Austin814

Years ago, I was a Service Advisor for a Porsche+Audi dealership. There were just two of us at the service desk, often writing 60-70 repair orders a day. It was unbelievably busy. We had two mottos that we always told the customers- Our goal is to exceed your expectations ~We will always tell you the truth. We believed in the long-term relationship with our customers. We wanted to be the best. It was all about the relationship.

No matter how bad a car was, not matter how weird a customer was, we always took the time to spell out what their cars needed, what could be done, etc. The customers really became friends. We went out of our way to be reasonable and if a mistake took place, the dealership ALWAYS owned up to it.

One day a customer was ripping into me about how her dash vents had been moved. I explained that the tech had moved them while checking her AC. No, she was pissed and said it had taken her a long time to get her vents just so, and we had messed with her car etc .... you can see where this was going. Finally she announced (in front of almost a dozen other customers) that something had been stolen from her car! I am sure everyone could see the blood fall from my face. I asked what had been stolen? The valve stem cap was missing. When the tech changed tires he put on three, but not the fourth valve stem cap. The lady ripped into me for a long time. I replaced the cap and offered to sit with her in the car and readjust the vent. No she was going to call the police.

To make a long story short, it was getting worse, it is almost surreal. I saw that there was no-way to satisfy this lady. Suddenly three customers came over to the lady. They scolded her, shamed her and said she should never come back to the dealership again. They went on and on with her saying how pleased they were with our work. They didn't let up. One was a lawyer and quoted legal song and verse about her unfounded claims. Finally, the customers told her to leave the dealership. My jaw dropped. The rest of the customers waiting to speak with us all told us we were great and to not worry about her. The lawyer handed me his card an said if anything ever came up regarding this lady, he would represent us for free. It was all about the relationship. I have never forgotten this.