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So I was going to ignore this and not post about it until the General Manager emailed me this morning... now I'm letting everyone know. Here's my emails with the GM this morning, a little long winded so here's the jist of it.
TLDR: charging a $5k "market adjustment" on a truck like the AT4 is not ok, and you're the only dealership I've called that is doing that... but the problem was your sales manager last night wasting my time, gas, tolls, and miles to get there for nothing when you won't honor the web price.
David Kelley - General Manager at McKinney Buick GMC <dkelley@mckinneybuickgmc.com>
Dear Nicholas,
I was notified that you are no longer in the market for a vehicle and wanted to send you a quick note. If you purchased a vehicle at another dealership, let me be the first to congratulate you on your new purchase. I would like to remind you of our award-winning service department. We would love to help maintain your new vehicle.
If we missed your business for a specific reason, I would love to get your feedback on where we missed you. Feedback from our customers is the best way to help build our business properly.
Thanks again for giving us the opportunity to earn your business.
Me:
Is this a serious question? I'm genuinely concerned that either you know what happened and believe it to be ok, or you've been told something other than what happened and you have a personnel problem. It is not that I'm no longer in the market for a specific vehicle, in fact, I would have happily left with the AT4 at your dealership last night... I'm just not in the market for games that your manager wanted to play last night. I can give you plenty of details, but would genuinely like to know what the story you were told is?
David:
I am really sorry to hear. Did you make us an offer on a new truck and he did not accept?
Me:
Ok, this might be a little long winded... TLDR: charging a $5k "market adjustment" on a truck like the AT4 is not ok, and you're the only dealership I've called that is doing that... but the problem was your sales manager last night wasting my time, gas, tolls, and miles to get there for nothing when you won't honor the web price.
I have a 2020 Sierra 1500 SLT X31 with less than 12k miles, given the used market and demand, I know that these trucks are commanding top dollar on trades. The only thing I would trade it for would be an AT4, and there are a few specific features I want like the Drivers alert 1 package, 20" wheels, and prefer it in white. I'm open to anything but a black one or the diesel. I explained this to John (he was great as was Diego) and he informed me yesterday that he had two come in, I checked the specs and VIN: 3GTP9EED7MG384325 matched pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Your web price yesterday was $60,710 and I was prepared to accept that and not try to argue at all, knowing that another dealer has already quoted me a trade offer of $50k on my truck, I was confident we could get the deal done. I told John, let me clear my plans with the wife tonight and I can come over, then he said, "did I mention that we are adding a $5k market adjustment to the truck?" to which I said nevermind, forget the whole thing and good luck with your sale. At this point it's no hard feelings, I'm just not the type of person to throw away $5k dollars extra on a normal everyday truck. That is stupid and people who pay that are stupid as well.
A few minutes later the manager (I cannot remember his name) calls me and asks about my trade trying to salvage the deal. I explained what I have, what I want, and that I am not willing to pay the markup. He said "What If I can make you a better offer on your trade to cover it up?" and I said as long as you're adding the $5k to my trade then sure... but don't waste my time. He convinces me that he can make it work and to let them look at my trade. I drove all the way over there, and sat there for 45 minutes for him to tell me that he'd have to give me the price of a brand new one in trade for that to work and it's not possible... I knew that up front, I offered the web price (what you had on your website at the time I drove over) and said I'd take $50k for mine... no market adjustments and he said no. Again, would not have been a problem if he had been honest over the phone.
These kinds of tactics are what will make me leave you as many bad online reviews as I have time to write today, as not honoring your web price and demanding a $5k market adjustment when we aren't talking about a Corvette Z06, or Shelby GT500 or some other limited production car is just scummy.
I will refrain from posting any negative reviews of your dealership until you've had a chance to respond or until 1pm today, whichever comes first.
David:
So to be clear, your offer was full MSRP and $50,000 for your trade in?
Me:
MSRP minus the applicable rebates, and 50k for my truck. Your web price at that moment was $60,710 which included the $4300 in GM offers that expired last night.
David:
Nick, I apologize that we could not make it work for you. I understand your logic, however you are asking $2500 over what you paid for your truck that is a year old and has over 10,000 miles and are offended by the fact that we are asking over MSRP less incentives for our truck.
It is crazy times, but the fuel of the used car prices are the low supply and high demand for our trucks. Especially since one with this equipment will be a very rare unit in the times to come. I can do $2500 over MSRP less incentives for mine and I will pay you the $2500 over ($50,000) what you paid for yours.
To me that would be a fair deal for both of us.
Me:
I don't think you understand... first off, it's not that rare and only seems that way because of the chip shortage, that's a bubble that won't last and I don't intend to throw money at that. Second, I already have an offer of $50k trade for my truck and the dealer says absolutely no markup whatsoever... MSRP minus applicable rebates and it's the same dealer I bought my truck from. The only reason I was wanting to deal with you is that I prefer the options on the truck you had on the lot vs. waiting for the one I want to arrive at the other dealership as it is still in transit.
A second dealer I've talked to also agrees to no markup, but did say they add $600 for tint and wheel locks which I understand as I'm at least getting something for the money.
I'm not interested in haggling, the only deal I will accept from your dealership is $50k for my truck, and $60,710 for yours which I know isn't today's price because of the rebates but that is my only offer and I feel it is/was fair.
This could have been easy last night. I could have been happy simply not driving over there and letting you guys give someone else a bad deal, but I was told to come in and he'd make it work then as soon as I get there you guys act like I'm the unreasonable one? I'm perfectly happy to wait, but I will certainly let everyone know that your dealership sells the same thing as the others in town but you want to play games with market adjustments.
David:
I do understand. I am sorry we missed your business. We are selling 1/3 of our normal inventory and have adjusted our business model. If you understood the current constraints on new vehicles, you would understand that this will be a super rare well equipped truck. Driver Alert Package 1 is now a delete from factory and you cannot even get a power sliding rear window on a truck.
Once again, I am sorry we wasted your time.
TLDR: charging a $5k "market adjustment" on a truck like the AT4 is not ok, and you're the only dealership I've called that is doing that... but the problem was your sales manager last night wasting my time, gas, tolls, and miles to get there for nothing when you won't honor the web price.
David Kelley - General Manager at McKinney Buick GMC <dkelley@mckinneybuickgmc.com>
Dear Nicholas,
I was notified that you are no longer in the market for a vehicle and wanted to send you a quick note. If you purchased a vehicle at another dealership, let me be the first to congratulate you on your new purchase. I would like to remind you of our award-winning service department. We would love to help maintain your new vehicle.
If we missed your business for a specific reason, I would love to get your feedback on where we missed you. Feedback from our customers is the best way to help build our business properly.
Thanks again for giving us the opportunity to earn your business.
Me:
Is this a serious question? I'm genuinely concerned that either you know what happened and believe it to be ok, or you've been told something other than what happened and you have a personnel problem. It is not that I'm no longer in the market for a specific vehicle, in fact, I would have happily left with the AT4 at your dealership last night... I'm just not in the market for games that your manager wanted to play last night. I can give you plenty of details, but would genuinely like to know what the story you were told is?
David:
I am really sorry to hear. Did you make us an offer on a new truck and he did not accept?
Me:
Ok, this might be a little long winded... TLDR: charging a $5k "market adjustment" on a truck like the AT4 is not ok, and you're the only dealership I've called that is doing that... but the problem was your sales manager last night wasting my time, gas, tolls, and miles to get there for nothing when you won't honor the web price.
I have a 2020 Sierra 1500 SLT X31 with less than 12k miles, given the used market and demand, I know that these trucks are commanding top dollar on trades. The only thing I would trade it for would be an AT4, and there are a few specific features I want like the Drivers alert 1 package, 20" wheels, and prefer it in white. I'm open to anything but a black one or the diesel. I explained this to John (he was great as was Diego) and he informed me yesterday that he had two come in, I checked the specs and VIN: 3GTP9EED7MG384325 matched pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Your web price yesterday was $60,710 and I was prepared to accept that and not try to argue at all, knowing that another dealer has already quoted me a trade offer of $50k on my truck, I was confident we could get the deal done. I told John, let me clear my plans with the wife tonight and I can come over, then he said, "did I mention that we are adding a $5k market adjustment to the truck?" to which I said nevermind, forget the whole thing and good luck with your sale. At this point it's no hard feelings, I'm just not the type of person to throw away $5k dollars extra on a normal everyday truck. That is stupid and people who pay that are stupid as well.
A few minutes later the manager (I cannot remember his name) calls me and asks about my trade trying to salvage the deal. I explained what I have, what I want, and that I am not willing to pay the markup. He said "What If I can make you a better offer on your trade to cover it up?" and I said as long as you're adding the $5k to my trade then sure... but don't waste my time. He convinces me that he can make it work and to let them look at my trade. I drove all the way over there, and sat there for 45 minutes for him to tell me that he'd have to give me the price of a brand new one in trade for that to work and it's not possible... I knew that up front, I offered the web price (what you had on your website at the time I drove over) and said I'd take $50k for mine... no market adjustments and he said no. Again, would not have been a problem if he had been honest over the phone.
These kinds of tactics are what will make me leave you as many bad online reviews as I have time to write today, as not honoring your web price and demanding a $5k market adjustment when we aren't talking about a Corvette Z06, or Shelby GT500 or some other limited production car is just scummy.
I will refrain from posting any negative reviews of your dealership until you've had a chance to respond or until 1pm today, whichever comes first.
David:
So to be clear, your offer was full MSRP and $50,000 for your trade in?
Me:
MSRP minus the applicable rebates, and 50k for my truck. Your web price at that moment was $60,710 which included the $4300 in GM offers that expired last night.
David:
Nick, I apologize that we could not make it work for you. I understand your logic, however you are asking $2500 over what you paid for your truck that is a year old and has over 10,000 miles and are offended by the fact that we are asking over MSRP less incentives for our truck.
It is crazy times, but the fuel of the used car prices are the low supply and high demand for our trucks. Especially since one with this equipment will be a very rare unit in the times to come. I can do $2500 over MSRP less incentives for mine and I will pay you the $2500 over ($50,000) what you paid for yours.
To me that would be a fair deal for both of us.
Me:
I don't think you understand... first off, it's not that rare and only seems that way because of the chip shortage, that's a bubble that won't last and I don't intend to throw money at that. Second, I already have an offer of $50k trade for my truck and the dealer says absolutely no markup whatsoever... MSRP minus applicable rebates and it's the same dealer I bought my truck from. The only reason I was wanting to deal with you is that I prefer the options on the truck you had on the lot vs. waiting for the one I want to arrive at the other dealership as it is still in transit.
A second dealer I've talked to also agrees to no markup, but did say they add $600 for tint and wheel locks which I understand as I'm at least getting something for the money.
I'm not interested in haggling, the only deal I will accept from your dealership is $50k for my truck, and $60,710 for yours which I know isn't today's price because of the rebates but that is my only offer and I feel it is/was fair.
This could have been easy last night. I could have been happy simply not driving over there and letting you guys give someone else a bad deal, but I was told to come in and he'd make it work then as soon as I get there you guys act like I'm the unreasonable one? I'm perfectly happy to wait, but I will certainly let everyone know that your dealership sells the same thing as the others in town but you want to play games with market adjustments.
David:
I do understand. I am sorry we missed your business. We are selling 1/3 of our normal inventory and have adjusted our business model. If you understood the current constraints on new vehicles, you would understand that this will be a super rare well equipped truck. Driver Alert Package 1 is now a delete from factory and you cannot even get a power sliding rear window on a truck.
Once again, I am sorry we wasted your time.
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