Consumers and dealers alike are still reeling from the huge amount of recalls last year. It was in fact an all-time record. In 2014 about 62 million U.S. vehicles were recalled. If you were to look at this in terms of vehicle sales – it’s about four years’ worth of vehicle sales -- or approximately one out of every four cars on the road today. Several recalls made huge headlines, and were very much hyped up by the media -- including those for defective ignition switches in General Motors cars that have been linked to at least 50 deaths, and faulty Takata air bags, installed in Hondas and other brands, said to be responsible for at least five deaths and 64 injuries.
This can cause quite an emotional impact with consumers – your customers.
While these concerns may not be as dire or present as the customer may perceive, to the customer faced with the concerns, they most certainly are. I am sure many dealerships have experienced phones ringing off the hook shortly after a recall announcement with customers concerned about their personal safety, as well as that of their families.
Dealers aren’t crisis hotlines and, for the most part, aren’t trained to assuage fears such as these. However, if you take the time to handle recall repair requests with empathy and understanding, it can go a long way towards earning the trust and loyalty of these customers.
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