Subaru Disappoints

Subaru's Mr. Shiro Ohta, Chairman, President and CEO of Subaru Canada, disappoints and his public relations personnel fall short in customer relations. In October 2014, I purchased a 2015 Subaru Outback. If  the automotive review reports are accurate, I should enjoy a few years of worry-free driving. Notwithstanding that possibility, I have already decided that I will never buy another Subaru product. My decision has nothing to do with the product but with the purchase experience and the failure of Subaru Canada to address what I believe is a legitimate concern.

When I ordered the Subaru car I was informed to expect delivery by the end of December. At the time, I advised the sales person that I had a pre-planned trip in mid-January and that I required a vehicle for that date. I was assured that would not be a problem. Sometime during the latter part of November I contacted the dealership to enquire on the status of the vehicle and was informed that equipment supply issues could delay delivery, pushing the arrival of the car to mid-January. I proceeded to adjust travel plans by cancelling half the trip. By mid-January, I was now informed that a January delivery was unlikely with a new estimated date around the third week in Feb.  Finding myself in the position of having to rent a car, I informed the dealership that I would be back home for the last week in February. On the third day away from home, I received an email indicating the vehicle had arrived.

While the dealership did what they could and have no control over the timeline connected to vehicle production, Subaru Canada could offer nothing more than to say, after the fact, that it was normal to wait 4-5 months for a car, when the dealership indicated a 2-3 month time frame. Misinformation from my perspective. Subaru has been enjoying a tremendous growth in vehicle sales and perhaps their production capabilities cannot handle the demand. That's understandable. What is not understandable, particularly in consideration of their increased profits, is how they could simply dismiss my concern regarding the extra costs I had to incur for the ongoing changes in delivery dates by offering a take it or leave it apology. When they could have offered to pay all or a portion of the car rental or maybe offer another year on the warranty or anything to retain customer satisfaction, they opted to offer nothing tangible.

As an aside, I once saw a sign hanging from the ceiling in the garage area of a car dealership which referred to the golden rule. Rule #1, The customer is always right. Rule #2, If the customer is wrong, read rule #1.

In spite of two letters, with one being a registered letter to Mr. Shiro Ohta, my communications have received only a dismissive response from  someone referred to as a "Specialist, Social Media Communications & Customer Experience". I have purchased many new vehicles over the years from several different manufacturers. The professional excellence associated with the purchase experience is no less important than the product itself. The Subaru brand has not lived up to my expectations in customer relations and for that reason, I just purchased my first and last Subaru product.