I am tickled pink by the incredibly green mileage of my new blue Prius, but red with anger over the yellow highlighted “Excellent” ratings on the sample customer satisfaction survey handed to me by the salesman as I drove off. “If I get less then 90%, Toyota will throw me under the bus,” he said.

Toyota wants feedback that the salesman fears and, as a result, the customer suffers.If the salesman does a lousy job, you have three choices:

1. Tell the truth and constantly wonder about the bus
2. Avoid email and phone calls asking for feedback
3. Lie

That is an ugly choice. Furthermore, it invalidates all the data they are collecting. And I do mean all. I heard the same line when I last bought a Toyota ten years ago. The sickening memory came back to me as soon as I heard it again.

How do you prevent such lunacy?

• When determining any course of action, think about what could go wrong so you can avoid bad decisions and take preventive action.
• Follow up, especially on any action as important as this, to see if it is really working.
• Talk to your customers in multiple ways so you are sure to get the whole story.
• Shop your own shop – anonymously, of course – to get a first hand look at the customer experience.