Automotive News, Media & Press - How many people on here were treated badly when they went to the GM dealer?

I myself have had the dealership (and all involved) try to screw me more than once.

Most memorable--- Trying to buy a leftover '02 Formula.....
They wanted $1000 OVER sticker 'cause it was 6 mos old and they weren't making any more!!!!

And that dealer is on the CLOSE list....

They know why they're being yanked.
Now they're the ones looking for work...
I'm a firm believer in what goes around.... comes around.

INTEGRITY.....

I have 0 (ZERO) sympathy for those shitheads.

They have their own problems now.



HEY GM.. YOU are supposed to keep AHEAD of the curve.....
Nice going. FAIL.

Glad I don't have stock but I REALLY feel for those who do....

You're such a hater, what do they call it, import nut swinger?

I never have. And i would tell you to stop being a girl and dwelling on the past. I honestly think if you are going to bash GM i think you should get your ass off the forum . MY .02:D

The most common problem I have had at dealerships recently:


They don't want to let me test drive top model or expensive cars even if I can afford them ( I look too young?? not sure why)
They have insurance there is no reason for them to not let me if I want to drive.

Sales people having no idea what they are talking about or not knowing absolute basic facts that appear on the window sticker.

Flat out refusing to haggle even when they are in bad $$ condition.

I love it when some people bash and think ONLY GM dealers have markups.......just about EVERY automaker has a quite a few dealers that love to add dealer markups...its how they make extra money of the car.

I'll bite. I know we are talking dealer but the service and warranty area is part of it.

I had a district service manger look me straight in the face and tell me I was lying to him. First strike and one I am still :mad: at today.

Warranty on the drivers side cat was denied due to me using after market plug wires. This was another huge issue and strike two. Later I got my money back as they admitted there was a problem.

Roof bubbling was strike three.

I was loyal to GM but now F'k GM. If you sell a product then you better well stand behind it.

the roof bubbles really piss me off. NO way in hell I did anything to the car to have bubbles. They know it's their paint, and prep, but they won't own up to it. They told me the bubbles under the hood were from the headers. HA.

I love it when some people bash and think ONLY GM dealers have markups.......just about EVERY automaker has a quite a few dealers that love to add dealer markups...its how they make extra money of the car.

Just about every other car company isn't currently going through bankruptcy protection are they?

For those who say get off the site if you are going to bash GM and this guy must be a ricer, please leave and come back with some sort of logical retort. Your ignorance is astonishing.

I went to a local dealership to look at a G8 when they came out (as in, literally, the 2nd-3rd day they were on the lot). I had sold my old Grand Prix GTP (built, ~350 whp) a couple weeks earlier and was driving my wife's old college car (beat up, rusty, 91 Grand Am).

I walked in, and asked to see the G8 GT, and the salesman, quite literally scoffed at me and pointed me at it. They were not willing to let me test drive it, and didn't seem concerned with checking my credit (which happens to be 730). I was wearing khakis, a polo shirt, and a watch that cost more than 2 months payments on the car, but the salesperson was too caught up in the POS I drove up in to be bothered with paying any attention to me.

I drove to the lot next door and purchased a BMW the same day. I won't be back to that GM dealership again. In fact, I've been pricing new cars for my wife (lease is up on her Subaru, which we love) and didn't even bother at the local GM lot. Stopped at Subaru, Lexus and BMW. FWIW, we bought the the Subaru out of the lease. Been a great car so far. :)

Not all dealerships suck (the smaller one local to me has been great, but their stock and markup suck), but the ones that do sure give a black eye. Their behavior toward me probably cost them 60-70k out of my pocket, and another 100-150k out of friends that I help refer/shop for. Whoops!

As shitty as it it when Dealers turn people away when they ask about test driving, it happens thanks to alot of people on this site who post up "So today I went to a dealer just to drive the piss out of a car on their lot" The dealers get it, and those people ruin it for the rest of everyone.

That doesn't make sense though. If the salesman is in the car, he can tell you to stop driving like a dick. Or, at least stop driving like a dick until you sign paperwork.

If the BMW stealership can offer me an M6 or M3 test drive, I think GM can let me roll in a freakin' G8. ;)

Around late November-early december last year my mom wanted to trade in her 06 mustang 'vert, for a brand new H3 in that inferno orange color. My parents and I went to a local Cadillac-Hummer dealer to check them out. They had 2 lots full of both cadillacs and hummers, a shit load of every model. We found one sitting near the back that my mom fell in love with, had everything except for navigation or back up camera. Well the truck was an 08, had obviously been on the lot for a while, looked like it hadn't been washed in months, and we weren't allowed to test drive it since the battery was dead. When it came down to talking money I figured they'd sling the "GM is not going anywhere crap". Well they pretty much didn't want to work any sort of deal to the point that my dad said forget it that we walked out. Seriously this is why GM went into the shit they are in. They had hummers lined up in rows looking like an army, yet they acted like they sold 100 cars/trucks a day. My mom still wants to get another car, but with Chrysler and GM filing for Chapter 11 the choices are slim. As long as the government has a hand in GM there ain't no way I'm going to buy from them.
-Joel

The service department is usually where I have the bad experiences. From not being fixed correctly the first time or simply just horrible follow-through. I have higher standards than most as I worked for Chevrolet and Saturn in fixed ops for a couple years, so I know how it works. The lies and excuses just piss me off.

My fiance and I just moved to the Pittsburgh area, and it's already started with sub-par service. We took her G6 to the closest dealer for a Maintenance I. I stated M1 several times, and the service writer kept saying "ok, oil change". We pick up her car and the bill is only $38.00. I'm thinking, fine, they simply did the GM Goodwrench special ($39.95 for oil change, tire rotation and 27-point inspection). When I get home, I notice the wheels weren't even off the car as her car was filthy and there were no hand prints as there would be if they did the rotation. I was pissed at this point, so I call and left a message for the service manager. A couple days go by and I don't hear anything, so I sent him an email. It's been a week, and I haven't heard back. What a complete joke. I ask for a M1 and just get an oil change. If the service writer had any sort of business sense (if she truly didn't know what a Maintenance I was), she would have tried to at least up-sell me on the Goodwrench special for another two bucks.

Sorry, I'm venting, but I just don't understand how something so simple has now gone very south. :bang: This is why these dealers should be going away. Unfortunately, these small town places have their regulars who are like blind sheep through a fence. They will keep coming because they are too ignorant to know any better.

Around late November-early december last year my mom wanted to trade in her 06 mustang 'vert, for a brand new H3 in that inferno orange color. My parents and I went to a local Cadillac-Hummer dealer to check them out. They had 2 lots full of both cadillacs and hummers, a shit load of every model. We found one sitting near the back that my mom fell in love with, had everything except for navigation or back up camera. Well the truck was an 08, had obviously been on the lot for a while, looked like it hadn't been washed in months, and we weren't allowed to test drive it since the battery was dead. When it came down to talking money I figured they'd sling the "GM is not going anywhere crap". Well they pretty much didn't want to work any sort of deal to the point that my dad said forget it that we walked out. Seriously this is why GM went into the shit they are in. They had hummers lined up in rows looking like an army, yet they acted like they sold 100 cars/trucks a day. My mom still wants to get another car, but with Chrysler and GM filing for Chapter 11 the choices are slim. As long as the government has a hand in GM there ain't no way I'm going to buy from them.
-Joel


It's interesting that you say that. My mom is also in need of a new car but being the money conscious person that she is, doesn't feel like buying a new car due to the state that the GM / Chrysler are currently in.

Talk is cheap, and even though the government is saying that they will protect warranties and these car companies are not going anywhere, she hasn't gotten to where she is in life by listening to a bunch of talking heads.

But I digress, initially when she was car shopping we both had a miserable experience at a Pontiac dealership. We were planning on hitting a bunch of dealers but the Pontiac debacle was over three hours. We were so exhausted after that we just got something to eat and the next week she bought a 3 series. She's been a BMW customer ever since.

I honestly think though that the salesmen don't know any better. I bet if dealerships made it a requirement to have at least a two year degree and just had a small dedicated staff on salary, they would probably turn over more cars then a bunch of bumbling idiots who are not business savy and can't look past the 30 day sales reports.

Why is it that it seems like the quality of the sales people at a BMW/ Jaguar/ Lexus dealership always seem better then the sales people at a GM or Ford dealer?

Pretty much going to any dealer pisses me off. Id say 90% of the retards dont know shit about the cars they are selling.

You're such a hater, what do they call it, import nut swinger?


OK. You have REALLY shown your ignorance here... 'Nuff said.

(My '00 Z-28 had roof bubbles too, lol)

These are my cars as of today...

2002 Ford 7.3 diesel 4x4 Excursion (Wife's winter car and for the camper which gets 17mpg pulling...)
2003 Mitsubishi Evolution (toy summer car which replaced the 400 whp Z-28 as I needed back doors for the kids)
2006 Honda Civic EX 4dr. VERY SAFE little car(my winter car and wife's summer car)
2000 Chevy 2500 Express van (as needed for moving whatever)
1994 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham (next project car...)

If you feel any of my non GM choices could be replaced by a comparable GM vehicle lemee know!

So. I guess I have chosen the best vehicle for each need I have in my family.

Facts is facts... The dealers screwed the babysitter and got caught.

Service with my dads Corvette has been, eh. They have never once washed the car, and have actually returned it dirtier than when it was dropped off. We took it in to have the harmonic balancer changed and a 4 wheel alignment done. They didn't have the part, but another dealer nearby did so it's good. My dad told the service writer he would not leave the car overnight, and we were the first car there for service. I understand work isn't going to stop for the Corvette, but when he told us don't worry about we figured fine. We went back to pick up the car at 4:30, and sure enough not a damn thing had been done to the car. Our service writer had gone home already(early). He had stopped picking up the phone when my dad would call to see on the status of the car. Spoke with the service manager who said we could leave it, to which I mentioned that we couldn't, and even if we could I didn't trust them with it. I eventually drove it back a few days later to get the job done, and I stayed there the entire day to make sure it was done. The drivers seat also has a tear in it that the service writer mentioned could get fixed through warranty. He's said he'll get the information for us yet he hasn't called us, even though we've mentioned it a few times. My dad hates going to the dealer for service, and now it's gotten to the point that he won't go unless the cars problem is serious. I am afraid of going to a BMW/Audi/Mercedes dealer, because I just might never drive another American car again.
-Joel

[QUOTE=nickate;11683216]I myself have had the dealership (and all involved) try to screw me more than once.

I bet there a little stressed that there jobs are falling apart and no one wants to buy a gm car for fear that their car wont be protected. My local gm dealer are the greatest people to do business and talk to, I enjoy talking to them about the new model cars gm are going to design, I have never left the dealership mad at the dealers. I been a gm man all my life never seat in a ford until just recently when detailing one.

I am afraid of going to a BMW/Audi/Mercedes dealer, because I just might never drive another American car again.
-Joel

Haha Ive detailed a lot of vehicles over the time, Ive detailed BMW, Audi, Mercedes, Saab. BMW are a good vehicle but way overpriced, Audi are cheaply made, and Mercedes waste half of your money on safety equipment, Saab fall apart when moving the seats up and half of the panels and trimming don't even align, you can go with whatever you want, its a free world, Ive had a 90' silverado best truck Ive ever seen or driven, cheap to work on and dependable. Now I have a 98 vette its a great looking, driving, handling, performing, car, I also have problems with the service department for tire pressure sensors but overall its a great car, and most of all the car I can do myself in my garage, that whats good about chevys! Try getting that out of a foreign car.

Hey nitsud's vette, Amen to that. my feelings exactly. I can do 90% of my own stuff on my WS6.

Hopefully with the state that GM is in, the dealerships that remain will implement good business practices. Of course with some exceptions it seems like the foreign dealers and luxury dealerships know how to make customers for life. Their customer service is typically top-notch, their sales personnel has been around for a while(my mom got birthday and Christmas cards from her Mercedes salesman for over 10 years) and usually when you take your car in they give you something comparable to drive as a loaner (my Dad was offered a Cobalt when he took his Vette in for service at a dealership that closed a few months ago over in Sugarland.
Given their current situation hopefully GM has realized that it's not good enough to be similar or as good as; in this business climate you have to be better than your competition and go above and beyond! I know that there are good dealerships out there but this is what it's going to take in order for them to bounce back.

It seems to me that GM's biggest problem with car sales is the dealers being douchebags and not the cars sucking. I drive a Saturn and every time I go to the dealership (which is a rare event and usually for service that I can't do myself and don't trust Pep Boys to do) is a rather pleasant experience. The sales guys have an idea of what they're talking about, and I still get birthday cards and offers in the mail.

Back when I was writing a car comparison for small city hatchbacks, I went to the local auto mall to test drive the cars on my list (Yaris, Fit, Aveo, Versa) and the only two dealerships willing to help me were Toyota and Chevy. I went in and asked for someone on salary and not commission, and the Yaris was the only car I actually got to drive. The only Aveo hatch was on the showroom floor, but the guy that was with me was knowledgeable and very helpful. Nissan didn't have any Versas in stock and didn't seem too eager to help me and let me know when they'd be in, and Honda wouldn't even unlock one of the billion Fits on the lot for me to sit in. Toyota and Chevy on the other hand were very eager to get good publicity, even if it is only a university newspaper. That article never did get finished because Nissan apparently doesn't sell Versas in NJ and Honda's shit doesn't stink. I won't go to either a Nissan or Honda dealership again.

The last experience I had was at a pontiac/gm dealer on the south side of Indianapolis. They had an 06 GTO on their lot black on black which is what I was looking for. It had been sitting for several months, salesman wouldn't even let me sit in it unless I went in to do "paperwork" and talk numbers. I told him he's out of his mind and to go "F" himself.

This is one of the largest looked at parameters GM studies when they kill a dealership. We have high CS (customer satisfaction) ratings and our training is in excess of 100%. Most dealers have very low CS ratings and training is only in the 60% range. They are working on fixing this big big problem. The biggest issue is most dealers pay on commission, both salesman and mechanics which is the biggest reason people get screwed. We don't have any commission on our mechanics and all of our salesman are great older guys who have been with us for 30 years, small home town dealership, we usually sell around 200-300 new cars a year (moderate sized). Before we bash on all the dealers let it be known there are still some great people and GM dealers out there. Our customers buy from us because they trust us and like the experience, they don't necessarily buy because we sell Chevy or Buick.

OK. You have REALLY shown your ignorance here... 'Nuff said.

(My '00 Z-28 had roof bubbles too, lol)

These are my cars as of today...

2002 Ford 7.3 diesel 4x4 Excursion (Wife's winter car and for the camper which gets 17mpg pulling...)
2003 Mitsubishi Evolution (toy summer car which replaced the 400 whp Z-28 as I needed back doors for the kids)
2006 Honda Civic EX 4dr. VERY SAFE little car(my winter car and wife's summer car)
2000 Chevy 2500 Express van (as needed for moving whatever)
1994 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham (next project car...)

If you feel any of my non GM choices could be replaced by a comparable GM vehicle lemee know!

So. I guess I have chosen the best vehicle for each need I have in my family.

Facts is facts... The dealers screwed the babysitter and got caught.


You obviously didn't catch the scarasim. Next time I'll put "/s" next to it. Alot of people on these boards will jump on another person for even having ill thoughts about the great and holy GM. If you have any problems against GM they label you as "tree hugger" "Import nut swinger" or some other colorfull stuff.
If you read my other posts, you'd know I pretty much agreed with you.

"Saab fall apart when moving the seats up and half of the panels and trimming don't even align"

ummmm isn't/wasn't Saab GM?????????????????

You obviously didn't catch the scarasim. Next time I'll put "/s" next to it. Alot of people on these boards will jump on another person for even having ill thoughts about the great and holy GM. If you have any problems against GM they label you as "tree hugger" "Import nut swinger" or some other colorfull stuff.
If you read my other posts, you'd know I pretty much agreed with you.

Sawree....

Big hug?

I was VERY confused by your posts!!!! lol

I'll bite. I know we are talking dealer but the service and warranty area is part of it.

I had a district service manger look me straight in the face and tell me I was lying to him. First strike and one I am still :mad: at today.

Warranty on the drivers side cat was denied due to me using after market plug wires. This was another huge issue and strike two. Later I got my money back as they admitted there was a problem.

Roof bubbling was strike three.

I was loyal to GM but now F'k GM. If you sell a product then you better well stand behind it.

Come on Jolly--
everybody knows that aftermarket plug wires make your cats go bad!:bang:


j/k

My wife looks younger than she is, and was not treated seriously at the local GMC dealership when shopping for our new truck. Of course the salesman was some know-nothing OLD TIMER who probably thought she didn't have any kind of money. He didn't want to help her with anything, gave her 1 word answers, and didn't show her any vehicles. It was very clear he did not think she was serious about a purchase. So she went down the street to the Chevy dealership where there were young, cool salespeople who were more than happy to show her around. She found a truck, we went back after I got off work later that night, and we drove away in our '09 silverado extremely happy. She went back to the GMC dealership the next week to give the OLD FART his brochures back and make sure he saw the truck we just bought! LOL! Oh and now the GMC dealership is closed down! Sweet Karma!

But i don't think I can blame GM for her getting shitty service at the GMC place. Certain people just don't have a clue. Some sales/service people are just assholes regardless of who they work for!

Well I have always gotten good reception from dealerships... Like when I went to talk to the head honcho about a G8 for my dad we got into a convo about muscle cars. The best expierence I've had was at a mitsu dealership. I went to the autoshow and got signed up for a test drive of whatever I wanted. Well they took a lancer out for me (wanted to test an evo, but only evo they had I couldn't drive) and I was saying that I wanted to test the ralliart instead. The ralliart was in the showroom and they moved everything to take it out for me. Mind you I didn't look like I could afford one, but they did all of this for me. I test drove it and it was kinda fun. But I drove off in my camaro with the cutout open when I mentioned i love fast chevys never to return.... ooh that was so mean but so fun.

...most of all the car I can do myself in my garage, that whats good about chevys! Try getting that out of a foreign car.

Hey nitsud's vette, Amen to that. my feelings exactly. I can do 90% of my own stuff on my WS6.

What is it you can't do yourself on a foreign car that you can on a modern domestic? I can do anything on my '96 BMW that I could on my 98 Grand Prix, and honestly, most of it is easier to do.

I am a big GM fan, and this is nothing against domestics, I just find that imports aren't particularly more troublesome than domestics. We can have a spark plug change race on the BMW vs. a WS6. ;)

Now, BMW overpriced? Yup. definitely are. They have just as money stupid problems as any other car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-SK1-iILlY

I wouldn't say I've been treated badly but they wanted 85 dollars for an AC idler pulley...I needed two of them and I told them to shove it and got one online...

How many people on here were treated badly when they went to the GM dealer?Not me, I've dealt with 5 separate GM dealership sales departments and 3 separate GM service departments and never once came away feeling as if I'd been treated poorly.
Same goes for the 3 Ford dealerships I've had dealings with as well as the one Acura (bought a used Thunderbird Super Coupe from them) dealership.

I have a good one. My mom's Blazer needed to go in for repairs. This happened a few years ago when I was young so I don't remember all the details. But for whatever reason, they had to pull the intake. She got it back and noticed that the engine was making some noise. Took it back the next day and they called and said that the connecting rod and piston in one of the cylinders needed to be replaced.

Now, my dad is a gearhead and knew that somebody must of dropped a bolt or something down into the intake openings. He went to pick the car back up but made it clear that he wanted the piston and rod back. They insisted and gave him the runaround saying "why do you want it back for?" and "we need to send it to GM for them to analyze."

So he gives them a few days for their "analysis" and goes back. The lady at the desk kept on arguing with him and refused. Finally, my dad lost it and went off on the lady and they went to go get it. They come back and the next part is the kicker.

What do you know but there is an imprint and a divot of a bolt left on the piston head. Its clear as day and the stupid tech still tried to tell my dad that it was caused by carbon buildup!!! He even went as far as saying "what do you know, do you build race engines?" (My dad has a 600hp sand funny car.)

Eventually, about a year later, one of the nice people there finally admitted to my mom that someone did drop a bolt into the engine (well duh). All they would have done is came right out and said that they dropped something into the engine and needed the car for a few more days. But, the fact that they blatenly lied is what upset everyone the most.

Btw, we still have the piston and rod, I should go and look for it and take a pic.

the few chevy dealer we have gone to about a vette havent been the best either. they seem to forget they are bankrupt. But i think in their minds this gives them MORE reason to aim for a higher price and be a dick about it..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-SK1-iILlY


Come on.... That there is FUNNEEE...

I have had my share of bad run-ins...not to mention service bays that have been inhabited by creeps. Being a military brat and then in the military I have moved about 20 times and seen many many many dealerships and with the exception of a few they seem to have issues...not to mention the overpriced, FWD, crap GM has been selling for years.

W