.... What concerns me is buying out of state. issues with a new purchase usually go through the salesman that sold you the car (paint flaw, or a small dent, etc.). I’m afraid if I have an issue, my local dealer will send me back to where it was purchased.
Not really the Case.
AT ALL!
Dealerships consist of various individual Departments, Each with their own Dept Head, or Manager. He reports to the GM, Owner, or Dealer Principal. Depending on Dealership size and number of Employees. Think of a local outfit,, like Toms Plumbing, where Tom is every position, from Labor to Owner then consider General Electric, with hundreds, if not thousands, of Company Officers. each with a more impressive Title than the one below.
So, many departments.
Sales is simply that, Sales. they did not build the Truck. They certainly will not fix it. Nor will the swap it out with another. To a Layman, or Outsider, it may appear that a troubled Truck was taken back to the sales staff, manager or whatever. Paint fixed, Dent fixed, even entire truck taken back into inventory, swapped out with a brand new truck, but that is not what actually happened. The Sales staff sells. They only sell. If anything is done, it is paid for, by somebody.
Now, those sales staff members may guide you through the dealership various depts and try to assist you in making you happy, but at teh end of teh day, that is up to the individual sales person. Just as we all have different levels of Compassion, Empathy or general Helpfulness, so to do sales people. the n there is level of Expertise amongst each of us, as well as, each of the sales people you may encounter. Some know, more than others, can get more done, than others. This also applies to yoru Service Advisoer, Technicians, and every other person, in every other job, in the World. Think of where you work.
I have no data, for today. years ago, the auto industry figured that a person moved outside a dealerships customer area, eveery 3 years, People were thought to buy a car, ever 4 years, so if the dealer/sales person did sell you, that day you showed up, odds were, he would never sell you anything and not make any money. This si where high pressured Sales came into play.
they did not care if they ticked you off and you never came back, because just like playing Blackjack, they were playing the Odds.
let;s say they made you so mad, you wanted to go Postal on them. But, did not want to spend Life in Prison, so you did what most everyone else would, you badmouthed the Cretins. Here again, national data says you directly influenced 10 people, each of them directly influenced 5 people, those influenced 2 people. so, if a dealer made you mad, they would get a bad opinion spread to about 60 people. Small Town, they are going to do more to help you out.
Small town, you do not move as much. Large City, who gives rats **** how mad you get. Specially if you area pencil pushing Sheldon Type of Dweeb, Yeah, you may influence 60 people but thos 60- know you and it aint; really gonna hurt much, so, make the sales person mad, they are going to have fun making you even madder. Been there, done it myself. Guess what? Sales people have bad days, their kids get sick, they stayed out late drinking and their Wife;s are mad. Sending a Sheldon into Oribt can really out a smile on that droopy face and make that sales person ready for a positive day of making money.
My all time favorite was a SHeldon, with all his print outs, telling me exactly hwo much he shoudl pay. Took about 2 minutes to realixe this idiot would not let me make any money, whatsoever. My Commission would be the Minimum and Daddy don;t get out of bed for that. Leaned in, conspiratorially explained, he did not have to go all From on High and pumped up for Battle, I did not Know him, I did not Know what button of HIS to push, but I had worked for mt Sales Manager for over a decade (A Lie) and I did Know which of his buttons to push, I wanted what the Customer wantd, to conclude our business with one another and get him out of that dealership, as quickly as possible.
Would he truly love a Good Buy?
the best I've ever done?
yeah?
Well, Goodbye! Get the hell off the property you F'ing Retard.
I got to sit back and watch this Human Chicken run around the dealership, talk to every single person of Importance, and many of none, for the next hour.
That littel Incident, first thing on a slow day, adjsuted my overhung attitude, so well, that I sold 5 or 6 cars, on a horrible overcast, cold, slow day. If Sheldon had not come in, I not been walking back from flirting with the Office Hotties and literallly bumped into him. I probably would have nursed my Hangover, all day. Not sold a thing & not made any money.
But, I digress.
Regarding Dealerships not fixing trucks purchased elsewhere. They have to. They literally have no choice and cannot refuse to fix your truck, or anything with that manufacturers, that still has warranty. It;s part of their Franchisee Contract. If they do not honor their Franchisee Contract, they stand to lose their Dealership. They will keep the Ground, the pavement, the buildings , but it is that Logo on the Signage that is worth the Money. It's called Blue Sky. If you ever buy a dealership, even a USed one near a New Car Dealership, you are buying all the physical property but you are also paying for the Blue Sky and that is what they try to make the most valuable. Costs them nothing to create but makes them Wealth, once created. Not unlike those Bitcoin Bilionaires. Worth Billions, on Monday, Nothing, on Friday.
Blue Sky.
Again, I digress.
They got to fix your truck. If you complain about Dealer, to the Brand, it hurts.
I mean, it can really hurt. A legitimate, legal binding Complaint, not a Sheldon COmplaint. if you are a jerk to teh Brands representative, guess what? Theya re liek everyone, eveery where. They have emotions, can cover a lot of stuff up and can enjoy sending a HUman Chicken into ORbit, just like the rest of us.
SO, if Ram Cares ever pops in, gives you some phone info, you call that person and get a total Dumbarse, play nice. Be Happy, Be Kind. Do not let your frustration anger, hurt, lack of self esteem, Mommy/Daddy Issues, puff up your Righteous Indignation to He-man proportions.
Balloons get popped.
If you truly do not care, that's another matter. Rant and Rave, all you want.
However, just liek a 2 yr old in a store, ain;t really going to do much good, other than make ya feel better.
Now, how can that Dealership, legally, get away without fixing your truck, that you bought somewhere else?
Shop is too Busy. poor Guy wants to fix your purchased elsewhere truck but he has to push your appointment, back, to meet the Needs of his Customers, that actually kept hsi dealership alive by purchasing from him. He cannot do so, indefintely, but he can do so. H can also put his worst technician on your car. It;s only warranty work, does not pay well and that guy who just got promoted from Busting tires needs to learn how to turn a wrench. He can order the parts, instead of pulling them off the parts dept shelves. Keep those parts for his Customers. There are a ton of ways or him to abide by his Franchise Agreement but, in the end, he will have to fix it.
Why? Aside from the legal part? Why does he fear your reporting him to the Brand?
Because, sooner or later, there is going to be brand new 'Zork', with a XYZ trim level, that everyone on the planet simply must have and will hurriedly pay , through the nose, to own it. If he falls out of the Brands good graces, he will never see that Zork. All that PRfit will be losst. He will not have one to advertise, he will never get a customer ordered one actually built. Hear about guys who order their truck adn get them in6 weeks or 4 months? Some wait 6 months or longer?
Guess what, that is Dealership Allotments, right there. How good is that dealers individual standing with the Brand. How well has he created a friendship with his Brand Rep. Christ, even comes down to how good is his relationship with the Brands Finance heads. Dos no good to sell a hundred cars, every single day, if you canoot get that purchase agreemnt, loan agreement paperwork 'bought', by the bank.
The bank, most motivated to see that sold car, actually drive off the lot, is the brands Bank.
Just like a Marriage, everything comes into play and has an effect.
Lastly, that Fear of the local guy doing any of that stuff. So what?
Not like it's going to the dealership, weekly, for repairs. If the situation is small town enough that he would get miffed ya bought elsewhere, its small town enough, he is sweating your influence on others. If it ain't that small town enough, there are going to be other options, for repair, nearby.