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Saturday, May 31, 2008

SOMETIMES NICE GUYS DO WIN BALLGAMES

Leo Durocher is often quoted as saying “Nice guys don’t win ball games” [He later denied ever saying this]. But this expression is quoted often too justify aggressive, rude, exploitive and unethical business practices. A surprisingly large number of otherwise intelligent business leaders actually believe this saying. This is especially prevalent in the retail car business. I’m a member of an organization called a “20 Group”. This group of car dealers (about 20, hence the name) meets for 3 days 3 times a year to compare business practices and financial results. Our members are from all over the USA. The majority of the members of this group think my way of doing business is not smart. Most Florida dealers I know don’t understand or agree with my business practices.

This column is not a forum to celebrate my accomplishments or for trying to sell you a Toyota, but to share my knowledge with you about how to buy your next car or have your car serviced without being taken advantage of. With that said, I tell you that my Toyota dealership sold more new Toyotas last year than any other Toyota dealership between Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale. We are the currently ranked #50 out of more than 1,600 Toyota dealerships nationwide and we are #10 in the SE USA. Of course I’m proud of that accomplishment, 33 years in the making. After all, my dealership is in Lake Park, which many of you may not have even heard of. I always mention North Palm Beach in mentioning my dealership’s location because we are on the city limit of Lake Park and North Palm Beach. Our population in Lake Park in northern county is much less than that of West Palm Beach and Delray. We just aren’t “supposed to” sell more cars than the dealers from the “big city”.

Was it Will Rogers who said, “It ain’t braggin’ if it’s so”? I’m not sure if I agree with that and I always feel a little funny about tooting my own horn. The reason I’m writing about my dealership’s accomplishment is not because of what we did but how we did it. We were able to accomplish this truly amazing feat by being “nice guys” and we did win in spite of what Leo Durocher may have said. What most other car dealers can’t understand is how we can be so successful without advertising the way they do. By that I mean we virtually never advertise cars, prices, special sale events [Once last year we did advertise a sale on new Priuses because we temporarily had an oversupply]. If you have seen my ads, you know how I advertise. It’s all about my direct personal access via my red phone, my decrying the dealer fee and calling for it being made illegal, and telling you that you will always be treated with integrity, respect, and courtesy in my dealership.

Our sales practices and our service practices are like our advertising. We truly walk the talk. I have four red telephones located in the service drive, customer waiting lounge, show room, and the body shop. Beside the red phone is a sign with my picture saying, “The buck stops here. If we have not exceeded your expectations, pick up this red phone and be directly connected to me, the owner”. These red phones immediately ring my cell phone which I have with me 24/7 [I turn it off when I go to sleep at night]. I invite all of my new customers to a reception every two months, speak to them, and give each one my business card with my home telephone number. We don’t have secretaries in my company and we don’t have voice mails. No employee, including me, has their calls screened. In fact, if the person you are calling is out of the dealership, the call is directly connected to her cell phone. My instruction to all of my employees is “If the customer thinks she is right, take care of the problem”. The important thing about this philosophy is not debating who is right. The important thing is what our customer believes. Our motto is “It’s what you do for your customer when you don’t have to that is the true measure of character…like sticking up for somebody that can’t defend himself”.

There is another reason that I’m “bragging” in this column. Other businesses and especially other car dealers are sitting up and taking notice. Hopefully we will see some of them change their business practices like dropping the dealer fee and changing their bait and switch advertising tactics. If you’re a car dealer reading this column, give me a call and let’s talk. I want to tell you how much better you will do by treating your customers the way your mother probably told you you should. Not only will your business do better but you will sleep a lot better at night.

19 comments:

  1. Mr. Stewart,

    I have to laugh every time I read your blog or hear you speak at some library. Everything you do with your blog, your speaking engagements and your silly little radio show that hardly anyone listens to is all about self promotion. Great, pat yourself on the back for not charging dealer fees. You get them in other ways. You over charge for service to cover the cost of shop supplies. You perform un-needed services on your customers cars like brake fluid flushes, power steering flushes, transmission and coolant flushes when they are not needed. You talk the talk, but don't walk the walk. You have a new crew of service people that have brought their corrupt ways of selling service to your dealership and you are turning a blind eye because you are making more money. You CSI is in the bottom 10% of SET, but your excuse is because everyone is cheating and you are not. How do you know that? Why can't it be you are just not doing the right thing by the customers and they are grading you on it. Your retention has dropped 10% in one year. Great job. Your car sales are also a crock of crap. You export vehicles out of this country to inflate you sales numbers so you can go around and tell everyone how many cars you sell in little Lake Park. This practice by the way is against your dealer agreement which you are currently being investigated for. I want to say lastely that the reason why you are hated so much is because you only give your customers one side of the story, the don't really know who you are, you bad mouth other dealers, and you fabricate stories to make you look better. Dealers would applaud you if you told customers what you do for them and not what everyone else does wrong, because you really don't know how other dealers treat their customers unless you are there all the time. So tell the whole story. I would like you to respond about your export business and about you un-needed service business and explain to your customers why they need a brake fluid or power steering flush when no car company recommends it. I would also like to hear why you flush transmissions and radiators at 30,000 miles instead of the required milage of 80 and 100 thousand miles. Let's put the chips on the table. You don't do the right thing and you cover it up with you blog.

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  2. Dear disgruntled ex-employee,

    Though you will deny it, by your last posting to this blog you have revealed yourself as a former service manager who was terminated. You are attempting to use this blog for revenge, but you succeed only in exposing yourself as a hateful, vindictive and very sad person.

    If you want to bring out the truth, why not debate me face to face on my radio talk show? You can come into the station or call me on the phone? Why do you hide behind your computer with anonymous postings of lies? Your fear of being identified and debating me one-on-one is proof that you don't believe your own allegations. Your sole purpose is the character assasination of your fomer employer.

    I will respond to a few of your lies, only as a courtesy to other readers.


    "your silly little radio show that hardly anyone listens to."

    MY RADIO SHOW ON SEAVIEW AM 960 EVERY SATURDAY MORNING FROM 9-10 IS THE #1 RATED [BY ARBITRON] AM RADIO SHOW IN THIS MARKET.

    "your CSI is in the bottom 10%."

    TOYOTA'S HIGHEST AWARD FOR CSI IS THE PRESIDENT'S AWARD. WE ARE THE ONLY 2007 WINNER FROM VERO BEACH TO FT. LAUDERDALE AND ONE OF ONLY 4OUR OF 17 DEALERS IN SOUTH FLORIDA. TOYOTA'S NEWEST MEASUREMENT FOR CSI [CUSTOMER SATISFACTION] IS THE PERCENT OF CUSTOMERS WHO RETURN TO A DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT AGAIN AND AGAIN. EARL STEWART TOYOTA IS RATED #1 AMONG ALL 14 SOUTH FLORIDA TOYTOA DEALERS.

    "You export vehicles out of this country to inflate your sales numbers."

    EXPORTED CARS ARE NOT REPORTED TO TOYOTA AS RETAIL SALES AND DO NOT COUNT IN MY SALES TOTALS.

    "You over charge for service to cover the cost of shop supplies"

    WE DO NOT ADD AN EXTRA CHARGE ON TO OUR SERVICE INVOICES, JUST LIKE WE DON'T ON THE SALES INVOICES. THE PRICE WE QUOTE YOU FOR SERVICE OR FOR A CAR IS THE PRICE YOU PAY. WE DON'T SNEAK IN AN EXTRA CHARGE AND JUSTIFY IT AS AN EXPENSE THE CUSTOMER SHOULD REIMBURSE THE DEALER FOR. YOUR LOGIC IS BACKWARDS AND LAUGHABLE TO SUGGEST THAT I'M "HIDING" MY SUNDRY SUPPLY FEE AND MY DEALER FEE BY INCLUDING THEM IN THE PRICE I QUOTE MY CUSTOMER. BY INCLUDING ALL MY COSTS IN THE PRICE OF MY PRODUCTS, I AFFORD MY CUSTOMERS THE ABILITY TO FAIRLY SHOP AND COMPARE PRICES...AN ABILITY THE OTHER DEALERS WANT TO DENY.

    "I would like you to respond about your export business and about you un-needed service business"

    TOYOTA HAS EXPORTS SEQUOIAS FROM THEIR PLANT IN THE USA TO THE MIDDLE EAST. THIS IS SIMPLY GOOD BUSINESS. THE US MARKET FOR SUV'S IS DOWN BECAUSE OF GAS PRICES. TOYOTA CAN EXPORT SEQUOIAS, KEEP THE US PLANT RUNNING, PROVIDE MORE AMERICAN JOBS, AND MAKE A PROFIT TOO. EXPORTS ARE GOOD FOR THE USA BECAUSE THEY HELP REDUCE THE DEFICIT AND PROVIDE A WORLDWIDE MARKET FOR AMERICAN PRODUCTS. I ALSO EXPORT A FEW CARS FOR THE SAME REASONS. TOYOTA IS FULLY AWARE OF MY EXPORTS AND MOST TOYOTA DEALERS IN SOUTH FLORIDA ALSO EXPORT CARS.

    ALL DEALERS IN FLORIDA RECOMMEND MORE OF CERTAIN TYPES SERVICES THAN THE STANDARD FACTORY RECOMMENDATIONS. IF YOU READ THE OWNER'S MANUALS FOR ALL CARS, THEY ALWAYS ADVISE THAT MAINTENANCE FREQUENCY CAN VARY DUE TO GEOGRAPHY BECAUSE OF DIFFERENCES IN TEMPERATURE, TERRAIN, HUMIDITY, ROAD CONDITIONS, SALT AIR, DEBRIS & DUST FROM ROAD CONSTRUCTION, ETC. SE FLORIDA HAS ONE OF THE MOST HOSTILE ENVIRONMENTS FOR AUTOS OF ANY PLACE IN THE WORLD.

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  3. Once again, I have never worked for you. I just know about your dishonest ways. No factory recommends that you flush brakes or powersteering regardless of the area you live. No factory recommends to flush the coolant or transmission unless you have the proper miles

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  4. earl has a great radio program. I listen weekly and it is very funny and worth the time spent. This commenting critic sounds so crazy. I mean like obsessed crazy. Its kind of uncomfortable to read, so dark and seething with anger, What did you do to this guy Earl??? He's like your LEx Luthor. Did you burn his hair off in a chemical fire or something????

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  5. The only thing Earl did or does is lie to the people on the show and this blog. He tells you one thing and does another and you are falling for it.

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  6. why should I believe you and not Earl? Who are you anyway, Luthor? Tell me why I shouldn't think all you are saying is a big lie? I've had the same car buying experience my whole life. It was the same (TERRIBLE) until I did business at Stewart. What exactly am I falling for? I suppose I'm a stupid sucker for enjoying being treated respectfully? I'm a dumb-ass for liking the fact I had a good time buying a car with no pressure from some jackass sales manager and a snotty salesman twenty years younger than me with no concept of how to treat a customer? You're saying Earl conned me because I paid him less than the quotes I got from three other Toyota dealers? I was duped because everything his associates told me turned out to be true and all their promises were kept and his competitors lied to me? That makes me a sucker for Earl's con job?

    Who are you Luthor? By what authority do you deem to educate us simple mided fools? To what secret knowledge of Earl are you privy to? Do you get where I'm going with this? You're a ghost. Make me believe, otherwise you are an invisible, anonymous critic with no credibility: Earl Stewart's cranky blog junkie.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I felt compelled to respond to the various comments left by "anonymous" regarding maintenance services recommended and performed by Earl Stewart Toyota/Scion. As a Regional Manager with Wynn's, a well-respected name in the automotive industry, and having over 25 years in the automotive industry with various oil companies, I feel qualified to disagree with many of the statement made by "anonymous" with respect to fluid exchange services. Wynn's is the supplier of fluid exchange equipment and automotive fluids/chemicals utilized by Earl Stewart Toyota/Scion for performing many of the maintenance services questioned by "anonymous".

    While "anonymous" states that no automotive manufacturer recommends changing brake fluid or power steering fluid, simply looking in a Toyota owner's manual would show that Toyota recommends brake fluid exchanges on a regularly scheduled basis. Virtually all European and Asian manufacturers also recommend brake fluid exchanges. Many manufacturers also recommend power steering fluid exchanges, including Chrysler, Izusu and Honda. In addition, the independant organization MAP (Motorist Assurance Program)/AMRA (Automobile Maintenance and Repair Association) recommends both brake fluid exchanges (at the manufacturers suggested interval or when copper content as measured by a test strip, exceeds 300 ppm) and power steering fluid exchanges (at 50K mile intervals). Coolant and automatic transmission fluid exchanges are also among the many regular maintenance services recommended by virtually all OEM's (Original Equipment Manufacturers).

    Florida is one of the most severe automotive operating enviroments in the world and performing appropriate fluid exchange services at appropriate intervals is one way to increase the life of various vehicle components that are affected by this harsh environment. As such, I disagree vehemently with the claims by "anonymous" that such services are not necessary and not recommended by vehicle manufacturers.

    Richard Scott
    Regional Manager
    Wynn's

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  8. Mr. Scott,

    You are 100% wrong when you make a claim that Toyota suggests to flush your brake fluid. This is not true. It is also not true to replace your transmission or coolant before the factory suggests it. You obviously work for Wynns and need to defend yourself so you can continue to sell your product, but you, like many others are doing nothing but stealing from the customer. Regardless of the state we live in Toyotas now have long life coolant that does not need to be changed until 100,000 miles on most Toyota vehicles and most other vehicles as well. Most transmissions are not even servicalbe any more. You are full of it when it comes to power steering flushes. Brake and power steering flushes only are recommended in rural farm conditions. So please do not try to defend your stealing by saying that I am wrong.

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  9. Toyota's factory recommended maintenance is the bare minimum required to keep the car functional. It should run just fine doing this bare minumum. It is also 100% legitimate to make the case that addtional maintenance services can enhance the functioning of the vehicle and extend the life of the various components. Just ask any car nut/auto enthusiast: do they do just the bare minimum? You can compare it to your own health. There is a bare minimum level you can live by and there is a healthy lifestyle you can choose. Either way, you'll probably live just as long, but the healthier way is a more enriched life. The thing to watch out for at a service center is whether the service man tells you a service is absolutely necessary when it is just a recommendation. A brake fluid flush is probably not necessary, but it is still good to get at the right mileage.

    The anonymous fellow is axe grinding. Mr. Wynn is dfending his products. Hayman tells it like it is. some of us are reasonable people.

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  10. Dear Earl: all you're doing is getting attention to sell more cars. Do you sell cars for less than everybody else? Do you refuse to make as much money as possible on every deal? Do you pay a flat salary to your sales force or they live on commission as everybody else in this business? Do they need to make as much money as possible on every deal in order to feed their families?

    All the "bla,bla,bla" about Dealer's Fee does not answer the real question, do you sell car for less than everybody else? Of course NO!
    Stop this propaganda of being a Samaritan: You are in business to make as much money as possible, you don't have to make the public believe that you're doing it for charity to make even more money!
    Talking about booby traps review your Tires for Life program!

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  11. Dear Anonymous,

    I asked my Director of Service and Parts, Paul Nys, to respond to your allegations of our being deceptive by recommending flushing fluids in Toyotas. As you can read below, he not only endorses this but "puts his money where is mouth is" by paying for flushes on his personal car. His words speak for themselves:

    "Good Afternoon Mr. Stewart,

    To the best of my knowledge Toyota does not specifically recommend replacing power steering fluid nor do they specifically recommend replacing brake fluid. It is important to understand that Toyota indicates the dealer may recommend services not found in their scheduled maintenance recommendations. WE DO RECOMMEND FLUSHES BECAUSE A FLUSH REPLACES ALL OF THE FLUID IN A SYSTEM WHEREAS A DRAIN MAY REPLACE ONLY 30%-40% OF THAT FLUID. THIS LEAVES THE CUSTOMER WITH “HALF CLEAN” FLUID”. Flushes are not recommended on world standard (WS). If brake flushes were nonsense why would I pay to have that performed on my personal vehicle? Every model and every year is different. Until Anonymous tells you what year and model we are dealing with we will be going around in an unproductive circle.

    Thanks, Paul"

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  12. Mr. Stewart,

    So by your own employees statement, Toyota does not require brake fluid and powersteering flushes, yet your company offers them as a routine service. Smells like stealing from the customer to me. There is no benefit to flush the brakes or powersteering as a routine service. This is just another way for you to lie to the customer. You don't charge shop supplies but you will perform services that are not needed on your customers vehicles. If you can hide the profit from the customers you will. Why would you want to steal from your customers? Is it because you can't make money the right way you have to find new ways and those ways are to steal? You new management team has done wonders for your store and your reputation. Keep on stealing and passing yourself off as Robin Hood. Maybe you are just a hood.

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  13. Mr. Stewart and Mr. Nys,

    Thank you for confirming that you openly and willing steal from your customers by charging them for services that are not required in any way shape or form as routine services. Mr. Stewart should be proud that he has hired all the thieves from Palm Beach Toyota to steal from you customers

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  14. Earl,

    You have done wonders proving to the car buying world you are the best when it comes to sales and service. You have found new ways to make up the lost profit of shop supplies and dealer fees by stealing from your customers on services they really do not need. If you are stealing in service what are you stealing in sales. You can fool some of the people some of the times but not all of the people all of the times. You should be ashamed of yourself for portraying yourself as the saving grace for the car buying world when you support a dishonest practice in your service drive. Next you will be selling your customer nitrogen for the tires because you have found another way to lie to them.

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  15. Dear "ANONYMOUS",

    Thanks for your petty, secret, postings which reveal your fear to face me man-to-man in an honest debate. Nothing can help my cause more. Readers of this blog know that I speak openly on my weekly radio show, in numerous public speaking engagements, and I am always openly available by phone or in person. But you choose to snipe at me from the shadows with lies, half-truths, and distortions.

    Why are you afraid to reveal your identity or appear with me in an open debate? We all know the answer to that!

    Please continue to make my case with your transparent, self serving fallacious attacks.

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  16. Dear Earl: How can I fear to face you �man-to-man� in an honest debate, when you are not honest enough to disclose to your audience the most basic truth about what you�re doing? There are only two sides of the coin: You are either the Seller or the Buyer. Do you disclose in your �Speaking Engagements� that you exclusively represent the Seller not the Buyer and your real mission is sell vehicles making as much money as you can on every deal? Pretending the other way around shows you real identity!
    By attacking your competitors you only reveal your total incapacity of selling your services to public on your own merits. Not to mention that you are touching the outstanding TOYOTA image. It�s a shame.

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  17. Let me put all this in a nice way to see if you will be able to understand that you are going in a wrong direction:
    Your Marketing Line is simple: you have been dedicating lots of time and efforts trying to stain the image of your competitors picturing them as a bunch of crooks, automatically setting yourself and your dealership as the only safety harbor around.
    As a dealer, your assigned job is to develop your marketplace, increase the service level of your dealership enlightening your customers about the products you represent. Instead, you chose to enhance your business by criticizing the integrity of other Toyota Representatives (dealers) business practices. You create fear among your listeners by using low level concepts such as: Get Ripped Off, Get Shafted, License to Steal, Bestiality and much more…
    Do you use the same words when your sales force make $5,000.00 profit on a single car deal or do you tell them good job? Would you open your books to prove otherwise?
    Pride yourself on leveling your business standards with the outstanding brand you are luck to still represent.

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  18. Dear Anonymous,

    THIS RESPONSE WILL BE IN "ALL CAPS" BECAUSE I'M RESPONDING TO YOUR POSTING BELOW PIECEMEAL.THIS WILL ALLOW THE READER TO MORE EASILY DIFFERENTIATE YOUR WORDS FROM MINE.

    Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "SOMETIMES NICE GUYS DO WIN BALLGAMES":

    Let me put all this in a nice way to see if you will be able to understand that you are going in a wrong direction:
    Your Marketing Line is simple: you have been dedicating lots of time and efforts trying to stain the image of your competitors picturing them as a bunch of crooks, automatically setting yourself and your dealership as the only safety harbor around.

    NOT TRUE. ALMOST EVERY WEEK ON MY RADIO SHOW, I ACKNOWLEDGE DEALERS WHO HAVE ETHICAL ADS IN THE PB POST...MULLINAX FORD, FOR EXAMPLE. I'VE WRITTEN POSITIVE ARTICLES ABOUT DEALERS ON THIS VERY BLOG..."YOUR CAR DEALER MIGHT BE A NICE GUY", FOR EXAMPLE. I DO EXPOSE DEALERS WHO BREAK THE LAW AND RUN DECEPTIVE, UNETHICAL ADS. I DO DECRY THE DEALER FEE AND SO DO A LOT OF OTHER DEALERS. MANY DEALERS HAVE A DEALER FEE SIMPLY BECAUSE NOT HAVING ONE PUTS THEM AT A COMPETITIVE DISADVANTAGE IN ADVERTISING THEIR PRICES.

    As a dealer, your assigned job is to develop your marketplace, increase the service level of your dealership enlightening your customers about the products you represent. Instead, you chose to enhance your business by criticizing the integrity of other Toyota Representatives (dealers) business practices. You create fear among your listeners by using low level concepts such as: Get Ripped Off, Get Shafted, License to Steal, Bestiality and much more…

    SO, YOU ARE TELLING ME WHAT MY JOB AS AN INDEPENDENT BUSINESSMAN IS! OR, ARE YOU TELLING ME WHAT MY JOB IS BECAUSE I HAPPEN TO BE A TOYOTA DEALER? YOU KNOW WHAT? I THINK YOU MIGHT WORK FOR THE TOYOTA DISTRIBUTOR; OR, YOU AT LEAST BUY INTO THAT "MANUFACTURER MINDSET". YOU TELL ME THAT "MY ASSIGNED JOB" IS TO DEVELOP MY MARKETPLACE, INCREASE THE SERVICE LEVEL OF MY DEALERSHIP, AND ENLIGHTEN MY CUSTOMERS ABOUT MY PRODUCTS!! THIS IS "FACTORY-SPEAK", THE DELUSIONAL MINDSET OF A WHOLESALER WHO HAS NO UNDERSTANDING OF A RETAIL BUSINESS OR ITS CUSTOMERS. I'LL TELL YOU WHAT MY JOB IS! MY JOB, AS AN INDEPENDENT BUSINESSMAN, IS TO INCREASE MY PROFITS OVER THE LONG TERM SO AS TO CONINUOUSLY BUILD THE VALUE OF MY COMPANY...PLAIN AND SIMPLE. THE JAPANESE HAVE A WORD FOR THIS..."KAIZEN". UNLIKE YOU AND OTHERS OF YOUR ILK, I KNOW THAT THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT IS BY SATISFYING AND BEING HONEST WITH MY CUSTOMERS AND MY EMPLOYEES. I USE DRAMATIC PHRASES TO GET READERS ATTENTION WHEN I EXPOSE ADS AND SALES TACTICS THAT ARE ILLEGAL AN UNETHICAL. IF ANYTHING I HAVE SAID OR WRITTEN IS UNTRUE, WHY HAS NO CAR DEALER EVER SUED ME FOR LIBEL OR SLANDER?


    Do you use the same words when your sales force make $5,000.00 profit on a single car deal or do you tell them good job? Would you open your books to prove otherwise?
    Pride yourself on leveling your business standards with the outstanding brand you are luck to still represent.

    I HAVE NEVER SAID THAT MY BUSINESS IS NOT PROFITABLE. IN FACT, MY BUSINESS IS VERY PROFITABLE! I KNOW OF NO OTHER CAR DEALER WHO CAN MAKE THE STATEMENT THAT 2008 HAS BEEN THE MOST PROFITABLE YEAR IN THEIR COMPANY'S HISTORY AND THIS IS MY BEST YEAR IN 33 YEARS OF BEING A TOYOTA DEALER. I'M NOT ASHAMED OF THIS...I'M VERY PROUD. THIS IS TRUE BECAUSE I'VE EARNED THE RESPECT AND TRUST OF MY CUSTOMERS. MY MARKET "SHARE" IS INCREASING FASTER THAN THE TOTAL MARKET IS DECLINING DURING THIS RECESSION. YOU MENTIONED MAKING A $5,000 PROFIT ON A VEHICLE. I'M ONE OF THE FEW DEALERS THAT DON'T MARK UP ANY CAR OVER MSRP. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE OF HIGH-DEMAND, LOW-SUPPLY CARS LIKE THE PRIUS. I ALSO DON'T CHARGE A DEALER FEE. YOU WANT ME TO OPEN UP MY BOOKS? YOU AND ANYBODY ELSE ARE FREE TO EXAMINE MY BOOKS AT ANY TIME. MY BOOKS ARE OPEN TO ALL OF MY EMPLOYEES AND ANYBODY ELSE THAT WANTS TO TAKE A LOOK. YOU MIGHT HAVE A HARD TIME TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS BECAUSE YOU CHOOSE TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS...HOW ABOUT WEARING A HOOD?



    Posted by Anonymous to Earl Stewart On Cars at June 22, 2008 8:50 PM

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  19. Mr. Stewart,

    My mother decided to lease a car through your store because I leased one from you several months ago. After going through the process of deciding which car, haggling over the price and getting a lease quote, the salesman just called me to tell me there was an error in the quote and the cost will be higher. I know we all can make mistakes but this sounds like a bait and switch to me. Now, we will have to start over trying to find a car and lease that will meet my mother's finances. This puts pressure on us because we just wasted two weeks dealing with your store. I have to ask myself...was this the plan from the beginning??

    I am sorry to send this in a 'public' forum but there isn't a personal email listed on your website.

    ReplyDelete

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