Let me share a story.
I had a really bad experience at a car dealership that could have been avoided with recording practices. This particular dealership is part of an ownership group with many different dealerships and brands in the greater Phoenix area. Over the years, my wife and I have purchased or leased eight or nine vehicles from this dealership group. Clearly, we are long-time, loyal customers.
I had an appointment to take my vehicle in for service. It was going to take enough time to warrant me receiving a “loaner car” from the dealership while they had my vehicle. As I was working with the associate to get my loaner, she asked for my insurance card. I went through my wallet and was disappointed to find that the card wasn’t in my wallet. We had just moved, and I remembered the card was in a different place at the new house.
“I’ll have my wife take a picture and send it to you,” I said to the employee.
“No,” she replied, “We have to have the actual card.”
I said, “I can have my wife send a picture of the actual card right now, it won’t take any time.”
Again, I was met with, “Nope. That’s not going to work. I have to see the actual card, because you could have forged it.”
While I see merit in the due diligence of making sure someone isn’t committing any kind of fraud, I was becoming quite agitated.
“I’m driving a premium vehicle. I’m not driving illegally. I’ve been here multiple times and your brand is one of our corporate clients. I’m just asking you to look at my records, and you’ll see I am who I say I am,” I pleaded, handing her my driver’s license as proof she could compare with her records.
“Policy says we can’t do it.”
While you can imagine the frustration I was feeling, I know I wasn’t mean. I said to her, “Seriously, you have to be kidding. I’m just asking for a little help here,” and continued to try to explain my situation.
However, I was seen as “The Problem,” and I realized she must have pushed a call button or something when the manager walked over to speak with me. Seriously. Now, if this organization would have captured even the basic information about us—if they had even basic recording procedures in place, they could have looked me up and known everything they needed to know about me. They would have seen that I’ve purchased or leased multiple cars from them, they could have taken and kept a photo of my insurance card, and they wouldn’t have viewed me, a loyal customer, as The Problem. But instead, by their records (or lack thereof), I didn’t even exist.
Why wouldn’t you save all that information? Why wouldn’t you keep notes on customers who have done business with you multiple times? Why wouldn’t you make a copy of the person’s insurance card the first time you ask for it, and only require the physical card if their insurance changes (like doctors do)?
Someone who has been in for service countless times shouldn’t be treated like an inconvenience. After hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of a lifetime, we no longer intend to do business with that group of dealerships. Was “policy” worth losing me as a loyal customer?
