Blacklisted by Dealership

[Duane Pipes]

A few weeks ago I posted a YouTube video of a service advisor and a mechanic talking trash about my truck. The video is from a front and rear facing dash cam. There is no video recording inside the truck. The footage is basically of them being unprofessional and the mechanic rummaging through the center console (trying to steal).

Last Friday I brought my 19 RAM to the service dept. The service manager greets me and is professional but right after that moment is where my problem began. He explains if I am recording anything, then I need to stop. I assured him nothing was recording, the service manager began berating me saying:

I am on private property and recording or any kind is not allowed. If I am recording anything on dealership property, all footage will be confiscated, deleted, and the camera will be dismantled. He said I am breaking the law and no one in the service department is willing to work on my truck after I posted the YouTube video.

FCA customer care called this morning and explained the dealership won’t work on my truck and I need to find another place to fix the tpms system. She also explained the dealership has their legal team looking into this video incident. In other words, I’ve been blacklisted by the dealership where I purchased my 19 RAM 2 months ago. They do not want me going to the dealership whatsoever.

Long post. Just beware this dealership and FCA customer care can deal with customers anyway they wish, specifically me. Meanwhile, the tpms system warnings are going off all day every day + I’ll have to deal with their “legal team” in the near future. I have a dash cam in case of an accident not for surveillance of this dealership. If their service people were professional, I wouldn’t have a YouTube video in the first place.

 

[JD Martin]

I guess the dealership has the right to refuse to work on anyone's vehicle. I remember when you posted the video but I don't remember the rest of it - did you go back to the dealership with the video first before you posted it publicly and discuss it with the dealership's management?

 

[Scottly]

1st mistake: If you had an issue with the dealership, why didn't you take the video directly to management and allow them to respond, before going public with it to meet your inner desire for clickbait?

Hate me if you wish, but **** like this is a problem in our society right now. People would rather be a Youtube star than solve their problem with personal communication and fairness.

 

[Seth Richards]

I completely get your frustration and have no clue on the laws for your state as the laws can very on this subject from state to state I believe. But if your state is anything like Ca then you can get in a good amount of legal trouble for posting that video publically without their consent. They are right in that it is illegal to record them in a private setting and then post it publically. Even if they are doing something wrong.

 

[Duane Pipes]

1st mistake: If you had an issue with the dealership, why didn't you take the video directly to management and allow them to respond, before going public with it to meet your inner desire for clickbait?

Hate me if you wish, but **** like this is a problem in our society right now. People would rather be a Youtube star than solve their problem with personal communication and fairness.

I showed it to the GM and he assured me the tpms system would be fixed and their workers are trustworthy, reliable, and never had a problem. I'm low key with no inner desire for anything. I just felt disrespected and tpms system has been in the shop 3-4 times.

 

[Duane Pipes]

I completely get your frustration and have no clue on the laws for your state as the laws can very on this subject from state to state I believe. But if your state is anything like Ca then you can get in a good amount of legal trouble for posting that video publically without their consent. They are right in that it is illegal to record them in a private setting and then post it publically. Even if they are doing something wrong.

I hear you. I'm not a lawyer but I don't see how it's illegal. There are no explicit signs stating no recording allowed. The space they work in isn't a secure area. And there is not expectation of privacy at the drive-in bay or in the shop. They were wrong.

 

[Duane Pipes]

1st mistake: If you had an issue with the dealership, why didn't you take the video directly to management and allow them to respond, before going public with it to meet your inner desire for clickbait?

Hate me if you wish, but **** like this is a problem in our society right now. People would rather be a Youtube star than solve their problem with personal communication and fairness.

I don't hate you and I did bring it to the GM. So no 1st mistake on my part. They just got busted and they don't like it.

 

[chrisbh17]

I find it ironic that there have been people on this and other forums that brought in video evidence of problems with their trucks (ticking engines, death wobble, etc) and service departments completely ignore that evidence.

But when you have video evidence of them doing something wrong, well that video they pay attention to. Except when you show it to them privately.

@OP - sucks you are blacklisted from that dealer, hopefully it doesnt extend to other dealers too (aka what is noted in your computer records?)

 

[Graygoose]

that's crazy!!!

 

[Scottly]

I hear you. I'm not a lawyer but I don't see how it's illegal. .

No internet lawyer here, either...But.....

https://law.justia.com/codes/south-carolina/2018/title-17/chapter-30/section-17-30-20/?current=1

 

[Scottly]

No internet lawyer here, either...But.....

https://law.justia.com/codes/south-carolina/2018/title-17/chapter-30/section-17-30-20/?current=1

And this seems to imply you need consent from at least one party....Which, if secretly recording, you don't have.... https://law.justia.com/codes/south-carolina/2018/title-17/chapter-30/section-17-30-30/?current=1

 

[chrisbh17]

The word "intentional" is there a lot.

Lots of dash cams have a parking mode that will record when it sees and/or feels movement.

If you forget to disable it (i.e. unintentional), are you breaking the law?

 

[Duane Pipes]

No internet lawyer here, either...But.....

https://law.justia.com/codes/south-carolina/2018/title-17/chapter-30/section-17-30-20/?current=1

Thanks man I read it. I didn't do any of those things. It's a dash cam. I'm not across the street in a full size van wearing headphones eating donuts

 

[JD Martin]

Thanks man I read it. I didn't do any of those things. It's a dash cam. I'm not across the street in a full size van wearing headphones eating donuts

Too funny!

Honestly, if I saw a dealership acting that way towards my vehicle and rummaging my stuff, I wouldn't want to go back there anyway, even if it was convenient. So it's really no great loss for you to not go to that dealership.

 

[Duane Pipes]

I find it ironic that there have been people on this and other forums that brought in video evidence of problems with their trucks (ticking engines, death wobble, etc) and service departments completely ignore that evidence.

But when you have video evidence of them doing something wrong, well that video they pay attention to. Except when you show it to them privately.

@OP - sucks you are blacklisted from that dealer, hopefully it doesnt extend to other dealers too (aka what is noted in your computer records?)

The RAM care person said I can bring it to other RAM dealer. Guess I'll see then

If I did something wrong to them, guaranteed they'd be showing cctv footage of me no problem. Something else too, I called the manager out and said you're recording me right now as his phone camera in shirt pocket and surveillance on the lot. He says no I'm not recording and we don't have cameras at the dealership. Um yeah okay

 

[Duane Pipes]

Too funny!

Honestly, if I saw a dealership acting that way towards my vehicle and rummaging my stuff, I wouldn't want to go back there anyway, even if it was convenient. So it's really no great loss for you to not go to that dealership.

Hell yeah good point

 

[chrisbh17]

The RAM care person said I can bring it to other RAM dealer. Guess I'll see then

If I did something wrong to them, guaranteed they'd be showing cctv footage of me no problem. Something else too, I called the manager out and said you're recording me right now as his phone camera in shirt pocket and surveillance on the lot. He says no I'm not recording and we don't have cameras at the dealership. Um yeah okay

Just from experience, they are REALLY good at saying that.

 

[staying_tuned]

Thanks man I read it. I didn't do any of those things. It's a dash cam. I'm not across the street in a full size van wearing headphones eating donuts

Haha. You should fly back there with a camera drone with a little note and pen attached like:

So can you fix my TPMS or not? I feel like I'm getting the runaround here...
[ ] - Yes
[ ] - No

 

[ScLeCo]

Why would you have gone back at all? If some dealership stole from me I would not reward them with continued business...
Confused...

 

[Duane Pipes]

Haha. You should fly back there with a camera drone with a little note and pen attached like:

So can you fix my TPMS or not? I feel like I'm getting the runaround here...
[ ] - Yes
[ ] - No

Haha! This seems logical