Definitions of Comebacks

[sjbmw_lisa]

Does anyone have a list of items they consider comebacks? I'm looking at an incentive plan for my service quality assurance person that includes something like less than 5 comebacks per month.

[robc]

Here is my rough list on why customers have a return to the dealership with the same or very similar complaint. (I am sure I missed some reasons so I hope others have additional thoughts.)

1. Job is right, but fails in workmanship
2. Job is right, but fails due to replacement part
3. Job is right, but additional repairs are needed (normally done to minimize expense - think of turning rotors, but vehicle returns; or lubing suspension components to cure a squeak.)
4. Job is right, but another failure occured
5. Job is wrong, tech misdiagnosised the core problem
6. Job is wrong, advisor did not properly narrow down the problem - led tech in wrong direction
7. No work previously done, parts ordered
8. No work previously done, NPF

If you're looking at quality of repair then you're really concentrating on the tech's work. Only #1 and #5 are their fault. My experience is that why those are more memorable, the other six reasons are actually more likely to cause a "comeback" as defined by the manufacturer (i.e., did you have to return to the dealership for the same repair).

It is a good practice to track all comebacks and code them in some way like the above. That will allow you to better determine exactly why customers are returning.

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** Rob, Editor Dealersedge/WD&S **
Help is only a message post away!
robc@dealersedge.com

[pjpeery]

lisa

there are many reasons for a comeback .. but my description is :

a comeback is any time the owner returns and they feel it is for the same problem ..

now something happened for the owner to come back and those items are coverd by rob's post .. but you need to make sure that the owner is cared for ..

a quality assurance person must know why the vehicle was in for repair and what was done to correct the problem .. all before they can make sure the vehicle is repaired right.

comebacks don't start at the end of the repair .. they start with the advisor and then the tech .. so this is where i would direct my efforts ..

goodluck

paul

[john]

I agree - the definition of what is a comeback should be - whenever the customer brings the vehicle back for the same problem within 6 months or 6000 miles. The coding should not be an issue for the customer to deal with but an attempt to research the root causes (training, tools, dispatch, writeup).

This "after-the -fact" discovery process will not solve the quality issue. Work Quality cannot be "inspected in" by a quality inspector - It must be built in by the technician. That "quality inspector" position is an antiquated concept that was debuncked by Dr. Demming in his Quality management systems sold to the Japanese in the 1950s. Domestic manufacturers continued to "inspect quality in" and continued to build junk until the 1990s - in the mean time, The Japanese have set quality standards for the automobile industry for 20 years.

How you identify repeat repairs is important, but how you prevent them is even more important. By applying TQM concepts and quality management techniques, you can reduce comebacks to 3 a month for a 15 man shop. I did it for 12 years and took a large Ford shop from last place to first place in "fix it right the first time".


It is really more a systems solution than one step done at the end. Improper reservations and writeup cause more combacks than technician work quality! Until you fix the system front to back you will never get a handle on the problem.

I have a really neat process that can help you do just that - I will be glad to share it with you. Email me at pika68@aol.com and I will be happy to show you what to do.

John

[chevytech]

John is dead on the money. There can not be to much info on a ticket. If a job starts with a bad write up, your fighting an uphill battle. A good example is what I saw on a recent ticket. "There is a problem with the brakes". Now that is sweet. Like a computer, trash in trash out. Diag is about 90% of the average job and its almost impossible with bad information.