95zpro

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.

XxGarbSxX

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 **** doesn't stink. I won't go to either a Nissan or Honda dealership again.

Jon5212

iTrader: (2)

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.

BanditTA

iTrader: (3)

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.

PopaPork

iTrader: (4)

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.

PopaPork

iTrader: (4)

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

nickate

iTrader: (5)

Sawree....

Big hug?

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

proporio

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


j/k

tacklebox

iTrader: (10)

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 ******** regardless of who they work for!

ryonyanko

iTrader: (1)

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.

digitalsolo

iTrader: (24)

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.

nickate

iTrader: (5)

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

Super Speed

iTrader: (8)

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...

LS1LT1

iTrader: (16)

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.

spudnick3119

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.

Tainted

iTrader: (9)

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..

nickate

iTrader: (5)

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

WECIV

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