Why Can't I Buy a Camaro?

[Alex Snyder]

From: Achenblog - Guest Kit: Why Can't I Buy a Camaro?


My Futile Effort to Help the American Auto Industry
By Vijay Ravindran
I wanted a Chevy Camaro.

I'd never really liked American sports cars before. But the 2010 Camaro -- a revival Chevrolet has been talking up since 2006 -- is so much more sleek than your typical muscle car. And since my BMW 330 started showing its age (nine) around the same time that the death of the U.S. auto industry hit the headlines, I thought: Why not do a little something to help?

So, after seeing a newspaper ad promoting Camaros at a local Chevy dealer, I called and left a voicemail saying I was interested in a test drive.
I never heard back.

I was shocked. Here I was, ready to buy, while GM was in financial straits. I thought they'd be all over me. Turns out it's not so easy to obtain a piece of the American dream.
The next week, I decided to widen my search. I e-mailed four Chevy dealers in the area. Two never wrote back. One replied that they had no Camaros, and ended the correspondence right there. The fourth said they'd have one soon -- just stay tuned.
Dealer 4 began to check in periodically -- pitching Camaros that I could buy sight unseen. I reminded him of my request for a test drive. Then I reiterated my request for a test drive. Then I absolutely insisted on a test drive. And, eventually, I ended up with an appointment. But after driving 45 minutes to the dealer, I found that the one Camaro they'd gotten in was an automatic (I'd asked for a manual transmission) and that I wouldn't be allowed to drive it, just sit in it on the lot. The sales person tried to get me in a Corvette and to convince me that transmission is the same (it's not). I left the dealership, dejected, but not yet ready to give up.
Three days later, I got an e-mail:

Hello Vijay,


I know that we have been diligent in our follow-up, however, we have not reached an agreeable time for you to come in. Is there something more we can give you?


If not, can we assume that you are no longer in the market to purchase a vehicle and be taken out of our follow-up system?


Thanks.
​

The last of my dealers had abandoned me. And so I abandoned my effort as well. I still hope that someday I may get a Camaro. I'm just hoping my BMW holds out long enough for supply to catch up to demand.

 

[Blake Arbogast]

Wow...as a GM dealer that really makes me sick. Wish I was a Chevy dealer, I would drive one to him!

 

[DrewAment]

From: Achenblog - Guest Kit: Why Can't I Buy a Camaro?
If not, can we assume that you are no longer in the market to purchase a vehicle and be taken out of our follow-up system?

What ever happened to buy or die?

What right gives an automated CRM the right to take a customer out of the dealers "follow-up" system? Dealers need to take a HARD look at the process and systems they have in place, are they helping to sell cars or are they just filling inboxes with template written junk?

If a salesperson actually wrote and sent that email (not part of an auto process), I would fire him. If it was part of an auto process, fire the person who set uip the process and email. Fire the CRM company if that is the crap they put in there. Wow, I am trigger happy. Probably has to do with training (lack of), so lets fire the Internet Director, GSM, and GM while we are at it.

The point to the last paragraph is that a dealership is all about people and process, nurturing and training, motivation. When is the last time you sat down with "Stacey" from accounting and had her look at your process and templates? She is most likely not a car person and would provide valuable opinion on what the dealership is trying to accomplish. Point being, a team effort, and everyone pulling in 110%.

 

[hagen85]

The demand for these cars is very high and the inventory is trickling in at a very slow rate. I have fulfilled 53 orders and have 172 more to go at the moment. The hard part is keeping the anxious customer patient during the ordering process.

I think the lack of motivation is coming from the lack of available inventory. I would agree that the salesperson should at least try offer the option of placing an order.

For the amount of advertising equity GM put into this vehicle, they sure dropped the ball on production. But as a Chevy dealer, I can't say they had much of an option considering the heat they were in.