Two Ohio Rick Case Honda's Recieve Certified Retailer Distinction
4 June 1998
Rick Case Honda in Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, Receive J.D. Power and Associates Certified Retailer Distinction
AGOURA HILLS, Calif., June 4 -- Rick Case Honda-Cleveland,
and Rick Case Honda-Akron, both located in Ohio, have been awarded Certified
Retailer status by J.D. Power and Associates. This distinction was received
after the dealerships successfully completed a rigorous certification process.
"This is an extremely important distinction for our dealership," said Rick
Case. "We have been Ohio's largest volume Honda dealer for 26 consecutive
years, and the first Honda dealership in the nation, as well as the only
dealer for any manufacturer in the Midwest, to receive this award. That's
quite an honor," added Mr. Case.
Rick Case's Certified Retailer status was acknowledged after J.D. Power
and Associates surveyed Case's customers in order to ensure that their
commitment to providing high levels of satisfaction with the new-car purchase
experience was being met. As an independent third party, J.D. Power and
Associates conducts a random sampling of a dealership's recent new-car buyers.
Upon successfully meeting stringent benchmark qualifying criteria, the
dealership is awarded the Certified Retailer designation for one year.
Throughout that year, the qualifying dealership will be monitored by J.D.
Power and Associates to ensure that those levels are maintained.
"The concept for our program has been in design and development for nearly
a decade. However, now with all the whirlwind changes in the automobile
retail environment, dealers more than ever need a means to differentiate
themselves in the marketplace," said J. D. Power III, founder and chairman of
J.D. Power and Associates.
According to project director Linda Hirneise, a partner at J.D. Power and
Associates, certification programs already exist to evaluate the quality of
products, but there are no credible independent programs to measure the car
shopping experience. "This program is the first to certify dealers who have
reached and -- will maintain -- top levels of customer handling during the
new-vehicle buying experience," said Hirneise.
While certification consideration is open to all dealers, Hirneise
emphasizes, it is expected that the best of the best will most likely be fewer
than 5% of all new-car and-truck dealerships.
"As expressed by their current customers, Rick Case and his entire
dealership group are to be commended for their tireless commitment to
satisfying their new-vehicle customers -- they truly are a cut above the
rest," said Hirneise.
"At Rick Case Acura and Honda dealerships, we are committed to total
customer satisfaction," said Case. "Our associates share a commitment to
treat each and every customer as we would our best friend. That's the
cornerstone upon which our sales records have been set, and it's a philosophy
we are extremely proud of. We believe the J.D. Power and Associates
certification shows that we've been meeting that goal. This is the highest
honor we could receive and will set us apart in today's competitive
marketplace."
J.D. Power III will present the Certified Retailer Award personally during
a June 16 press conference to be held at the Cleveland Honda dealership at
1 p.m. Eastern and at the Akron Honda dealerships at 4 p.m. Eastern. In
addition to Rick Case Honda-Cleveland and Rick Case Honda-Akron, Rick Case
Acura, the world's largest Acura dealer, which is located in Ft. Lauderdale,
FL, also earned the Certified Retailer Award and is the only such certified
Acura dealer in the nation. A separate award ceremony will be held for this
dealership.
J.D. Power and Associates is an international firm best known for its
marketing information services in key business sectors including market
research, forecasting and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and
satisfaction measurements are based on actual customer responses from over one
million consumers annually. With its headquarters in Agoura Hills,
California, the firm also has U.S. offices in Torrance, California; Michigan;
and Connecticut. Its international locations include Japan, Korea, England,
Canada and Brazil.
J.D. Power and Associates can be accessed through the World Wide Web at
http://www.jdpower.com. Media email contact: john.pepitone@jdpower.com.
This press release is provided for editorial use only. No advertising or
other promotional use can be made of the information in this release or J.D.
Power and Associates survey results without the express prior written consent
of J.D. Power and Associates.