Tag Archives: Saturn

Satisfaction Surveys

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I wrote about our new set of wheels a few posts back. It’s my little bride’s car1; I’d have chosen something different for me, but she seems tickled, and that’s all right. I have no complaints about price, terms, or payments. And it is a fine looking rig.

Today at work, I got a call on my office phone. The perky caller explained that she was calling to get my reaction to the sales experience at Saturn of Sterling. I told her I was incredibly busy, and this wasn’t a good time. She said she’d try back later.

Fifteen minutes later, my cell phone rang. and yet another equally perky caller said she was calling to get my reaction to the sales experience. Muttering, I thought I may as well bite the bullet and get this obligatory ritual over with.

Five rankings, rated on a scale of 1-10, on how happy I was. By now thoroughly steamed that a lackluster, frustrating workday had been interrupted, I walked outside to have a smoke, and tell this person what I thought. The highest score SoS got on any of the questions was 4. When asked about the service department, I gave it a 1. I had to recap the story of how SoS “service” failed to notice two brake lights out on a service visit, which led to my getting rear-ended on the Fairfax County Parkway a year or so back. And then their lame excuse when asked Isn’t checking brake lights included in service?, which was Well, duh, if you ask; we get kinda busy. It was at this point that I mentioned it would be a cold day someplace before I’d go back to the service department with the older car.

And then, about the delivery process; I noted the lateness of the hour that the car was delivered, and said that we came back the next day to finish some details. No big deal. I then pointed out SoS’s tragic inattention to detail; e.g.:

  • The window sticker said floor mats are standard; we’re still without floormats.
  • We received no instructions on how to activate the On-Star service.
  • We didn’t get an ID for the XM radio, so we can add that to our existing XM plan, if we so desire.

Based on our experience, would I recommend SoS to friends/family/acquaintances? Answer: 2.

They didn’t ask me how I felt about having my workday interrupted twice. They may as well have asked, “What’s the smallest negative integer?”.

-k-
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1 At least as far as the driving thereof is concerned.

A Saturn of a Different Aura

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After our safe arrival back home last Wednesday, my little bride and I went to the State Farm office to pick up the check for her totalled ’98 Saturn hulk the next day. State Farm did an excellent job in promptly and fairly processing our claim. After that, it was out to Saturn of Sterling1 to get her some new wheels.

We’d previously driven a Saturn Astra, as documented a few posts back. MLB couldn’t get comfortable in the Astra; the lumbar support option helped, but she just couldn’t deal with the fit of the seats. So, after 3 or 4 hours of driving Chevy Malibus2, Saturn Auras, comparing the seat comforts afforded by each, and making careful note of the number and positioning of cupholders in each3, we arrived home at long last with a 2008 Aura, much like the one pictured here. Ours is a beautiful red metallic, and there are no sailboats or any such around ours.

A nice factory incentive brought the price down to the point where we got a lot more car for the same amount of money. A year’s free On-Star, and 3 months of free XM radio were icing on the cake.

We got the six cylinder model; it’s rated EPA 29 mpg highway, versus the 4 cylinder’s 30 mpg. The added pickup and maneuverability of the 6-banger was worth the negligible gas mileage sacrifice.

MLB had Friday off, and got the new one insured, and dropped coverage on the wrecked one.

So, all’s well on the car front; much to my joy, I’ve observed our cat sleeping under the new rig on a couple of occasions. We’re all comfortable, then: MLB, me, the cat, and GMAC. May this car have as long a life as its predecessor.
-k-

1 I know I’ve written here previously that SoS had seen the last of us. But, for bang for the car buying dollar, Saturn is just a step ahead.

2 Saturn of Sterling is a sibling dealership to Sterling Chevrolet.

3 I’d never have dreamed that cupholders were a big deal to my wife; they are.

The New ’08, in for the Old ’98

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This looks like the likely replacement for the old ’98; an ’08 Saturn Astra. We just got back from a test drive, and we both liked the car. It’s quiet, economical, and sporty enough for two grandparents. We left a list of specifications on one we’d like with the dealer. My little bride’s back requires seats with decent lumbar support; the one we drove didn’t have that option, but we’re sufficiently OK with it that we soldier on. The color of ours might not be the same as the picture; our choices, in descending order were blue, white, black, silver. Color isn’t as important as the lumber support, so we may go with our last color choice, sandstone. Whatever the dealer can troll up.

A totally strange thing about this car; its final assembly point is Antwerp, Belgium; the engine is from Japan, and the transmission was made in Hungary. They are building them there, while Saturn’s Spring Hill TN plant retools to build them here.

Nothing like that international flair, eh?

-k-
[stags]Life,cars,Saturn[/stags]

Free Air

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I recently changed filling stations, from an Exxon, with an On the Run convenience store, to a new Sunoco station, featuring an APlus convenience store. Both are about equidistant off the parkway I take to work, and both offer easy access back to the parkway.

The difference between them has nothing to do with the price of gas; no, it deals with the attitude of the store personnel. I usually purchase items from at least two of the four food groups1. I’d been going to the On the Run for several years, and had to plead for a small bag in which to tote my bounty, which was always offered grudgingly by the rather surly store clerk and his assistant. At APlus, I’m greeted by smiling faces, who put my Deer Park and pastry in a bag, no questions asked.

Today sealed the deal; as I paid for the day’s snackage, I asked for change for the air machine, the right front tire on the Saturn having all of 10 PSI in it2. Four shiny quarters in my chinos, and I headed for the air machine, whereupon I couldn’t find the coin slot, but a button that said “operate”. I pushed it, the chug-chug of the compressor started, I aired up the tire, and was on my way.

Free Air. Heckuva’ deal. And the fact that Sunoco is the Official Fuel Supplier of NASCAR, and APlus the Official Pit Stop of NASCAR, has nothing at all with my decision to patronize the Sunoco. It does not hurt, however.

-k-
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1 aqueous, salty, pastry, chocolate, and occasionally from the two subgroups, nicotine, and microwaveable.

2 Still something that frosts my stindeens about paying for air, but I’m old-school.

Senior Clothing Moment #1

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My work outfit is basic, and fairly constant from day-to-day. Black chinos, black polo shirt (sometimes with vendor graphics), white socks, black shoes. 1 Shirts and chinos from Land’s End, skivvies and socks from Target, and shoes from Zappo’s.

I went out for a breath of air smoke this morning, and looking at my feet, I realized my shoes didn’t match. The left foot was ensconced in a Deer Stags Saturn, the right in a Deer Stags Punch. Both black, but distinctly different styles. As far as I could tell, no one noticed. I showed SWMBO my feet when I got home. She thought it was hilarious. I’ll bet I have another pair just like it 2 upstairs. I think I’ll spend an extra minute or two dressing in the morning.

-k-
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1 I’ll continue wearing black until they make something darker, too.

2 except for the reversal of feet

Saturn of Sterling Still Doesn’t Get It

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Retrieved from the mail-o-gram spam trap:

Hi Ken Nelson,

We have been out of a contact for a while and I want to make certain I have provided all the information you required to make an informed buying decision. Our inventory has changed since we last spoke, and I realize your needs may have changed as well.

If you have any questions, please let me know. My commitment is to provide you with pricing information that is clear and direct, and to make your Internet buying process hassle free. I welcome any comments or suggestions from you regarding how I could improve my sales process.

If you have purchased a vehicle elsewhere, just drop me a note and I will update my records.

Thank you.

Matt Young
Internet Sales Manager
Saturn of Sterling
703-XXX-YYYY

In spite of links to this weblog in my initial communique, they still think I’m interested in a new car. And they had sent precisely bupkis regarding anything prior to this. And, the CRM mail robot sent this at 02:30 in the AM. Gotta love the personal touch, right?

We took the car to Reston Automotive, who referred us to a good transmission shop, whereupon we plunked down $1325.001 to cure SWMBO’s “check engine” woes.2 And SWMBO loves her green ’98 again. And Reston Automotive is now The Official Automotive Repair Place of tbbs-land.
-k-

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1 Pressed the Amex plastic, to be perfectly precise.

2 OK it’s more than SoS quoted. I trust Reston Automotive. I don’t trust SoS.

Saturn of Sterling 1019, Reston Automotive 86

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These scores are golf-like; low score wins. Those were the respective prices quoted to cure the Service Engine Soon light on SWMBO’s 98 Saturn.

I have a small but discerning readership. I’ll leave the following as exercises for the reader:

  1. Which establishment gets to work on the car this time?
  2. Which one gets all our future service business1?
  3. Which one lost a loyal customer of 13 years?

-k-

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1 not wanting to owe our souls to GMAC, Toyota Credit, or whomever

Customer Service, Saturn of Sterling Style

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I visited Saturn of Sterling’s website the other day, and wrote a comment along with a link to this post.

I promptly received a mail-o-gram from the mailbot, thanking me for contacting them. A bit later, I got the “human” response, which I’ll cite here1:

Hi Ken Nelson,

I have good news for you. We have received your Internet purchase request.

I will be getting back with you shortly to provide more information.

Matt Young
Internet Sales Manager
Saturn of Sterling
703-xxx-xxxx

After that, I got bupkis. How do I nominate SoS2 for a J.D. Power award?

-k-

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1 I see, after further review, this message is timestamped identically to the first message, and also comes from SoS’s CRM robot

2 Which is a fitting abbreviation for these guys, btw.

Losing Rings

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I’ve been a fan of American cars, specifically, GM cars, for a long time. I’ve had Chevys, Pontiacs, and as I’ve documented on this blog, go out of my way to rent Buicks when our travel plans call for car rentals.

My love for Chevy goes deep; my first job was at a Chevrolet dealership back home. I bought Chevrolets after that job was a fading memory. Chevys age, dealership repairs are expensive, and independent garages don’t seem to know how to fix them.1.

Our last Chevy was traded off2 in 1994. And we bought a Saturn. From these guys. Life was grand. A reliable and sporty car at an affordable price. I took the bus to work back then, so SWMBO drove the great burgundy SL2 most days. I drove to church and back.

Saturn of Sterling had a magnificent service department in those days, too. Some remembrances:

  • A windshield wiper on the fritz. Service adviser came to the car, and replaced it. Pit-stop like.
  • Battery dead. Tow truck dispatched. Service people replace battery; notice that the car is nearly due for service. Service it. SWMBO at work by 10:30 AM.
  • Cutaway Saturn on the showroom floor. Used to demonstrate where the offending part lived, what it did, and what work had to be done to get to same.
  • Oil changes, lubes, same price or cheaper than Jiffy Lube.
  • Car washed, and delivered to the service aisle for you when the car is ready.

Man, we were hooked. Affordable, dependable cars, serviced by caring folks five miles away. So, when my job situation changed, we bought a 1998 Saturn, which became SWMBO’s, and I drove the ’94 on my short, 3 mile commute. A few years later, it was time to upgrade again, so the ’94 got traded for an ’01 Saturn, which became “mine”.

Since that point, here’s how the Saturn of Sterling service department has behaved:

  • When you come to pick up your car, they ask you “Did you see your car out there? Here’s your keys.”
  • The cutaway car is gone, along with the demonstrative value of “where your car hurts”.
  • Even the simplest repair requires them to “take it in to the garage”. Goodbye, service aisle convenience.
  • They don’t routinely check whether turn signals, headlights, and brake lights are functional during routine service.3
  • The most mundane oil change turns into an experience wherein they try to sell you every conceivable service item, whether or not is is needed.

However, nothing holds a candle to today’s SoS dumb-assery. We dropped SWMBO’s ’98 off last night, for the Virginia State Safety Inspection, and to diagnose a “check engine light” that has been intermittent for two years.

After several hours with no call about the car, SWMBO called Saturn service, only to talk to an “adviser” known only as Katherine, who advised:

  1. The brake pads would pass, but would need attention. Cost $300. Fine. We get it. Pass it.
  2. The muffler was leaking. Needed replaced. Cost: $300. OK, not safety, but simple maintenance.

And, then, the idiocy of idiocies:
The “check engine” light diagnosis revealed a bad “valve body”, which needs to be replaced to pass the safety inspection. Cost:$1100.
Kate kindly prefaced all of the above with a call to SWMBO, which started out “Are you sitting down?” She explained all the charges to SWMBO in the ensuing conversation, after which SWMBO and I consulted The Google, and determined that in fact, valve bodies are not part of a safety inspection. Thanks, Katherine, for your misunderstanding lying.

So we’re doing the muffler. And that will be the last damn dime Saturn of Sterling will see from us for any reason.

Matter of fact, SWMBO and I might gaze westward out our front door over over the next few weeks and months, and see these Saturns morph into something extremely Toyota-like.

-k-

1 At least the independents I tried to deal with.

2 At a wholesale price

3 I know this is true; I was rear-ended on the Fairfax County Parkway last summer, 3 days after having routine service work done at Saturn of Sterling; all brake lights were inoperative – burnt out bulbs. I asked them if checking such mundane items was part of service; they told me “Nope, we’re busy, ya’ gotta ask for those kinds of things; we’re pretty busy.”

Let ‘em Fly

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As dutifully chronicled previously, Maryland State Legislator LeRoy E. Myers Jr., went on a one-man campaign against the display of plastic male body parts from the trailer hitches of Marylanders’ trucks and SUVs.

I heard on the radio today that LeRoy’s bill has been killed, so Marylanders may now let the plastic stindeens flap proudly from their vehicles. Can’t seem to find any linkage to this development.

I also saw my first pair of the plastic blobs that got LeRoy’s Fruit of the Looms in such a twist. Flying from the trailer hitch of a Ford pickup. I laughed.

I’m still giggling. Not buying these for the Saturn1, but I’m giggling anyhow.
-k-

1 – SWMBO wouldn’t allow it, even if I were so inclined.

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