So do they want the truth?

[awraynor]

Exactly. The model and process is the problem. The human behavior that process reinforces and thus motivates is a symptom of the problem that we each experience every time we go to buy a vehicle at a dealership. It is an antiquated process seemingly created to disadvantage the consumer at every step. This business model is set up to eek out every last dollar from the consumer, ethics be damned. It is rooted in a time when consumers had very limited access to information and were therefore just grapes for the picking by unscrupulous car dealers. It needs to just go away entirely and be replaced by a customer-centric experience with less emphasis on "the deal" and more on transparency, honesty and fairness.

The current dealership/salesperson/sales manager/F&I office approach has got to be reducing the overall amount of sales by making the process miserable and thus driving at least some number of consumers to buy cars less frequently. I know that is true in my case - if the process were straightforward and customer-focused, I'd definitely buy and sell vehicles more often. I like cars/truck/motorcycles and have the financial resources to acquire them without it hurting too badly. However, as it stands now, I will only put myself through that cr@p if I absolutely have to and therefore the industry gets less of my money than it otherwise would.

I was talking to one of my coworkers about buying my Gladiator. She's a divorcee and said during her first time buying a vehicle by herself she was crying. That's how bad it is.

Thankfully I've watched YouTube channels like Your Auto Advocate and Kevin Hunter The Homework Guy. I'm not a master at these thing, but I did feel more empowered than ever to deal.

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[area5179]

I just ordered a 2021 Gladiator Sport S and it's the 3rd new vehicle I've purchased. Maybe because I've special ordered them all I've never had a bad experience buying them I was given a fair price for my trade, they were able to meet my payment number and were helpful throughout the order process. The only bad part was the paperwork. So much waiting around for numbers from F&I. Other than that I've never had a bad experience with my dealers.

 

[slowstang305]

It all depends on the dealership. I had an amazing experience working with Stivers Jeep. We made a deal on the phone, I flew in and was out the door in 30 minutes. Asked me one time if I wanted warranty extended and when I said no he never asked me again.

 

[awraynor]

It all depends on the dealership. I had an amazing experience working with Stivers Jeep. We made a deal on the phone, I flew in and was out the door in 30 minutes. Asked me one time if I wanted warranty extended and when I said no he never asked me again.

Glad to see good experiences exist. The price on the Gladiator was decent, trade in value was great. It's just the way they went about it was disingenuous.

All in all. I should have waited, sold my truck to Carvana and custom ordered. With the chip shortage I was just too worried about how long a custom order would take.

 

[Ankh]

I wont fill out any survey without compensation. I also removed the dealer vanity plate and license plate surround and the dealership sticker as soon as I left the lot. I had a good experience with the salesman and finance guy and will recommend them to friends, but no free survey or moving billboard from me. I sell steel on commission, if someone gives me a lead that ends in a sale I always throw something their way, I've never had a dealership reciprocate for years when faithfully leaving their advertising on my vehicle and filling out favorable surveys. Sorry for the old man rant phase of my life.

 

[awraynor]

I wont fill out any survey without compensation. I also removed the dealer vanity plate and license plate surround and the dealership sticker as soon as I left the lot. I had a good experience with the salesman and finance guy and will recommend them to friends, but no free survey or moving billboard from me. I sell steel on commission, if someone gives me a lead that ends in a sale I always throw something their way, I've never had a dealership reciprocate for years when faithfully leaving their advertising on my vehicle and filling out favorable surveys. Sorry for the old man rant phase of my life.

I understand for sure. They received the survey they deserved. I've already removed the dealer sticker from the rear and the surround for the plate goes tomorrow. Hopefully I can find the surround from my old truck. No luck so far.

 

[Stitchedupseats]

We’ve bought a few vehicles from Steve white motors in Newton, NC. They say no fees and it’s true. The price online was the price I paid. They beat carvana and KBB on my trade. Delivered it on a Saturday 4 hours away, took my trade back, and filled all my paperwork in the driveway with a notary FOR FREE. Most amazing experience ever. Never set foot in the dealership.
My jeep incentive didn’t apply to 4xe after an addendum FCA put out, dealer gave to us on the trade and took it off the top. That’s above and beyond I felt. We will be returning no matter where we’re living when the time comes.
They got all 10s and deserved it. Have even gotten a few check ins since from them making sure all is well.

 

[awraynor]

We’ve bought a few vehicles from Steve white motors in Newton, NC. They say no fees and it’s true. The price online was the price I paid. They beat carvana and KBB on my trade. Delivered it on a Saturday 4 hours away, took my trade back, and filled all my paperwork in the driveway with a notary FOR FREE. Most amazing experience ever. Never set foot in the dealership.
My jeep incentive didn’t apply to 4xe after an addendum FCA put out, dealer gave to us on the trade and took it off the top. That’s above and beyond I felt. We will be returning no matter where we’re living when the time comes.
They got all 10s and deserved it. Have even gotten a few check ins since from them making sure all is well.

I was searching the entire region for the exact Gladiator I wanted. Kind of funny how Cars.com and AutoTrader.com would skip so many dealers, even those very close to me. I guess they have to opt into their search engine?

 

[Stitchedupseats]

I was searching the entire region for the exact Gladiator I wanted. Kind of funny how Cars.com and AutoTrader.com would skip so many dealers, even those very close to me. I guess they have to opt into their search engine?

Oh for sure. They have to pay a subscription for any of those sites. Even costco charges the dealers to “use” their network. You can buy your way to the top on sites and no one sees the good guys.

 

[Free2roam]

I review nothing. I give zero 10s. Everyone wants a review for everything you purchase. Like I'm going to buy something based off someone else's thoughts on a product they bought. Ummm think not. Any idea how many fake reviews are out there to get you to buy their product? Hell people even send shit to my house from Amazon for free then they are able to post a fake review on Amazon because it was delivered. Amazon doesn't care where just that it was delivered.

I totally disregarded my sales guys dealership request. Did they do a good job. Sure. Did I get the deal I wanted? Sure. End of story.

 

[akrkwk310]

Legal con artists. Sales man they are
The least trusted profession in America 50 years in a row??

 

[OrangeTJ]

We’ve bought a few vehicles from Steve white motors in Newton, NC. They say no fees and it’s true. The price online was the price I paid. They beat carvana and KBB on my trade. Delivered it on a Saturday 4 hours away, took my trade back, and filled all my paperwork in the driveway with a notary FOR FREE. Most amazing experience ever. Never set foot in the dealership.
My jeep incentive didn’t apply to 4xe after an addendum FCA put out, dealer gave to us on the trade and took it off the top. That’s above and beyond I felt. We will be returning no matter where we’re living when the time comes.
They got all 10s and deserved it. Have even gotten a few check ins since from them making sure all is well.

Now that is the way it should be done. Too bad it is the exception but I'm glad to hear of your experience.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

I just had a frustrating dealership experience today! It’s funny that I saw this thread because I was thinking of making one to see if anyone had some insight.

I ordered a Gladiator in February to take advantage of the $1,500 factory rebate that ended that month. I have the build sheet, signed, with the agreed upon pricing and the dealer saying that I was locked in to that rebate regardless of when the purchase was made.

Fast forward to April 27 and my truck is delivered to the dealership. I am in the middle of closing on a house and communicate that to the dealer. They say it can just sit out back, no problem, and that they will still honor those rebates. I go in to purchase it today, about a month later because of course the house had delays, and they say that I can’t get the agreed upon price because I didn’t pick it up within 10 days. I was steaming and I can’t stand dealerships so I don’t worry about hurting feelings.

Ultimately they worked some numbers on the invoice to use current rebates, which are less, but made the final purchase price of the Gladiator what we had agreed on at the beginning. Then they came up $1,500 on my trade. So they made it right and I feel that I got a good price but to me it seems they tried to pull one over on me.

 

[cuellar13]

When I worked for corporate GM, dealer surveys were reviewed by the manufacturer. Customer satisfaction (on both the sales and service side) essentially have an affect on that dealer's "relationship" with the manufacturer, i.e. what type of inventory they can get, when they can order it, etc. In the auto world, brand loyalty/customer retention/marketshare have been super important to domestic brands since Honda introduced the disruptive, gas sipping Civic (40 mpg) in the early 1970's. Even if the vehicles are selling themselves at a dealer, manufacturers want to know when customers have a bad dealer experience during any interactions (sales gets the customer in the door, service keeps them there) because their brand is tied to that dealer. Believe it or not, MANY people aren't aware that dealers are independently owned, and think they are actually dealing with employees of the manufacturer when they're at a dealer. That's why these surveys are important to dealers, and they ask for 10's. If you think about it, and you live near a major metro area, there is typically an inventory discrepancy between two dealers that sell the same brand. There's one that always has a crazy expensive limited edition model sitting in the showroom, and the other never does. That same dealer is probably focused on customer satisfaction, and has a pretty tenured sales team. In the end, be honest. You don't have to say names, just recommend areas of improvement and everyone wins. A dealer isn't going to get reamed out for a bad survey, but they may get a couple of questions asked, and you may get a follow up call, along with a goodwill gesture like a voucher for free oil change or something, to try to make it right.

 

[awraynor]

When I worked for corporate GM, dealer surveys were reviewed by the manufacturer. Customer satisfaction (on both the sales and service side) essentially have an affect on that dealer's "relationship" with the manufacturer, i.e. what type of inventory they can get, when they can order it, etc. In the auto world, brand loyalty/customer retention/marketshare have been super important to domestic brands since Honda introduced the disruptive, gas sipping Civic (40 mpg) in the early 1970's. Even if the vehicles are selling themselves at a dealer, manufacturers want to know when customers have a bad dealer experience during any interactions (sales gets the customer in the door, service keeps them there) because their brand is tied to that dealer. Believe it or not, MANY people aren't aware that dealers are independently owned, and think they are actually dealing with employees of the manufacturer when they're at a dealer. That's why these surveys are important to dealers, and they ask for 10's. If you think about it, and you live near a major metro area, there is typically an inventory discrepancy between two dealers that sell the same brand. There's one that always has a crazy expensive limited edition model sitting in the showroom, and the other never does. That same dealer is probably focused on customer satisfaction, and has a pretty tenured sales team. In the end, be honest. You don't have to say names, just recommend areas of improvement and everyone wins. A dealer isn't going to get reamed out for a bad survey, but they may get a couple of questions asked, and you may get a follow up call, along with a goodwill gesture like a voucher for free oil change or something, to try to make it right.

That's exactly what I did in my survey. Specifically said nothing personal against them, they were both personable. I did not mention their names. Just said over and over it's the process. I am sure they are only doing what their employer expects of them as we all do in one way or another.

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