accordingly. Like I said, I don't bother to meet my insurance agent. I give the new potential guy my declaration page, match the coverage and call me if you can beat it. Next year, same deal. I don't expect him to go to bat for me and I don't expect to stay with him even if he is higher. It is the way the world is. Doesn't matter what I want.

Torque450

I don't disagree. The shift to Agency Model thinking, where the dealer can't negotiate a deal with a customer and it's just a % commission, clearly shifts power back to the manufacturers. In turn, it's just a commodity, albeit Audi sell some expensive ones.

aklim69

I know how the consumer defines it. Dealers have to bend over backwards for them but they're free to do as they please.