Opinion ID: 2343096
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Customer Satisfaction

Text: Finally, the Commission concluded that Ford unreasonably relied on one key question in determining that Crain failed to meet its customer-satisfaction criteria. The key question identified by Ford in its turn-down letter was from an ownership survey. According to the Commission's findings, Ford no longer even reports ownership data to its dealers because, it is not a significant factor in evaluating a dealer's performance. The Commission also relied on evidence that Crain is Blue Oval certified in concluding that Ford's turn down was unreasonable. The evidence presented to the Commission demonstrated that Blue Oval certification was provided to those dealers who achieved certain customer-satisfaction goals. Once again, however, the Commission agreed with Crain that with regard to customer satisfaction, the Benton dealership was being compared to the wrong group of dealers. In other words, the Commission again substituted its own opinion that Crain should have been treated as a multi-point dealer with regard to customer satisfaction. As we previously stated, the Commission abused its discretion in treating Crain as a multi-point dealer when the evidence established that Crain's contract with Ford classified the dealership as a single-point dealer and that Ford consistently analyzed it as such. Accordingly, the Commission's ruling that Crain satisfied the customer-satisfaction criteria was arbitrary and capricious. In sum, the Commission's conclusions that Crain satisfied the three criteria found to be deficient by Ford were not supported by substantial evidence and lacked a rational basis. Accordingly, the Commission's decision that Ford violated section 23-112-403(a)(2)(I) was arbitrary and capricious and is, therefore, reversed.