Holden extends capped-price servicing scheme

HOLDEN has extended its capped-price servicing program to cover every vehicle the car-maker has ever built, stretching to 2.5 million cars and light-commercials across the country.

The American-owned car-maker effectively re-launched its capped-price servicing scheme under its Professional Care aftersales banner in August last year.

It introduced the scheme in April 2012, but the service period was for the first three years or 60,000km of ownership, whichever came first.

Describing the Lifetime Capped Price Servicing program as the “largest of its kind in Australia”, Holden said in a statement that it would cover every Holden ever produced, dating back to the first model to wear the Lion badge – the 48-215 from 1948 – to the current crop of new models that includes the VF Commodore.

The scheme officially kicks off on March 1, and was designed to ensure Holden customers are aware of the maximum price they should be paying to have their car or light-commercial vehicle serviced by their dealer.

A calculator on the Holden website identifies the maximum amount a customer will pay for any service, by model, and Holden says the first seven services for all eligible new models will be subsidised.

The announcement came just days after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) sent a warning to all car-makers that it was reviewing capped-price service offers across the industry, following an investigation into misleading and deceptive practices in relation to Kia’s scheme.

GM Holden executive director of aftersales Michael Filazzola said the scheme highlighted the local car-maker's commitment to transparency and to improving the services offered to its customers.

“Our all-encompassing Lifetime Capped Price Servicing program is an incredible program and demonstrates yet again our commitment to our customers,” he said.

“Holden owners from as far back as 1948 can enjoy total peace of mind and service price transparency.

“This is the biggest CPS program in Australia and underlines Holden’s ongoing commitment to world-class customer service and outstanding value. Our lifetime CPS means that once customers buy a Holden, of any age, new or used, we have them covered.”General Motors' Australian subsidiary launched its refreshed aftersales program, Professional Care, in August last year in a bid to improve servicing options and increase its standing in the annual JD Power Customer Service Index study that ranks customer satisfaction of aftersales service by brand.

Just two years ago in 2013 Holden fared poorly in the index, ranking second last out of the mainstream brands, ranking just in front of last-placed Volkswagen and some 30 points below the industry average.

The measures the car-maker has undertaken to improve customer satisfaction must be having an impact, with Holden increasing its ranking to sit above the industry average in fourth place in last year's CSI rankings.

The improvement to customer satisfaction followed former Holden chairman and managing director Gerry Dorizas' commitment in late 2013 to boost its standing in the JD Power CSI rankings, a key factor in the company's plan to take market leadership before the end of the decade.

A number of other car-makers offer a lifetime capped-price servicing program in Australia, including Subaru, Mazda, Hyundai and most recently, Ford, but none date as far back as Holden's plan.

Ford's program includes vehicles dating back to 2007, Subaru's reaches back to 2006, Mazda's range-wide scheme started from July last year, while Hyundai's dates back to when the company kicked off its local operation in 1986.