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In 1990, just after Lexus first introduced its line of luxery cars in the US, the company realized that it had 2 minor problems with its LS400 line that required a recall. The situation was, by any measure an awkward one. Lexus had decided, from the beginning, to build its reputation around quality workmanship and reliability. And now, within a little more than a year of the brand's launch, the company was being forced to admit to problems with its flagship. So Lexus decided to make a special effort. Lexus called each owner individually on the day the recall was announced. When the owners picked up their cars at the dealership after the work was completed, each car had been washed and the tank filled with gas. If an owner lived more than a hundred miles from a dealership, the dealer sent a mechanic to his or her home. In one instance, a technician flew from Los Angeles to Anchorage to make the necessary repairs.
Was it necessary to go to such lengths? You could argue that Lexus overreacted. The problems with the car was relatively minor and the number of cars involved in the recall was small. Lexus would have had many opportunities to correct the damage.
The key fact was not the number of people involved but the kind of people affected by the recall. Who, after all, are the people willing to take a chance and buy a brand new luxery model? Car mavens.
There may have only been a few thousand Lexus owners at that point, but they were car experts, people who take their cars seriously, people who talk to about cars, people whose friends ask them for advice about cars.
(Fellow x-type owners, doesn't this sound like us?)
Lexus realized it had a captive audience of Mavens and that if it went the extra mile they could kick-start a word-of-mouth epidemic about the quality of their customer service - and that's just what happened. The company emerged from what could have been a disaster with a reputation for customer service that continues to this day.
Shouldn't Jaguar give this very serious consideration?
Steve Miller
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