JD Power is the devil and you are all mulligans. But thats ok, because I accually care about all my customers. I have to go to that little icon to find the hidden RX8 surveys, and I do often. Frankly, I wish they included the RX8 surveys because the majority of mine are good!

Just to bash Mazda some more, I found this identical 2004 STORY Some of the quotes look like they could have been made in 2007 for this years report. I like this one

" As John Mendel, COO of Mazda North American Operations, puts it: "You can't treat people like crap and expect them to keep coming back to you."

or this one

"Mazda is starting a comprehensive program to bolster customer loyalty. Steve Odell, senior managing executive officer of Mazda Motor Corp., cites three elements of that effort: better product, more exclusive dealerships and better treatment of customers in the back shop.

2 1/2 years later and things are still the same :wtf:

ok- i rephrase. not collective.

but, in just my local area (greater los angeles), i've already read about & talked to enough people from this club to know that 3 out of 5 mazda dealrships are shit for service- not even including my own bad experience. if this were bumb fuck middle america- then ok. but, this is a densely populated metropolitan area- the biggest port on the west coast and one of the biggest cities in the country.

I find these surveys to be biased. If they polled all Mazda owners and asked them "Would you buy another Mazda". I think they would come up with a different bottom line. A lot of this is dealer related, IMO.
I would not go back to the dealer I bought the car from at anytime for anything. They lied to me and treated me like apiece of crap after the purchase.
The dealer that I take my car to now will do ANYTHING to make me a "Satisfied Customer".
And they have. All warranty issues have been handled to my satisfaction, cutomer relations are simply wonderful.
If I was asked if I would buy another Mazda from the dealer I bought the car from, the answer would be NO.
If I was asked to buy another Mazda from my current dealer I would say NO. (they are more expensive).
I would shop for a the best deal. Then I would take the car to the dealer with the best service.
As stated before not all dealers treat customers the same.
I don't know if you guy's have read the thread from ZOOM44? LINK
Here is another one from the same source,,,
PaddockTalk
These give a good idea as to where Mazda is going. Mazda is saying,,,

"- Strengthen the product lineup by introducing products that reflect the voice of the customer. Improve customer satisfaction at all touchpoints.
- Accelerate development of next-generation dealerships that are consistent with Mazda's brand strategy. Improve sales productivity at exclusive dealers.
- Strengthen marketing initiatives to deepen relationships with Mazda's younger customer base.
- Work toward gaining 100 percent control of distributors in the United States and Canada."

Sounds like Mazda is going to try and improve customer satisfaction. That is a god thing in my book,as well as handle the "Dealerships".

If JD Powers asked me if I would buy another MAZDA I would say yes
"I will buy my 8th Mazda without reservation!"

MAZDA FTW! :ylsuper:

The mazdausa site lists 7 dealerships for los angles. You haven't even proven that most dealerships in LA suck, let alone in America or worldwide.

I will instantly grant you that there are *too many* that suck. But that's vastly different from claiming "most".

I probably wouldn't buy a Mazda as my next car. I've had no problems or issues with the service departments, but the 8 is the only thing that Mazda has, that I would buy. If I wanted a sedan, it wouldn't a 6. If I wanted a wagon/hatch it wouldn't be a 3. I would never want an SUV(glorified minivan), so... And I never replace a car with a newer version of it. Where's the fun in that? I would consider a used NB though.

Besides, all these consumer surveys seem biased toward the negative anyway.

I thought an arrogant "screw you" attitude towards the customer after a sale was restricted to Mazda Australia only.

Seems the Oz attitude is gaining momentum across the Pacific

shame hey!!

Good one Expo, I laugh every time I read these fantasies. If only they didn't have to put in time, money and effort to achieve this Mazda would have been right on target.

Talk is cheap, they have been saying this for the last two and a half years yet the latest surveys have shown no improvement and personal experience collaborates this. I'm about to bring my car in for the 3rd time to fix the same door rattle.

I can totally see Mazda having crappy customer retention.
In my purchasing experience with the RX8, I found one Mazda dealer I would never go to again because of slimy business practices. I found another dealer with people who used to work at the aforementioned dealership who left precisely because of that fact.
The fact is, there are dealers out there who absolutely don't give a shit about the product they're selling, maintaining, servicing, whatever. All they care about is the cash you're putting in their pockets and the bigger problem is MNAO as does nothing about these dealers.

Do I love my RX8, hell yes.
Would I buy another Mazda, hell yes.
Do I get good service with my current dealer, absolutely.
But I do see where this retention problem is coming from. It's not the product. It's the dealers.

Nissan has horrible dealers too by the way. The refuse to fix stuff and the finance dept. tries to rip you off. That's why I won't buy a Nissan. I'm hoping Mazda is better- so far so good.

And the fact that you bought a single car that does not perform as you wish, that does not taint your view?

There are Mazda dealers (cough-John Hine Mazda in San Diego-cough) I will never set foot in again due to poor sales experiences, poor service, poor mechanics, even if the car I was getting was for $10,000 off. Did it taint my view of Mazda??? No... but I am sure it would to many consumers.

Yet they sell more Mazda's in San Diego area than any other dealer. Do you think that Mazda is going to cut off a dealer that sells 2 to 3 times more cars than any other in the area?

And see again that is the problem with JD power ratings. They don't reflect the real questions, the real problems. Only recently did they even start doing blind polling.

Funny my '8 has so far been as reliable and trouble free as my Toyota and probably more reliable than any Lexus I have owned and 5 times more reliable than any honda I have owned.

And much more reliable than any BMW I own. Yet too listen to you...you would think that Mazda makes the worst product in the world.

I was mostly trying to make the point that JD Power is inaccurate in general. But because Mazda is a small volume, inexpensive brand (like Isuzu), Mazda dealerships are not paid nearly as much attention from their owners as a Lexus or BMW dealership. So, your average Mazda dealership won't have marble floors or expensive pastries in the waiting room and these attributes will negatively affect a JD Power survey.

I think the JD Power survey is inherently flawed because the customer can let such intangible feelings effect their survey.

MNAO has much less control over a dealership then most people think. It is more of a reactive approach than a proactive. It is a VERY time consuming and expensive process to terminate a dealership, so Mazda tries to reward the things that dealers are doing right rather than punishing the ones for doing something wrong. Someone like Red McCombs, who makes billions from his dealerships, is going to pay a lot more attention (and money) to the big volume stores than a Mazda store that sells less than 100 new cars a month. Why spend thousands on improving a Mazda dealer facility when they only bring in a tiny amount of his profits? And you better believe the best Mazda salesmen only stay with Mazda for a short while before they move on to work at a Luxury store or a higher volume store. MNAO spends a ton of money every year on incentives to keep the best sales men and sales managers happy and at a Mazda dealership.

So, yes I think Mazda is at a slight disadvantage in the JD Power survey compared to the high volume and luxury brands, but more importantly, the JD Power survey itself is inadequate and too open to bias. I would much rather Mazda spend more money developing fun-to-drive cars than trying to bully its dealers into providing better JD power survey results. I am glad they agree with me.

Never said my view was not bias and it could very well be. The difference is I have survey data backing up my experience. Do you have anything backing up your opinion?

So the fact that a car dealer sells a lot of cars for a manufacturer makes it acceptable to provided crappy service which in the end effects long term profitability through customer attrition? If this dealer is closed down another will take it's place and will know that crappy service will not be tolerated. Service quality will increase with resulting positive effect on sales. This is business 101. Yet you prefer to accept crappy service because they sell a large volume of cars, might they not sell even more cars with good service and positive word of mouth?

It also appears that you have not heard much I have been saying. You state "Yet too listen to you...you would think that Mazda makes the worst product in the world." I never said this or that the RX was a bad car. I said I really liked the RX. It is Mazda's approach to supporting the cars that I am ripping on. Your counter arguments would be far more effective if you understood the issue under discussion.

First off what you talk about would reflect on the sales experience, which Mazda also rated very poorly on. We are talking about retention which relates to happiness with the vehicle, customer service, ect....

Also lets factor out the big money luxury manufactures you mentioned, that still leaves Mazda on the bottom of the list against manufacturers in its field.

No matter how hard you try to make excuses for Mazda it boils down to the same thing. They are the worst rated manufacture with regards to service experience and customer retention.

If Mazda was supporting the car and correcting problems like they should, I would be the first in line to buy another. As I had said I was all set to buy a C7 but after experiencing the crap Mazda's service has put me through forget it. I will go to a manufacture that will value me as a customer.

Mazda's numbers in the US are pathetic really, perhaps thats why Mazda Japan want to own and take control of wholesaling/distribution by 2010.

So who are the owners of MNAO now?

Bad customer retention numbers do not necessarily point to a poor product, more like poor dealer (retail) service and training.

In Australia Mazda's customer retention is very high and MMC Japan controls and own distribution/supply..like Mazda New Zealand.

So as soon as Mazda Motors Japan takes 100% control of Mazda America(s) (Formerly MNAO) the better.

Dads From Russia....with Love

I wasn't really trying to make excuses for Mazda. I just think the JD Power survey is dumb and inaccurate, along with anyone who judges a manufacturer based mostly on its JD Power scores. But from what I can see here, no one is doing that, so things are not that bad.

dam.........I knew Those dam dealers sucked, I just didn't think it was this bad..........but their car sales is pretty good........maybe the survey was taken in Alaska?

My unscientific findings:

Mazda Service is poor - 5 dealers and counting.
Mazda Sales is hit/miss. Really depends on the Sales Rep.
Mazda product? For the most part - really good - first hand experience only with the RX-8, friends with other Mazda products are happy.

Is the JD Power relevant? I would say more so that our continued whining about how bad we are treated. Who are the members on this board anyway? What percentage of Mazda owners do they represent?

But, one thing you can't ignore is the value and importance of personal referrals.

Just in my small sphere of influence I figure Mazda has lost out on the opportunity of at least 4 new car puchases since March 2004. One particularily interesting story is a friend who is a current mazda customer was refused a test drive for an RX-8. In a second attempt to arrange a test drive, he contacted another dealer, confirmed a car was available - drove 45 minutes, only to be refused. What did he do? Bought a 3 series Bimmer the very same day. I don't understand the attitude? Another guy, drives a TT - shows up in a TT for a test drive - dealer refuses. These examples are AFTER the car was out for a while and dealers were allowing test drives - well - some dealers at least.

Why didn't these people purchase Mazda but went looking somewhere else? Not because of the product. Merely my dealer experiences. From the time I picked up the car, to the present issues I am struggling with - I can't say without reservation - This dealer X is amazing - sales, service, they will look after you.

I know it's not me as I have received awesome service from Chrysler, and Acura.

One of the members on this board, who just happens to be a dealer manager said it best to me "You enthusiasts are a bunch of babies - you expect perfection in product and service. We just don't offer that. Take your car somewhere else to be serviced" What he was trying to say is that the service guys are just grease monkeys who fix mazdas all day long. To them your baby is just another PITA RX-8 that requires service. Why should they treat your precious car any different than say a soccer driving minivan mommy?

My immediate response is - regardless of who comes in and what mazda product they purchased they should treat the customer with respect, and their car with respect, as they may just have a customer for life. Whether is is a 3, or an RX-8, a customer is a customer. They sometimes can be the best advertising available.

Does this kind of attitude cross over many dealers? I think yes. Regardless of which brand you buy. We have all heard of evidence of a MB owner being treated badly....

Sadly, this is a state of the industry. I don't understand the attitude regarding service departments when the dealer owners are constantly whining about decreased margins, and that the only profit centre for them is sales and service?

Well - if your only profit centre is from service and parts - why not attract customers and keep customers?

Seems like basic business to me. In my experience - Mazda doesn't get it.

My experience influences many others, and them too many others. Is it scientific? No. Is it effective? Hell yes.

Mazda would be very wise to look after their current customer base as no matter how hard we try - if you want a NEW MAZDA, you are almost certainly going to have to deal with the dealer at some point.

I'm not sure that's even legal in the US thanks to antitrust laws*, unfortunately. If it were, I can't imagine how there would be any independent auto dealerships left. Customer service is critical, and the most obvious way to rein in shitty dealers would be to quit selling to them, and build your own corporate store.



* I'm not 100% but I think antitrust laws apply. Movie theaters used to be owned by the studios. Tickets and especially refreshments were cheaper, theaters were better staffed, etc. Then in the late 30's it was discovered that antitrust laws applied, and they had to split up. Since theaters are essentially "dealerships" for movies, I imagine the same rules apply to carmakers.

I know you have different Antitrust laws in the US to Australia, I am not sure how that applies as being a Wholesale Mazda Distributor Owned 100% By Mazda Japan they do not own or operate ANY Retail Mazda Dealers, so there are NO competition issues here?.
Their position is to support independently owned dealers with their product (cars and parts) training, promotions and marketing.
They do not compete in any way for the Vehicle Purchaser and do not correspond with owners apart from Recall notices they leave ALL communications to their Retail Dealer Network.

It would be a very slow process to weed out bad performing dealers in sales or fixed operations (Service or Parts), but it can be done.

So, who actually are the owners of MNAO, does anyone here know.????

[QUOTE=Raptor75]Never said my view was not bias and it could very well be. The difference is I have survey data backing up my experience. Do you have anything backing up your opinion?

I can also give you an opinon :flamed: :ar: :Kill1: :uzi: :rl: ...

I've never had a drama with Mazda...it must have something to do with how you approached them. Hint - you attract more bees with honey than vinegar. :fight:

Re-think your attitude. :grouphug:

This car will also probably be my first and last Mazda. From the sales experience to service, it has been terrible overall.. I would love to get another Mazda if I could take it somewhere else for service. But the service expertise of my dealer is limited to reading a printout from some computer. Which is a shame, cause I love the car itself.. blah..

It still puzzles me why this site attracts so many whiners. :icon_no2: