J.D. Power to assess makers in the country
Valor Econômico 07/23/10
The American consulting firm J.D. Power - best known for its surveys on quality and consumer satisfaction with car consumers - has just landed in Brazil. The company installed its 18th office in the world in São Paulo - and the first in South America - to develop a series of surveys intended to analyze the opinion of the Brazilians on products and services of several sectors of the economy. The first studies will involve the car and telecommunications markets, but the idea is to bring, in the future, the other surveys conducted by the company in other parts of the world, particularly in the areas of financial services, tourism, technology and insurances.Already in October, there is the plan for the announcement of a study on the quality of the Brazilian cars (2010 and 2011 models) in order to identify the characteristics of the cars that please and displease owners the most after a period of 90 to 120 days of use. By the end of the year, the results of a national survey on the evaluation of users of wireless telecommunications services, which often appear on lists of complaints registered in the Procon, body that protects the interests of consumers, should be released. The purpose is to cover, in phone interviews, wireless performance, customer service and the satisfaction with the experience of purchasing such services.
Next, J.D. Power foresees launching next year its first study in the country related to the satisfaction of car owners after a period of 1 to 2 years of use. The survey includes rankings with the performance of several brands, based on questions on quality and performance of the car, besides the evaluation of after-sales services and ownership costs. The reasons that have led the arrival of consulting firm to Brazil are well known: the growth and size of the economy of the country, along with the tendency of new records in the car market, which is the specialty of the group. The group intends to sell to reports to companies related to the object of study. The exception will the balance on the Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study - known as VOSS, in which part of the content will be open to the public.
In that aspect, Finbarr O'Neill, Global President of the Company, says some makers have shown reluctance, since the survey brings the highest level of transparency to the sector. According to him, J.D. Power found the same resistance when it started the studies more than 40 years in the United States, where the industry took "several years" to recognize the possibility of improving the quality of the products with the data obtained in the surveys. O'Neill guarantees the major brands of cars will be evaluated in the studies.