The Continuing Cars.com Controversy and Public Discourse

Initially, I was totally against Cars.com sending emails to customers showing the competition's vehicles especially on the timetable they were using. I didn't appreciate the fact that they "sneaked" it out without discussing it with their dealers or even their field reps. I was even less thrilled that they sending inventory feeds to TrueCar, Cargurus and God know where else.

As far as the email program, with the proper timetable, I can see how dealerships, that know how to market their vehicles properly, could benefit. Most dealerships don't have a clue on how to market their vehicles. Poor descriptions, marginal pictures, high prices and weak follow-up processes is the rule and the dealerships that actually "get it", will win more than they lose. This is my opinion and I respect others that don't agree with me.

What has Cars.com done to resolve this? They have cancelled the email program and dealers that don't want their vehicles pushed to other sites, can opt out.

As far as I am concerned, Cars.com's "turnaround" has ended it for me. I am not alone in having this opinion and have stated such on several of these threads. Our comments (mine and at least one other), in opposition to the continued bashing of Cars.com, have been removed from some of these threads. This is no longer discussion. It is a one sighted viewpoint that makes the authors, in my opinion, look like school yard bullies. Again, in my opinion, this is unfair and has no place on a public forum. I never said that my opinion matters.

Feel free to disagree. I won't remove your comments.

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Comment by Bill Cosgrove on May 12, 2013 at 11:04pm: I agree with you that there are many dealers that don't do the right things and this is something I have been talking about for years. But this has nothing to do with the issues being raised here unless the inference is that dealers don't deserve any respect because they feel that dealers are not running their businesses properly.

Cars.com was wrong and should be held accountable in acting unilateraly in their own self interest and without regard for their constituents.They have industry veterans on their payrolls that certainly knew dealers would not like these actions. Did they consult any of these people?

Why did they keep it from their field reps and not get their opinions? Because they knew what they would be and knew that it would leak out to the dealers and chose deception instead of confrontation.

Thier initial response that their purpose was to to bring more transparency when they themselves were not being transparent bringing up the question of iwhether their true intentions wre to be honest with the dealers or the public or just self-serving.

If bringing attenion to and holding someone accountable for "questionable" actions is labled grandstanding and bullying we are on our way down a slippery slope. What is questionable is taking opinions off open blogs and forums because it is blieved that it will offend certain people or institutions.

Cars.com's handling of this controversy caused the harsh criticism and I think deservedly so. They brought this on themselves. No one brought this to them.

The readership will determine when an issue has run it's course with the hope that there have been lessons learned but please don't use censorship, a subject I feel even stronger about, because that kind of action is questionable in itself.

Comment by Robert Hildreth on May 12, 2013 at 3:50pm: I guess I have not seen the forums that closely to see the deletions....Sometimes grandstanding and postering I am sure does take place. My only dog in this race is when it was brought to my attention and I started inquiring I got the run around...this has given me great pause...Again...should this not be a very simple question to answer? Maybe you do not know off the top of your head....how come days and at this point weeks have passed and I still do not have an answer...One of two things...it is showing me the lack of concern for responding to me in a timely manner or some sort of deception is going on. In all the years I have never felt that something was hidden from me by a vendor. Whenever I have asked a question within a reasonable time I always got the answer. Something is not right and this is bothering me at the moment. It is easy to shut me up on this issue just give me the sites.

Comment by Doug Davis on May 12, 2013 at 3:35pm: Thank you Manny.

Robert, I'm in complete agreement. Actually, I was more concerned about this issue than the emails. Both areas were brought up at the beginning. If you notice, Cars.com didn't initially acknowledge the inventory feeds to unidentified websites. I don't know why they have refused to identify those websites. No explanation has been given and the lack of transparency raises additional questions.

At this point, what bothers me is someone publicly blasting a vendor, on the forums, and then removing comments that seem to take up for the vendor.

Comment by Robert Hildreth on May 12, 2013 at 3:08pm: Why is not something so simple to provide so hard to get? Why not give me the lists of the places they export the data to? That is all I asked...no bashing...no bad mouthing...I simply want to know...why say send it to nobody when there could very well be places that are perfectly okay for the inventory to be listed. I would just like the lists so I can monitor that site for errors, omissions and inventory not taken down in a timely manner when sold. I have asked now more then a few times and I cannot get a straight answer. That is my only issue and what I am waiting for. I think every dealer needs to be protected and when you do not respond to that issue it makes the problem bigger then it was to begin with.