Customer surveys, are they really credible?

I just went through the car buying experience for about the twentieth time. In all candor the salesperson, the sales manager and business manager were efficient and very respectful of my time. I set the parameters immediately for the car and the price immediately and they worked creatively to make the deal. After the deal was signed the salesmen asked if I would log onto Edmonds.com and post a review of him and the dealership. When I was about to leave the sales manager requested that when I received a survey from the manufacturer that I respond with all 10’s. If for some reason there was a question didn’t deserve a 10 that I call him to resolve the issue before completing the survey.

I get weekly surveys from my bank of about 20 questions concerning their service. The clerks at the bank always ask me to please respond to the surveys with “Very satisfied”. I also get periodic surveys from Panera Bread and the manager always asks that I respond favorably since it reflects on him. The bottom line is this is another good concept that has gotten devalued. There may be some constructive aspect of these surveys but in reality it’s all about how these companies get portrayed by the “Satisfaction Surveys”, J D Powers etc. So when you look at a company’s satisfaction rating be suspicious.