Stanley Chevrolet, INC.

Stanley Chevrolet, INC. responded

In my 25 years as a Chevrolet Dealer, never was a customer more confusing. I took the time to contact this person by phone....only to be told off and hung up on. In my phone conversation I apologized for any misunderstandings, or shortcomings my dealership could possibly have done. I attempted to create customer good will. But this person was having none of it. I was a good listener to her views and vents. When I tried to explain certain complaints she had, her ears were closed even though I was more than interested in her complaints. I have been a Chevrolet Dealer for over 25 years. I have remained high in GM's Customer Satisfaction Index. I have bent over backwards in my community to have a great reputation. I have supported Little Leagues, School functions, 4-H fairs, Churches, and numerous civic minded activities. Our dealership has a proud staff that tuely cares about each of their customers. Unfortunately, their are some folks that are vindictive. Vindictive when they don't get their way. This person did not get treated poorly as she states. As for the power seat, we told her it would be repaired if she wanted the vehicle. Can't say much more about that other than......please give us a few minutes to repair a item. Carfax is another story. We do not participate. We feel it is a company profiting from unsuspecting customers. Not all states report to CarFax. Not all towns or counties report to CarFax. And only a percentage of dealers use CarFax. I have seen vehicles that have a "clean" CarFax report.....that I wouldn't want my worst enemy driving. The best resolution is for any customer to ask for previous customer names and take the vehicle to someone else for a inspection. That is the best way to inspect and make certain the vehicle you are looking at is the best value for your hard working dollar. In closing, this person rated our dealership poorly merely because of vindiction, and not based on our dealerships philosophy, goals, and community spirit.

jmelissab responded

We purchased a vehicle on January 31, 2011 from another dealership. Although the Stanley vehicle had been our top choice and one that we had used to compare to all other vehicles that we looked at, the conversation we had with the dealership on 1/31 sent us to another dealer. It just didn't sit well. A couple of days later, Stanley called to check in with us. I spent about 30 minutes explaining the reasons why Stanley lost our business. That would have been a good time for someone from management to call us back. We heard from no one until today, nearly two months later. Originally, I had no intention of posting a negative consumer response on this dealership. It only occurred to me because I had been asked by the dealership who earned our business to visit Dealer Rater and offer feedback on their salesperson and their dealership. I didn't take care of the review right away, but when it finally came up in my to-do list, more than a week later, I reflected on the experience with Stanley and decided to post a rating on them as well as the dealership who sold us our vehicle. Two months later, today, Stanley called me. I explained everything that had happened once again. The owner/manager apologized. However, as the conversation continued, I felt that what prompted the call had less to do with making things right than in expressing his dissatisfaction with my online rating. He returned to it again and again. Based on his comments, I got the distinct impression that he felt I had been wrong to post a rating. The word "blasted" was used to describe my action. This made me feel a bit defensive, which I clearly pointed out. Finally, after another round of his expressing distaste for my review, I had had enough. I said that, because it seemed to me that his total focus was on the fact that I had posted a negative review and not on what happened that I was done talking about it and that I would never visit his dealership again. I hung up. The conversation shook me up. I was literally shaking. When the phone rang again a few seconds later, I let the answering machine get it. It was the owner/manager again, advising me that he no longer wanted my business. He ended the conversation by saying that "98% of his customers were good people." I can only assume that he has placed me in the 2% of BAD people. And now he accuses me of being vindictive, a straw man attack. However, I posted our experience with the dealership. A consumer rating to assist anyone else who considers this dealership. The truth is that, from the moment we walked onto the Stanley lot, we did not feel welcome. They knew that we were very interested in a vehicle on their lot, but the broken power seat was a primary issue. But being told on 1/31 that if we didn't buy the car the owner was going to "get rid of it" set the worst possible tone with us. Combine everything that happened together and this rates as the worst car dealership experience we've ever had. And during this whirlwind search for a replacement vehicle, we visited many, many dealerships. I am sure that Stanley has satisfied customers; however, we cannot be counted among them.