The conversation was sparked by two things: 

1. The GM commercials that promise to pay your payments up to a certain amount for a certain period of time until you find a new job. 

2. The fact that we are planning two car purchases in the next couple years. 

My comments to the GM commercials were something in the neighborhood of "With all the money we [the American people] have given and are giving them, I wouldn't buy a car from them until all this bailout crap dies down. And I don't think many people would." 

I haven't been happy with American cars for years. I was a Chevy guy until I bought my 1995 Chevrolet Blazer. I ordered it from a dealership here in Charlotte. It was plagued with problems since the day I picked it up and the dealerships attempts at fixing those problems were sub-par at best. My next car was a 2002 Nissan Xterra. I loved the Nissan brand, I loved the Xterra and what it stood for although I am not really the mountain biking, snowbarding kinda guy. I still love it and it has been an exceptional vehicle.

Here's the problem, my Nissan lives up to its brand (promise), the dealerships do not. At all. 

Kim loves her Honda. She has her car serviced at the Honda dealership where she purchased the car and will rarely take it elsewhere. She arrives at a clean dealership, clean service bay and friendly service people every time she goes there to have something done. If she sits in the waiting area too long, the new car salesman, the same salesman that sold her her car, asks if she needs to borrow a car for the day. More often than not she doesn't, her service is finished on time and she is off about her day. I recognize the fact that it is a sales tactic to get you into a new car to get you to want a new car but still. It shows that someone is thinking about a customer. 

The service personnel take care of her car, usually suggest some things she needs to take care of soon, but what decent service department doesn't? She feels okay with the price she pays, doesn't feel she is over charged although you KNOW there are some upsells in there each time. She is okay with it because of how she is treated. Key points are clean, friendly and they care. 

The employees of that dealership are DELIVERING what the brand promises. Quality. From the guy that checks her in to the guy that changes the oil, they all deliver the brand promise.

I however, pull into a dirty and dark service bay filled with service managers that would rather pretend they are paying attention to their computer screens than come over and even remotely act like they are interested in helping you. After my car has been tagged and taken away I am shown to the waiting bay. Jail cells are more inviting. There is no contact from anyone at the dealership while are you locked away in this miserable excuse for a waiting room. I am usually found by a service person during the period and informed of additional items that "should be addressed immediately." I usually decline due to the fact that I have the knowledge and practice to maintain my own vehicle but do not have the time. That is why myself and many people trust the dealership. More often than not, these items do not need to be replaced but I am made to feel that I am ignorant in the matter and that if they are not fixed right now, something terrible will happen. There is no concept of the fact that maybe times are tough and that money is tight. There is no prioritizing of the repairs. I have returned to the same dealership, dealt with the same service person and each time the list is different with no mention of the items that were in such bad shape previously. You would think that the problems wouldn't just go away, they would add to each other. 

I leave my Nissan dealership feeling dirty and used. Now you could argue that dirty was part of the Xterra brand, but I don't buy it as part of the Nissan brand. I have since found a small little place to handle my vehicle service needs.

All my rambling leads me to this: When you buy a car, you aren't only buying a piece of machinery, you are buying into that brand. That brand extends from the CEO all the way down to the guy that sweeps the floor at the smallest dealership in the smallest town. If those people, the REAL stewards of the brand you bought into, aren't delivering on that brand, you aren't really getting what you paid for in a sense. You buy into a level of commitment, a level of quality and in some cases, a lifestyle, but usually all of the above and more. This is what sets brands apart.

Your brand is an all-encompassing aspect of your company. It surrounds everything and is a part of everything related to your company. 

Who is delivering your brand? Are they delivering what your brand promises?