Is there an 800 number or someone working for GM we can email with dealer complaints?

[Captain Awesome]

I'm seeing a pattern with dealers telling me outright lies and trying to scam me and I'd like to have someone from GM investigate them.

[FenwickHockey65]

I'm not sure if GM can do anything...I remember someone from GM, John Fitzpatrick I think, saying that dealers were individual businesses and GM had no control over mark-ups or anything like that.

I'd just try to find a good, honest dealer. Start with the ones listed on this site.

[13F20]

yes but the dealers do represent GM and sales so by causing problems they are hurting GM sales and stocks, so it does effect GM and they do have a say to the dealers. They could just releave all the senior managment and replace them or fine the franchise owners.

[TheMadHatter99]

I don't think they have any say over who is employed at specific dealers, but they could punish them with allocations and such I bet.

[Nexus6]

You could try contacting the owner,but you better have a good case(as far as the big picture) before you speak with him.

[Jiu Jitsu Jon]

Someone told me that GM DOES in fact have authority over its dealers - that for certain infractions GM could yank franchises away from dealers.

Paging Fbodfather - what control does GM have over dealers? McDonald's are franchises too, but they have some kind of accountability to the corporation. Franchises can be forfeited (for lack of a better term at the moment) for failing to abide by certain corporate standards.

[Pushing_Tin]

Originally Posted by Jiu Jitsu Jon

Someone told me that GM DOES in fact have authority over its dealers - that for certain infractions GM could yank franchises away from dealers.

Paging Fbodfather - what control does GM have over dealers? McDonald's are franchises too, but they have some kind of accountability to the corporation. Franchises can be forfeited (for lack of a better term at the moment) for failing to abide by certain corporate standards.

Given GM's current financial state I highly doubt they would do anything to shut down or harass a dealer. They need every penny that they can get.

[TAG UR IT]

^But that is exactly the point.

GM is hurting and they need all the sales they can get. Any time a dealer turns away a potential customer, that person (you might have heard the saying) will go and tell 10 people their bad experience. "It takes a lifetime to gain customers...and only a minute to lose them."

GM really can't afford to have the dealers out there spreading lies or making false claims of this and that. They do need to be set straight. If that dealer gets a bad name, no one will go to them anymore...and in turn, their dealer will suffer. BUT, what if someone has such a bad experience, that they no longer care for the Chevy brand itself!

I will NEVER IN MY LIFE go to Superior Pontiac again. They did me wrong and wanted me to sign papers JUST TO GIVE ME PRICES. Now...not only did 10 people get that message....THOUSANDS got it. That's right...YOU read it. Dealers can shoot themselves in the foot and GM needs everyone on board selling as much as they can. If a dealer wants to mark up a Camaro 20K over MSRP, they can....and they won't sell it for a while. That means, they won't get great allocation later on. On top of that, no one will want to buy from them. It will hurt their business and can hurt GM's. If I worked for GM, I'd want to know so I could say something.

[Tal]

Unions, overpayed management, healthcare costs, these things make the headlines and do raise costs but bad dealers lose sales, not just a few sales but lots of sales. One small city I lived in the local Chevy dealer was well known for a variety of shady and dishonest tactics and as a result in that town Dodge, Ford, and Honda all outsold Chevy/GM. At least they appeared to, and I never knew anyone to buy a second car at that dealer, though I'm sure some did and there was no Toyota dealer in town or they probably would've outsold them as well.

[Bumble Bee '77]

I had a bad experience at the dealer a few blocks form my house when I got my 4th Gen. Long story short, the damaged my rear defroster and refused to fix it instead wanting to charge me $600 for a new rear window. I called GM and filed a complaint and GM called the dealer advising them to honor my request to replace the window. They refused. Even though they are selling the new Camaro at MSRP or less, They still lost me as a customer. And the 10-20 people at work I advised not to buy from any of their dealerships. Gm will step in but I think in the long run, the dealer is going to do what they want.

[Pushing_Tin]

Very good thoughts, and in the internet age it's vital that dealers run an honest game. Thanks to sites like this one we can all share our thoughts and experiences both good and bad. It's not like the "old days" where only your immediate circle of friends or relatives would learn of your bad dealer experience.

[carfansince73]

Originally Posted by Captain Awesome

I'm seeing a pattern with dealers telling me outright lies and trying to scam me and I'd like to have someone from GM investigate them.

A friend of mine heard a radio commercial for a specific model Honda Accord some years back, but when he went in to buy, they didn't have anything like he heard on the radio. They all had these overpriced dealer accessories added. He called the state attorney general, and in the end he got the deal advertised, so did three of his friends. All they had to do was mention his name..