Jim Reed Chevrolet

I realize this is old, but after happening across it while cleaning out some old backups, I thought it was worth a post here.

This is an email I sent to Chevrolet in 2001 about purchasing a vehicle from Jim Reed Chevrolet in Nashville, TN, by far the worst experience I ever had at a Chevrolet Dealership.


To Whom it may Concern:

I would like to report one of the absolute worst car-buying experiences I have ever had. Two and a half months ago, my wife ordered a Chevy Impala LS from Jim Reed Chevrolet here in Nashville. They said it would be in by March 24th. About a month and a half later, she called about the car to check the status and was told it had not arrived. Later, on March 24th, she called again and found out that Jim Reed had sold the car to someone else. I was floored. However, they were able to find another car close to here and they also offered $100 worth of gas gift certificates for our trouble. My wife needed the car, so I agreed to buy it.
Three days later we arrive at the dealership to buy the car. Our salesman (we had told them we would be there around 8) had to be paged. We arrived at 8:15, and after waiting five minutes for him, he came in and told us that the car was still being prepared. At this point, he went to check on it. Twenty minutes later he returned with the car. We looked it over to ensure it matched the features of the car we ordered. It’s now 8:45.
We sit down in his office, and he starts going through some of the paperwork. At about 9 AM, he went to obtain the GMO price for the vehicle we were purchasing. The MSRP for the car we had ordered was $25,199. The MSRP on the car we were buying that day was $25,105; a $95 difference due to the fact that the sun roof was listed on the invoice at $700 instead of $795. When the salesman returned 15 minutes later, he told us that the GMO price for the car would be $23,159. The GMO price that we were quoted when we originally ordered the car was $22,851. I asked him why the GMO price for this car was higher even though the MSRP was lower. He stated that he didn’t know, and he needed to talk to his sales manager. He again left. Twenty minutes later he returned. It has now been an hour an a half since we arrived, and we hadn’t even started the financing yet, so by this time I am absolutely furious. He again stated that was the price he was given as the GMO price. I told him it was unacceptable, and that I was going to go to another dealership. I stood up to leave, but my wife managed to calm me down. He told me that he would “work” with me and asked me what I wanted. I told him I would pay the originally quoted price, minus the difference between the two MSRPs. He agreed and it was settled - two hours after we arrived.
The reason I buy Chevrolet cars is because I like them and also because of the GMO discount. If I wanted to haggle over a price, I would go to another dealership and haggle.
We then waited 40 minutes for financing, and after financing, my wife waited another 30 minutes for the car to get ready (I couldn’t stay any longer I had to get to work). Overall, it took us four hours to do something that should have taken an hour. I have bought cars in the past, and every time, I have been in and out in less than an hour. I found out later that while she was being shown the features of the car, the salesman was schmoozing her to try to get a good rating on his customer survey. This was extremely sad.
Thankfully, I thought that this would be the end of our dealings with Jim Reed Chevrolet. However, the gas card wasn’t ready, so my wife had to return to pick it up. She did so this morning. She had called ahead of time and told our salesman that she would be there between noon and 2 PM and he assured her he would be at the dealership. When she arrived, he was nowhere to be found. After waiting 30 minutes, she was finally able to get someone to help her. Around this time the salesman returned and said he had been to the bank. This is absolutely unacceptable. The salesman knew she was coming in. Why didn’t he leave the card with one of his associates in case she came in? He was so concerned about getting a good rating, yet he couldn’t do this simple little task?
I will buy Chevrolet again. I love the cars, and this is my first bad experience. However, I believe Jim Reed ripped us off, and then treated us like scum, all because they knew we were going to buy the car. Frankly I don’t appreciate this. Dealers like this one can ruin a company’s image.
I will never again step foot in Jim Reed Chevrolet. Tomorrow I plan to call the sales manager and have a few words with him. In my eyes Jim Reed failed me, my wife, AND the good Chevrolet name.

If you would like to contact me, I can be reached by email:
delphiprog@XXXXXXX.com
or by phone during the day at work:
615-XXX-XXXX
or by phone after 7 PM CST:
615-XXX-XXXX

Thanks,
Doug


Please Note: This letter was previously sent to GM Customer Relations via email. I was given the following “not our fault” response –

“Dear Mr. Beattie,
We are sorry you have experienced concerns with a Chevrolet Dealership. We realize our continued success is dependent, to a large degree, on the sales and service provided by our authorized dealerships.
Chevrolet dealerships are owned and operated independently of Chevrolet. As an independent business, each is responsible for their day to day business activities and the quality of service they provide. As a manufacturer, our authority involves the operating specifications of our vehicles and the application of the new vehicle warranty. We do realize however, that dealerships are our customers' direct link to Chevrolet.
We appreciate you taking the time to bring your concerns to our attention. If you have any further questions or comments, feel free to call the Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-222-1020 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (EST) weekdays.

Sincerely,
Michael Boisvert
Customer Relationship Manager
GM Internet Response Center”


Frankly, if Chevrolet is concerned enough to send out Customer Satisfaction Surveys, why do I get a response like this?
If I had a choice, I would never, EVER buy from a dealer again. I would be more than happy to buy directly from Chevrolet. However, since Chevrolet (and all car-makers for that matter) feels that the best way to sell their cars is through unscrupulous dealers like Jim Reed, I am forced to continue to go to dealerships. I have seen good dealers and bad dealers. The problem is, the bad ones are awful and ruin Chevrolet’s great image. Jim Reed will get no more business from me.