Also, the customer lounge has been redecorated since (my warranty ran out) I stopped coming here in 2012. I imagine it's because they knew they were about to get a ton of recall business.
But the title of this post is "Conundrum," and here's the problem: my work here is not done.
My goal was to chide General Motors for making an inferior product, selling it to unsuspecting customers, and lying about -- covering up, basically -- the problems with the car. For a decade.
While those unsuspecting customers were having wrecks and between 13 (General Motors' claim) and over 300 (the claim of reputable news outlets) of GM's customers were being killed in their inferior products.
Before I learned about the trouble with my car, but not before GM and my dealer knew, I started getting letters offering me a lot of money for a trade in. These letters increased in their frequency, intensity, and, after I found out I had been betrayed, irony.
I remember thinking: My 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt is worthless (less than worthless, it can turn itself into a gass-filled projectile), so why am I being offered...? Oh, they want them off the road at all costs... Oh, at my cost.
Me want these cars off the road but I'll tell you what I don't want: a) to bear the cost of solving their problem; b) to saddle another consumer with my bad car; and c) to own any General Motors product. Especially since the problems with my Cobalt seem more systemic, what with recalls this year totaling more cars than GM manufactured in the last three years. And the likelihood that the dealer knew about these problems, even as their sales people were selling me a 2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, is high!
High is what I must have been. Jimmie Johnson Kearny Mesa Chevrolet sols me a defective car, tried to use it as a trade in on a (possibly) similarly defective car, and, because it's been documented that dealership service departments new about the problem before anyone, ostensibly lied to me about the car.
And here's a second conundrum: why are they (GM) selling more cars than ever? Are consumers that dumb? And, if they are, do they deserve to die?
My bottom line is that General Motors made inferior (deadly) products and lied about it. Jimmie Johnson Kearny Mesa Chevrolet supported that lie and their only answer was to try to get me to put more money into their coffers. Even if I had the money, why would I return to the abusive relationship?
Meanwhile, a gentleman with a recalled car (the newer trade in from the older recalled car) was telling someone how happy he was that he got a deal. On a car that he's brought in for recall service. And he just spent money in the gift shop.
He does not deserve to die. But he is the target demographic. He is why GM is succeeding. He is who I am trying, in vain, so send my message to.
I also wanted to use it as leverage to get my money back. Lemon Law and all that. But I didn't want anyone else to end up with the defective car. That and everyone is doing a great job of ignoring me until I go away.
I need help.
This saddens me. I understand where you are coming from and the awareness you are trying to bring but it is unfair for you to badmouth Jimmie Johnson Chevrolet for something that GM is responsible for. No one thinks about what the employees are going through. We ARE human and we care tremendously for our guests and are doing the absolute best we can to try to help our guests feel safe in their vehicles. I get calls every day with people blaming me for the recalls and screaming at me if I want them to die which breaks my heart because I'm doing the most I can. Yes, I can be sensitive and sometimes go home crying because I can't do anything more than to wait for the recall parts to come in. Some of us are angry with GM because all these recalls are tarnishing the reputation that we have worked so hard for but we have no choice but to keep our heads high and take care of our guests. We are proud to represent this dealership full of great people who genuinely care. The most devastating thing to us is that you are claiming that we knew of the ignition recall years ago and sold you a dangerous vehicle. You must not realize how many employees have the same vehicles and have been impacted GREATLY by this recall. Some of us even gave up our recall parts to our personal vehicles just so that we can help a guest in need. We even offer to pay for a rental vehicle just so that people can feel safe while we wait for the parts and surprisingly not many other dealerships do the same. I understand your anger against GM but I take huge offense when you claim that we had a part in the recall years ago. We are working long hours, turning down more paid work so that we can get more recalls done, and still deal with taking verbal hits from angry and scared guests. We are trying our best and yet no one sees it... I wish you all the luck and hope you are successful in everything you do but please remember the good people behind the scenes...we have hearts too.
ReplyDeleteOne of the many articles about this whole thing states that information on the defects came to GM from service personnel at the dealerships. Then GM sent out numerous service orders about the problem of ignitions, which, in my humble opinion, some sales personnel decided to ignore. Thank you for commenting.
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