It seemed to be about time to get a new car.The old one, a Dodge minivan, had served the family well. But with 135,000 miles on it, it was beginning to show its age. It wasn’t entirely reliable, and additional safety features are now available on newer cars. I found a newer Dodge minivan model that seemed to fit the bill.
LIKE CLOCKWORK?
Easy Access to Information and Services
The availability of information on the Internet about cars and car pricing (for example, www.Edmunds.com) reduced my sense of naiveté and trepidation about the car buying experience.Credit Union, Costco and AAA car buying services further reduced my worry about “getting taken.” And the ability to contact multiple dealerships using the Internet to get them to compete to give me quotes seemed to put me in a decent negotiating position.
Nearly Instant Gratification
Cars come with an array of options now, and it didn’t take too long to figure out which options I wanted and which I didn’t.The dealer didn’t have exactly the car I was looking for, but armed with the information, it took them only a few keystrokes to find one that did.They sent their minions off to a dealership a few hundred miles away and returned the next day with a blue pearl minivan with swiveling seats, navigation system and enough DVD systems that each of my kids could be watching a different movie or satellite TV show at the same time.
Just One Problem — People Make Mistakes
There was one hitch.The office of the remote dealership was closed at the time the minions arrived to pick up the car. They were able to get the car with one key, but the other key and the owner’s manual were locked away in the dealership office.When I came to pick up the car, the sales manager — I don’t think they have salesmen, just sales managers — was profusely apologetic that everything wasn’t perfect and that they would have the owner’s manual and second key sent to me by overnight mail.
WE’RE ONLY HUMAN
They seemed to be more bothered about this minor glitch than I was. I was left with a sense they cared, cared about making the buying experience flawless and would do everything possible to make up for it when it wasn’t.
PLAN FOR THE UNEXPECTED
We do our best to give patients a great medical experience, but sometimes the unexpected occurs. Hiding the flaw, disavowing it, or trying to put the blame somewhere else probably isn’t the best solution. Being up front with patients, letting them know that something unexpected happened, and giving them a plan for what we will do to address it may be a better policy.
Steven R. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Medical Editor
It seemed to be about time to get a new car.The old one, a Dodge minivan, had served the family well. But with 135,000 miles on it, it was beginning to show its age. It wasn’t entirely reliable, and additional safety features are now available on newer cars. I found a newer Dodge minivan model that seemed to fit the bill.
LIKE CLOCKWORK?
Easy Access to Information and Services
The availability of information on the Internet about cars and car pricing (for example, www.Edmunds.com) reduced my sense of naiveté and trepidation about the car buying experience.Credit Union, Costco and AAA car buying services further reduced my worry about “getting taken.” And the ability to contact multiple dealerships using the Internet to get them to compete to give me quotes seemed to put me in a decent negotiating position.
Nearly Instant Gratification
Cars come with an array of options now, and it didn’t take too long to figure out which options I wanted and which I didn’t.The dealer didn’t have exactly the car I was looking for, but armed with the information, it took them only a few keystrokes to find one that did.They sent their minions off to a dealership a few hundred miles away and returned the next day with a blue pearl minivan with swiveling seats, navigation system and enough DVD systems that each of my kids could be watching a different movie or satellite TV show at the same time.
Just One Problem — People Make Mistakes
There was one hitch.The office of the remote dealership was closed at the time the minions arrived to pick up the car. They were able to get the car with one key, but the other key and the owner’s manual were locked away in the dealership office.When I came to pick up the car, the sales manager — I don’t think they have salesmen, just sales managers — was profusely apologetic that everything wasn’t perfect and that they would have the owner’s manual and second key sent to me by overnight mail.
WE’RE ONLY HUMAN
They seemed to be more bothered about this minor glitch than I was. I was left with a sense they cared, cared about making the buying experience flawless and would do everything possible to make up for it when it wasn’t.
PLAN FOR THE UNEXPECTED
We do our best to give patients a great medical experience, but sometimes the unexpected occurs. Hiding the flaw, disavowing it, or trying to put the blame somewhere else probably isn’t the best solution. Being up front with patients, letting them know that something unexpected happened, and giving them a plan for what we will do to address it may be a better policy.
Steven R. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Medical Editor
It seemed to be about time to get a new car.The old one, a Dodge minivan, had served the family well. But with 135,000 miles on it, it was beginning to show its age. It wasn’t entirely reliable, and additional safety features are now available on newer cars. I found a newer Dodge minivan model that seemed to fit the bill.
LIKE CLOCKWORK?
Easy Access to Information and Services
The availability of information on the Internet about cars and car pricing (for example, www.Edmunds.com) reduced my sense of naiveté and trepidation about the car buying experience.Credit Union, Costco and AAA car buying services further reduced my worry about “getting taken.” And the ability to contact multiple dealerships using the Internet to get them to compete to give me quotes seemed to put me in a decent negotiating position.
Nearly Instant Gratification
Cars come with an array of options now, and it didn’t take too long to figure out which options I wanted and which I didn’t.The dealer didn’t have exactly the car I was looking for, but armed with the information, it took them only a few keystrokes to find one that did.They sent their minions off to a dealership a few hundred miles away and returned the next day with a blue pearl minivan with swiveling seats, navigation system and enough DVD systems that each of my kids could be watching a different movie or satellite TV show at the same time.
Just One Problem — People Make Mistakes
There was one hitch.The office of the remote dealership was closed at the time the minions arrived to pick up the car. They were able to get the car with one key, but the other key and the owner’s manual were locked away in the dealership office.When I came to pick up the car, the sales manager — I don’t think they have salesmen, just sales managers — was profusely apologetic that everything wasn’t perfect and that they would have the owner’s manual and second key sent to me by overnight mail.
WE’RE ONLY HUMAN
They seemed to be more bothered about this minor glitch than I was. I was left with a sense they cared, cared about making the buying experience flawless and would do everything possible to make up for it when it wasn’t.
PLAN FOR THE UNEXPECTED
We do our best to give patients a great medical experience, but sometimes the unexpected occurs. Hiding the flaw, disavowing it, or trying to put the blame somewhere else probably isn’t the best solution. Being up front with patients, letting them know that something unexpected happened, and giving them a plan for what we will do to address it may be a better policy.
Steven R. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D.
Chief Medical Editor
