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Old 08-11-2006, 04:31 PM   #21
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I just had a ruff deal with our local chevy dealer over a 06 1/2 ton pickup been back and forth to the dealer for the past three month cancelled deal refininced fired salesman you name it they have said it to top that I was pulled over by the police in jackson ms. on my way to purchase my a/s in mo. and they said the tag was not reg. to this vehicle that the dealer handeled all the paper work on some 4 months ago. I am kinda stuck with the truck and I like it but i will seek service somewhere else than my local dealer..
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Old 08-11-2006, 06:28 PM   #22
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Go to the Top...

After a totally screwed up service visit at the dealership, the best reply the service writer could come up with, was " sorry about that ". It was the last thing I wanted to hear. I went home and filled out a customer survey card that came from the manufacturer, recounting the problem and mailed it off to Chrysler/Dodge. Eight days later the service manager called about the negative responses to Dodge. Extremely apologetic, he told me whenever I was ready,to call by 9:00 pm closing time to re-schedule for the following day and that he would have a new loaner car free of charge untill my truck was fixed right . He told me later that the last thing they want, is to hear from the Factory about negative customer service.

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Old 08-11-2006, 07:55 PM   #23
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OK guys, just got home - seems like I spent the whole day there.

Bottomline: We came home with the truck.

We wrote a check for $424 to make it happen, but it did get the bed Line-X sprayed somewhere in that, and I don't have to do this again for a very long time...

I went in assuming the deal was dead and asking for documentation that they had killed it. Sales manager insisted that he would not give me anything in writing. I pointed out to him the many ways I felt they had wronged me including the fact that he had lied to me the previous night about his losses - he said $2K, but I showed him math that proved only $400. He then went on a tangent about the how his people had offered me too much for my trade-in, but offered to sell it to me if I made up the loss.

Did I point out that by the time we got there he had already heard from Chevy Corp and the Automotive Group that owns his dealership about my complaint and was trying to explain his actions to both?

I have to leave town for a while next week and didn't want to spend the weekend looking for another, so I compromised -- wife took some convincing, as she was hot.

In the end, I paid more than what was quoted for the bedliner ($424 v $360), but far less than what the Sales Manager wanted to renegotiate for. I'm not exactly sure *what* happened between agreeing to buy the truck a second time and signing the final papers. I suspect it was a phone call to the Sales Manager from the owner of his Automotive Group.

But hey, it's my birthday, so maybe it was just Karma.
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Old 08-11-2006, 08:05 PM   #24
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Well Done!

Congrats on getting the truck and hanging tough... If it came down to an extra $64 that is an annoyance, but less than you'd likely spend unwinding that one and starting over...

Could well be that original deal over-valued trade-in, as night deals sometimes use blue-book rates which don't hold up when used car buyer/auction reps actually see your vehicle in light of day.. That is one reason to trade car with issues in on new one, rather than try to sell yourself.

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Old 08-11-2006, 08:11 PM   #25
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Is It Really Worth the Aggravation?

I guess having owned my own business for the last twelve years, I can't see doing much else other than walking away and maybe filing a complaint with the manufacturer. I would certainly write a letter to the owner of the dealership, as he/she ought to be aware of the transaction and why the deal fell through.

While I'm sure there are a lot of bait and switch games going on with dealers, they're selling mostly to buyers who don't have the money to begin with (it's at the bank) which to me seems to neutralize most of the perceived bargaining power of the buyer to negotiate a great deal anyway. Every consumer must feel like they "stole it" or they end up feeling cheated and go down the steet to the competition.

The older I become, the more I look to quality and service over price. While sometimes I may pay a little more than I should, I also find that it is worse to pay too little and be stuck with an inferior product and/or service. As a business owner, I have less and less patience with those who would prefer I operate at little or no profit, as long as they get "theirs". I have built my business on superior quality and service with loyal, repeat customers who'd like to see me in business next week, not the "buy one, get one free" crowd.

Would you really want to go back for service with this dealer? Or buy your next vehicle from them?

It is possible (and probable in my view) that the salesman screwed up and you're rightfully disappointed. A decent business person would find a way to make it right with you. If not, walk on.

As a consumer in a free country, you have the power to walk away.

As a veteran myself, I don't think most dealers target veterans, other than those next to the tattoo parlors and strip clubs frequented by the E-1 to E-4 variety.

***I guess the news of the deal came through as I was composing this note. Congrats on your deal!***
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Old 08-11-2006, 08:39 PM   #26
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Bad Dealer

I would go elsewhere regardless. You already negotiated; it's time to walk. There must be 20 Chevrolet dealers in the Atlanta area. You can view all of the dealers' Duramax stock from the from the Chevrolet Website and call them a final price. Tell them it's a single offer deal. They WILL offer their best price.
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Old 08-11-2006, 08:40 PM   #27
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PS; give us the name of the dealership.
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Old 08-11-2006, 08:49 PM   #28
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While looking to replace the '92 1500 4X4 that my son rolled (was to be his graduation present), I decided to check out the local Ford dealership. I'm a Chevy man but testdrove a used '00 F250 PSD and a new '01 F250 with V-10. Performance of both left much to be desired. While talking with a saleswoman in her office I heard yelling in the office next to me. A couple had signed a deal and the salesman was now backing out on it. They had their say, the owner came into the office asking how he could make it right and the couple said they wouldn't buy a vehicle from a dealership with that type of underhanded tactics. They left. I don't know if the owner ever called them back to give them the original deal again or what. Needless to say, I left and wouldn't buy a vehicle from that dealer.
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Old 08-11-2006, 09:32 PM   #29
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I think I've hit a hot button here! A couple of points: We went into this targeting the TVM for the vehicle from Edmunds.com, to which the final outcome was very close. I did not feel the need to suck every last dime out of the deal - I understand they have to make a living too.

That said, I think there is probably a reason that car salesmen have ranked dead last in professional trust polls since they began recording them in the 70's. I am fairly confident that (regardless of the sales manager's insistance otherwise) they still made money off me and that's fine, it's why they are in business.

I don't like being lied to; I caught them lying to me more than once, but even worse -- breaking the deal. My word is my bond and if I shake your hand and look you in the eye... but if you throw away your honor you have nothing and I can no longer trust you, all bets are off -- nuf said!
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Old 08-11-2006, 09:42 PM   #30
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an honest deal.........

hi asta2....

hated reading this tale.
happend a time or 2 when i was young.
most car deals now done on line and no problems since the gray hair started.....
i hope your truck is just how ya wanted it.....
while i might have complained up the corporate ladder....
i would have never stepped back inside or given them 64cents....much less dollars.

here is a true story....
after shopping airstream dealers and driving to visit them...
i decided what to order....in 2005.

well known midwestern dealer did the old-style-car-sales-crap
when pricing the deal...several layers of managers....
finally lots of math columns, then a price...'good for 2 days'
was written on the sheet of paper...

drove home feeling uneasy with the whole show...
just didn't feel honest or respectful...
price was just average...
but they spent a lot of my time there,
bashing other dealers instead of focusing on me...

called the other dealer i had visited.
newer place but they were just so pleasant...
felt like family or old friends...
i liked visiting with them. nothing negative said toward other shops...
all their focus was on me...

wrote up the order on the phone. agreed to a price.
which was better than i'd been quoted anywhere else....
credit card for deposit on the order....
which would be placed with the factory that afternoon.

4 hours later, just after the order went in...
the factory faxed a price increase to all the dealerships...
approx 8,500$ on the unit i ordered.

i knew this because the dealer i did not order from
called me to say the deal was off...price was up.

the dealer i did order from never said a word.
i called several times during the incubation period...not a word.
toured factory while it was built...

dealer called when my trailer was ready...i went to get it.

paper work all in order. hensley installed no charge.
lots of little freebies with the trailer. no hidden charges or dealer fees..
deal completed.

i asked the salesman...
"wasn't there a price increase the day i place my order?"

he smiled and said "yes"

i asked "why didn't you mention it? i expected my price to change?"

"well" he said...
"we had a deal. my word matters."
"some day you will buy another one or send friends here."
"had i backed out of the deal...nothing good would have happened."
"i did ask the factory to cut me some slack on your order...but they wouldn't"
"i hope you enjoy the trailer."

i was floored.
an honest man to the point of losing money on my order, i suspect.
but he was right...i will go back,
i do send folks his way...
and i know they will get an honest deal too....

and their service/repair guy is just as honest...

cheers
2air'
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Old 08-11-2006, 11:16 PM   #31
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....and WHO are they?????

It's nice to hear that honest people still exist in the RV arena. Who are these people and where is this dealership?

My business model is a simple one: make appointments, show up on time, do the work professionally, charge a fair price, and ALWAYS be honest with the customer.

I guess that it is such a rarity these days that I'm swamped with repair work 'in season' in FL. I wish I had 5 more techs to put to work, but as the saying goes....good people are impossible to find!
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Old 08-11-2006, 11:47 PM   #32
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2air .... share. who was it?
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Old 08-12-2006, 05:18 AM   #33
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2air, very nice! If we were looking for new instead of vinage, I'd buy from that dealer based off your story alone.
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Old 08-12-2006, 07:07 AM   #34
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Well sorry you won't name the store. Others should be forewarned as there is no reason to hide the name.
Anyway, let me say that the car biz has not changed over the years despite all their touting of customer service, and sales professionalism.
In most markets the sales people are paid mostly bonuses on volume sold, and little on the actual profit from the car. The sales managers are paid on all the profits from the cars sold, which so much is protected from commission payment by dealer shuffling of the profit centers. So they struggle for every $50 minimum commission they make.You have to sell a lot of cars to make a paycheck out of that.
In any case these guys are usually short term employees who leave for greener fields at the drop of a hat, or are run off by the way their operations are run. Even Saturn with all their non negotiating and such, have succumbed to discounting, negotiating, and playing games with trade in value.
It is truly hard, though not impossible to find a quality dealer with dedicated employees who value their customer relations. Unfortunately the one you dealt with was not that.
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Old 08-12-2006, 08:55 AM   #35
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If someone is looking for a vehicle in the Atlanta metro area they can PM me and I will share more info, I don't feel right about outing the place I just bought a truck from in a public forum.

I will also say that I know the sales manager had to answer to the customer service representatives from both the Chevy and the Corp that owns the dealership. Also the owner was out of town this week, and I'm confident it will be something he has to address with them upon his return.
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Old 08-14-2006, 10:07 AM   #36
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I'm glad that things worked out for you to get the truck you wanted at a reasonably close price to what you had negotiated. I wouldn't have hesitated over $64 either, but it is a PIA that the sales manager held out for such a paltry amount.

I really hate the whole new car buying process and have really taken to being the informed consumer and having as much control over the process as possible. I finance through my credit union and don't trade in so there is only one thing the dealer/salesman controls...the final price. There is no place to play tricks with profit in the financing and hidden profit in the trade in so I know what the dealer paid for the car from research and how much I'm willing to allow him to make in profit. I research the hold back and year end incentives (I don't buy at the year end, though) and other rebates so I know generally what the profit is and decide my price with options and bottom line is that is what I'll pay. The last four new automobiles I have bought were bought that way and the process was way less stressfull and I felt way more comfortable with the deals. All of this information is widely available on the internet.

Glad to see you used it to your advantage.
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Old 08-15-2006, 02:26 PM   #37
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I see your point, and applaud you for geting your deal done.
Even when I tell salespeople that I used to do training in auto sales, they still try to short cut and go for the "close"...makes me nuts.
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Old 08-15-2006, 03:22 PM   #38
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The other side of the coin

Wife and I were poking around the confuser looking at prices for Ford F250 gasser and psd. Had built our own on the ford website and checked various dealers prices. On a whim she did an inquirey of the Power ford in Valencia and five min. later the phone rang. It was internet salesman Jim. Jim offered prices on both that were below what we'd found and then asked if we would want a '06 psd for about $9,000.00 less than an '07? My first question was how many miles on the unit. Answer was 15. He quoted us a price and when we went the next day the price was the same and every aspect of the deal was upfront and clean. No dirty dealing at all. This is the first time I have ever bought at a dealership where I did'nt have to fight or leave wondering where I got screwed. Strange experiance.
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Old 08-15-2006, 06:05 PM   #39
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Quote:
It was internet salesman Jim. Jim offered prices on both that were below what we'd found and then asked if we would want a '06 psd for about $9,000.00 less than an '07? My first question was how many miles on the unit. Answer was 15. He quoted us a price and when we went the next day the price was the same and every aspect of the deal was upfront and clean. No dirty dealing at all. This is the first time I have ever bought at a dealership where I did'nt have to fight or leave wondering where I got screwed. Strange
experiance.
Hi Goin Camping,

That's great that you were able to get the internet price!..we got that too, but only because we stuck to our guns!..
I had gone on edmunds.com, checked the options I wanted..I started getting quotes from several dealerships..in the meantime, we went to several dealerships test driving the Honda Accord, the Toyota Camry, The Nissan Altima and Maxima, and Honda SUV..we finally decided on the Honda Accord..so we went to the dealer that had the best price (or so we thought listened to the sales guys put on a really big show for us pretending to cut the prices down, then trying to say we'd have to wait 11 more days till the color we wanted came in, or try to sell us a different color for $200 less, or pay $200 more to get a car from a different city delivered to our city..we pretended to walk away 3 times, each time the sales guy would go into another room, and come out with another price, still not what we wanted..we finally agreed on a price..signed the contract..we were going to have to wait 2 days for the car to be prepped before picking it up..so ok..we came home, and one of the quotes came in my email at $800 less than what we paid..turns out it was from the same dealership, only it was the internet price, not the price the sales guy gave us..I thought, must be a mistake, so I threw the email away...I thought it's too late, we lost out.so we go pick up the prepped car, come home, the a second email came in withe the discounted price..now I'm furious, so I call up the sales man, and he says that's a different department..I get on the phone with the Internet department, and end up talking to the head honcho, who says come back in .and we'll make it right..(I had my doubts)..so we did, the guy tore up the contract ..and wrote out a new one, but before we could sign, he sent us to another room where another sales man tried to sell us an alarm system and uv shades, and an extended warranty..we said no thanks..took our car home..2 weeks later we got the check for the difference...next time I'll just go online!!!!
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Old 08-15-2006, 09:11 PM   #40
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Smile

I would have walked from this dealer, no I would have run. You can just about figure he will treat you even worse when it comes to service and warranty work.
I live in a metropolitan area and would not even consider buying a vehicle in our area except from our Honda dealer (which has been a very good experience). The big dealers here make it on high pressure sales and lots of flim flam.
Get out to the small guys in the rural areas , they have to make it on honest deals , good sevice, and repeat business. I buy my trucks twenty miles from where I live in a farming community.My last truck was bought with a phone call,told them what I wanted we agreed on a price ,and they said they would order it and call when it came in. No contract no anything. Guess thats why I have been buying from them for 17 years and my family and neighbors do also. I might add the service is superb!
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