J D Power And Associates

Regarding Bill Plaschke's article on lines at Dodger Stadium [Aug. 3], I feel that it is important for The Times and Dodger fans to be informed of the Dodger organization's efforts regarding customer service and fan experience/satisfaction. J.D. Power and Associates began working with the Dodgers to collect fan input in 1997. Data collected so far this season (through June 23) actually show fan satisfaction scores improving against the last three seasons in virtually all areas of Dodger fan in-stadium experience.

Airport ratings: A Jan. 20 article in Section A about the Disney Institute's program to help businesses improve service said Miami International Airport received the lowest customer satisfaction rating in the 2007 J.D. Power and Associates analysis of 61 airports in North America. In fact, 16 other airports in the large-airport category scored in "the rest," the lowest of four assessment levels. The three higher ratings are "among the best," "better than most" and "about average."

Porsche and other high-end auto brands performed best in the annual J.D. Power and Associates study of satisfaction after 90 days of ownership, but domestic companies showed improvement, according to results released Wednesday. The German automaker topped Power's 11th annual survey that measures performance, interior layout and customer satisfaction with cars three months after they were driven off the dealers' lot. Ford Motor Co.'

Whatever happened to the days of paying cash for a car?  Almost a third of car buyers are now taking out 72-month - that's six years - loans to purchase their vehicles. The typical car purchase in which the buyer takes out a loan hit $28,504 so far this month, up about 3% from March of last year, according to market research firm J.D. Power and Associates.  A record 32% of those transactions involved 72-month loans, up from 30% a year ago. “While longer loan terms have traditionally been a cause for concern to the industry due to the risk of purchase cycle extension, it is not necessarily as daunting as it may seem.” said John Humphrey, senior vice president of the global automotive practice at J.D. Power and Associates.

Auto dealer satisfaction with the car makers whose brands they sell reached a four-year low in 1989, with domestic nameplates once again trailing Asian and European ones, J. D. Power and Associates said today. However, the California marketing information firm said the drop in its Dealer Satisfaction Index is not unusual, given the glut of unsold vehicles that has depressed dealer profits.

J.D. Power and Associates and Metzler & Associates have formed an alliance to conduct the energy utility industry's first independently funded customer satisfaction survey. The initial survey, scheduled to be released in the summer, will measure residential consumers' satisfaction with the 100 largest electric utilities in the United States--companies that serve 90% of all residential customers. Agoura Hills-based J.D.

With the public relations image of American auto manufacturing at an all-time low, results from J.D. Power and Associates' 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study, which reports Jaguar and Buick in the top two spots -- unseating Lexus for the first time in 14 years -- seem almost counterintuitive. Other notable statistics in the study, culled from surveys of 46,000 original owners of 2006 model-year vehicles: Four of the top 10 most dependable car brands are American brands -- Buick, Mercury, Lincoln and Cadillac.