GMC – which is considered to be a premium or luxury brand in Mexico – took second place for customer service satisfaction and ranked somewhat above average in the freshly released J.D. Power 2024 Mexico Customer Service Index (CSI) Study.
The CSI study reports that the Premium segment average is 894 points out of a possible 1,000, while GMC was rated at 897 points for 2024, just behind first-place Mercedes-Benz with 905 points.
While GMC is rated above average by vehicle owners in Mexico for its customer service quality, service popularity seems to be slightly waning overall. The Premium segment average customer rating fell five points compared to 2023, though Mass Market brands are almost stable with only a single-point drop year-over-year.
The overall average seems to be depressed by growing numbers of Chinese brands and models for sale in Mexico. These brands have a relatively poor reputation and their customer service is apparently subpar in the opinion of Mexican drivers. While Chinese brand service is cheaper, “16 percent of customers who own a Chinese-branded vehicle say they will not return to the dealer for paid service,” according to J.D. Power Mexico director Gerardo Gomez.
While there is no direct data on why GMC service is rated above average by Mexican vehicle owners, the factors producing the highest scores give a clue to the reasons. Proactive communication, such as reminding owners about service, raised satisfaction by 34 points, while availability of advisors handling payments boosts it by 69 points and wireless Internet adds 47 points.
The feedback also shows that trust in dealer service is dropping. Hybrid vehicle owners rate their satisfaction higher than ICE owners despite more than half of them requiring service during the study period, versus 38 percent of gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicles.
J.D. Power conducted the study by collecting information from 5,286 vehicle owners in Mexico. All participants had bought a 2021, 2022, or 2023 model-year vehicle new and had received service for it during the preceding year.
The study asked for ratings on five different areas of customer satisfaction with the service process, including the service quality, facility, initiation, advisor and pickup of the vehicle once service was complete. These scores were then combined into a single rating on the 1,000-point scale.
Comment
Warranty/parts back order for rear tail light .stays on …will not shut off..took vehicle to dealer.rear tail light on back order…waiting now 4 week ..meanwhile brand new GMC ACADIA DENALI …SITS IN SERVICE DEPT…& I am without vehicle!