RIP 2012 ZL1 #1635
 

On Sunday, December 15, 2013, my prized 2012 Camaro ZL1 took its last breath at 4:47 pm. The car was at the dealer in Georgetown, DE for paint issues (under warranty). It had been locked in the service bay over the weekend. On Sunday afternoon, an employee of the dealership (service writer) entered the locked building, removed the keys to my car from the service department, and went on a joyride. The car was totaled when he lost control and sheared off a telephone pole.

The dealership informed my wife and I on Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. of our loss. Yes, they waited over 16 hours to tell us about our car. I am sure they discussed the incident with their attorneys prior to calling us.

It is now Friday, the car has been officially totaled by the insurance company, and the dealership is telling us it is not their problem. They even refuse to provide my wife and I (and our insurance company) with their insurance information.

I traded in my 2011 SS2 Camaro and sold my 1969 Camaro SS in pristine condition to buy the ZL1. I will never be able to afford another new ZL1, and basically I don't think I should have to be put in the position to have to buy a new one. We trusted the dealership to use vigilance while our car was in their possession. We can't even have charges pressed against their employee for theft because the car was not in OUR possession when stolen.

Something about this whole thing just doesn't seem right. What would you do if this was your baby?

You need to contact an attorney ASAP. The dealer is completely liable for the car while is is being serviced by them. Your entitled to a new vehicle. This is an easy open and shut case.

That makes no sense whatsoever. Isn't the car the dealerships liability when it's dropped off at their place?

:laughabove:
Completely agree! That's an insane story man, Keep us updated

Dont let the dealer play this game with you. They are soley responsible. Get an attorney and let them help you get another car.

You can press charges against the dealership for destruction of private property and should be allowed to press theft charges because they took a lot of your money when they destroyed your car. you can easily sue them for damages and hardship and be rewarded with enough money for two zl1's.

The dealer is liable for the car but only the appraised 2012 used ZL1 price. Sorry, you probably cannot get a car that was cared for like yours had been at the price they will give you to replace it. I would talk to a lawyer. If you don't have a good attorney relationship you may contact the better business bureau, or call GM directly. If everything happened exactly as you described the dealership will eventually cover the loss, it may tike some time and patience.

Completely the dealership fault. I agree with everyone else, get a lawyer and keep us informed.

Yea, thats BS. Get an attorney right now!!!! It would have been the FIRST thing I did if the dealer told me that crap. I dont believe you didnt man. I would have had one by monday noon!!! Tear them apart!!!

Dealer name? (may be against board rules)

:popcorn:

Post the dealer name so no one else deals with this shady of a dealership................

First, contact Chevrolet Customer service and get the situation escalated within GM. They will take this seriously.

Second, lawyer up.

WOW!!! Extremely sorry to hear this!!! You definitely need to contact an attorney ASAP!!! I wouldn't let your insurance company handle this. Please keep us posted......

I am so sorry. I would be sick! As everybody else has said, call GM directly and get a lawyer. Keep us all informed. Good luck friend! P.S. Not as serious of a story, but similar. My cousin bought a brand new WS6 Trans Am in 2002. He dropped it off for his 5,000 mile check and a tech went out joy riding in it. He came to pick it up and found 150 more miles on it, burnt rubber under the wheel wells and it stunk like cigarettes. He went off like a rocket and the dealer admitted their fault, fired the tech and gave him lifetime oil changes and state inspection for free. Again, it's not the same, but at least my cousin's dealer "manned up". Again, good luck!

Another reason why I would carry collector car insurance on my car and I do (on my 2001 Z/28 and 2010 Camaro). At the least you have an agreed value of what you set. When you have to settle with appraised prices you are screwed.

Another vote for "get an attorney". You can't stand by and be railroaded by this dealership. They are completely liable for this. And at the very least you should be able to sue the employee


Sent from my abacus using precise finger movements......

Hire a lawyer, sue for damages, loss of income, fraud, legal fees, etc.

At least get some legal advice. Sounds like a heck of a case.

EVERY dealer reacts this way when this kind of thing happens. EVERY dealer that does this gets blasted all over internet blogs. EVERY dealer that does this is found wrong in court, yet the CONTINUOUSLY do this. Contact Jalopnik and Autoblog. Contact GM. Hire a lawyer.

Unbelivable !! Sure this Guys

Sue

What in the?? Do they think they will get away with this?

Exactly. Make sure that you get in touch with a decision maker, not a customer service rep. This involves writing a letter (sent via USPS, not email) to higher-ups at GM. They need to punish this dealer or at least force them to give you a new/newer car. Perhaps GM does this as a gesture of goodwill.

In the past when I have had problems with a company, even a big company, I have written letters to their executive offices. Sure, the mail is screened, but I always get a favorable response from the company. The executive usually has a "fixer" who goes out of their way to fix things for you.

Two other things you should do:

1. Lodge a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Businesses hate having unresolved complaints on the BBB website. The dealer is no different.

2. See if your local news/paper has a "shame on you" type of segment. It's a long shot, but if you get to tell your story, it may shame the dealership into stepping up.

BTW, has the dealership already said that they won't give you a newer car? They should be going overboard to make this up to you.

If they don't, I'd raise holy hell. No reason you should be in this situation!

Good luck.

Not only is the dealership liable for your car from an insurance standpoint, but they have also committed a felony on a criminal level. An employee "of the dealership" STOLE your car and wrecked it. I would have their ass handed to them

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I'm going to guess the paper you signed to have the dealership service your car has some fine print on it somewhere stating they are not liable for any loss or damages to your vehicle while it's in their possession. That's probably why they're telling you it's not their problem.

If the car is totaled, Isn't your insurance company going to reimburse you the market value of the car?

To me it's no different than if someone stole the car from in front of your house and totaled it. Your insurance company should reimburse you the fair market value of the car and then go after the dealership's insurance to get their money back.

If the dealership had any decency, it would pay the difference between what your insurance reimburses and the cost of a new ZL1.

Like others have suggested, get yourself a good lawyer and be patient. This could take a while to settle.

Looks like you just got yourself a brand new Z28! Look on the bright side! Watch Chevy contact you and be on their knees! Contact chevrolet and they should have that dealer shut down. Chevy has never been someone to treat their owners like that. Ugh reading this upsets me..

That's wild. Get a lawyer ASAP

Yeah, this sucks. Probably worth a consultation with an attorney.
Otherwise, people love seeing these businesses called out on the local news.
Such publicity will cost far more in sales and service than helping you into a suitable replacement.

Might've able to own the dealership. This is BS good luck op


Ryan

Something as insane as this, I would also contact your local news station and tell them everything

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That sucks! Unless you signed a waiver absolving the dealership of all responsibility (highly unlikely), their position is a joke, a bad joke. I'm not so sure you'd be entitled to a 2014 ZL1 to replace your 2012 though, but an attorney could tell you for sure. Hire one sooner rather than later.

Considering their employee essentially stole your car while it was in the dealers' posession,they owe you a new '14 with zero out of pocket. IMHO.

Go Public
Hire a Well Known and a Hardass Lawyer to bring them to their knees.
Call the BBB
Call GM and raise hell on the dealership
RECORD EVERYTHING
Keep Everything on File / on Voice / on Record / Pictures Etc.

Do not settle for less, they owe you a brand new car and deserve to be shut down for this criminal activity and refusing the fact they are at fault.

On side note pull out some civil justice on the punk who stole the car, so he can never get another job at a dealership again.

Reading this brings a a flame inside me , i mean holy crap today's people are so pathetic to even accept the fact they are at fault.

I had this happen to me with a dodge ram 2500 the dealership (of course being nice) had one of the salesmen take my truck to fill it with LSD and was totaled when he pulled out of the gas station, the paid the truck off and put me in a 10 2500 free of charge, thats service, never had to threaten nothing took me upstairs and told me to pick any 2500 slt long bed i wanted, rolled the payment that was left, the truck totaled was a 08 2500 4x4 sport, now my loyalty will always be at that dealership and have bought numerous work trucks.

not responsible.... uh WHEN the hell did paint issues require a TEST drive???
there is the FIRST clue that something was wrong about this story... next thought is what would warrant a hard test ride that results in a wreck that TOTALS the car.... if it was a small bump or fender bender this would be acceptable and the dealership would need to correct the issue... but something is COMPLETELY wrong with this whole thing...

1. Contact GM and demand to speak to the Regional Service manger
2. Contact a lawyer and seek legal advise
3. I would think that dealership insurance should be public knowledge
4. call GM daily until someone responds and gives you a satifactory answer
Ex- BMW service manager and warranty admin mode off....

on a personal note I am so incredibly sorry to hear this man good luck and yes please please keep us posted!

You'd be surprised how fast social media spreads. Example. If you entered a posting topic here (to start with)..... "xxxxxxx Chevrolet Emplyoee Totals ZL1 and Denies ownership" ...... Google searches will pick up on that immediately.

You need to (as others said), to get a lawyer, explain what happened, and get on this dealer immediately. You should be able to recover for a new ZL1 (and then some for damages...etc). I've seen where many of these places are LLC's and GM does nothing much in this type of case. Net-Net....Please DO NOT settle for anything less than a new vehicle with ZERO out-of-pocket.

http://www.chevrolet.com/help/contact-us.html



also is this a small dealership or privately owned dealership? Take it to the top!!! and go further...

I have some friends higher up at GM that helped me get my car #230 back when my daughter was sick with cancer. I have sent this thread to both of them. Do not know if they can do anything but it may help.

The first thing to do in any of these situations is contact an attorney. Also, I would send a PM to the GM rep (William) on the forum.

I wouldn't be too worried about getting a replacement ZL1 OP. I've seen threads with similar stories on several forums.

Nick C.

I know if I have an accident or damage to my car I contact my Insurance Agent and then they go after the other party. I have experienced something like this before and the insurance company hired the lawyer and it cost me nothing. The lawyers worked on my behalf and ofr the insurance company to get everything needed to make the situation correct. BTW---got any photos

I was going to say something similar. Your insurance company if it's a good one will pursue the matter. The dealer will cave in once they realize they are totally liable and told by the insurance company or GM themselves. :thumbsup: