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Maruti tops in dealer service: JD Power survey

BS Corporate Bureau in Mumbai

Maruti Udyog and Hyundai Motor India, India's two largest car manufacturers, have been ranked as the two leading players in customer satisfaction with dealer service, according to JD Power Asia-Pacific 2002's customer satisfaction study for India.

Maruti has been ranked highest in the survey for the third consecutive year. This year, it scored 124 points and is the only company to score above the industry average of 118 points. Hyundai, which stands second on the list, scored 118 points.

However, in a startling revelation, the survey has ranked players such as Ford India, General Motors India, Tata Engineering, Mahindra & Mahindra and Fiat India below the beleaguered Daewoo Motors India, which has suffered a dramatic fall in sales over the past two years.

Daewoo scored 110 points in customer satisfaction in terms of dealer service, above these players, and indicating relatively high customer satisfaction at the dealership end. On the other hand, Ford and General Motors scored just 109 and 107 points, respectively.

Sanjay Ralhan, senior analyst and account director at JD Power Asia-Pacific, said, "Fixing the vehicle right on the first visit and doing so in a timely manner is the foundation of service/repair experience. One in four Maruti owners (26 per cent) rate their service experience to be even better than expected, compared with just 18 per cent for the industry."

Hindustan Motors, which offers the Mitsubishi Lancer in India, is third with 116 points, with Honda Siel and Toyota Kirloskar following with 115 and 112 points, respectively.

Domestic players Tata Engineering and Mahindra & Mahindra were tied at 104 points each. Fiat India, which has staged a drastic recovery in sales following the launch of the Palio, is still ranked at the bottom with just 97 points, way below the ranking of other players.

In a press statement, JD Power said the industry's gains are improvements recorded by volume manufacturers Maruti, Tata Engineering and Hyundai.

However, nine out of the 11 ranked players have achieved an improvement in service satisfaction over last year, "indicating that most manufacturers now place an even greater emphasis on ensuring a positive customer experience", the survey said.

The statement adds that Fiat and General Motors continue to place at the lower end of the rankings, but show important gains in CSI compared to 2001.

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