#1 The Bad:
On Tuesday (2 days ago) I went to a local dealership in Milwaukee with a friend of mine as he was purchasing his new 2006 Z06 with a pre-arranged deal at $5K over MSRP. I had a deposit at another dealer and anxiously awaiting delivery. He decided not to wait any longer so he was willing to pay the premium. So, here’s the first story:
BRAEGER CHEVROLET, INC.
Event Facts:
Monday 3-37-06
1. Searched General Motors internet database for an available (unsold) 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Braeger Chevrolet showed one in stock.
2. Emailed Braeger Chevrolet on Monday to obtain a quote on a 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06.
3. Monday evening received an email from Aleks Skibicki of Braeger Chevrolet with a bona fide offer to do business at an agreed price of $75,485.00 ($5,000 over MSRP!) for this exact vehicle:
2006 Corvette Z06 Coupe
7.0 LITER SFI V8 - 505 HP
6-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION
Black, Exterior
BLACK INTERIOR TRIM
VIN: 1G1YY26EX65122086
4. Quote stated that it was good for 10 days.
5. Aleks confirmed the bona fide offer with new car sales manager.
6. Emailed Aleks that we would be in on Tuesday (next day) to purchase the car at the offered price.
7. Received another e-mail asking if I had received the information and gave me his personal address to ensure that I could contact him directly.
8. Phoned Aleks and let him know I would be in on Tuesday and that I would be trading in a vehicle (2003 Honda Pilot).
9. Expressed to Aleks that if he had received any other calls on the vehicle that he should call me back and let me know so I could arrange to get to the dealer earlier if necessary. Did not receive any calls.
Tuesday 3-28-06
10. I pre-arranged financing to make a deal on the vehicle (Landmark Credit Union, Erin Heaton)
11. Called Aleks at Braeger Chevrolet to set an appointment to purchase the 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 at the documented and verified offer.
12. Around lunch time a business associate and myself drove to Braeger Chevrolet with pre-approved financing to purchase the 2006 Chevrolet Corvette Z06.
13. After entering Braeger Chevrolet we were told that Alex had a “Family Emergency” and was suddenly unavailable and someone else (salesmen) would help us.
14. Salesman said we were in luck because the exact car that was quoted in the bona fide offer had actually just arrived that morning.
15. Confirmed that the vehicle was available and we could purchase the car. There were no other pending deals with deposits. The vehicle was not spoken for.
16. We were taken into the service area to see the car. It was the exact car that was showing as available on the GM website. Continued………
17. We then walked back to salesman’s sales desk and presented evidence of the documented offer.
18. Salesman acted very surprised and said that after talking to his manager he could sell the vehicle at $10,000 over MSRP for a total of $80,485.00 plus fees.
19. Salesman stated that he was getting calls from Texas for $10k over MSRP and that there was no way they could sell the car for $5k over.
20. We again confirmed with salesman that Braeger Chevrolet knew that both Alex and (manager) sent a bona fide offer to purchase the vehicle at the agreed and documented price of $75,485.00. Jason Enders, General Manager/VP said that a “Mistake had been made” and that we could buy the car for $80,485.00 plus fees.
21. For the third time, we confirmed with Jason Enders Vice President of Braeger Chevrolet that both Alex and New car sales manager sent a bona fide offer to purchase the vehicle at the agreed and documented price of $75,485.00. Jason said that a “Mistake had been made” and that we could buy the car for $80,485.00 plus fees. also said he was very sorry and that they can make more money elsewhere because higher offers were coming in.
22. We told Jason that they had fraudulently represented an offer to do business at an agreed price. We recommended to Jason that he not sell the vehicle to anyone else and we left the dealership. Again, Jason said he was sorry but he thought he could sell it for more money.
#2 The Good:
This will be short and sweet. Not enough “Good Experience” dealer experiences get circulated. Also, I need to validate the story above by letting everyone see that I am not just an unfair guy looking to cause trouble. Here’s the second one:
NEWMAN CHEVROLET OLDSMOBILE, INC.
Event Facts:
1. Called Newman Chevrolet during the first week of December 2005 to see if they would take a deposit on a 2006 Z06.
2. Richard Werner (Rich) answered my call and said that they might get one or two allocations but it was definitely not a guaranty. He would be happy to take a refundable deposit and we could see what happens.
3. I drove over to Newman Chevrolet and placed a deposit on a possible allocation at MSRP. Richard let me know his concerns and the possibility of not getting a car. I was OK with that.
4. Mid January 2006 Rich called to me with great news. They were getting only one allocation for the entire year and I was the first on the list!
5. During January the dealership owner’s son had a good friend that wanted the single allocation. The dealership honored my deal on a first come first served basis.
6. Late February Rich called with an order number
7. Early March Rich called with a build date (March 20, 2006)
8. Last Saturday Rich called and said it was shipped.
9. Tuesday (two days ago as I was at Braeger Chevrolet with my friend) I got a call from Rich saying the car had just been delivered! They were going to try and have it ready for me to pick up that afternoon.
10. At 4:00pm Rich called and said come and get it. I went and got it.
From the initial phone call in December up to tuesday evening Newman Chevrolet, Richard Werner and the entire staff treated me with respect and courtesy. Whether I paid invoice, sticker or 30K over makes no difference here. The point is that some dealers know how to treat customers. This Saturday I am driving my new Z06 over to Braeger Chevrolet to provide prospects my opinion on where to take their Chevrolet business.