Jaguar tops US driver satisfaction survey
With a score of 877 out of a possible 1000 points, the British luxury brand has been named the best marque for after-sales service in the latest JD Power Customer Service Index Study.
The study, based on responses from over 70,000 drivers who own or lease a car between one and five years old, is designed to rank car companies -- both premium and mass market -- on their levels of customer service when it comes to scheduled and unscheduled maintenance and to safety recalls.
Customer satisfaction is up across the board for the first edition of the 2015 report, despite the fact that, on average according to JD Power, 16% of all dealer service visits are currently due to an automotive recall issue.
In fact, the Consumer Satisfaction Index score is higher for those cars that have been the subject of a recall. It's up to 789 from 777 in 2014 and is 11 points higher than overall satisfaction score.
"Even though recalls can create a large influx of customers into the service department and really strain capacity, automakers are better prepared to handle recalls than they were a few years ago," said Chris Sutton, vice president, U.S. automotive retail practice at J.D. Power. "Manufacturers have shown that it is possible to turn a potential negative into a positive when it comes to recalls if they're done in a way that doesn't inconvenience the customer."
Jaguar topped the luxury car satisfaction index but Lexus, with 870 points, was a very close second. Audi found itself in third place (865) while US brands Lincoln (861) and Cadillac (858) completed the top five. The average score in the luxury segment was 852 points out of 1000 and as such five companies -- BMW, Porsche, Volvo, Acura and Land Rover -- were judged to have below average scores.
The US had no cars in the top three in the luxury table, but with 836 points, Buick tops the mass-market brand table, followed very closely by Mini (834) in second place and Volkswagen in third with 818 points. GMC (811) and Chevrolet (807) complete the top five and the overall average for mass market satisfaction come out at 792 points. The five lowest-scoring brands -- Chrysler, Fiat, Ram, Dodge and Jeep (which came last) -- are all part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
As well as a satisfaction ranking, the latest survey also offers insights into what drivers deem most valuable when it comes to servicing their cars. Companies that offer an express lane-style service for those customers who drop in unannounced earn a higher satisfaction rating -- 819 versus 764 -- than those dealers who don't.
It also appears that drivers are not quite ready to use the internet for scheduling auto work -- only 9% of those surveyed said that they used an online reservation service, compared with 73% who reach for the phone. Furthermore, 45% of respondents claimed to be unaware that internet scheduling even existed.
