I wanted to provide an update on the NISSAN GTR issue I had. Hours after I posted this blog it made it to the #1 position on Google when you search for "Nissan GTR Service". It's also high on the first page when you search "Nissan of the Eastside". It's pretty amazing how quickly the message caught on, you'd think by now the service manager of "Nissan of the Eastside" would have called and apologized. Not so, in fact the service department seems to have ignored my email.
In this day and age where unemployment is high and good jobs are hard to find I think the customer experience is of the utmost importance. I don't care how much the car cost or what kind of car it is --- if you buy a car you should expect good service regardless of the price.
So I emailed Nissan a link to my blog and cc'd the general manager of the dealership in hopes that maybe they would not let something like this happen to another customer.
The GM of "Nissan of the Eastside" emailed me back, he offered to get the car looked at and apologized for their abysmal service. Being an experience guy my intention wasn't to get them to service my car --- rather I wanted to share my experience in hopes they would make much needed changes there for future customers.
After reading the 100 or so Google reviews on "Nissan of the Eastside" I noticed they're barely holding onto 2 out of 5 stars. There are also a whack of complaints, I have to wonder how Nissan approved them to service GTRs (or any car for that matter). On the bright side, Sunridge Nissan from Calgary offered to help almost immediately, posting a couple of messages on my blog the day it happened, I imagine they also spoke with Nissan.
So rather than depend on the local dealership I took matters into my own hands and called Nissan directly. I spoke with a person on the GTR hotline who seemed genuinely disappointed at my experience. She also mentioned that she received a copy of my blog, so obviously the communication works there.
The lady on the Nissan GTR Hotline mentioned there was NOT 4 recalls on the car. In fact, had the service manager for "Nissan of the Eastside" just taken a moment to call Nissan they would have found that there is nothing wrong with the car. The 4 "recalls" were actually coming up as 4 missed services, which is also completely inaccurate. I didn't quite understand the explanation, but whatever the case Nissan offered to provide the letter I needed to get the car registered in Washington State.
My big problem now is finding a dealer who is authorized to service this car. I'm also waiting to hear if the car is covered under warranty in the U.S., I'm sure it will be --- I just need Nissan to confirm it.
I would encourage anyone who works in customer service to consider the cost of acquiring a new customer. "Nissan of the Eastside" didn't pay a penny to earn my business, in fact I walked in with a credit card. Instead of taking it they blew up the relationship before it even started. Bravo guys, bravo.
After this situation I'm not sure if I'd purchase another Nissan, even though the car is simply awesome. It's a tough call, I mean the company made one of the coolest sports cars ever, but if I can't get it serviced with a place I trust, what's the point?
