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May 5, 2008 12:42 PM

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'10' does not mean 'GOOD'

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humphrmi

May 5, 2008 12:49 PM

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I'm really getting P.O.'d about these companies who will accept no less than \"perfect\" ratings in return for average service. I've seen e-mails demanding above-average and perfect ratings, even though all the company did is ship me a product.

If they want a perfect rating, they'd better do a lot more than take my money and ship me product. For instance, it'd better be the absolute lowest fricking price on the planet. For a perfect rating, I expect it to be delivered into my waiting hands, at my convenience, in a perfectly secured yet easy-to-open box.

Sounds tough? Sure, but so is a perfect rating.

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May 5, 2008 12:51 PM

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Last time I bought a new car, there was a lot of whoring going on for ratings. They didn't go as far as bribery, but it did get mentioned several times by the greasy goombas (from central casting, not my prejudices, so put the race card away) who worked there. At times, I thought I was an extra on an episode of The Sopranos.

I had thought about being brutally honest (finance manager shakedowns, relentless selling of the usual vaporware like paint sealant, etc.) when the survey sheet came in the mail, but I just threw it in the shredder.

Come to think about it, I could have just gone to the Toyota dealer next door had I known those people were friendly Mom and Pop types who try to be the opposite of the shark tank (complete with frickin' laser beams on their heads) Honda dealership where I bought my car.

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SonicMan

May 5, 2008 12:54 PM

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Hey, We should all go onto that site amd make up ratings..... If all it takes is the number 4 in the order...

This kind of thing they are doing is sleazy.

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Skrizzy

May 5, 2008 1:09 PM

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@SonicMan: I tried that, you have to register with the resellerrattings site to do so.

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witeowl

May 5, 2008 1:20 PM

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@SonicMan: You've already been beaten to the punch. At least three people have posted a copy of the spam e-mail while giving poor ratings.

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May 5, 2008 1:40 PM

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@Steaming Pile:

Ah Ha ... You have found truth and enlightenment grasshopper...

The fact is, those surveys are literally worth more than their weight in gold to Honda, Toyota and to a lesser extent Nissan dealers. (Don't know about Subaru,Suzuki and the Korean brands). Frequently they will offer you a free tank of gas to bring that survey to the dealer instead of sending it back to the manufacturer. Red flag. (When is the last time a car dealer gave you anything free?)They need those good ratings to get the allocation of cars that they need to make a profit. The manufacturer will give them fewer than the year before or the less desirable models,colors ,option packages etc. ,if those surveys come back with sad tales. It's one of the few checks and balances that customers have over asswipe dealers. Use it. Fill it out honestly. Then send it back to the manufacturer only.

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May 5, 2008 2:02 PM

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@Snarkysnake: It's the same with the Koreans; we bought a Hyundai Sonata last year and they must have mentioned the survey 10 times during the two hours we were there making the purchase, taking a test drive, etc.

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May 5, 2008 2:26 PM

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@Snarkysnake:
The following part of your response applies to domestic brand dealers also \"They need those good ratings to get the allocation of cars that they need to make a profit. The manufacturer will give them fewer than the year before or the less desirable models,colors ,option packages etc. ,if those surveys come back with sad tales. It's one of the few checks and balances that customers have over asswipe dealers. Use it. Fill it out honestly. Then send it back to the manufacturer only.\"

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May 5, 2008 2:34 PM

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Post the fraudulent attempt in RSR's forums and i'll bet a weeks' wages that it'll be locked before days end.

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May 5, 2008 2:39 PM

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@Snarkysnake: I love my Subaru, but I had a problem with the pre-delivery inspection because they didn't bother to check the tire pressure. All 4 tires had different pressures, all less than recommended, the rear tires were less than 20 psi. Subaru's AWD with the turbo engine and low tire pressure in the back combine to make the car RIDICULOUSLY tail-happy. We're talking lurid sideways powerslide as part of a quick u-turn tail-happy. I was about to take the car back thinking something was seriously wrong (I'd test-driven another car, the one I bought was on the showroom floor, the test-drive car didn't behave that way.) I checked the pressure, took another drive after, knew what the problem was... they changed my oil for a year after I came to the dealership with the survey to discuss that little problem with them.

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revmatty

May 5, 2008 2:52 PM

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@Snarkysnake: Saturn does it too.

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humphrmi

May 5, 2008 2:55 PM

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@revmatty: So does Chrysler / Dodge.

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May 5, 2008 2:57 PM

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It takes up to two days for reviews to post. I'll have to make a mental note to check on Wednesday to see how low their rating went.

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May 5, 2008 3:03 PM

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And it one company does it, you can bet that tons of others do too.

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May 5, 2008 3:53 PM

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It looks like they posted a retraction at the review site:

\"We did not read resellerratings.com user policy clearly enough. We have since learned that what we did is a violation of their policy as we can only offer an incentive to leave a review, not just a positive one. If anybody leaves a review, good or bad please email me for a discount code.
-Danny\"

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netbuzz

May 5, 2008 4:24 PM

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\"Danny\" from TheCellShop tells me it was a simple \"miswording\" of an e-mail. His statement, such as it is, can be read on my blog:
[www.networkworld.com]

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May 5, 2008 5:20 PM

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Following their advice on putting in random numbers for the invoice, I just left them this review (and an accompanying negative score).

I bought one of their cell phone batteries after the one that came with my phone stopped working. The new battery worked great the first two weeks I had it, but one day I noticed a trail of smoke coming from my pocket and quite a bit of heat all of the sudden. I threw my phone out of my pocket, and the battery caught fire almost immediately. It completely destroyed my $400 phone.

I tried to contact the cell shop to replace my phone with a new one, but they don't answer their phones. And when I email them I just get canned responses. I sure am not going to buy from them again, and I recommend that nobody else does as well.

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StevenJohn

May 5, 2008 7:51 PM

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And have been doing it for years.

Ever hear the phrase \"Brooklyn Camera\"?

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humphrmi

May 5, 2008 11:05 PM

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@Shadowman615: @netbuzz: I'm sure they only retracted because they got busted.

Which earns the Consumerist a big \"Way to Go!\" for helping bust them.

Keepin' them honest.

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LibertyReign

May 5, 2008 11:22 PM

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This is disgusting. I could rant for an hour on the amount of bile this post produced because of the deceit and crookedness, but instead I will call attention to the fact that this type of thing is bad for business.

What ever happened to ACTUALLY providing CUSTOMER SERVICE???

I'll tell you what happened. The American consumer is what happened. We used to have standards. We used to stand up for ourselves. Now we take whatever is shoveled into our gullet, ESPECIALLY if it's on TV 3 times during American Idol.

Back in the day a company would give you a $5 coupon for being HONEST on a survey no matter what you said at an attempt to get to the TRUTH, so they may actually improve their service and EARN MORE MONEY.

I blame us for this type of behavior. Companies only do what the customer will let them get away with.

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Breach

May 6, 2008 12:38 AM

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@netbuzz \"Danny\" from TheCellShop tells me it was a simple \"miswording\" of an e-mail. His statement, such as it is, can be read on my blog:

I love the \"I mis-spoke\" excuse

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