I recently had the occasion to have my GM sedan and my Ford SUV serviced on two consecutive days. I was appalled at the difference between those two dealerships from the standpoint of appearance and general care shown to me, the customer. GM's customer lounge area was immaculate, with restrooms fit for a hospital environment, large screen TV tuned to an adult station (national news) and volume at a pleasantly low level. The service plaza was clean and tidy with each employee politely and professionally going about his business.

The Ford service plaza was cluttered, clean but looking well used, with some employees grouped and engaged in small talk as if there was nothing for them to do, and others speaking loudly at one another as if it didn't matter that they might be making a bad scene for customers to hear and see. The customer lounge area was cluttered and clamorous with some childish game show blaring away on the TV which no one was paying attention to. There was no restroom facility in or near the customer lounge area; it was located halfway through the service plaza area, and based on its appearance, it was shared by every greasy-pawed employee in the garage. The room looked like it hadn't seen a clean floor mop or fresh coat of paint is ages, and boy was I surprised to learn there was no toilet paper to be had.

Lest I forget, it was only a matter of a couple days before I received a customer satisfaction survey via email from the GM dealer. So far it has been at least a week, and no such effort has been issued by Ford. On top of that, I tried desperately on the web to locate a contact point to voice my concerns about that Ford dealership experience. It is apparent to me that every effort is being made by Ford to not allow such contact from disgruntled customers. All I found was motherhood statements about how they strive to make sure the customer's needs are taken care of. Trust me, those words offer no incentive for me to ever go back to Ford. I know now just where my next new vehicle will come from.

I'm hoping my concerns will be viewed here by someone in the Ford chain of command who might just like to have a first-hand report of work which needs to be done in the spirit of customer satisfaction and the promotion of the Ford brand.