"But then they can afford to be all of these things, because they made a decent margin on my car when I bought it, and they have a reasonable expectation of selling me another Renault in a few years time. Its a perfectly simple business relationship. If they had never made any money out of me in the past, and had no hope of ever making any money from me in the future, I wouldnt expect them to give a to$$!"
With all due respect Mike, I think thats a pretty short sighted and pretty short term way of dealer thinking. If they want my business in the future, whether they have profitted from me in the past or not, then they need to think long term and that means good service wherever I got my car from. Good service should be a consistent brand value to ALL customers ALL the time, not to selective customers or reno will never build a reputation as a company that provides quality service. As way of comparison, I treat my ex-clients as well as my current clients because in 12months when their circumstances have changed again, I know theyll coming asking for me again. Same should be true in all service industries.
g