Jim Ziegler Wants to know "Is it Time For the Retail Automotive Community to Rise Up and Give CarFax a TrueQuality Thumping?"
Enough is Enough!
Haven't you had it with all of these Data Pirates using our own customer information to defame us, lower our profits, alienate our customers... while at the same time they charge us through the nose to do us harm?
Among the worst of them in my opinion is CarFax. They even believe they have the right to price our cars and trades.... too low of course. While at the same time CarFax exploits negative stereotypes that we are crooks in every commercial the Little Car Fox Rats out the dishonest bumbling and inept idiot car sales person. They charge us to defame us.
read this article we just published in Wards Auto Magazine... "My latest article is out and it's hot.
Here are more than 250 Consumer Complaints and reviews about CarFax... look... http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/carfax_inacc.html
We have manufacturers supporting these people and requiring we do business with them. Let's get mobilized and scream at our factory representatives, reprint this article for your dealers, do press releases, and generally alert your State Dealer Associations and 20-groups.
If a consumer asks for the CarFax, tell them it's $39.00. Whoever told you it was free was lying.
I am available to perform 20-group and Dealer Association Keynote Speeches on this subject. As of right now, I am calling out the Tribe to get on this subject. JIM
Comment
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Comment by James A. Ziegler on November 1, 2012 at 4:33pm
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Tony, we are under no illusion these people and other data aggregators will go away. Far from it. BUT, what our band of merry men and Women in the tribe want to accomplish is much tighter data control and respect from these arrogant-ass vendors who take our money and defame us.
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You bring up a great point David. Can anyone supply us with a copy of the agreement CarFax get the dealers (or dealer employees) to sign?
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Wow John Greene thanks for sharing that. It seems a lot of people have sued CarFax through the years as well as currently. I "Googled Up" the words "CarFax" and "Lawsuit" and "Litigation" all in the same search and I thought smoke was coming out of the air vents in my computer.
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Comment by john greene on November 1, 2012 at 3:17pm
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Jim, I sued carfax back in the 90's after I was forced to buy back a toyota with erroneous odometer readings and world omni (whom I bought it from) said pound sand...that's how I learned about carfax's "small print disclosure"...I haven't used them since and never will...
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Comment by Stan Sher on November 1, 2012 at 3:15pm
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Eric, just because someone has a crazy past does not mean that they need to be fully criticized. I am very confident that I know who you are talking about. Let's look at the positive. Here is someone who went from having a rough childhood to having serious problems like the ones you mentioned to getting out and turning their whole life around. While I cannot and will not speak of their business practices and how they conduct business or about what I heard of their automotive background I will say that this person is a great family loving individual and a great parent that does everything to provide the best for their family. They left the past behind them and focus on the now as well as the future without looking back at the past. We are in the car business and I am sure if you look deep inside of your connections you will find some people with some very sketchy pasts. I remember when I was a sales person I would meet a fellow sales consultant that had an interesting background and they were hustling to make a better life for themselves. While, ones style of conducting business might never change what will change is the goal and reason as to why they are hustling. Often times that goal and reason is a very positive one.
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Comment by David T. Gould on November 1, 2012 at 2:44pm
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Noted from our prior TrueCar discussions: Who is authorizing CarFax data / contracts? I believe at that time CarFax was inserting clauses into the dealer service / used car department agreements very similar to TrueCar's small print and getting authorization for data pulls based on service mgr. / used car mgr. signatures. Dealer awareness of these and other types of backdoor policies will be a valued service here. DTG
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Comment by Keith Shetterly on November 1, 2012 at 2:42pm -
@Eric: Just to be clear to this audience, I myself have no criminal record of any kind. And I don't knowingly associate with whomever that is you reference. However, two things: 1) I've worked for dealers and known dealers who hire folks with some dicey backgrounds, including minor criminal records; and 2) consultants aren't spending millions on anti-dealer advertising while being paid by dealers. Like many things, we think about the individual and lock up the $50 robber and let the person con'ing millions get a slap on the wrist--and that's not dealers, that's society in general.
Also, to your good point about vetting who you're hiring, I'd recommend a background check of anyone a dealer hires, and shame on them if they do that for employees and not for consultants, so a "ConsultantFAX" is, indeed, available in that sense.
All I personally want from a vendor who charges dealers is to work positively on behalf of either the dealer OR both the dealer and the consumer.
Hope you're doing well!
Keith
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CarFax - Third party data providers have an obligation to provide a positive service to their customer(s). Their customer(s) are the dealer and the consumer. Their demonizing of the dealer to scare consumers into requiring a vehicle history report prior to purchase is not providing a positive service. A business model that incorporated a vehicle history report into a rational car buying process (along with a physical vehicle inspection) would go a lot further in my mind.
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Comment by Tony Provost on November 1, 2012 at 1:24pm
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Jim- Great post! We have to distant ourselves, both in mind and in planning. Outside influences are here to stay, in my professional opinion. The companies that build great relationships with both the internal customer(employee), external cstomer(the customer). WILLWIN! See my next post!! WIN BY YOUR OWN PLAN!!
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Comment by Keith Shetterly on November 1, 2012 at 12:32pm
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And, so, there you have it: CarFax drives customers to rely on the brand with anti-dealer advertising, so then shoppers ask for it. Then CARFAX misses something important, and poof it's the dealer who is on the hook. And on TV in a relatively negative light! How often does this happen, you think? Remember, we're PAYING for this service.
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