We humbly thank everyone for posting positive Shabana Motors reviews, and we hope to continue to surpass expectations. Did you know you can gain a lot of insight about a car dealership from online ratings and reviews? That’s why we are so proud of ours, because we know that means we are a trusted resource that has been validated by our customers.
Shabana Motors holds a 4-star Google Review rating, and we want to continue to build on that. Also, we want to show you what a good review should contain and how you can make the best choice of a dealership by scanning reviews and searching for complaints on official government agency websites.
Why You Should Check Dealership Reviews
As online shopping continues to grow, car dealerships are learning that reviews and ratings have an impact on their business.
- A one-star increase in ratings can lead to a five to nine percent increase in revenue.
- Eight out of ten consumers will likely buy from a local business with good reviews (that's for all companies including dealerships).
- 92 percent of potential buyers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
- 90 percent say online reviews influence buying decisions.
As part of your research when shopping for your next car, take a look at the various reviews you can find. Going to the right dealership is as important as finding the best car for you.
Where Are the Reviews?
These days, reviews are everywhere. Not only are there more and more independent ratings and review sites, most of the large car research and buying sites include ratings for the cars and the dealerships.
As you look for review sites, check to see if they specialize in cars and dealerships or are an overall review site. Review sites with a narrower focus may have reviews that are more relevant to your needs than one with exists for all products and services.
Keep in mind that an average review won’t mean much if only a few people have entered reviews. The larger the number of reviewers, the more the average ranking will mean.
What Should You Look for In a Review?
Obviously, not every review will be helpful. There are those that merely give five stars and the comment, "Good job. Nice place." There are those that post one star and say things like, “Horrible place, don’t go there.”
Nothing very helpful.
Look for reviews with a little meat to them. The reviewer should have some supporting information to uphold the rating, including explaining why it was a four-star rating and not a five. In other words, specifics count.
- Look for specific information in the review, as much as possible. This is the person who observed everything about the experience and the establishment and determined a fair rating based on that information.
- If you find accusations of criminal conduct, you may wish to check with authorities to verify an illegal act took place. Sometimes people are just irate and don’t state facts.
- Consider the same issue when bad language is used. Some review sites do not allow such language and will not accept a review that isn’t more polite and factual.
- Personal attacks tell you nothing about the dealership except that someone thought he or she had a bad experience with one person working there. You don’t know the other side.
The best review sites refuse to remove negative reviews just because the business in question wants them removed. That works against the model of providing reviews from all sides and calculating a fair average rating. Also, if a dealership claims a review is fraudulent, it will need to have evidence to support that claim.
Smart dealers monitor the reviews of their businesses and respond to both positive and negative reviews with thanks or requests to discuss the issue. If a dealership responds with negative or bad language, you may not want to do business with them.
Authoritative reviews sites maintain policies that help them root out fraudulent claims, spammy reports (positive or negative). The policy typically states that dealers should not ask or pay for reviews from their customers. Also, if a dealer is found to be complicit with a fraudulent claim, the review site will ding them for it, which hurts the dealer’s reputation.
Look for Complaints with Government Agencies
The agency that receives and reviews complaints differs from state to state. In Texas, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) handles complaints against car dealerships. The DMV may be able to tell you if there have been complaints made about a specific dealership, especially if there is a Business Regulation Section. (Texas has one.)
Other states may require dealership or vehicle quality complaints to be opened with the state’s Attorney General, the Department of Revenue, or the Secretary of State. In Florida, for example, complaints are taken by the Florida Department of Highway and Safety, while in Georgia, the complaint goes to the Consumer Protection Unit. A variety of complaints may be found.
- The dealer neglected to provide a copy of a title to the buyer.
- The dealer did not provide the proper paperwork to register the vehicle.
- The dealer took payments but did not forward them to the lienholder.
- The dealer is selling faulty cars.
- The dealership went out of business before completing all documentation.
Not every claim filed is investigated, and the complainant is forced to sue the dealer in small claims court to resolve the issue.
Shabana Motors embraces reviews and sees them as a vital part of improving our business. So many people don’t like confrontation or reporting bad news. To be fair, many recipients of the bad news react badly to it.
A reviews site is a great leveling ground. A responsible site ensures nothing illegal or fraudulent is posted and that dealerships cannot remove a negative review unless it can be proved fraudulent. Review sites also provide a forum for the exchange of information between customers and dealerships, telling car sellers and buyers what does and doesn’t work for customers.
As you research your next car, research the dealership as well. An excellent rating doesn't guarantee there will be no problems, but you can get an idea of the character of the business and whether it responds well to its customers.
