Comments on: ctm’s Saab experience in Sweden

By: Richard/Japan

Richard/Japan — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 01:40:44 +0000

I’ve been living in Japan for 25 years, Saab has his 3rd general dearler with these 25 years! Now it’s a company selling mainly Mercedes. As in other countries, the ‘after-service’ service…? is almost inexistent!
I had bad experiences with the general dealer when I had to get my MY1999 (now 137000km)repaired after a frontal accident. It took too long as parts were not available here anymore. I should have gone to my regular local mechanic to get it fixed.
I’m satisfied wth my lady. she runs as　if she were new. And she protected me very well at the accident (she destroyed the Nissan …)The guy was not too ‘angry’as it was an old model and he thought his wife would allow him to buy a new one.
We have a yaris at home and Toyota’s service is Excellent !

By: zippy

zippy — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:43:32 +0000

I think Ying said it best. Saab truly needs a real gung-ho brand manager and I can think of one particular gentlemen that we all know and hold in the highest esteem! I wonder why they didnt ask him when he was there in Jun 07 for the 9-3 relaunch?

By: PT

PT — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 22:41:13 +0000

Servicing is separate any dealer/Saab experience for me altogether. I go to an independent who was with Saab for a long time but now has his own show. Our car has its occasional problems ( most recent – fuel pump – now THAT is an overpriced part….) but Adrian is always up to the task. He’ll offer used parts from one of the various cars he always has in pieces if he thinks a new part is unnecessary and the work is always finished when he says it will be. He’ll take phone calls at all hours without charge as well. In fact, his expertise is what the local dealer routinely calls upon as they have minimal Saab experience.

To be completely honest, I sometimes feel that the two major, ongoing reasons for my loyalty and enjoyment of SAAB are Adrian and TrollhattanSaab. Is it coincidental that they are both independent owner/operators? There are LOTS of other interesting cars out there to drive but these two businesses certainly pull me back to Saab for the overall experience.

hmmmmmmmm………

By: eggsngrits

eggsngrits — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 13:14:17 +0000

ctm: Good stuff. We here in the US have ZERO expectation of communication with the OEM when one buys a used car without factory warranty remaining. I can understand with the concetration of Saabs there that you have different expectations.

My general comment is this: Saab’s committment to their dealer network here in North America has been questionable for some time — Grider’s comments are far too common. However, for every “two week wait”, there’s another dealer that gets it done. You simply have to find those people.

By: SportMode

SportMode — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 03:33:54 +0000

Glad you’ve had a better experience downtown at KGS, sam, because I’ve been disappointed a few times when I show up. My biggest beef is that you have to practically beg to get a salesperson to talk to you- I’ve shown up three or four times during business hours and never even been greeted by someone.

I must say, though, that when I do interact with people there (service, parts, etc.) they are quite cordial. So I gotta give ‘em that.

By: sam

sam — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:00:35 +0000

My dealership here in Salt Lake City has almost always done a good job. They send out a newsletter every couple of months with news and service coupons. If I had to complain about anything, it is the high cost of repairs there as compared to regular service shops.

By: Adam G

Adam G — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:50:07 +0000

I’ve found that if E-mail doesn’t work, and I want an answer, I pick up the phone and call someone until I get the answer I want. If that doesn’t work… there’s always driving down to the dealer.

That being said, we don’t bring our Saab to the dealership and haven’t for about 15 years. Whenever we did, they’d tell us _ and _ were wrong with the car and that it wasn’t covered under any type of guarantee.

That Saab was one of the most frustrating cars we’d ever owned… until we stopped taking it to the dealer. At 22 years old and with 91k miles, the only thing to go in the past 2 years has been the linkage on the wipers.

So I think you’re right in the sense that the customer care portion of the ‘deal’ is broken. The car’s great, but that doesn’t mean much when the dealer and the company could care less about you.

By: PT

PT — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:35:11 +0000

I get a regular Saab magazine mailed to me (as well as the internet version) here in Australia but thats about it. I don’t think its connected to my ownership at all, its more because I fill out forms & requests at motorshows etc.

Hate to say it Swade but you know who are constantly emailing, calling, texting etc with offers and events…….it starts with a B….

I was even invited to the launch of a new Renault dealership last week which was great fun. 500 people, music, great food & drink and a Stig-style driving performance to introduce the new Clio sport.

My local Saab dealer is a bit of an afterthought at a big Holden (GM) dealership. They usually have two very only looking cars parked just near the rubbish bins.

FWIW I am currently working for a company who’s delivery of “customer experiences” is pretty crap at the moment. Your story sounds very real to me CTM. The problem seems to be some kind of weird, inbuilt cultural attitude that is VERY hard to shift. Its a very inward looking company ( albeit with some great products and good people) and I can see this coming across to my customers. Keep an eye out for a new email address Swade!

As Peter Drucker the famous Harvard professor of business said:

Business has two responsibilities: innovation & marketing.

So many people/companies. do not grasp these kind of basics.

By: MarkS

MarkS — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:18:59 +0000

Hi Tompa, your comments are interesting, and I’m very glad to hear that things are different in Sweden! I blame Saab USA management and GM for the slightly more frustrating circumstances here in the US. Since GM took full control of Saab back in 2000 we’ve been heading in this direction. The latest move to consolidate Saab dealerships with other GM-owned brands has only made this situation less friendly to the Saab enthusiast. In my past experience, Saab salespeople were generally Saab drivers and Saab enthusiasts themselves. A recent visit to one of the newly established Cadillac-Hummer-Saab dealerships proved this is no longer the case. To them, the cars on the lot are just a commodity, and I think some of them actually prefer Cadillacs (UGH!). Anyway, if anyone in the US knows how/where I can subscribe to Saab Magazine, I’d appreciate the information. Take care fellow Saabers….

By: Mike C.

Mike C. — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:10:55 +0000

ctm: I used to get Saab Soundings and that stopped… I now have become a memeber of The Saab Network so that I get a subscription of “Nines Magazine”… I must say, my friend has a BMW and he gave me his BMW Magazine to read. Full of BMW information from front to back. Everything from delivery programs to how they make the seats for the cars. JUST VERY INFORMATIVE. Like you I have purchased a Saab that is a few year old. I do love the car but the lack of brand/dealer concern does not give one a premium feel. Saab’s lack of getting the word out to the people is now the norm.
JAG. BMW AND LEXUS get it done, Saab does not. How can they expect to move the metal if they don’t want to get the worn out. Exclusivity is one thing but in today’s market YOU HAVE GOT TO SPEND TO MOVE THE PRODUCT. Word of mouth will not cut it.
All of the video I see from these car shows looks great, new models new cross drive. BUT, WHAT’S IT ALL FOR IF YOU DON’T WANT TO TELL PEOPLE ABOUT IT?