WaPo blogger wants to buy Camaro, gets dealer runaround instead
For many, car-buying is an experience that rates somewhere between pouring a basket of scorpions into your underwear and a visit to the dentist from Marathon Man. Some dealerships feel like hives of villainy more wretched than even the Star Wars Cantina, though being held at gunpoint by Greedo is likely preferable to enduring the overall auto-buying process at one of those retailers. After all, as Han Solo demonstrated, one can actually "deal" with Greedo in a satisfactory manner.
Dealing with anyone in a satisfactory manner was, unfortunately, not in the cards for Washington Post blogger Vijay Ravindran, who probably would have had better luck negotiating a peace treaty with the Rancor monster in Jabba's palace. Ravindran, guest-posting at WaPo's Achenblog, reports that with his nine-year-old Bimmer beginning to feel a little tired, he was ready to make the move to a new car. Now, Ravindran is one of these people who admits that "domestic sports coupe" is not a thought that had ever tickled his synapses before, but the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro's drop-dead looks changed all that. Ravindran started with a nearby dealer that advertised Camaros in the newspaper, and things pretty much tanked from there. He called the dealer, left a voicemail requesting a test drive, and promptly never heard back. Good thing the auto market is so strong right now that dealers can turn away prospective customers so easily.
Ravindran's efforts were similarly futile as he expanded his search to other area Chevy dealers, each of whom appeared to have an aversion to the general concept of getting him into a car. Or responding to his queries at all. The dealer that did finally engage him excelled only at giving him a slimy runaround. Granted, we understand Camaros are hot commodities right now and that they may be hard to get, but Ravindran's story flies directly in the face of GM's post-bankruptcy spin about great dealers, great service, etc. You can read Ravindran's whole tale at Achenblog. As for Vijay Ravindran himself, he's no dummy: he's pretty much given up on his Camaro quest.
UPDATE: Just in, via Twitter from GM's Adam Denison, one of the PR personnel for Camaro:
"FYI, we offered that WaPo blogger a ride with Ed Peper at a local dealership tomorrow. Haven't heard from him yet."
Based on Vijay Ravindran's Twitter feed, tomorrow may not work out, but it's interesting to see that GM PR is all over this.
[Source: Washington Post's Achenblog via TTAC]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 8)
jordan 6:10PM (7/21/2009)
I'm not trying to shift blame too much, but I had a similar response when trying to contact them via online submission and voicemail to schedule a test drive: this was a Mazda dealer.
The issue I ran into was that there appeared to only be one person who actually answered the e-mails received from their inquiries page, and they had posted the number of somebody who really shouldn't be the one to contact.
I went to the dealer one afternoon and was still promptly greeted by a sales person who was more than happy to let me drive the car in question (Mazda RX-8).
I drove up in a ragged-out '01 Ford Taurus, and I only look like I'm barely 21, so he probably thought I was just looking for a free ride, but he treated me great. It was a nice turn-around from all the other stories I hear about people being treated poorly.
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jordan 6:11PM (7/21/2009)
Oh...I bought the car that night. :-) (I had eyed it online already, the test drive and talking to the dealer was just to make sure it wasn't stolen or something :-D)
zaxxis 10:07PM (7/21/2009)
As someone who is looking to purchase a last-gen Mazda3 (2009), I pretty much experienced the same thing. I was look basically looking within a 6 hour drive of Ohio, since I know these cars are getting harder to find since the 2010 models came out.
I would say the odds of a dealers online inventory being correct is about 25% and the odds of them returning an email or a response from their 'get a quote now!' buttons, was 50/50. If the dealer takes time to post actually photos of the car, they are the better dealers. I just started to call every dealer asking what they had and about majority of the time they had no clue and would take days to call me back.
Mazda Corporate wasn't any better. I filled out their online form and it took 10 days for a response. The response was for me to email friendsatmazda@mazdausa.com for help and it's been 3 weeks with no response.
I ended up finding one in Michigan and between committing to the car and buying it, they ended up given me another rebate, which is absolutely amazing since I already had a deposit on the car and had no reason to do so.
Paul 11:13PM (7/21/2009)
The difference here is that they *finally* have a product people really want and they're playing that hand WAY too hard. I went to look at a Camaro and the salespeople all scoffed at me (30-something prof, wearing a nice suit, etc). I've bought countless vehicles in the past and these guys act like they've got better things to do. Seriously -- eye rolling, no attention, telling me the $15,000 premium (yep, $15k!) was permanent, arrogance, general rudeness, etc.
The fact is, in six months, after all the Gottahavits get theirs, these will be sold below sticker. And six months after the economy begins to turn and oil prices skyrocket, they'll have beaucoup cash on the hood and the salespeople will be begging you like a desperate ex not to leave the lot.
It's car sales. It's the GM way. And some things don't change.
thecheddar 11:24PM (7/21/2009)
Well, an RX8 is quite a different sales situation from a new SS Camaro. While I get that the Camaro is in demand, it doesn't explain the UNBELIEVABLY bad experience I had at the Chevy dealer today.
The Chevrolet dealers treated me like I was lower than dirt. They wouldn't even let me sit in the SS in the showroom (unsold) and told me they'd have to schedule me for a test-drive, despite the fact that a half-dozen salespeople were standing around (and yeah, I pulled up in a G37 and I'm an adult). On my way home, they called and gave me a sales pitch but I had to buy it without a test drive. And, oh yeah, $15,000 on top of sticker! However, since I was a nice guy, they could get it to $13,000, but then I'd have to finance it through them, no questions asked (double-dipping).
I'm sorry, but I won't EVER buy a Chevrolet, much less a Camaro, given that dealership's behavior. Sadly, all I see online in every forum are the exact same experiences.
Tool 12:27AM (7/22/2009)
It's amazing these dealers. They are all really bad.
I went to a Porsche Dealer. Told them exactly what I wanted, when I wanted it, how I wanted it. etc etc. etc. Couldn't have been more explicit or clearer.
Kept getting these idiotic and impersonal follow-up emails from the sales person. Total turn-off. And this is for a $100,000+ vehicle with huge dealer profit.
roadkillrob 11:44AM (7/22/2009)
I will probably never by another GM product in my life and one of the reasons is the horrible dealer network and the fact they still try to sell cars like it is the 70's. All other brands have learned to treat people well and have decent facilities at customer disposal, but really, any dealer won't really take you seriously until you actually show up. Call the dealer, get a sales guy, find out what they have (since most websites are notoriously out of date), then schedule a time to show up and test drive the car - how hard is that.
My guess is the guy had no intention of buying a car and wasn't very good at hiding that fact!
Marc 6:11PM (7/21/2009)
I had the same experience. Went by the dealership, got the feeling they couldn't be bothered. Also went to check out the new Genesis Coupe... "Oh yeah, those are popular. We'll give you a call when one comes in." That was several months ago. Not having been in a dealer for a few years, I was expecting a much different experience with the market like it is. Not so much.
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Tourian 6:11PM (7/21/2009)
So wait, the guy never stepped foot in a dealership? At all? Sometimes the old fashioned way of working a deal IN PERSON, face to face and man to man is still the best way. I'm not excusing the dealers poor customer service of never calling him back, but I think the guy gave up way to easy and is frankly too scared to buy a car. I know what I want, I don't shop - I go down there and get it, after doing my research on the net. I've never been given the "run around" on anything as a consumer. If I sense BS, I leave and go somewhere else, its simple.
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EXP Jawa 6:18PM (7/21/2009)
That was my thought. If he just called and left messages and didn't visit the dealer, what do you expect? The dealers are probably being flooded with tire kickers looking at the Camaro and wanting drives. If you're actually serious, you actually go there and show you're serious rather then one of those people that just want to joy ride...
Dude 6:19PM (7/21/2009)
Seriously. This dude never even tried.
"oohhh. poor me. I just emailed some car dealers and they never got back to me".
Most car dealers are stuck in the 1850s technologically. Just drive down there dude.
TheMadMilkman 6:34PM (7/21/2009)
You think that people just looking to kick a few tires are actually going to go through the trouble of calling ahead of time and making an appointment, giving the dealer the information necessary to get in touch with you? That doesn't sound like a tire kicker to me.
And Dude, dealers need to be up to date technologically. It isn't the 1950s, and their failure to realize that is part of why so many dealerships are going bankrupt. The whole process of purchasing new cars needs to be seriously overhauled.
Bill 6:39PM (7/21/2009)
A consumer's time is valuable too.
I had a similar experience when trying to buy my last car. First of all, if dealerships aren't going to take email and websites seriously, then they should just dismantle them instead of just paying lip service to them.
I emailed and called several dealerships, telling them what car I wanted, the options I wanted, and my timeline for purchase. Some emails were unanswered, and some answered after I already bought a car. Phone calls weren't much help. You get the "oh our systems down so I can't check inventory right now, but why don't you come on it, I'm sure we'll have something for you".
Note to dealers: I won't waste your time if you won't waste mine. I'm not going to waste days driving around the beltway going on a wild goose chase looking for the car I want. A few emails or phone calls should be sufficient to narrow things down, then I can show up in person, and we can make the deal. And also, if I want a certain color and options, thats what I want. If I want red, don't try to convert me to 3 different shades of gray. If you have what I want to buy, I will buy it. I'm not going to buy what I don't want.
CeeP 6:46PM (7/21/2009)
Er. Did you read the post?
"Then I absolutely insisted on a test drive. And, eventually, I ended up with an appointment. But after driving 45 minutes to the dealer, I found that the one Camaro they'd gotten in was an automatic (I'd asked for a manual transmission) and that I wouldn't be allowed to drive it, just sit in it on the lot. The sales person tried to get me in a Corvette and to convince me that transmission is the same (it's not). I left the dealership, dejected, but not yet ready to give up."
He went to the dealership, who lied to him about what they had in stock. I had a similar sour experience looking at a G8 GXP around here. No test drive, $15k markup? No thanks.
Tourian 6:52PM (7/21/2009)
@Bill
I understand what you are saying, and it is valid. But look at it from this perspective: Most new car dealers have their inventories online. You may not be able to see all the options and all the specs, but you'll at least get the color, engine and transmission in most cases. And being that this is a new model that has a high demand, there aren't mass quantities sitting around right now. If I just want to drive it, I'll look and see who has one - color and options shouldn't really matter at this point. He could just visit the dealer that has inventory and go there.
All he did, IMO, is expect to be coddled and have has hand held in the mean time Camaros are flying off the shelf, and only wanted to go drive the exact car he was "thinking" about buying, and nobody had it, so he got no response. Most people in that case want a dealer to go buy a car, or do a dealer trade, just so they can come in and look at it - which dealers in this case won't be willing to do, they can just sell what they have. People get pissed because they expect dealers to do things on their beck and call because they believe it is a buyer's market and dealers should bend over backwards, but not for Camaros they won't.
Basically he can now say he "hates" domestic cars and go back to BMWs because they're "better", but in reality its just what he is used to and probably wasn't serious about buying a Camaro (or any other American car) in the first place.
DKB_SATX 6:55PM (7/21/2009)
Speaking of giving up way too easily... if you'd read the linked article, you'd see that he DID go to a dealership that took the trouble to answer his calls and/or emails. Oh, and they baited him in by telling him they had the car he was looking for and he could drive it, when they really had an auto (he wanted a manual) and would only let him sit in it in the showroom.
I realize that dealers get all horned up when they finally get a new model that people want, and they don't want to put miles on a car that's not a demo if they can avoid it. However, I wouldn't buy a car if I couldn't at least drive a very similar one to find out what it's like. My partner bought his first WRX shortly after they went on sale in the US, and the dealer was slightly stand-offish about the test drive at first, but talking to them for a few minutes gave them the idea that we were serious, and a couple of minutes into the test drive he decided to buy it. If they had been too stupid to realize that you might want to get a feel for the product on which you're about to spend tens of thousands of dollars, he probably wouldn't have bought a car from them.
zamafir 7:09PM (7/21/2009)
"So wait, the guy never stepped foot in a dealership? At all? Sometimes the old fashioned way of working a deal IN PERSON, face to face and man to man is still the best way."
I've purchased four cars in the last three years. I'm under 30, grew up with a computer and use facebook. i buy cars like i purchase cameras on newegg or b&h, online. I request quotes from 10-15 local dealers and never once step foot in a dealership until everything is finished online. Typically, one internet sales manager understand the reality of 2009, doesn't ask me to call or email 1000 times, and quite simply does as I the customer have requested - provides a quote immediately in the reply. I've rewarded both of those sales managers (one at a VW and one at a Toyota dealership) with repeat business a year from either purchase.
This is the reality of our society. People buy books on amazon because they cost near nothing (mostly because amazon doesn't sell books anymore, they make money of the advertising on the book pages not margin dollars) and the shopping is convenient. More and more of my peers are joining the internet car buying movement, preferring not to deal with relics of the 50's and notions that abusing customers are how sales are made, preferring instead to secure a price @ invoice, all the negotiating done before they even enter the dealer's show room. Those dealers, those that get it, sell a lot more cars, get a lot more kick backs from the manufacturers and are less pushy as a result. Ravindran just managed to find quite a few clueless dealers, which, in my experience, still tend to be the majority.
tump 8:03PM (7/21/2009)
I disagree. It's 2009, not 1972. If they want to sell me a car, they have to get with the times. I *have* purchased cars without going into a dealer and they *should* realize that not everybody has the luxury of time to bullsh*t with Bob the Loser just to pick up a car I know I want. I don't have time for that crap and if they're non-technical then they should have been closed with the rest of them.
geo.stewart 8:49PM (7/21/2009)
idk, I had 2 dealers (1 I bought my car from -via internet- and another that I've had service done at) email me, before the car came out, to call and set up a test drive.
One of the dealers is in the suburbs and the other is getting out there a ways. Both provide good service and seem to be in the curve internet-wise.
I've had my share of good and bad dealer experiences, its probably 50/50. Most of the time, you can contact the mftr direct and get the name of a reputable dealer.
I find it hard to believe every Chevrolet dealer in the area sucks hind teet.
pickles 1:51AM (7/22/2009)
The way a dealer gets the 'privilege' of my business is to reply to my initial inquiry. It's 2009 and the internet is practically ancient at this point. They need to get with it. The reporter did what I would have done.
My last new car purchase was for a model that was sold at 6 dealers close to me. I did 6 'email us for a price quote' and only one responded. He knew ALL and more about the car, had it ready for a test drive, and did everything as a normal, hopeful customer would. He's the one I went to first, second and from whom I bought my $40k car from. Then when it got totaled while parked- he's the one who got my business again. Some may prefer the walk-in dealer approach, but I for one don't have the time to deal with the showroom-dance till the music gets really good. That's AFTER we've established some rapport ...via email.