Lameness...

[DofD]

On Friday afternoon I get a call from my dealer, he says "Guess what isn't in?", I say "the Tahoe", he says "that's right, but guess what is in", I say "the Cobalt", and he says "You're right!". Okay, cool, so my wife's car has arrived. This is a good thing. Well mostly, as to complete the deal my Tahoe is being used as a trade. I give him a call this afternoon to say we're going to pop on by to check the new car out, and are told it's sitting right out in front. So we go on by. There is the wife's car sitting there in front of the dealership. It looks good, the right colour, right style, etc. Till I start taking a closer look at it and notice that a number of things are missing. When I ordered the car I selected the "Team Canada" package which included a bunch of things including BlueTooth, exterior chrome trim, sunroof, fog lights, spoiler, and a bunch of other interior options. Looking over the car, the whole chrome trim package is missing (side moldings, door handles, grill, exhaust tip), and the fog lights are missing. So I go inside and walk over to his office, he's with some other customers but asks how it looks and I say we've got a bit of an issue, there is a bunch of stuff missing. He's like "WTF?!". I tell him we can chat about it when he's done with his customers there. I tell the wife to stick around and that I'm popping home to get the original quote and information from when we made the order. After getting back to the dealship and comparing things, the content of the "Team Canada" package is different and the price is lower. But there are a couple of other 09 Cobalts with the correct package sitting on the lot. I'm significantly going WTF is up here. To pass the time I go for a walk with my daughter as she want to splash in puddles (she's 2.5) . Once my sales guy is finished up with his other customers we start comparing notes on the missing items and why other Cobalts have the right items. He has no clue why, but says he'll go find out. He goes off for a while and talks with the owner/manager. After a while he comes back and says "so you want to know what's up", I say "Umm, yeah...". He then goes on to explain that after we placed the order GM changed the contents of the "Team Canada" package and removed the items that were missing due to supplier issues which is why the early production Cobalts have then and the later ones don't. He also says that no notice was sent out on orders that the package had been changed and items were removed even though they were ordered with them. He asks if I want the chrome package, I say yes. He goes and talks to the owner/manager again and comes back and says they've ordered the chrome package. I ask about the fog lights, he goes off and asks, then comes back and says the fog lights are a no go and aren't available. It's kind of evident that I'm pissed about all this. He says that it wasn't his fault and I reassure him that I understand that it wasn't his fault and I'm not pissed at him. He tries to placate me by telling me that GM also increased the base price on the Cobalt, but he was going to stick to the price we agreed on, including the lower price ($300) for the TC package and will give me the $500 holiday season discount. By the end of the discussions I am getting originally ordered, except for the fog lights and a lower price.

 

But the weirdness isn't over yet.

 

We go upstairs and he introduces me to the woman who does all the paper work on the deals and he goes off. The woman starts going through all the "funancial" stuff and starts talking about the financing options. I say that I want to pay cash straight up. She then tells me that I can get a $3500 discount if I finance for 6 years or more. She then tells me all I have to do is make one payment then go into the bank (not GMAC) and pay off the balance with no penalty. It seems kind of odd so I ask if she's sure. She says yes, she is sure. I say okay, go for it, since turning down $3500 discount would be "a fail".

 

After we wrap everything up I go back and chat a bit with the sales guy, set up to come in Thursday to pick up the car after the undercoating and other things get done to the car. He then tells me that GM also without telling anyone effectively increased the base price of Silverado's. He then explains that they kept the price the same but changed the standard engine from the 4.8 to the 6 cylinder and made the 4.8 an option at $1500 more. I say that is pretty underhanded and he agrees. He says he didn't find out about this till an order he did for a RCSB came in at $1500 more than when the order was made.

 

I can see options and things having to change between the time of orders and manufacture, but to me that is really piss poor communication to not let people know to let customers know before they get a shock when their vehicle comes in not as orderd.

 

So now I am left wondering what the hell is going to be different with the Tahoe from what I orderd that no one knows about.

[grampadirt]

That's pretty bad,you went from a customer who was excited with the thought of having two new vehicles to one who's now on the defense.I'm guessing you'll eyeball the new Tahoe well to make sure it's right.Souldn't be that way.... Is this the way GM likes to do business?

Gary

 

and then you start to wonder..is it all worth it?

[pennzoil29]

That really suck's. I hope your "Hoe" is what you ordered, and I definately hope she is not wrong about the finance set up that you explained. Good luck.

[2000DV4.8]

Wow, that's pretty shitty. At least the dealer tried to make it right, but what piss poor communication on GM's part...

 

When is the Tahoe supposed to come in? It's already been like 12 and a half years since you ordered it.

[txab]

I just hope they are correct about the "no penalty" for early payoff. Anything in your paperwork that says for sure the details?

[P'cola Denali]

When are they going to get done widling your new Tahoe out of twigs and ship it to you?

 

Leo

[tobias]

GM is dead.

[VMax2007]

I just hope they are correct about the "no penalty" for early payoff. Anything in your paperwork that says for sure the details?

 

+1

 

You should have had her show you those details in writing, or made her put it in writing.

[D&SYukonDenali]

I just hope they are correct about the "no penalty" for early payoff. Anything in your paperwork that says for sure the details?

 

 

+1.

 

I'm guessing that GM is no longer using their financing arm, and theyy cut a deal for $$'s upfront from a new financing company for directing financing customers to them. They won't be too happy with an immediate pay-off and not colecting interest $$'s over time.

[stadt11]

That sucks Darin! Can they just take a bumper from a Cobalt that has the fog lights & add them to your wife's? That's what they should do to "make it right"!

 

Hope your Tahoe is just what you ordered!

[Darkanion]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. That really is poor communication. It would be nice of they could take an email address or something at the time of an order and have "the system" track the order and send you emails on the progress, updates/changes, ETA to the dealer, etc.

 

So now I am left wondering what the hell is going to be different with the Tahoe from what I orderd that no one knows about.

Optional Accessory :

Steering wheel $3000!

 

 

Sorry... I couldn't help myself.

[dietz4ibanez]

Dude that sucks! Hopefully you get what you want!

[DofD]

Thanks guys!

 

In end it will all be worth it. Life never goes as smoothly as a morning mill pond. So that is when patience, persistence, determination, and effort come into play to get what one wants.

 

It should all work out okay, the fog lights aren't a huge deal. It was more the chrome package, as my wife liked the look of the Cobalt with the chrome.

 

I looked through the financing paperwork and couldn't see anything to confirm or deny any penalty for paying the car off early.

 

I thought about asking about taking the fog light units from another Cobalt, but then the housings are colour matched and my wife didn't want me to make a big deal over fog lights.

 

The woman that does the paperwork and financing did allude to that at least dealers aren't using GMAC anymore.

 

I checked Chevy's web site last night to see if anything I ordered for the Tahoe has been removed, changed, or altered. So other than the heated washer fluid everything else was still there.

 

My sales guy is also surprised that the Tahoe isn't here yet either. He went and had the manager check on it. He then said that the new Tahoe isn't far away. What ever that may mean. But yeah, at first it was the beginning of September, then the end of November, then the end of October and now it'll be somewhere in the middle. Oh well, it will eventually arrive. I've waited this long so another couple of weeks is nothing really.

 

But then one of the fittings on the radiator on the current Tahoe has sprung a leak that I have to go fix.

 

The next standard feature to become an option, coolants and lubricants! Would really have customers over a barrel with that one!

 

That would really be a nice little feature for people who order vehicles, email updates of the progress.

 

It was cute yesterday. My wife and daughter were out walking around the lot while I was dealing with paperwork. My wife asked her what kind of car she wanted. My wife pointed to a Malibu, and my daughter said "No!", wife points to a Corvette, daughter says "No!", wife points to a Traverse, daughter says "No". Then my daughter points to 2500HD Duramax CCSB and says "Truck. Caitlyn's Truck! Please!"

[grampadirt]

I applaud your attitude....and you're right,life has it's speed bumps.We'll all be waiting for some pics....

 

Gary

[txab]

What's happening here kinda reminds of an advertisement that was on TV for awhile. Don't remember what it was for. Couple shows up to pick up their new car, after finishing up the paperwork, salesdude says "Here are the keys. Did you bring a tow truck" Then you see a car sitting on blocks with no wheels.

 

Seems like there was more to than that..... maybe salesguy also mentioned no brakes and few other needed items were "options". Anyone else see that ad?