A bad experience yesterday with a Dodge Dealer

[kieefer]

I would not have had the patience you had. I commend you for calling corporate but I would have never gone back.

Might as well call the BBB while you're on a roll.

[Currently]

Wow, I've had some bad dealings but this is over and beyond anything I ever heard!

[Murgatroy]

I have spent a fair amount of time in the last year at car lots.

 

By Make, Ford has treated me best, by far.

 

I have straight up walked off of Toyota lots twice due to lack of respect and manners of the sales staff. 

 

I won't buy Dodge or Chevy, so I have no opinion there.

[East_TN_Patriot]

I had a terrible experience with a Nissan dealership in Florida when I first moved there from Kentucky.  We worked out a deal on a vehicle, traded in a used Toyota Tercel, signed the paperwork, got the temporary tag, and drove off.  30 days passed and our new Florida tag did not arrive so my (now ex) wife went back to the dealership to get a new temporary tag and see what the deal was.  She called me up and said that they would not issue a new paper tag and that they had not ordered the new Florida tag because my trade was registered and titled in Kentucky and it would be an extra $300 for the transfer.  I told them that wasn't going to happen because it was no secret that my car had a Kentucky registration and title, we signed the paperwork, and I wasn't paying for their mistake.  I also demanded they issue a new temp tag until the situation was worked out.  My wife called me back and said the sales manager just marked out the original expiration date and wrote in a new expiration date on the paper tag, which is a criminal violation in Florida.  I demanded they issue a new temporary tag or I would have one of my co-workers (I was a cop at the time) come down there an issue a notice to appear for altering a temporary tag.  The salesman got on the phone, cussed me out, and said he would put the new paper tag on the car to make "officer asshole" happy.  Long story short, I contacted Nissan corporate and they contacted the dealership and they ate the $300 transfer fees and I got my Florida tag.  I'll be darned if about a year later I ran into that salesman at the mall and he was all buddy-buddy asking when I would be coming in to buy another vehicle from him.  That conversation didn't go well.

I absolutely HATE car shopping.

[gregintenn]

I have straight up walked off of Toyota lots twice due to lack of respect and manners of the sales staff. 

 

 

I have as well. I would prefer a Toyota, but my wife now drives a Honda due to the lack of a Toyota dealership in my area with even a modicum of customer service.

[Murgatroy]

I have as well. I would prefer a Toyota, but my wife now drives a Honda due to the lack of a Toyota dealership in my area with even a modicum of customer service.

What did it for us was when the salesman walked out to the lot with us, the first thing he did when we stepped out the door was stop and hock up a massive lougey. 

 

My wife almost threw up.

 

The next one the salesman didn't listen to a word we said, kept trying to show us to higher market cars than we wanted and then asked for my keys for a trade in eval AFTER I had told him twice I wouldn't be using my current car as a trade in.

[Mike.357]

wow what a nightmare.

 

Glad I had no trouble like that.   I had been talking to a customer of the liquor store who is a Ford salesman at a dealer just down the street.  I had been talking new truck to him every time he came in for about two months.  When he came in the day before I bought the new truck I told him I was ready to do it.  He told me to come see him the next day.  It all went like a breeze.   Buying a new vehicle is stressful but that salesman and his fellow staff made it the most painless purchase I have had so far.  The entire process took about three hours before I left with my new truck.

 

The only annoying thing was the never ending emails from them making sure I was happy and all was well, LOL   I did not think they would ever stop emailing me.  But they have.  The truck did have a small electric problem that showed up within a few days. They had me come back in, hooked me up with a rental car and had my truck figured out and fixed the next day. Ended up that a weld on a ground nut on some circuit was messed up. Not one problem since then. They washed my truck and the service manager told me when I came back for my first oil change ( i have three years scheduled maintenance included)  he would have it detailed out for me while I waited.

 

My sales guy comes in the liquor store about every other week and never fails to ask if the truck is doing everything i need, am I still happy with it, and is there anything he can do for me.   I will not hesitate to buy future vehicles from him.  

 

Good luck with your dealings.

Edited May 24, 2013 by Mike.357

[gregintenn]

What did it for us was when the salesman walked out to the lot with us, the first thing he did when we stepped out the door was stop and hock up a massive lougey. 

 

My wife almost threw up.

 

The next one the salesman didn't listen to a word we said, kept trying to show us to higher market cars than we wanted and then asked for my keys for a trade in eval AFTER I had told him twice I wouldn't be using my current car as a trade in.

I had a salesman in Bowling Green take my keys and not give them back until I got mad and threatened to cut him.

In Gallatin, I agreed to buy a car, and they would not sell it to me because I would not complete a credit application. (I was paying for the car with cash)

[Wyldk2]

Sorry you had all this bad luck with Chrysler. I bought my 1998 durango in 1999 from the local chevy dealer in Tullahoma, same owner of the dodge dealership in town as well. Didn't have a problem  then and still when i just go to look at new cars at the same dealerships, I don't have a problem either. Any dealership that wants your business will go out of their way to help you if they really want your business.

 

Before all this though, I remember hearing about some older gentleman driving up to the chevy dealership in a beat up old pickup truck. Nobody gave him the time of day nor paid attention to him. He left. wait 2 hours later, The dealership getsa phone call from the chevy dealership in an adjacent town telling them they missed out on a corvette sale. It was the same older gentleman, traded his old truck and enough cash in change inthe bed of the truck to pay for a brand new corvette.

 

Things changed after that.

[Guest RedLights&Sirens]

I used to work in Greenwich, Connecticut and on the main street they have Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mazaratti, Aston Martin, etc. Im not talking dealers with one or two of thoes on their lot but actual dealers of thoes brands. Anyways I was curious about the Mazzaratti, they looked nice from the street so I pulled in and told my partner I was ganna take a look. A guy in a suit comes out and tells me to leave imediatley. I didnt even tell him I was only looking and wasnt asked if I could be helped. I was simply judged for wearing the uniform of a public servant.

Sure it is private property and I was in no way thinking of, let alone capable of buying a car that cost six figures but he dosnt know that. I asked him why I had to leave and he said nothing, I told him he has no clue what kind of money I may have to which he said, "not my problem." I wish I was a trust fund child or something so the next day I could drive on his lot in uniform (with something more expensive) and tell him to fv@k off.

[dlm37015]

i am hard on trucks i have 4 all ford super dutys i get the best servive ouy of them \i always look like a bum when i go to buy them

the last one came from ford of fairbanks ask 6.8 how they run

[Erik88]

 

In Gallatin, I agreed to buy a car, and they would not sell it to me because I would not complete a credit application. (I was paying for the car with cash)

I've heard other people say the same thing. I don't understand the logic here. Why do they want to run a credit check if you're paying cash?

[Guest TankerHC]

There was two more parts to this story. First, I have worked as a GM (For 8 years) for two Corporations. So I know how that game is played, been through plenty of conference calls. Over 100 in three months that I had to spend in Sacramento a while back, so I knew full well when I was talking to the dealer that both the Service Manager and Saleman I was dealing with the day before were standing right there (And I let the dealer I was speaking with know it when we met yesterday face to face, should have seen the look on his face when I told him that), thing was I was waiting for them to respond in their defense, which they never did. Until the dealer hung up the phone, but he didnt get it hung up in time, and in less than two seconds after ending the conversation I heard the salesman start talking smack about me. This would be a warning to GM's and SM's, make sure you hang up the phone completely before you start disrespecting your customers, they might just stay on and listen, as I did. lol

 

The second thing was, as mentioned in the OP, the first day I went over there, every salesperson and the service manager were black. When I went yesterday, I didnt see a black person until I was there for half an hour. And he walked in and walked out.  Intentional? Dont know, probably not, but certainly suspect. In fact, there were twice as many employees there when I walked in as the day prior and they were white, every last one of them.  And the salesman I dealt with the day before was there, I know that for a fact, because I heard him speaking on the phone before the second service manager I spoke with hung up. He was nowhere to be seen, the entire time I was there. He's a salesman. Shouldnt he have been up front?

 

I was fully aware the apology at the dealer was completely insincere. I dont care, you treat me like that your going to apologize one way or another. Chrysler Corporate on the other hand, I do believe they were pretty shocked at what I was telling them. Although the last lady who did the follow up did say nothing would surprise her, she had heard it all. That apology from the dealer, guarantee that came straight from Corporate and was forced.

 

As Ted mentioned we are moving to TN, in fact we already have our house on New Highway 60 in Rhea County. And he is right about buying in TN. We were headed to Orange Beach this weekend, instead we are hauling some things up to the house and leaving tonight and tomorrow we are headed over to the Toyota dealer in Chattanooga. I stopped in there about three months ago on a Saturday coming back down from New York. Saw all the cars backed up from the service bays, needed an oil change. BIL was with me, told him, this is going to take a while. First off the people working there were super nice even though I didnt buy my truck from them the way I was treated you would have thought I was a long time customer. I told the service manager I was on the road and needed to get back to MS that night, instead of telling me it was going to be a while, he said, Oh, no problem, we can have you in and out in 30 minutes. Figured that wasnt going to happen, so right across the street is a Gun and Pawn and BIL and I walked over and looked around, gone for about 30 minutes came back and the truck was sitting out front. Noticed water leaking under the front bumper and went in and talked to the service manager, asked him why my truck was leaking water. He says "Oh, your not leaking, we washed your truck for you, and cleaned and vacuumed it". My dealer doesnt even do that. You go for an oil change, you get an oil change. So Ill probably be buying a truck from them tomorrow. In fact I think from this point on any purchases I make will be in TN, will be retiring there, might as well start building some business relationships and see no reason why my Tax dollars should go here any longer. We pay state Tax, then on top of that the county we live in has what equates to a luxury tax and a bond tax. So, we pay the state sales tax, then its another 700-1000 to register your vehicle. Couple of days ago when I called Rhea County DMV and spoke to the lady working there, I had to ask 4 times just to be clear when she said "You wont have to pay anything to register your vehicles here". What!? I have resided in half a dozen states and the only place I have not been taxed out the butt was Texas. That lady told me that since I am moving to TN, have the dealer send the paperwork to TN DMV. When I explained to her the tax here she said "Thats a luxury tax, we dont have that here". If I send the paperwork to TN, then yes I would pay the TN State tax ONE TIME. And if I pay it here then the only thing I would pay is any difference in sales tax in TN, MS is 7%, I believe TN is also, (Not sure) so that would equate to zero except for a $35 tag fee.

Edited May 24, 2013 by TankerHC

[ted]

I've heard other people say the same thing. I don't understand the logic here. Why do they want to run a credit check if you're paying cash?

for all your personal info !!! Thay jest want more and more of your info to put in the goverment cloud.

[greenego]

Obviously not the smartest dealership in MS. As long as your money is green, credit good, they should have welcomed you with open arms. I would bet this dealership will be gone if they don't change their ways.

[Guest TankerHC]

Talking about dealers. I will say the best dealer I have ever dealt with was our Kia dealer. First, in 2011 my wife bought a 2011 Kia Sorrento EX. As far as options and luxury, I dont even think Lexus could top it with their SUV. The only problem with it for her (Not me) was that the ride was a little stiff and she was used to driving her Avalon. So she decided to trade it in. We went back, yes we did the dealing, but all of the staff was the same as the first time, they were willing to deal. We had taking it to the Toyota dealer because she was thinking of going to another Avalon. They wouldnt even cover the payoff, which was low because she had put a down payment on it that was pretty big. And the Sorrento only had 20,000 on the Odometer. Took it to Kia and not only did they cover the payoff, but gave her 5000 more, EXACTLY what NADA and Consumer Reports said the vehicle was worth. You never get what NADA says is the clean retail on a trade in. Then, one of the cars which we thought was out of our price range, the Optima EX-GDI with the electronics package, was sitting there, a lot of them actually, and we were looking at them. He walked over and we told him, nice car but out of our price range. He says "If you like that car we will sell it to you, guaranteed". I said not if I cant afford it. His answer, yes we will, no matter what it takes. Then he asks what it would take to sell us the car, standard line from a salesman. So out of the blue I came up with numbers. I want every incentive that shows on Kia's website, our trade and 5000 off MSRP. I knew they werent going for that and he does the old "Let me go talk to the manager, instead of leaving us out there for half an hour as usual he comes back and says "We will use your trade ($5000 in equity), 5000 off MSRP, our 2000 rebate incentive, 1000 for our Customer loyalty program and the 800 military discount.

 

Im thinking NO WAY, this is BS, they are going to fudge the numbers as usual. They are not going to let me drive a nearly $40,000 car off thier lot for 26,000 and I told him that. Simple response, yes we are. I figure somehow the 5000 off MSRP is going to eat up the trade. Made them show me the numbers. Wife has been in accounting going on 30 years, she knows how to look at numbers, the bottom line price for us to drive off was a little less than 26,000. All the numbers were there, just like they said. Went outside and looked at the NADA website on my phone, said the least you can expect to pay for that car (With the options) is $36,000 and change. Asked them how they are going to do that. Take it for what its worth but his and the sales managers response was:

 

First off we do not get paid on commission here, we are paid salary. So whether you buy a car or not we still get paid, but Mr. Wilsons policy (This was EDIT: Wilson (Not Daniles, thats my Toyota dealer) and they have been in business a long time, Chrysler, Dodge, Kia, Hyundai) is that if someone walks on the lot and wants a car, you sell them a car, no matter what it takes, and if you are not selling cars, you wont be working here. And he is serious about it. I asked how they are doing that and still making money, you cant be in business and selling cars not making money. He said they were making money, just not as much on each car. But they sell a lot of cars. This is only the first week of the month and we have already sold over 400 cars and trucks. That sounds like "Were a volume dealer", that old sales line to me, but he didnt say that, he said they were making money. And after talking with a lot of long time Daniels customers here and telling them what went on, they all said the same thing. Best deals in town, hands down. They wil do what it takes to get you in a car. On top of that is their service, usually I have to get an appointment, if I need service, of any kind, we call them and its not "We can get you in Wednesday" or whatever, its can you bring the car over right now?

 

They only made on error in the whole deal. Thier printer was down when we made the deal so they had to bring the paperwork to my wifes office the next day. The salesman was supposed to do it but got caught up in a deal or something, so this guy shows up at my wifes office. He is holding my wifes paperwork, with Social, credit report and everything else, our address on it, phone numbers etc. Wasnt even in an envelope. Wife asked who he is and he says "I am the guy who washes the cars, everyone else is tied up so they asked me to bring this to you to sign". To say she was PO'd is putting it mildly, she called me and told me that the dealer had put her at big risk for ID theft and explained what happened at told me to call the dealer. I called the sales manager and he told me that I didnt want to talk to him, can they get back to me in five minutes. Five minutes later I get a call from Mr. Wilson himself. The way he was talking the only thing I was thinking was "Man, wouldnt want to be that salesman right now". mr. Wilson asked me if I could drive over to the dealer right then and there and I did. When I got there the General Manager over the whole place was waiting on me. He already knew what happened and he was hot too. I told him, my wife was a little POd about her personal info going out there, we dont want to get the guy fired. He worked a great deal for us twice now. He says "None of that matters, this goes beyond unacceptable". He gets on the phone, calls the salesman into his office over the loudspeaker and it was not one of those "would you please go to the Managers office" either, it was a "get in here" call. Im sitting there and in walks the salesman. This GM proceeds to give him a military style azz chewing, and the guy didnt say a word, until the end of the azz chewing and then he says "Im sorry, I apologize, I wasnt thinking" and the GM says "Thats the damn problem, YOU WERENT THINKING!". Tells him he can leave, he will talk to him later. (This was no show for my benefit either, these guys were serious)

 

Im thinking Holy Crap, this guy is going to get fired. So I told the GM again, I dont want to get this guy fired. he says, we wont fire him, but to put it bluntly, this was just plain stupidity. GM says, I have a law degree, I started in this business 35 years ago to work my way through college and never left. Says he has sold every type of vehicle from every manufacturer and dealt with every type of employee but this went beyond stupid and he wont be fired, but he is going to learn not to do stupid sh__ again. We know that opens you up to ID theft, but for us, it opens us up to a lawsuit. He says "We hope you wont sue us, but if you did we would understand, but we would better like to keep you as a customer. What we can do to negate this is we will pay for 5 years worth of Identity protection for you and your wife, and ANY issue that comes up with your credit or related to ID theft, you come back to us and we will take care of it.

 

Thats what they did. We have never sued anyone and have no intention of suing anyone and taking money that does not belong to us. And I like the way they do business. IMHO, you cant get more honest than they were when it comes to business.

Edited May 24, 2013 by TankerHC

[GlockSpock]

Almost a year ago when shopping I went into the Crown Dodge place in Cleveland. I had already found on their website a used Chevrolet Trailblazer they had for sale. I pulled into their lot, walked around a while, and didn't see anyone. I went inside, stood for a while, and everyone ignored my wife and myself. They salespeople were just talking between themselves. I said quite loudly that I would like to take a look at the Trailblazer they had for sale. The salesman starts off with "Do we even have a Trailblazer for sale?". I explained I had seen it on their website, and saw it across the parking lot when I pulled in. About that time a sales manager comes around the corner and proclaims "Yep, we have one, it's across the lot, take him out there right now to look at it!". 

 

He takes us around a bit. We leave.

 

Never have I had the experience except for this time of driving to a car dealership and feeling like they really don't care anything about selling you a vehicle. It was very hot this day (100+). I guess the salesmen were just too hot to sale a car!

[Links2k]

Car salesmen are like politians, they are going to put on whatever show you want to see.  In another life, I sold cars briefly after I got out of the army.  In that brief amount of time I can't tell you how many "arguments and butt kickings" that I received for the benefit of the customer.  At the end of the day, it's all about moving units.  If someone has kiss your butt for a few hours to move a unit it will be done and then on to the next one.  Same with the service departments.  They don't have to be sincere.  They only need to give you the warm fuzzies, because you need to come back with an open wallet.

 

Looks like things are going to work out for you.  Congradulations!

[Guest TankerHC]

Car salesmen are like politians, they are going to put on whatever show you want to see.  In another life, I sold cars briefly after I got out of the army.  In that brief amount of time I can't tell you how many "arguments and butt kickings" that I received for the benefit of the customer.  At the end of the day, it's all about moving units.  If someone has kiss your butt for a few hours to move a unit it will be done and then on to the next one.  Same with the service departments.  They don't have to be sincere.  They only need to give you the warm fuzzies, because you need to come back with an open wallet.

 

Looks like things are going to work out for you.  Congradulations!

 

I can agree with that, except for one thing in this instance. Mr. Wilson was out of state when I called. The reason I met with the GM when I got there was because he was out of state. There was no time to set this up, 5 minutes after I called the Sales manager, Wilson was on the phone with me, when he told me to go to the dealership I was less than a minute away sitting in the parking lot of a Wendy's right down the street. I guarantee that GM did not have time to speak with that salesman prior to me getting there and when I got there he was on the phone with Wilson and got right off the phone and started talking to me. There was no time to set this up, the GM was not playing games, Wilson has a reputation for kleeping their empployees on the straight and narrow and I know the difference between a real azz chewing and doing something for my benefit, this was the real deal and this GM was in no mood (At that point) to be playing and setting up a skit. And just by the way the salesman reacted, there is no question, they knew they could be sued and this was a real screwup. So this wasnt a skit for my benefit, this guy had just f'd up big time. And on top of that they didnt have to close a deal, they had already sold us the car the day before.

Edited May 24, 2013 by TankerHC

[Links2k]

I can agree with that, except for one thing in this instance. Mr. Wilson was out of state when I called. The reason I met with the GM when I got there was because he was out of state. There was no time to set this up, 5 minutes after I called the Sales manager, Wilson was on the phone with me, when he told me to go to the dealership I was less than a minute away sitting in the parking lot of a Wendy's right down the street. I guarantee that GM did not have time to speak with that salesman prior to me getting there and when I got there he was on the phone with Wilson and got right off the phone and started talking to me. There was no time to set this up, the GM was not playing games, Wilson has a reputation for kleeping their empployees on the straight and narrow and I know the difference between a real azz chewing and doing something for my benefit, this was the real deal and this GM was in no mood (At that point) to be playing and setting up a skit. And just by the way the salesman reacted, there is no question, they knew they could be sued and this was a real screwup. So this wasnt a skit for my benefit, this guy had just f'd up big time. And on top of that they didnt have to close a deal, they had already sold us the car the day before.

Understood.  Enjoy your new vehicle.

[Guest RevScottie]

I'm sorry but this doesn't sound like a case of racism. It sounds like a customer coming in with a know it all attitude who wants to tell the dealer the way things are going to work. 

​You were plainly told that they didn't work that way. If you didn't like that answer you should have walked right then. You then still insisted to speak to the sales manager. After being interrupted from whatever he was doing to come talk to someone who didn't want to work within their dealership's guidelines you want to say he's a racist because he didn't come out wanting to kiss your butt? The sales manager then goes to get a salesman to proceed with the transaction as it should have been done in the first place. The salesman probably doesn't want to deal with you now because he has already seen that you don't want to work with a salesman because you bypassed him from the get go. So now because he doesn't kiss your butt he's a racist too? Now you escalate all this to corporate and want to sue because the entire dealership is racist? Give me a break! You weren't discriminated against because of your skin color you were treated poorly because you acted like a prima donna who was too good to talk to a lowly salesman. 

 

Like it or not lots of dealerships work this way now. They are tired of customers demanding to only deal with the sales manager because the customer read on  the internet that this is the way to get the best deal. They don't owe you squat and if you don't like their sales tactics walk away and take your business elsewhere.

[Guest TankerHC]

SO what

 

I'm sorry but this doesn't sound like a case of racism. It sounds like a customer coming in with a know it all attitude who wants to tell the dealer the way things are going to work. 

​You were plainly told that they didn't work that way. If you didn't like that answer you should have walked right then. You then still insisted to speak to the sales manager. After being interrupted from whatever he was doing to come talk to someone who didn't want to work within their dealership's guidelines you want to say he's a racist because he didn't come out wanting to kiss your butt? The sales manager then goes to get a salesman to proceed with the transaction as it should have been done in the first place. The salesman probably doesn't want to deal with you now because he has already seen that you don't want to work with a salesman because you bypassed him from the get go. So now because he doesn't kiss your butt he's a racist too? Now you escalate all this to corporate and want to sue because the entire dealership is racist? Give me a break! You weren't discriminated against because of your skin color you were treated poorly because you acted like a prima donna who was too good to talk to a lowly salesman. 

 

Like it or not lots of dealerships work this way now. They are tired of customers demanding to only deal with the sales manager because the customer read on  the internet that this is the way to get the best deal. They don't owe you squat and if you don't like their sales tactics walk away and take your business elsewhere.

 

So what you are saying is that I should have listened to the RECEPTIONIST, went out, picked out a Truck, came back in and did the paperwork instead of talking to a Salesman or Sales Manager first? And what you also (Appear) to be saying is that being treated like sh__ while going into a business to spend 40 grand is the norm now? And (This is only what I can take from this post) is that, like it or not, delears are "tired of customers" in some form or fasion.

 

If your a dealer, or know dealers that are tired of their customers spending money and asking for decent service, please let me know which dealership, so I can avoid going to it.

 

BTW, I have to disagree. I have dealt with LOTS of dealers in the last 30 years and in just the last 6 or 7 and NONE OF THEM where anywhere near as bad as this place, not even close.

 

Who said anything about suing? Also, I didnt get to "talk to a lowly salesman", there was no communication, at all. The guy wouldnt even look at me as I said in the OP, as well, when I asked a simple question, he staright up gave me an "I dont care".

 

Take all that however you want, I was there, I know exactly what was going on.

Edited May 24, 2013 by TankerHC

[Guest TankerHC]

 

 

Edited May 24, 2013 by TankerHC

[Dane]

Since you are going to be in chattanooga check out Crown Dodge (not the one in Cleveland). Great people.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[GlockSpock]

Since you are going to be in chattanooga check out Crown Dodge (not the one in Cleveland). Great people. 



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD 

 

:-\

Edited May 24, 2013 by CZ9MM