When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Dang Montana, I hate to hear this. Since you already have some great suggestions, I'll just add a few observations. Be tactful, not obstinate. As my dear old Dad always said, "You get more flies with honey". There's always time to get much harder if they act stupid. And, (I can't stress this enough) do not mention a lawyer no matter how hard you have to get. The minute you mention a lawyer a business will immediately shut the negotiations down. Then they will tell you to contact their lawyer as they have nothing else to say on the matter. (In my past career I knew/know a ton of lawyers, business ones included. They love to talk about things like this happening) Once again you can get the lawyer latter if needed, and the dealer need not know about it until your lawyer calls them. Good luck, like you I would be livid.
And oh yeah, don't mention to them that you want to burn the dealership down either.
Last edited by Rebel Yell; 08-31-2018 at 04:04 PM.
Dang Montana, I hate to hear this. Since you already have some great suggestions, I'll just add a few observations. Be tactful, not obstinate. As my dear old Dad always said, "You get more flies with honey". There's always time to get much harder if they act stupid. And, (I can't stress this enough) do not mention a lawyer no matter how hard you have to get. The minute you mention a lawyer a business will immediately shut the negotiations down. Then they will tell you to contact their lawyer as they have nothing else to say on the matter. (In my past career I knew/know a ton of lawyers, business ones included. They love to talk about things like this happening) Once again you can get the lawyer latter if needed, and the dealer need not know about it until your lawyer calls them. Good luck, like you I would be livid.
And oh yeah, don't mention to them that you want to burn the dealership down either.
As soon as you mention lawyer to them, or any business, all communications will cease. If the OP already did his option 3 with them, then I don't think he will get any callbacks from anyone at the dealership. I feel badly for Montanaman, I know something like this would really grate on me. "You get more flies with honey" is an appropriate initial strategy here. Compromise may also be involved. Once this is all settled, maybe Montanaman should sell the car since it will no longer be right in his mind. Caveat emptor.
Edit to add that If I were the OP, I would think about the possibility that someone who works for that dealership might be a forum member or they may have someone who monitors internet references to their business. Don't tip your hand.
Last edited by Null Pointer; 08-31-2018 at 05:17 PM.
Every state, for the most part, has a State Statute concerning disclosure of damage on a new vehicle. This can be expressed as a dollar amount or percentage of MSRP. Finding if Idaho has a statute pertaining to this would be the first prudent step to take. The second step would be to ask for a copy of the work orders where the car was repaired. Your suppositions at this point are all conjecture and you do not yet know what the extent or cost of damage was.
Transportation damage or lot damage can happen to any brand vehicle and has nothing at all to do with how GM transports cars. Your rhetoric of condemning GM, calling the salesperson a "bimbo", and threatening to "burn them down" is simply stupid and paints you as another "jack-off" customer. No matter how much money you think you have Dave Smith has more and more attorneys to go with it. Good luck when you decide to return to being a rational human being!
OP - rotten deal. As the more productive posts say, get your facts together and go to their general manager / owner ahead of GM - give the dealer a chance. Unfair as it is, leftover inventory and subsequent pricing is what it is - poorly optioned, rotten color combos, repairs, all of the above. I can't imagine the dealer won't try to make you happier and if not, several internet J.D.'s on this forum can get you your $$$ back : )
Good luck. Don't pay attention to the domestic fanboys - it has also been my experience that German brands tend to have more robust PDIs for major issues. As far as paint swirls, they are as bad (or worse) than domestics. Flip of a coin ... lots of places throughout the supply chain where any car can get hosed up by some nitwit.
I think it may be too late to retract the fact he is ready to retain legal counsel. I think it was in his first communication to the dealership - if it actually made it through and someone has actually read the email. My experience has been exactly the same in business. When threatened with legal action the first and only response is to supply contact info for the legal team.
That said you have every right to be upset and I also think you may have more of a legal leg to stand on then some others have stated here. Had it only been delivery damage that was repaired for less than the legal definition of major damage then the dealership may be 100% within the law.
When the car was actually in an accident - hit by the plow - even though it was in their parking lot that was an accident and at a minimum should have been reported as such in the repair logs and subsequently would have been part of the Carfax report. Which it wasn't. My guess is low dollar amount or not they may have some splainin' to do on that one. Also, even though the damage in the accident based on the actual cost of the repair was minimal the loss in value of the car was in proportion much larger. Any accident large or small affects the value of the vehicle. In this case a lot as it was not disclosed as being in an accident and now looks like a dealer willing to misrepresent the actual condition of a new car. If substantial enough I would think the dealer could have gone after the plow companies' insurance for not only the repair but the lost value of the car. Then the car could have been represented properly and sold to the first buyer willing to overlook the history...... There are too many scenario's here, one being the "plow company" was the owners nephew so no action was taken with regard to getting an insurance company involved. They likely should have been.
I think you have a leg to stand on but I would also caution treading lightly and letting the dealer make the first move. A lawyer is almost universally always the last person to engage with unless your personal freedom is at stake.
A toy like this is supposed to be a good experience and a reason for joy in your life. Sorry yours has not ended up that way. I wish you the best in finding a satisfactory resolution to your problem.
Sounds like there was extensive damage done to the car if they had to repair the rocker panels. I wouldn’t want the car if it was sold under the pretense of a new leftover unsold 2017 and the damage wasn’t disclosed at the time of sale. My opinion.
Not necessarily. The rockers can be damaged very easily by running over the right kind of twig. I know, I had it happen to my new C5 when I drove into my driveway. There was a small branch that fell out of the tree next to the driveway and when the rear tire hit it the other end snapped up into the rocker and dug up the paint and left a mark that went all the way down to the SMC material. On my next C5 I backed out of the driveway and was a little to far over and the rear tire dropped off the curb putting a silver dollar size hole in the rocker. On any C5, C6 or C7 it is always better to repair the rocker Vs replace it because the rocker is part of the door surround and requires removal of the rear quarter, removal of the door, removal of the interior trim pieces and then ungluing the panel from the frame.
As for the OP he didn't say they told him the car was damaged during shipping, his complaint sounds more like an assumption. It could just as easily been damaged in their lot by a Customer driving into it. Not sure why he blames the situation on GM. They may be perfectly innocent and never knew the car had been damaged before it was sold to him. If he thinks he would get any better treatment from any other manufacturer he is mistaken.
Not necessarily. The rockers can be damaged very easily by running over the right kind of twig. I know, I had it happen to my new C5 when I drove into my driveway. There was a small branch that fell out of the tree next to the driveway and when the rear tire hit it the other end snapped up into the rocker and dug up the paint and left a mark that went all the way down to the SMC material. On my next C5 I backed out of the driveway and was a little to far over and the rear tire dropped off the curb putting a silver dollar size hole in the rocker. On any C5, C6 or C7 it is always better to repair the rocker Vs replace it because the rocker is part of the door surround and requires removal of the rear quarter, removal of the door, removal of the interior trim pieces and then ungluing the panel from the frame.
As for the OP he didn't say they told him the car was damaged during shipping, his complaint sounds more like an assumption. It could just as easily been damaged in their lot by a Customer driving into it. Not sure why he blames the situation on GM. They may be perfectly innocent and never knew the car had been damaged before it was sold to him. If he thinks he would get any better treatment from any other manufacturer he is mistaken.
Good to hear they responded and are at least having some discussion on it. Hopefully they come back with an offer you are happy with. They should just do the right thing by your and take the car back. They definitely had a chance to recoup whatever damages they were out on the car when it was hit by the plow. You should not be the unsuspecting customer that is now taking that hit.....
I'd still consider editing some of your posts here, and not tipping your hand on a public forum if things don't go your way. All the best, hoping for a good outcome for you.
Dealer responded end of day. They are "discussing the situation" and will have some answers on Tuesday. I'm good with that. Have a good weekend
I don’t blame you for being very upset. If it was me I would professionally demand either: (1) a complete buyback; (2) cash settlement for possible diminution in value even if the repairs are good but I wanted to keep the car; or (3) even trade on another same Corvette or a huge discount if the other Corvette is more valuable. I imagine the dealer will try to make you happy.
Years ago I had a Toyota dealer replace my new Tacoma with another new identical one when I discovered a few days after delivery that it had been significantly damaged and repaired during shipment and before it reached the dealer. I had to threaten them with an unfair sales practices suit and in the end they did the right thing
It’s such a bummer to have to go through this on your new car. It takes all the new car excitement out. Let us know what they offer.
Dealer responded end of day. They are "discussing the situation" and will have some answers on Tuesday. I'm good with that. Have a good weekend
montanaman,
I'm actually NOT good with that.
The reason is because they're not interested in doing the right thing - which is VOIDING THE SALE. Instead, they're running it up the flagpole, seeing if they can scr#w you, and still come out whole.
That's NOT going to happen here. What's going to happen IF they scr#w you, is that peeps like me will remember that they did. Until yesterday, I had no reason to mistrust Dave Smith Chevrolet, Kellogg,
ID.
I read the entire thread. Consider this. You examined the car in detail. It performs as intended. You got the car you wanted. I think you’re hung up on the idea that they fooled you. But you got a good car.
i have a new 2019 C7 just like yours. It’s been wrecked twice in 5,000 miles (neither my fault) but is fixed good as new. I just move on and enjoy it. These are just cars, they are NOT precious collectible exotic items, just cars. Drive it and enjoy it.
you might negotiate with the dealer and get a little cash back but legally you are prob not entitled to it. So the law sucks. But no way you’re gonna get a new car out of this, but you might get your money back. If you do, I suggest you buy a C7. It’s a great car and it would be a shame to see you run away and buy something you don’t like. I had a Mustang GT and it is NOTHING like a base C7, nowhere near as refined. The C7 is a good deal, well made, well designed.
Take the top off and get the vette out for a short cruise over the weekend, might help you remember why you bought it. Seriously if you smile while driving it and you like the car overall then you may consider other options that they will present to you like extending the warranty, cash back, etc..
I read the entire thread. Consider this. You examined the car in detail. It performs as intended. You got the car you wanted. I think you’re hung up on the idea that they fooled you. But you got a good car.
i have a new 2019 C7 just like yours. It’s been wrecked twice in 5,000 miles (neither my fault) but is fixed good as new. I just move on and enjoy it. These are just cars, they are NOT precious collectible exotic items, just cars. Drive it and enjoy it.
you might negotiate with the dealer and get a little cash back but legally you are prob not entitled to it. So the law sucks. But no way you’re gonna get a new car out of this, but you might get your money back. If you do, I suggest you buy a C7. It’s a great car and it would be a shame to see you run away and buy something you don’t like. I had a Mustang GT and it is NOTHING like a base C7, nowhere near as refined. The C7 is a good deal, well made, well designed.
I like your attitude.
Last edited by joemessman; 09-01-2018 at 11:52 AM.
08-31-2018, 04:00 PM
As soon as you mention lawyer to them, or any business, all communications will cease. If the OP already did his option 3 with them, then I don't think he will get any callbacks from anyone at the dealership. I feel badly for Montanaman, I know something like this would really grate on me. "You get more flies with honey" is an appropriate initial strategy here. Compromise may also be involved. Once this is all settled, maybe Montanaman should sell the car since it will no longer be right in his mind. Caveat emptor.
