Nov
13

Luxury Means Less F-bombs

By | Industry

Click the arrow below to have me read this post to you.

Last month I purchased a 2013 Ford Focus ST. Last week the car’s Check Engine Light came on. And yesterday I learned the value of luxury ownership.

This wasn’t my first Ford. Last year I traded in a Lexus IS-F for a Mustang GT. I never had a problem with the Mustang, which means I never had to take the car in for service.

I arrived at the dealership and walked into the service area where I waited in a line behind one other person.  The person in front of me was told a state inspection would take about 4-5 hours. He thanked the service advisor for his time and walked out. He’ll likely drive around the corner to a gas station to have the inspection done.

Before I could step up to the counter a gentleman wearing a white shirt stepped into my [Read more...]

Aug
14

Can Ford’s iPad app make car buying easier? Maybe.

By | Industry

Yesterday Ford unveiled a new iPad app they claim will make car buying easier and less stressful. I think the app has potential, just not exactly in the way that Ford thinks it does.

Ford has been an industry leader in technology, both in and out of the vehicle. From Facebook to their EcoBoost engines Ford has proven their technological prowess.  But has this emphasis on the technology become a blinder to actual consumer problems? In other words has the stupefaction of being an ‘industry first’ resulted in technological solutions that fail to fix problems and in some cases produce added evils?

Buying a Car Is Never Fun. Never. Ever.

At times we want to imagine that the costlier our purchase the more pleasing the experience is. If that were the case buying a car would consist of a signing your name, followed by a full body massage, foie gras and an aged adult beverage. Sadly, that isn’t the case.

Ford’s new iPad app looks to improve the process, as much as it can.  While I haven’t had a [Read more...]

May
10

The Role of Retail in Recalls

By | Industry

An open letter and call to action to the automotive retail industry:

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Dear Automotive Retailers,

I’m writing this with the hope that you do your part to improve the speed and accuracy with which vehicle owners will receive safety recall notifications. Protecting people is my only motivation behind this effort.

Recently Carfax stated that 2.7 million used cars had open safety recalls. This week Senator Barbara Boxer wrote in a letter to four vehicle rental companies asking them to make the following pledge, “Effective immediately, our company is making a permanent commitment to not rent out or sell any vehicles under safety recall until the defect has been remedied.”

Vehicle recalls are a serious matter. If one notification fails to reach its intended recipient it puts lives at risk. Many buyers are unaware that the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) operates a website (www.safercar.gov) that allows owners to signup via email to receive model-specific vehicle safety recalls. This modern delivery system ensures that safety notifications are delivered the moment a safety recall is announced.

To improve the overall recall process I ask that your retail outlets implement a new practice of offering buyers an opportunity to sign up for safety recalls via the safercar.gov website during the buying process. Point of sale is the picture-perfect place to connect new and used vehicle owners to the electronic delivery of recall notifications provided by NHTSA.

Retails stores and their corporate management have a social and human responsibility to make this happen. The process is easy, requires no additional funding and is paramount to customer safety.

Will you act?

Happy Motoring,

Juan Barnett

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Below is a screenshot of the vehicle recall subscription page: [Read more...]