Dealerships selected for the 2012 WomenCertified Top Dealerships for Outstanding Customer Experience List will be honored by WomenCertified, the collective voice of the female consumers, and Dealer Communications, media sponsor of the Top Dealerships List, at the 13th Digital Dealer Conference & Exposition, October 23-25, at The Mirage in Las Vegas, NV.
Delia Passi, CEO of WomenCertified, will present the awards to the Top Dealerships on October 24, at the inaugural Peer Networking Roundtable dinner at the conference.
Many of the dealerships listed among the 2012 WomenCertified Top Dealerships for Outstanding Customer Experience will also carry the WomenCertified Women’s Choice Award seal. The Women’s Choice Award recipients are those Top Dealerships who have also made a commitment to partner with WomenCertified to promote their distinction in the community. They are listed in bold type below.
Dealerships selected for the 2012 Top Dealerships list include the following:
Acura Columbus, Dublin, OH
Acura of Libertyville, Libertyville, IL
Alberni Toyota, Port Alberni, BC, Canada
Alexandria Toyota Scion, Alexandria VA
Audi San Diego, San Diego, CA
Darcars Toyota of Frederick, Frederick, MD
DCH Tustin Acura, Tustin, CA
Don Ledford Automotive, Cleveland, TN
Fitzgerald Toyota Gaithersburg, Gaithersburg, MD
Fitzgerald Lakeforest Subaru, Gaithersburg, MD
Fitzgerald Lakeforest Hyundai, Gaithersburg, MD
Fitzgerald Hyundai White Flint, N. Bethesda, MD
Fitzgerald Subaru White Flint, N. Bethesda, MD
Fitzgerald Buick GMC White Flint, Rockville, MD
Fitzgerald Wheaton Suzuki, Wheaton, MD
Fitzgerald Chevrolet, Frederick, MD
Fitzgerald Volkswagen, Frederick, MD
Fitzgerald Mazda, Frederick, MD
Fitzgerald Volkswagen, Annapolis, MD
Fitzgerald Mazda, Annapolis, MD
Fitzgerald Toyota, Chambersburg, PA
Fitzgerald Countryside Hyundai, Clearwater, FL
Fresno Lexus, Fresno, CA
Gearhart Chevrolet, Denville, NJ
George Coleman Ford, Travelers Rest, SC
Hank Graff Chevrolet, Davison, MI
Harry Robinson Buick GMC, Ft. Smith, AR
Honda of New Rochelle, New Rochelle, NY
Jim Norton Toyota, Tulsa, OK
JM Lexus, Margate, FL
Jon Lancaster Toyota, Madison, WI
Kuni BMW, Beaverton, OR
Kuni Lexus of Littleton, Littleton, CO
Kuni Lexus of Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO
Kuni Sacramento, Sacramento, CA
Kuni Westside Infiniti, Lynwood, WA
Leachman Buick GMC Cadillac, Bowling, KY
Lexus of Edmonton, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Lexus of Orlando, Orlando, FL
Lexus of Portland, Portland, OR
Lexus of Seattle, Lynwood, WA
Lexus of Westminster, Westminster, CA
Long Cadillac, Southborough, MA
Longo Lexus, El Monte, CA
Longo Toyota, El Monte, CA
McGrath Lexus, Chicago, IL
Mike Shaw Toyota, Corpus Christi, TX
Myers AutoWorld, Anderson, IN
Palm Auto Toyota, Punta Gorda, FL
Palm Auto Hyundai, Punta Gorda, FL
Paradise Chevrolet Cadillac, Temecula, CA
RBM of Atlanta – North, Alpharetta, GA
Roseville Volkswagen, Roseville, CA
Rusnak Arcadia Mercedes Benz, Arcadia, CA
Rusnak Audi Pasadena, Pasadena, CA
Rusnak Audi Westlake, Westlake, CA
Rusnak Hyundai Inland Empire, Loma Linda, CA
Rusnak Jaguar, Pasadena, CA
Russell & Smith Honda, Houston, TX (2nd consecutive year)
Russell & Smith Ford, Houston, TX
Russell & Smith Mazda, Houston, TX
Scholfield Honda, East Wichita, KS
Schumacher Chevrolet, Little Falls, NJ (2nd consecutive year)
Suntrup Hyundai, St. Louis, MO
Suntrup Kia, St. Louis, MO
Suntrup Nissan Volkswagen, St. Louis, MO
Toyota of Watertown, Watertown, MA
Victory GMC Trucks, Calera, AL
Westchester Toyota, Westchester, NY
Delia Passi, CEO, WomenCertified and Women’s Choice Award, says, “More and more dealers are seeing the benefit of earning the Women’s Choice Award, which is a testament to their commitment to outstanding service. Before customers shop for a car, they often shop for the right dealer, seeking information from informed sources about the experience they can expect from the dealers in their community. The Women’s Choice Award provides the best accolade a dealer can exhibit, since it represents the consensus of the dealership’s actual customers. We hope to partner with all the best dealerships to help them succeed.”
Michael Roscoe, president of Dealer Communications, media sponsor of the list, noted, “These dealerships selected for this prestigious list represent the leading edge nationwide in catering to all customers and providing the highest level of service in the industry. We congratulate them on their efforts and their success. WomenCertified, in establishing this list, is giving all dealerships the opportunity to reach for ever higher standards of excellence, and then receive well-deserved recognition for their achievements.”
From coast to coast, dealerships named to the 2012 list of Top Dealerships commented on how satisfying it is to provide world-class customer service and receive formal recognition for achieving that level of excellence:
“Having our second and third stores qualify as Women’s Choice Award recipients shows the consistency of our organization’s commitment to customer satisfaction. This is invaluable recognition of our many efforts to deliver superior customer service. When our customers recommend us to others, we know we’ve exceeded their expectations,” said Craig Suntrup, on behalf of himself and Butch Suntrup, co-owners, Suntrup Automotive Group, in St. Louis, MO.
Judith Schumacher Tilton of the Tilton Automotive Group spoke for several of her dealerships. “We are very proud to say that both Schumacher Chevrolet of Little Falls, NJ, and Gearhart Chevrolet in Denville, NJ, have earned a place on the Top Dealerships list and are Women’s Choice Award recipients. If you treat women in your dealership with respect, they appreciate that and will remain a customer for life. We are committed to making the car buying experience one of excellence not only for women but for all of our customer base.”
Tammy Darvish, owner, Darcars Toyota Rockville, in Rockville, MD, agreed. “While we recognize that our customers have many choices in the market, we are committed to delivering a level of service that our customers not only expect, but more importantly, that they deserve. It is an honor to be recognized as a Top Dealership and a Women’s Choice Award recipient by WomenCertified.”
Mike Shaw, president, Shaw Toyota, Corpus Christi, TX, expressed the same sentiment, “Every Mike Shaw Toyota staff member strives for a great customer service experience every day. We are all proud to be included in the elite group of Top Dealerships for Outstanding Customer Experience. Winning a Women’s Choice Award lets everyone know that mothers, wives and daughters can come to Mike Shaw Toyota and be treated with the utmost respect.”
Kary Loefler, guest relations director for Longo Toyota/Scion/Lexus of El Monte, CA, was also very pleased and she noted, “We are honored to be recognized as a Top Dealership by female consumers, through the WomenCertified program. The Award validates the commitment and focus of all of our team members to deliver the best possible care, attention and guest experience to all of our Longo guests.”
WomenCertified and Dealer Communications invite dealers nationwide to become candidates for this elite list of dealerships.
WomenCertified® continues vetting dealership candidates for the WomenCertified Top Dealerships for Outstanding Customer Experience list on an ongoing basis — each month adding new dealerships to the list.
For more information on how dealerships can become eligible during the remainder of this year for the 2012 Top Dealerships for Outstanding Customer Experience list, visit: www.womencertified.com; e-mail: [email protected]; or phone: 1-866-937-6996.
Passi notes, “We are delighted for every dealership who qualifies as a Top Dealership and especially for the progressive dealers who smartly carry the Women’s Choice Award. The fact that 9 out of 10 women would recommend these dealerships is impressive. These Women’s Choice Award dealerships are especially progressive as they continue to buck the norm by delivering world-class service that deserves her praise and loyalty.”
“WomenCertified Female Customer Satisfaction Survey Results for the Kuni Group were particularly strong, and we felt it would be interesting to share with Dealer magazine readers the Kuni survey results and some of the comments their customers made,” said Passi.
“The survey determined that the following Kuni dealerships met and exceeded customer expectations and the percentages describe the rate at which their women customers who were surveyed would recommend and refer these dealers to their family and friends. These automotive retailers received excellent scores in several areas including the overall sales experience. These are truly dealers going above and beyond!” Passi noted.
- Audi San Diego, San Diego, CA – 90.%
- Kuni BMW, Beaverton, OR – 98%
- Lexus of Portland, Portland OR – 95.9%
- Kuni Lexus of Littleton, Littleton, CO – 99.2%
- Kuni Lexus of Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO –90%
- Lexus of Seattle, Lynwood, WA – 94%
- Roseville Volkswagen, Roseville, CA – 90%
- Kuni Sacramento, Sacramento, CA – 91%
- Kuni Westside Infiniti, Lynwood, WA – 92%
Here are excerpts from the customer feedback in the surveys from these Kuni dealerships:
1) “After dealing with other brand dealerships over many years, everything about this Lexus dealership is extraordinary!”
2) “My salesperson in Portland picked me up at the train station after negotiating a cash deal on the exact car I wanted and she drove my husband and me to the dealership to pick it up and wrapped my surprise in a big red bow just after Christmas. Very memorable experience!”
3) “We liked the car and dealership so well that we recommended them to 2 people who both bought cars from them.”
4) “Very friendly and helpful. Prompt service. I really liked my sales person. She was helpful but not pushy – the right combination. Her help in orienting me to the car’s features-great!”
5) “The staff I dealt with kept their promises. They communicate problems and needed changes in the maintenance. Most important is they are prompt.”
6) “My salesperson helped transfer my belongings from the old car to the new car. Also, members of the staff helped in transferring information from my cell phone to the car, set things up, and explained how the features worked and how to use them. I loved it!”
7) “My experience in the Service department has been nothing but exceptional.”
8) “Their consistency of service experience is remarkable. Every time I go in, each person I am in contact with is knowledgeable and friendly. It’s difficult to maintain that level of performance with the large number of employees that one comes in contact with over the course of the various visits.”
9) “The service agent has gone out of his way to make sure everything was done satisfactory and that the loaner car was in top notch shape.”
10) “This is my third Lexus. Every experience I have had with this dealership has been excellent.”
Passi concluded: “Recognizing the top dealerships nationwide that are women-friendly and align with women-identified preferences is important to our mission at WomenCertified, where we are women helping women make smart choices.”