GMSPO's level of service ??

[greenthumb]

Recently, GMSPO execs have been sugar coating their negative actions with statements that their "service" to dealers ranks #1 or #2, and that these "high" marks come from listening to our concerns and ideas. I hope someone from GMSPO is monitoring this board and listening to my (our ??) frustration with their "service".

At this point, service to dealerships sucks. With 22 years in the GM auto parts business, my skewed memory tells me that the current level of service is worse than ever. Where is this "service" at... ?? Ie. Order shipments; Communications; Invoicing; Discount Programs; DDS; SPAC department; etc, etc, etc...

The SPAC department is an outsourcing joke. All they seem to be concerned with is clearing their call que so they can move on to the next call, without regards to resolving my issue. SPAC supervisors (non-GM employees) are difficult to reach, and the GM employees that oversee the SPAC department are much like VP Chaney, they are holed up in a "secure location".

Orders with shipment numbers from various plants, specifically 40, 42 and 76, don't get shipped. SPAC's resolution; file a shortage claim and re-order. Today's fiasco at plant 76 revolves around orders placed on or before July 10th. IF there are marked as shipped without a PRO tracking number, they didn't ship the order. Why can't GMSPO run a list of these orders and remedy the situation. Maybe, just maybe, they hope we won't catch these shortages. Now I (we) have to file a claim, hoping and praying that the invoicing department doesn't reject the claim on a order that was never shipped. What kinda crap shoot is that ??

Invoicing errors are ABSOLUTELY the worst ever. GM parts departments must address this issue by dedicating an employee to follow-up each and every invoicing error. It is my opinion that GMSPO may be "conveniently" making errors in their favor... I may be wrong, but we don't see any big errors in our favor... ??? GMSPO needs to address this issue, not us !!

Communication of promo programs (fax blast) was non-existent. We found out about several programs from another parts manager in the area. No Information bulletin either ?? How about a web-based communications program for GMSPO, the APM's have LOTUS notes, but we aren't worthy of such ??

If I treated my customers like GM treats us, I would have a much easier job as I would have a lot less customers. Then I could decrease discounts to my captive (Service Dept.) customers, much like GMSPO is doing to ALL GM dealerships right now...

I could write all day on this sad state of affairs, but in the end, GM is going to loose repeat business (car buyers) and market share (their current target, it's all about market share) if they don't begin to "service" their customers. Maybe their goal is to reduce the amount of dealerships and their ability to do business outside their area of influence, just like was done to the Delco WDs.

If they want to hear us, why can't we get in contact with them ??

Am I "in left field with a catcher's glove", or are any other GM parts departments experiencing the same levels of service ??

I think I am done venting for now...

Anyone else ??

"George" from California

[whatsis]

Amen brother! Let's hear what the INDEPENDENT rankings are, not GMSPO's own "cooked" numbers. One thing that really gets my blood boiling with GMSPO is that they never leave a program in place long enough for us to be able to truly pass judgement on it at the dealership level before they change the parameters or the percentages. They seem oblivious to the fact that changes in inventory control paramters can only have their effectiveness measured over time (not 90 day increments). Okay, so they made RSG parts returnable without impacting return reserve. Now they should have done that and left the discount and RSG rebate percentage the same and left it that way long enough for us to see the impact. Yet they have reduced both regular discounts and the RSG rebate percentage BEFORE they made the change in returnability policy. How we can we make an apples to apples comparison about how the program works (or fails) when they change so many aspects of the program in such a short period of time? It would seem that by making this returnability change GMSPO has finally had to admit that the RSG program has a negative impact on many dealer's inventories.
It just boggles my mind that GMSPO has the gall to tell me how to manage my own inventory and what I should stock when their own availablilty has such wild swings and mediocre performance. With the reduction in the payback, and the frequency of changes to the lists, and the frustration of many parts managers as to the amount of time spent admininstering the RSG program, there will and should be a mass exodus away from this program. We have already decided in this store that any time the APM or ASM or AMM comes calling with the "program of the month" that the answer will be a resounding "NO"!