There isn’t a service advisor alive that hasn’t heard, “Why can’t I have a loaner car?” It’s many a customer’s perspective that they shouldn’t be inconvenienced and left without a car while they’re vehicle is in the shop. Sometimes it comes for a simple maintenance visit that will take an hour or two. Other times it’s for a warranty repair that may take a week or so but doesn’t qualify for a rental or loaner.

As soon as you hear the customer’s complaint about a lack of transportation, you can kiss the perfect survey score goodbye. According to the 2018 Cox Automotive Service Industry Study, 1 in 10 customer complaints are categorized as “Did Not Provide a Loaner Vehicle”. What seems like an impossible challenge to eliminate is just that: impossible. However, you can cut the complaint in half – maybe even halve it again – with a little understanding and a couple strategies.

What Drives the Loaner Car Question

Knowing what position your customer is coming from will help you steer the conversation about a loaner. Is the customer:

1. 1. Feeling like their car will take longer than expected in the shop?
2. 2. Under the impression they’re entitled to a loaner no matter the length of the service visit?
3. 3. Feeling they’re owed a loaner due to the size of their estimate?
4. 4. Unaware of the other transportation options available to them?

There may be other assumptions in a customer’s mind about why they should get a loaner car for their visit, but these are four common ones, in my opinion. A thread you’ll find in each one is a lack of communication.

In each of the four points, talking with the customer should help discover their motives and shape your response.

If the Customer’s Thinks It’s Taking Too Long

When the customer is pacing around, waiting for their car to finish, or they’ve been impatiently waiting by the phone for hours to hear that their car is done, it might already be too late to correct the concern. The service advisor (presumably) has either incorrectly estimated the completion time or hasn’t communicated it well to the customer.

At this point, an apology is the best solution, even if everything went according to the service advisor’s expected timeline. The customer felt it took longer than expected, and that’s what the metric is. Perhaps make a note for the next visit to be clearer about time frames.

Entitled to a Loaner Every Time

It might be the amount of money they spent on their car or a misunderstood phrase from their salesperson during the sale. Or, it could be a family member’s advice to demand a loaner car. If there’s a customer that demands a loaner car with every visit, regardless of the length, it’s a tough spot. You’ll have to handle it delicately no matter what.

Perhaps a conversation as you go through the warranty manual and criteria for a loaner car is helpful. Or asking, “Do you mind telling me where you got this information? I’d be happy to do it if you can point me to your source.” Showing generosity with a one-time courtesy loaner may be the ticket while clearly explaining that it’s only available once outside of the correct circumstances.

They’re Paying a Big Bill

Unless the repair is going to take more than a few days, I’ve always found that it’s a worthy investment for service to cover a paying customer’s base rental charges. That’s assuming the repair is a significant amount like $800 or higher, and with significant gross to cover it and then some. It doesn’t pay to be cheap with paying customers. They won’t come back to buy their next vehicle if the service department doesn’t appear to appreciate their business.

They Don’t Know All the Options

I’ve had customers who took a rental that were surprised and annoyed I didn’t offer them a shuttle ride instead. Sometimes, the hassle of filling out the rental paperwork, paying the rental insurance, and being super careful not to get a ding or a scratch is more trouble than it’s worth to some. When a customer asks for a rental, gently ask, “Would a shuttle ride do, or can I call you an Uber? Or do you need a replacement car to drive?”

The wrong answer when someone asks if they can have a loaner car is, “Sorry, no.” In all circumstances, clarifying questions will help determine the source of the question to help direct you to the best solution.