I’ve seen a trend recently where people say something like “please fill out this customer survey and give me a perfect score” I normally just ignore the survey since it’s a big scam if they are begging for a perfect score.
Not all of them do. I personally feel that BMW does not make a high quality product. Lexus, Acura and Infiniti are all extremely high quality products for the most part, however. To say that expensive cars break more often than other makes is inaccurate in my experience.
I see more repairs needed on GM products than anything else.
The advisors sell the service. It’s our job to make sure the customer is satisfied, to make sure the problem is accurately communicated to the technician, to make sure the problem is properly corrected, and yes, it is our job to sell the service. Good advisors make the shop more money. Good advisors retain customers. Good advisors build a relationship with our clients, a rapport. Good advisors monitor the techs and ensure that work is being done efficiently and completely. A good advisor is the difference between having your car back the same day or next week. We track down parts, coordinate delivery, coordinate the shop’s schedule to have the vehicle ready in the proper order - let’s say you’re done with work at 4, but Mr X isnt done until 6. I know I need to have yours ready first.
It is our job to let you know what the vehicle needs and, yes, to sell it to you. There are liberties that can be taken. I can lie to a customer to try and get more work. In order for this to happen, however, the tech would also need to be in on it and likely the parts department and the other advisors. Typically all of those parties would not agree to fleece a customer. An advisor that attempts dishonesty is going to be found out quickly and likely terminated.
My old service manager once said to me, you can shear a sheep a thousand times, but you can only skin him once.
It’s much more profitable to me to keep you as a customer for the long haul. I have an interest in your car running for as many miles as possible. That means oil changes, tires, brakes, major maintenance services, and any repairs that come down the line. If you maintain your car and keep it for 250k miles, I make more money from you in the service department than if you buy a new car more often. YOU will spend less overall on keeping and maintaining a car than constantly having a car payment. It’s symbiotic, IF I am doing my job correctly. It’s selfish to a degree, but believe it or not I actually do care about most of my customers as well.
Simple things like air filters and fluid exchanges do their part to keep your vehicle running longer while at the same time making me and the service department money. Things like replacing worn suspension components and keeping the vehicle in alignment prevent uneven and premature tire wear. Replacing brake pads at 3/32nds will prevent them from being forgotten and wearing down to the backing plates gouging the rotors (though in humid climates, rotors often are best replaced anyway. Machining is not as common as it once was.) Replacing a battery when it tests low on cold cranking amps prevents you from being stuck unexpectedly.
We sell the service not JUST to make money, we sell it to keep you happy with your vehicle, we sell it to keep you as a return customer. If we do it well it keeps you happy with your car and keeps the dealership happy with our numbers.
It IS a scam. A scam by everyone BUT the advisor.
Manufacturers mandate the surveys, then provide back end money to dealerships that hit a certain threshold. So let’s say the cutoff is a 9.2 average (which is generous, it’s usually more in the 9.5/10 range). If the dealership averages above it, they get several tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars in a bonus from the manufacturer. If not, they’re out. That’s huge profit.
NOBODY wants to give a 10/10. It’s like getting a root canal. You have to do it and it’s good for you in the long run, but you still hate it and hate having to pay for it. Are YOU going to want to give the dentist a 10/10?
Let’s say your car braks at 10k miles. No matter what I do as an advisor…get you a loaner, get the repair done for free and within a day or 2, you’re still upset at the inconvenience. Now, it isnt the advisor’s fault or even the dealership’s fault. But that doesnt matter. The manufacturer counts numbers. Period. They’re out NOTHING, even though the failure was more on them. It’s an easy way for them to say they encourage us to take care of their customers, while providing themselves an easy way out of paying the money.
At a dealer, an advisor lives and dies by perfect surveys. The monthly bonus for hitting them is often a decent mortgage payment.
I have been a advisor for 13 years. I started out cleaning the floors at the dealership. Being a service Advisor is by far the hardest job in the whole operation. With that said I see and talk to SO many people I can’t lie or would I even want to. I treat all my customer like my mom or close family member. If you treat people right they will treat you right. I made 150k last year won 2 trips and got 5k in bonus money from manufacturer. I also get 200 buck bottles of wine and booze at Xmas just because my friends not customers feel I’m part of the family. Yes I get commission almost 90% of my pay is based on what I sell! But to me I am advising. They call it a SA job because your not selling your advising. Let the customer decide what they want to do with there car. I tell the truth and sometimes people don’t like it and slam me on the survey(this can cause a 40% swing in commission)but it has to be done. Remember I didn’t build your car, design your car or drive your car. I just tell you how to maintain it and what it needs to be fixed. If your cool to me I’ll let you drive a new 440xi for the 3 days while we fix your 08 X5. There’s no reason to lie or cheat people all the cars now are junk and brake. If someone thinks I’m selling them or don’t want to buy there are 4 calls on hold so I can care less if you think your getting a deal at pep boys. Find a guy who listens and treats you right and make a freind. I find just like myself I like seeing the same person when I Buy stuff or get my morning coffee. This job is about relationships and honest help to people. Just remember this. The Advisor is who can get your discounts, get SA (self auth) and make deals with techs and parts to fix your car. Be nice to the person cooking your food and fixing your car maybe they will be nice back.
Hard job, long hours, dealing with people, product issues, your accountable for EVERYTHING!!! But the pay 
I’m in the Midwest medium market and already have made 6 figures this year.
I think the next time I get asked for a perfect score I will say "sure , how much are you willing to pay me for that score? " Don’t see what’s wrong with asking.
Im looking to become a SA myself at a dealership leaving the auto body car business as a SA already. Would you have anby suggestions for me as i begin a slightly different journey. And how can i assure to hit over 100k a year? thanks
Hello, SAEric, and welcome to the SDMB! Just to point out, though, you posted to an old thread and asked a question of someone who joined and made their only post over a year ago. Post Date, Join Date and Post Count are all viewable in each post. Enjoy your stay!
bought a car this year and skipped the survey and I don’t think they asked me to give them all 10s. But like I said above, if they ask for that I’m going to ask for cash since they only want the score for cash for themselves. Might as well get myself part of that cash.
This all explains a lot. I have always gone to independent mechanics for non-warranty service, and recently took the car in to have the brakes done. A couple of weeks later, I finally got around to taking the car in to the dealership for a minor recall repair.
I had never set foot in this dealership before, and the more contact I have with them, the less likely I am ever to set foot in there again. First, they told me I needed work done that the independent mechanic didn’t mention at all (which I find unlikely). And now they have started calling me to tell me that I am eligible for their “upgrade” program. While I am at work. Why no, I am not remotely interested in “upgrading” my paid-off car with 23,00 miles on it, and I told them so. And I find it really rude to call people at work to try to sell them things they have shown no interest in buying. (BTW one of the items they told me I needed was new tires, and they offered to price them out for me. I said sure, price them for me, but they forgot that part. Which is fine, because if I did need tires, I’d probably end up getting them at Costco.)
I hate dealing with salespeople, particularly when I have shown no interest in dealing with salespeople.
And that’s one of the big reasons I still have a home phone/land line. I can give a dealership that number, they can leave me a message which I can chose to delete if I want to, and my cellphone doesn’t keep ringing for stuff that can be dealt with at my leisure.
I had a really bad experience with a Toyota dealer for recall work. So when they later called me to try to sell me more service work I told them to go F**k themselves. They said they would no longer call me and they have not.