Champion Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram
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Bad Dealership
Written byon 07/12/2009
On June 8th I purchased a 2009 Chrysler Town and Country. On the 10th I removed the advertising plate the dealer had installed on the front bumper. I have purchased several cars and truck in the past that also had plate on the front. The only difference is, the dealer drilled holes in the bumper to install the plate. I know now that Chrysler and Dodge minivans have dimples on the bumper for plates. But I never would have thought a dealership would damage the bumper just to install there advertising plate. I called the dealer back and complained about this. I later was called by the general sales manager. He stated that they have always done this and he would not repair it. He did state that he may be able to get us a discount for the repairs. It has been a long battle, but they are still refusing to fix it. I took the van to another dealership and paid $392.04 to have the bumper repaired. I could type in all the details about this but it would take all day. I have created a website about my experience, if anyone would like to read it. Thanks [violative content deleted]
- Recommend this dealer? No
- Purchased a vehicle from this dealer? Yes
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sg1181 on 12/06/2010
As someone who was in the car business for years I have to make a comment on this. I worked for Benchmark Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge in Birmingham, one of the most reputable dealerships in the area, and I had to fend off my share of complaints like this.
It's pretty simple: When you purchased the vehicle, I'm presuming you walked entirely around it. You liked the way it looked, the color, the interior etc. You must have obviously seen the bracket holding the dealer's drive out tag. My question is how did you think that was held on? Did you think it was magnets holding it onto a plastic bumper? Or adhesive? How could you not know that it's attached with screws?
I understand that you are upset but you have to look at what made you upset. The bracket was installed on there before you got to the dealership and then you agreed to purchase the vehicle without even mentioning it before the sale. Had you said that you will not buy it without the bracket remove and the proper repairs made and they agreed but did not live up to their commitment, then you would have a reason to be mad at them. They would have likely done it and simply lost another $300 on the deal, or if they said it would be at your expense the difference would have been about an extra 2 dollars per month on your finance.
I have dealt with this dealer on multiple occasions with dealer trades and other things and they were never anything less than stellar people. Just remember to bring this subject up on your next vehicle purchase. It's pretty easy to resolve issues before you buy, but after you buy the car it's just money the dealer is taking out of their pocket. I'm sure we would all feel the same way.
Reportnise2 on 12/06/2010
Common sense is right! My husband and I did walk around the vehicle and did notice the plate. We have purchased many vehicles from many different dealerships that had a plate on the front, and we have always removed them with no problem. However, when my husband removed this plate he found no bracket or any other mounting hardware on the bumper. The screws used were the same screws used to install the back license plate. They used so much force to screw the plate on that the plastic bumper was dented. Even though we seen the plate before the purchase, no though was given to the bumper being dented. After this was brought to their attention they wanted nothing to do with my husband. He went into arbitration with them over the cost of the repair, and was told by the sales manager that if we saw this before the sale, they would have repaired it, replaced the bumper, even gotten us another van from a different lot to make the deal. To make matters worse, they have filed a civil suit against my husband. The repair was only $396, but the legal fee's are close to $3000.00 and he hasn't even been to court yet. Although using common sense would have prevented this, I don't believe it was us that had the lack of it.
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