Are Consumers satisfied with the treatment by car dealers?

Recently, I blogged about the choice between buying used or new cars.

I received some valuable and interesting feedback.

It got me thinking about the motor vehicle industry in Jamaica. Every day I pass several car lots across Kingston. The cars on the lot, while attractive have garnered a reputation of being over priced.

Although, that is not to say that some deals are not offered by some car dealerships, but the majority offer consumers limited discounts.

As a result, a number of prospective car buyers are discouraged from pursuing that route and opt instead to purchase car from individuals.

Car Dealership Experiences

I decided to ask several persons what experiences they had with buying vehicles from car dealerships and I got mixed reviews.

Some persons enjoyed the experience as they felt safer that the vehicle was being sold by a reputable dealer. There are others though who recalled horror stories of cars that were in such a poor state that they broke down soon after being driven from the lot to their home.

Complaints

The poor goods received by the customers from the agents at these car dealerships was compounded by their lack of professionalism.

Often when the customers returned to the dealership to complain, they were openly mocked for being stupid enough to buy a ‘lemon’.

Due to these experiences, it is no surprise that the leading complaint made to the Consumer Affairs Commission (C.A.C). is from customers who had complaints about motor vehicles sold by car dealerships.

In fact, the CEO of the C.A.C., Mrs Dolsie Allen, said in a local news report that in some cases the owner of the car dealerships chased away the complaining customers and refused to compensate them.

Repercussions

Those who own car dealerships or really any type of business, need to realize that even though they may save the money today by not compensating their customers with complaints, they will pay later as their actions will result in driving customers away.

So what’s your take?

Let me hear from you!

Teri Ann Paisley

Gleaner online writer

Tags: car dealerships