Ford, Holden fail satisfaction survey
STEVE COLQUHOUN
August 3, 2010 - 3:43PM

Ford and Holden both score a minus ranking for customer satisfaction according to survey.

Local car makers score negative results in new owner satisfaction survey that reveals Subaru has the most loyal following.

Subaru owners are the most loyal of the country’s top car brands, according to a new survey.

Brisbane-based consulting firm Engaged Marketing surveyed 1720 car owners to rate their ownership experiences.

Subaru was the clear winner with a customer experience score of 35 per cent, indicating owners were almost twice as likely to recommend it to friends and colleagues than second-placed Honda (19 per cent) or Toyota (13 per cent).

Holden and Ford were among three of the nine top-selling car companies in Australia included in the survey to score a minus ranking (Holden -3 per cent, Ford -13 per cent), indicating that owners made more negative than positive comments about their experiences with the brands. Only Mitsubishi fared worse – at 18 per cent.

Engaged Marketing chief executive Chris Roberts said the scores showed that some companies had huge potential to grow simply by focusing on improving their customers’ experiences.

“There has never been a more critical time to go back to basics and focus on the customer. The continued strong utilisation of social media injects an additional element of urgency because everyone knows word of mouth is the most effective marketing channel available to customers,” he said.

The report said recommendations from family or friends remained the greatest influence on car purchasing decisions, with 45 per cent of consumers saying word of mouth from a trusted source was more persuasive than other factors such as price or marketing.

It also said that for every negative comment heard by a consumer about a car or a brand, it took another five positive referrals to reverse that perception.

Car customers’ brand rankings*:

1. Subaru 35%
2. Honda 19%
3. Toyota 13%
4. Mazda 12%
5. Hyundai 3%
6. Nissan 1%
7. Holden -3%
8. Ford -13%
9. Mitsubishi -18%

*Source: 2010 Engaged Marketing Benchmarking Survey