J.D. Power’s recently released 2024 U.S. Customer Service Index (CSI) Study hasn’t produced much good news for Ford or Lincoln dealers, as both ranked below the mass market and premium segment averages, respectively, this time around. This study is designed to measure customer satisfaction with service at franchised dealer or aftermarket service facilities after those customers have had maintenance or repair work performed on their one- to three-year-old vehicles, and in that regard, the overall industry improved by five points year-over-year, while both Ford and Lincoln dealers did manage to follow suit with increases of their own. However, Ford SUV owners still ranked that brand below average as well, which was also the case with Lincoln SUV owners and Ford truck owners as well.
This year, Ford truck owners gave dealers a score of 827 out of 1,000 possible points, which was below the segment average of 843, as well as only higher than one other brand – Ram. Every one of its other rivals posted a better score, including Nissan, Chevrolet, Toyota, and GMC. However, while the overall market did post an improvement year-over-year, The Blue Oval and its rivals continue to struggle with parts and labor shortages that hamper the customer experience.
“It’s encouraging to see an improvement in service satisfaction but, unfortunately, the capacity and wait time issues have gotten progressively worse since the pandemic and show no immediate signs of easing up,” said Chris Sutton, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power. “Excluding Tesla owners, the service experience for BEV owners is underwhelming.”
“As sales of BEVs continue to grow and the industry moves out of the early-adopter phase, the typical owner will not be as willing to tolerate a less-than-stellar service and ownership experience. On the manufacturer side, a higher rate of BEV recalls is also contributing to an inconsistent experience. This is an area that automakers and dealers need to address now to help make the transition to electrification as pain-free as possible for owners in the future.”
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