Toyota Recall Sparks Thoughts on Automotive Quality

This week’s news about Toyota really got me thinking….  I posted longer notes on the official Jim Ellis blog, and I’d like to encourage you to read them.

The first one is about Toyota, and the way consumers perceive them to be quality leaders, even though they really aren’t better or worse than any of the other Automotive manufacturers. 

Then, I realized I should explain more about the JD Power Quality scores, and how little difference there is between one score and the next.

Finally, this morning, I created a list of things you might want to consider the next time you buy a car - beyond questions of quality, or perceptions of quality.

Thanks for reading my blog.  I hope you find these articles useful.

Do you have any questions about the Automotive industry that you’d like to have answered? I don’t know everything, but I can do my best!

Jim Ellis Auto Blog Moves

This is just a quick note and a little explanation.  We have officially changed the location of the Jim Ellis Automotive blog to be housed on our domain at www.jimellis.com .  For RSS feeds, links, and additional contact information, check out the official blog site!

The main reason why we’ve made this switch is so that our customers can find more information about our stores more quickly and easily from the blog.  We also want to ensure brand continuity from the blog to the rest of the website, and this is the best way to make that happen.

I apologize for any confusion, and will continue to post excerpts and updates of our blog posts here for anyone who follows this location.

Happy Holidays from Jim Ellis

As we get ready to have company-wide holidays tomorrow and Friday to spend the Christmas holiday with our families, we wanted to send a note out to everyone to wish you a happy and safe holiday!

Jim Ellis Saab Will Still Be Here for Atlanta Drivers

Today, we received the sad news that GM will officially wind down the Saab brand.  With this final acknowledgement, we will follow the wind-down process as it was outlined by GM.

Our official position statement has been published on the Saab Atlanta website, but before our Saab customers grow concerned, I wanted to send out another message to let you know that Jim Ellis will continue sell new Saabs until they are gone, and pre-owned Saabs for some time to come. 

We will also continue to honor warranties and to provide the excellent service to Atlanta’s Saab drivers.  Our customers’ favorite Saab-certified technicians will still be on staff, ready to assist.

In short, we will still be here. 

As a company, Jim Ellis is looking at replacing brands and restructuring operations to ensure that we have continuity throughout the wind-down period.  We do not plan on laying off any of our valuable employees.

Jim Ellis Embraces the Web to Better Reach Customers

We here at Jim Ellis strive to reach our customers where they are – whether that means testing out new internet innovations like eBay promotions,  or ensuring that all of our websites are able to be accessed via mobile phone.

As I’ve mentioned before, I’m accessible directly via Twitter, and I try to keep an eye out for customer comments there.  Most of the Jim Ellis stores are on Facebook, as well, and our customer service reads the reviews on sites like Kudzu and Yelp, and tries to get to the bottom of any issues that may have left our customers dissatisfied, or commend any employees mentioned directly in our customer’s posts.

So, our latest press release about our online activities shouldn’t come as a surprise to many of you. Heck, this blog is an example of that! 

We have taken a close look at the competition in the Atlanta area, and some of them are offering a few of the ways we provide for our customers to get in touch with us, but none of them are offering all of those avenues to speak and be heard, to ask questions and get honest answers.

From instant messaging when our sales, service and parts employees are online, to a real live person to answer the phone when you call, Jim Ellis believes in treating everyone with the individual attention and respect they deserve.

Jim Ellis Announces Winner of GA Tech Championship Tickets!

We’re excited to announce that the winner of the tickets to watch GA Tech play in the ACC championship game in Tampa, Florida this weekend is Ms. Michele Brock, of Dahlonega, GA!

Ms. Brock and her guest will be at the game to watch the Yellow Jackets take on the Clemson Tigers and cheer the team on at 8 PM on Saturday December 5th.

For those of us sticking around Atlanta, the game will be televised on ESPN.

Aggressive Driving In Atlanta

Did you know that Atlanta commuters spend more time in their cars going to and from work than people in any other city?  It’s a fact. 

Aggressive driving does more than stress you out, it also adds wear and tear to your automobile – reducing gas mileage and increasing maintenance costs – and it can cause your insurance rates to increase.

Click here to read more about the findings from a 2009 study by TomTom.

Jim Ellis Saab dealerships chosen to be part of Saab Cars North America

Today, Automotive News reported that Koenigsegg, the Swedish sports car makers and the buyers of Saab, have cut 81 Saab dealership locations in their US markets. 

I just wanted to send a notice to all of our Saab customers that they needn’t be concerned about their local service, parts and sales locations, as both Jim Ellis Saab Atlanta and Jim Ellis Saab Marietta have already been selected to be a part of the new Saab Cars of North America.

Customer Experience: Purchasing an Audi A4

Today’s blog post is written by Alana Edmunds, “Chief Blogging Officer” at a Fortune 5 company. She wanted to share with everyone her experience of car shopping, and ultimately car purchasing. I follow her on Twitter at @amedmunds.

At 22, I bought my first car. To some, that’s early- others may think it’s late.

But in almost every case, it’s a purchase that involves a lot of work: reading magazines and blogs, checking competitor’s prices, dealership reviews, asking friends, and of course, visiting dealerships.

My story starts with the internet (no shock there, I’m techy), where I was led to a few websites advertising certified-pre-owned Audis in the greater Atlanta area. Interested, the information on the sites led me to a particular dealership, where my experience was nothing to blog about (seriously).

My time at the first dealership led me to call Jim Ellis Audi while I was still sitting in the parking lot of the competitor. I explained my situation to the salesman who answered — what I was looking for, how I was being treated at the competitor, and that I was looking for someone to give me the “real deal” – because I believe buying a car should be a fun experience!

So I drove to Jim Ellis, and even though I wasn’t buying the R8 (but let’s be honest I would take it if they offered – hint, hint ) I had a great experience, leading me to purchase a 2007 Certified Pre-Owned Audi A4 (I’ve since named her Amelia.)

Looking back one year ago, my experiences at the two dealerships were worlds apart, similar to the way my life is structured at the moment. I’m in a leadership program where I move every six months – usually across the country.

Moving to a new state forces one to re-establish — new dentist, new hair stylist, and of course, a new place to go for car service. Although I am no longer located in Atlanta, I have called Jim Ellis’ service department in the past when I was unsure if another dealership was giving me a fair price on service.

I’m glad Alana was able to get the real deal at Jim Ellis Audi Atlanta, and that she knows she can rely on our expertise and customer service no matter where she moves to next with her work!

Jim Ellis SEC and ACC Championship Ticket Giveaways!

SEC update!

The winner of the Jim Ellis contest to see the Georgia Bulldogs take on the Florida Gators on Halloween is Mr. Joseph Robertson of Conyers, GA. He is excited to take his son DJ to the game!

 

 

ACC update!

It’s not too late to enter for tickets to see GA Tech in the ACC Championships!  Click here on RamblingWreck.com  to enter! 

 

 

Oh, and speaking of the Dawgs and the Yellow Jackets… have you heard about their game on November 28, 2009 to benefit HERO for Children?  Yeah?  Have you heard that Georgia’s Chevrolet dealers are giving away a Camaro? (Click here for more info about that!)