Spoil Sport

Once again, another dealership ruins it for the rest of us.  Recently, a customer in Anchorage Alaska was the winner of a 2009 Nissan GT-R on eBay Motors with a bid of $55,100.  Now, the dealer (Honda of San Marcos) is refusing to sell the vehicle to them.  The bugaboo:  It was a No-Reserve Auction.

 

This is another shining example of how a dealership participates in a platform without knowledge, training, or guidance, and gives our industry a black-eye.  The dealership is claiming that they didn’t know about the Reserve feature and our demanding the winning bidder purchase the vehicle for $4,000 more.  To me, I think the dealer should have to eat the difference and THAT is the price to pay for not knowing.

 

I urge dealers to not get involved in platforms (eBay, Craigslist, Social Media) if they DON’T know what they are doing?  Read a blog, seek guidance, ask someone from your 20 group, go onto DealerElite and hunt for someone that works for eBay to ask them a question… anything.  But don’t try to do it yourself without any preparation as it will always come back to bite you.  There are endless discussions and experts that can point you in the right direction.  Don’t involve yourself in a new marketing channel without guidance.

 

Now that the dealership is standing their ground, the winning bidder has been taking his disappointment to the blogs and getting a heck of a backing.  (Read the article here - Autoblog article about Honda of San Marcos vs. eBay Motors .

 

What do you think?  Do you think the customer should pay more money for the vehicle after following all of the rules, paying a pretty penny, and STILL winning the vehicle?  Or do you believe the dealership should have to suck it up and learn and lesson?

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Comment by Vincent T Dellatore on August 11, 2011 at 8:03am

Honor the price,,

 

Comment by Martin Logsdon on August 11, 2011 at 7:54am
Let them have the deal
Comment by Brad Alexander on August 10, 2011 at 2:28pm

Ignorance is no excuse.  Bite the bullet and sell the car for $55,100, shoulda done their homework.  If I pencil a deal with an incentive that it turns out is not available on that vehicle, it is MY fault and I eat it and face the consequences.

Comment by Jim Kristoff on August 10, 2011 at 2:27pm
The Dealership messed up....they need to honor the deal.....
Comment by Marsh Buice on August 10, 2011 at 10:24am

Joe, tsk, tsk, I hate hearing stories like this. The dealership should honor the price, if they didnt know how the "no reserve" works, then don't do it. This not only gives the dealership a black eye, but another stain on the industry where people think "we are all just alike."

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