Re: alfa-digest V7 #704 Jaguar does it-now Alfa should

["Ian Preece" <ian_preece@domain.elided>]

In AD V7 #704, Gordon de la Mare wrote:

>Date: Tue, 11 May 1999 10:21:00 +0100
>From: Gordon de la Mare <gdm00@domain.elided>
>Subject: Re: Jaguar does it-now Alfa should
>
>In the UK Version Jaguar came second in this years JD Power table (Subaru
was
>first).  The Current Alfa Spider/GVT came about 45th.
>Valid point made and I hope that the folks in Arese do read the surveys and
take
>note. Alfa may make some beautiful cars these days and are regaining market
>share as a result - the JD Power surveys do make people think about where
they
>spend their money.
>Gordon
>
>> Date: Mon, 10 May 1999 16:25:29 EDT
>> From: MAXLTV@domain.elided
>> Subject: Re: Jaguar does it-now Alfa should
>>
>> Believe it or not, Jaguar just posted the lowest defects in initial
ownership
>> according to the latest JD Power survey. Considering Jaguar's history,
this
>> is a remarkable achievement, and shows what can be done when the effort
is
>> made. Only a complete restructuring of Alfa's priorities in this manner
will
>> secure the company's future. I hope someone over there is finally getting
the
>> message.
>
>------------------------------

Most statisticians would agree that surveys and questionnaires are a less
than ideal way of retrieving data, and the UK J D Power survey, in my
opinion, is no different. Indeed, I believe that it is flawed.

The May edition of the BBC Top Gear report published the results: 25,000
cars, 114 models, 32 makes.  That's an average response of 214 cars per
model, hardly a high number to decide overall satisfaction.

In describing how the survey works, the magazine states, and I quote, 'it
measures customer satisfaction: the way both the car, and its dealer
back-up, live up to the expectation of the owner. That's why a Skoda can
score higher than a BMW.' The key phrase is 'expectation of the owner'.

With respect to Skoda owners, I would suspect that their expectation is
lower, from the car point of view, than that of the BMW (or Alfa) owner,
therefore they are not so disappointed when problems arise.

The other thing I cannot rationalise is fact that the results do not appear
to be weighted according to the number of cars sold or produced during the
period for which the analysis takes place. There are many more Ford Galaxy's
(which came out badly) on the road than Subaru Impreza, which came first.
IMHO they are not comparing apples with apples....... how on earth can a
Seat Toledo come out higher than a Mercedes E-Class?

I think Alfa themselves have made tremendous efforts to improve their
quality, finish and overall standards. I have to say that from a personal
point in the UK, most dealers I have had experience with do not do Alfa any
favours, and that a lot of the problems may be parked on their door steps.
Would you believe I still cannot get a sales flyer for the 156! When Alfa GB
was in place, the cars were admittedly poor, and that was a major problem.
Now the cars are improved out of all proportion, a dealer network which is
up to the job is required.

So, that's my 10cents worth, guess I'll pull on my fire proof overalls and
wait for the flames..

Ciao,

Ian

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