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Why are dealerships guilty until proven innocent?
Most people have experienced theft in their lives. You may have suspicions about the identity of the guilty party, but without any solid proof, you wouldn?t dare accuse a person of being a thief. Not only is it akin to branding someone a criminal, it seriously maligns the character of the accused. It could even be deemed libellous.
?I?ve been ripped off!?
How many times have you heard that expression in reference to new-car dealerships? Perhaps you have uttered it yourself, in a fit of frustration over a repair bill or a new car purchase.
This expression has unfortunately become a flippant remark in our industry, and it perpetuates the stereotype that car dealerships are unethical. It?s an especially damning accusation to make against a person or organization, based on the belief that all car dealers are the same.
Are all customers the same? Could we treat a new customer in such a rude manner on the basis that ?I have had many customers lie to me, so how do I know that you are no different??
Why is anyone ?guilty until proven innocent??
There are several reasons why people accuse dealerships of ripping them off. Sometimes a customer will consult an acquaintance for advice about an issue. That acquaintance (who knows ?something? about cars) receives only one side of the story from the customer, and yet, he/she will issue a judgment against the dealership, which the customer takes as fact.
There are those who act like car dealerships are in the charity business and should be exempt from making a profit. A customer may have discovered a dealer?s profit margin on a car he bought, or on a repair, and he feels that he/she paid too much.
But new-car dealerships are in business to make a profit. They are not compelled to sell cars (or service) at cost.
The most common motivation for making false accusations against dealerships is the all-too-frequent, ?previous bad experience? scenario. An individual may have had a bad experience at one dealership, and therefore feels justified in treating an employee at another dealership with contempt.
?I?ve been ripped off? is really a form of accusation against a person, a company or an institution. Would you accuse someone of stealing from you if you lacked absolute proof? No, of course not.
We may be in the car business, but we are human too. We are proud of the work that we do, and we don?t appreciate being labelled ?thieves? ? if the accusations against us have no merit.
It is very difficult to expect dealership staff to remain courteous in the face of unfounded personal ?assaults? on their characters. No one deserves to be treated rudely.
If you feel that you have been deliberately wronged, and you have sufficient evidence to prove your claim, then approach the dealership in question. If guilty parties are deliberately ripping people off, they should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and driven out of any and all industries. A few bad apples don?t mean that an entire industry is corrupt.
New-car dealerships are not trying to rip off customers. If they were, today?s super-educated consumers would quickly realize they were being duped; the dealerships? reputations would suffer and their businesses would close.
Accusing dealers of ripping off customers is unfair to the dealerships, and to the men and women who put in an honest day?s work in assisting customers and trying to earn a living. These false accusations are a red flag to a bull when made against innocent members of our industry.
Let?s stop this blanket practice of accusing dealerships of ripping off customers, unless you have proof of misconduct. And if you have the proof, by all means go after the individuals with NO mercy. Be sure to read next week?s column, where I will coach you on how best to resolve your complaint.
Ken Shaw Jr. is President of the Toronto Automobile Dealers Association and is a new-car dealer in Toronto. E-mail comments to president@tada.ca
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