A lot of people think Toyota has a quality problem these days. But I would say their biggest problem is a customer service one.
Let’s look at the basics. Customer service is all about giving customers the right experience. Do this and they’ll remain loyal. Fail at this and they’ll leave you faster than you can say “cancel my order”.
The core issue Toyota is facing is about quality. An accelerator that sticks in too many of your cars is a bad thing. It’s even worse when people get injured because of it. The good news is only a tiny percentage of Toyota cars are likely to have this problem.
The bad news is nobody knows which cars.
So their bigger problem is one of perception.
If you own one of the affected models, your perception about your car could easily change. If you’re not sure your car is safe to drive, your “Toyota experience” changes dramatically. Even if your car never has the sticky accelerator problem, if you are afraid to drive it, then you have a problem. So does Toyota.
In the media I’ve heard comments from Toyota owners that tell me there is plenty of fear and frustration about their cars.
“I feel like I’m stuck.”
“Not sure if I should drive my car.”
“I can’t get any answers about it.”
These statements show people who are having a lousy experience as car owners. This experience will affect their loyalty. The longer a customer is left to feel this way, the less likely they are to be loyal.
To fix this problem, Toyota needs to communicate better.
They need to be more open about the problem. They need to be more detailed and specific about their plans to fix it. Their entire communication strategy should have been focused on assuring their customers. Their customers needed to hear this message:
“We will make sure your car is safe to drive.”
This would have given their customers a better experience. It would have allayed much of their fear uncertainty and doubt. It would have shown them Toyota was looking out for their safety. That’s what builds loyalty. That’s what keeps customers coming back.
What message does your company send? Is it the message your customers want to hear?
I have had really bad experiences with customer service. I bought a new IQ and was sent a card which showed membership of club Toyota for three years. This is really breakdown insurance but as i wasnt expecting this i rang to check it was right. I was assured it was and so was relying on having breakdown cover. I also got 3 years servicing as part of the purchase price. At the end of the first year i got a letter asking me if i wanted to pay to continue in club Toyota. Well as you know i had another 2 years to go so took no notice. But not being able to locate the vouchers for servicing i rang to see if i could be sent some replacement vouchers. While i was on the phone i asked why i had been sent a letter asking me to continue with club toyota when i remained a member for another 2 years. I was told very bluntly I was not a member. I said i had a card clearly showing i was and that i had even checked this was correct when i recieved it. The customer service person implied i was trying to defraud the company, that i knew i was not entitled to it and that when they realised their mistake they had cancelled it. I said what would have happened if i had broken down and he said they would have refused to offer assistance as I did not deserve any.
He was incredibly rude but did say he would send replacements for the servicing vouchers but never did. I made a complaint but got a reply that said yes they had told me i was entitled to the vouchers in the first part ot the letter but then accused me of making that up in the second half of the letter!
Anyway i eventually found the servicing vouchers and had the first service. They said clearly on the front the service had to be done at one year or after 10,000 miles between services. As i had only done around 7000 miles at the end of the second year i didnt rush to get the next service done. At around 13 months after the last service i rang to arrange the service but was told the voucher was not valid. Apparently in very small print on the back of the voucher there was a rider that said it had to be at 1 year or 10,000 miles whichever was the sooner. Well as i had paid for the service as part of the price of the car i was not happy. The service station suggested i call customer services which i did. They said tough, if i had carefully read the small print i would have seen this rider and frankly they just didnt care. They added that if i did not pay to have a Toyota service (at £250 when i had already paid for the voucher), the warranty would not be valid.
Frankly the customer service is rude unhelpful and very unpleasant.
I will take great pleasure in never buying a Toyota ever again.
Hi Tessa – sorry you had an unfortunate experience with Toyota. Your situation is a perfect example of how easy it is for a company to lose a customer. It can take years of effort to build loyalty but that loyalty can be lost in a matter of days (or even faster) if they company does not treat their customers right.
Hopefully your next car experience will be better.
Thanks for reading and for sharing your thoughts!
Kevin Stirtz
AmazingServiceGuy.com
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