C8Jake

C8J

People. People, People, I do not know if any of you have any experience in dealing with the RV (hate to use the word) industry. It makes every bad item someone mentioned on this forum I have had read over my short time here seem like absolutely nothing. I say that in all seriousness. What (entire) industry could continually lie, abuse, steal, misrepresent, ... regardless of price and get away with it. AND their customers keep coming back for more and more abuse? It is right out of the abused spouse, boy or girl friend, ....scenario. The worst I have seen voiced here pales in comparison to there. It doesn't make some of what I have seen here good, its just that I have seen waaay worse. Could you imagine having 70 warranty items in the first 3 months and been given the ____ on all of them? I've seen it. I lived it. It takes serious legal action to get any resolution on some of the basics like windshield never sealed letting in rain, kitchen tables never installed, alignment never performed, cabinets installed upside down, used rusted out air conditioners and suspension installed and called new, ... list is endless.

C8Jake

lost it

Yammyhaha

wtf!!

C8J

Right thread, right subject. Some are just getting so worked up when great things are about to finally start happening here and hopefully for the rest of the MY. I was trying to add some perspective, but if you have not had any experience there, you would not believe how bad it is.

C8Jake

make another pretend chart

RKCRLR

I agree that GM could do a better job of communicating. I used to manage complex development projects ("If we knew what we are doing we wouldn't call it development"). We had weekly status meetings with our customers. We'd status our plan and schedule, discuss our risks, and discussed our contingency plans if a risk was realized ("Unlike wine, bad news doesn't get better with age"). If I were to say that we didn't know what was going on or we couldn't tell them our plans our customers would find a new supplier and my boss would be having a chat with me. I would hope the same things are going on within GM and their suppliers. If not, they have a big problem ("Failure to plan is a plan to failure").
GM should provide periodic (weekly?) top level production projections to it's dealers. Yes, those plans would be fluid but at least it is something. The dealers should be the buffers and provide pertinent information to it's customers. If a dealer isn't being forthright with it's customers then it would be time to find a new dealer.

Jimmy Squirrel

Mods, can we move this post to the "C RV" thread...

Walter Raulerson

If you were willing to wait 8 months on top of giving the dealer a deposit you'll be able to find a car AND keep your money until a car is available

Walter Raulerson

Practically everybody that has ANY degree got in the last century unless they got online from say Phoenix University

C8Jake

SunnyBlessings

I've been a self-employed business owner since 1995. I learned that customers want to know what's happening. Here's how I've learned to handle it:

1) keep them in the loop - the very worst thing I can do is "mushroom-policy" them ("keep them in the dark and feed them sh_t") because that makes my phone ring a lot more. I want good news from people who call me. I don't want people who sound like they're disappointed in me.

2) give them a chance to bail

The worst thing you do to a customer is take money from them and ignore them. The reason is, they own a piece of you.

In contrast, if someone is a "prospect" - ie. they have no skin in the game, no money has changed hands, they have not given you any money - then they don't create an issue for you because although they WANT something from you, they feel like they're in control still because they have not entrusted you with their property (money) so they don't expect they have any leverage.


The moment you take money from a person, BAM they own a piece of you. If you are foolish enough to ignore them, then the outcome is on you.
We are all adults, and we all know that. If you take money from a person, it is a new ball game. In the accounting ledger they now have an entry. They are now a creditor to your business. You are now, in the accounting ledger, a debtor to them. That's just the accounting function.

The customer, having given you money, now expects an extra level of attention from you - "hey, about that money I gave you - where are we with things?"
They don't get to do that if they're still PROSPECTS. They don't have any leverage over you.


You take my money? TALK TO ME. No freaking excuses. You talk to me. You have my property - if you go into hiding, just what the hell are you up to? And no I don't take any excuses from you if you have my freaking money.


To me, it is common sense to cater to my paying customers. Do I know vendors and business people who are stupid and sloppy and lazy? Yeah I've hired a LOT of vendors over the years who have that problem. It sucks to deal with them.

And I suspect 99% of the people here have had this experience. For example, ever hired a house painter? Or someone like that, who blows it? You don't do business with them again and you figure "this person has a business but does not have the brains to run it well" which for a house painter, hey, it might be par for the course.

If I took money from one of my customers and ignored them for 8 months, holy mother of god what have I become as a businessman? Just crap, that's what.
If that happened to me I'd have a chat with myself, "You know, if you're letting this happen, it might be a sign you really don't want your business any more."

In any event, I don't mind disappointing a customer but I tell them as soon as I know. "I'm sorry but it's not going to happen like I thought."

Again it's saying "I gotta show courtesy to this person. They gave me their money in good faith."

Allowing your dealer to tell your customer "I don't know anything" for 8 months after taking their money, the customer is gonna be pissed bigtime.
Just common sense.

"You took my money."
Yeah so what.

"It was 8 months ago."
Well, you know, I've had ISSUES.

"What issues? You couldn't pick up the phone and talk to me?"
Ah, I don't do that. <-- that guy will be out of business soon enough or worse

C8Jake

^ write a book

Walter Raulerson

FRUSTRATION it's everywhere from the idiots that actually took guns and rocket launchers to state capitols to folks at the 7-11s. Waiting for the car is extra frustrating to folks especially Corvette owners. Fact is nobody is getting along and we have no one as a country to help the situation. Just think of your own situation and look around. I didn't order a car and I don't know if I'll get one. Right now it looks like it could be 2 years before dealers even have them on their lots. My '15 has 16,000 miles on it and runs just fine and guess what? People still ooh and ahh when they see it so I'm happy with it.

jschindler

This has nothing to do with an MBA or how smart you or the OP is. All he wants to know is the status. If the dealer was getting 6 cars and he is number 6, all he wants to know is where it stands. They know when the factory is scheduled to reopen. They know how many orders they have. They know how many cars a day they can build. They know where his order stands in the process. If they don't know those things, they should not be in business. From there its simple math.

If the factory was still closed and they didn't know when it was going to reopen, I could understand them not being able to give him an answer. But that is not the case. Could it change, sure. But that should not stop them for telling him where his car stands as of right now. Saying that he is looking for a reason to bail out has nothing to do with neither GM nor his dealer not being able to tell him the current status.

I suppose next you are going to tell me that you stayed at Holiday Inn last night, which is better than an MBA Cause... you know, everything we read on the forum MUST be true

jschindler

Excellent post. I'll add one more anecdote. Many years ago I was on a plane at LaGuardia. We were at the gate, doors closed, waiting to back up and head for the runway. We just sat there for an unusual amount of time. But the Captain did come on the intercom and told us he apologized, but there is a broken down piece of equipment sitting behind the plane that they are waiting to get moved. A guy next to me said "it's amazing what we can deal with when you just tell us the truth about what's going on".

TBRDS

Every thing was going well until my 3/2 TPW disappeared, and then nothing. But this thread has made me realize what a great feeling it would have been to have gotten an email or two from GM with some kind of explanation and maybe a thank you for your order. I get more from Amazon when I spend $10. (And no, I don't get anything from my dealer either.)

Yammyhaha

Nah. Holiday Inn is only better than a Bachelors. Gotta stay at the Holiday Inn Express to do better than an MBA. Just saying!

JerryU

You must be kidding! The dealer was getting that 6 car estimate for 2020 when GM planned on making a volume based on running several shifts before a long strike and now a pandemic! My local dealer with an allocation estimate of of 4 has no idea if they will get to order that last 2 (they have placed two orders so far.) Kerbeck, my dealer, does not know how many of their !1400 allocation estimate last year they will get. How could they when GM doesn't know what they will be able to produce!

Can you tell me when you'll be able to watch a football game from the stadium! How the heck does GM know how well production will go re production rate, shifts as they start-up! Oh they can tell you what they "hope" would happen! I'm at 3000 and just got a message from Dave the sales manager at Kerbeck. He said the best he can, GM is starting production. Hell he could have told us every "expected date" which has changed from May1st, to for sure May 14 with "sold info on the forum!" He waited until GM told him it was happening. He also said he's posting everyday on their website the GM Event Number for all cars he has on order. He can only do that when GM tells him. GM can only make changes as they see what their real production rate is! Far prefer real answers than "guesses."

Yep it's an issue BUT much more important to me is the ~20% unemployed and when or IF they will get back to work! The news media all have jobs and sit on TV with many telling folks it's unsafe to go back to work! Perhaps all of them and all our politicians should stop getting paid and see how it feels!

If he's not at 3000 he's not getting a 2020 C8. If he at 3000 and production rate is lower than GM has planned, he (and I) may still not get one. We'd be pushed to 2021. Might as well ask what horse is going to win the next race!

Now if he is worried about losing his job and want's to cancel! Logical! I'm sure some are unfortunately in that position!

Phil1098

No, but I can tell you every single day that my event codes changed all the way to being at 3400 with a VIN. Why didn't he call the dealer in February to check status, or March? Because of the whole COVID thing, NOTHING has changed status wise since March 20 and he's only NOW checking status at the end of May? I'm sorry, he waited eight months and out of the blue he checks and says forget the whole thing? Doesn't sound to me like he really wanted the car.