Dealer dropped my C5 off lift -- need advice

[SPANISHVETTS]

I hope your insurance adjusters commit about the deductible was a slip of the tong. Your deductible has nothing to do with Stewart’s screw up.

The fact that the dealer made an offer of any kind is good news. He who speaks first looses, has always been the rule in negotiating.:nono Stewart has gone from ¨putting a new body on a broken chassis¨ to offering a settlement, albeit a poor one, in only a few days.

Now, thank him for conceding that he was guilty of destroying your car and ask for substantially more than he has offered. Then keep your mouth shut until he replies.

The Force is with you.

 

[theblackvette]

This car will make up for sunny days gone!!!!

I hope we hear barnetdh drives this baby off the lot soon:

They want to offer you a same year corvette with same mileage and same options?????.....sounds good BUT what happens to all the sunny days gone by without your car?????....aggravation suffered?????...time spent(money) making phone calls and writing to different departments?????......I know it's not a perfect world out there but when I make a mistake I end up paying for my mistake.........PS : I think they will make this right.....CONVERTIBLE PLEASE!!!!!

 

[c5vetter]

hope that a good litigation lawyer is involved and that lawyer is who should be doing ALL of the talking - this involves more than the car, lost time at work, lost time of enjoyment of being able to drive the car, etc. etc.

 

[TheBlueVette]

Also please don't forget that you know the history of your car. Even if you didn't buy it new, you know the last xxxxx miles. You know that it has been taken care of. You can't say that of any other vehicle. The previous owner got rid of it for a reason. Could be as simple as a new kid, or could be that he had nothing but problems with it. A trade for a car of equal miles, year, options, etc, may not be an even trade...then again, it may also be a step up. Just something to consider.

Bob - Actually I have the complete maintenance record. I know every oil change and shop visit back to the day it rolled off the factory floor. I have been thinking about the problem you describe though. How do I know if a new C5 is in good shape? Should I take a warranty from Stewart? I'm thinking that I would need to have a thorough inspection by another dealer with a 'vette specialist. (I know one that's about 50 miles from here.) I expect that I will have to be very careful.

- Dave

 

[TheBlueVette]

The first thing you have to understand is that to the dealer that car is just another car.

Jak - You're exactly right. Both the dealer and my insurance were treating this as just another car. If it were anything but My C5, they'd be right, because I would feel the same way. Every other car I've owned was just transportation. My C5 is diffeent. They don't put any stock in the attachment that Corvette owners have. Even one of the attorney's I spoke to said that. The courts usually don't put any monetary value to emotional attachment to a car.There is no doubt in my mind that if The Blackvette hadn't started the rally, I would have received nothing but a repaired car. It's like going to the hospital to get your tonsils out, and they ampute an arm by mistake. "Don't worry, we'll give ypu the best artificial arm we have." They took a part of me.

-Dave

 

[theblackvette]

I think StewartCars is gonna hook you up!

I have a really good feeling that StewartCars is gonna take care of you!

As long as your remain patient and give them time to find you a suitable C5.

I think they appreciate your patience. As I said, I think a reasonable solution to this is to obtain for you a 1998 Black Convertible. I do not believe they made a 1997 convertible.

This can be StewartCar's way of saying. Hey, we are sorry about what has happened and we are dedicated to our customers.

This would be so perfect:

"Please accept this black convertible to make up for any sunny days you have lost during the time you have been without your Corvette!"

This place StewartCars really appears they are a good place. They had an accident and this could have happened at ANY dealership. They didn't do it on purpose. They have an impressive service center and they are proud to show it on their webpage.

I think they will hit one out of the park when they find your new ride!

Stewart's Shop:

 

[warren s]

What really makes me sad about this whole issue, (Other than the fact that it happened at all) is that how easy it would be for the dealer to do the right thing and restore your faith.

It would cost them less to get you a low mileage late model C5 than GM spends on coffee in half an afternoon. It was obviously a tragic mistake, and with the reduced prices on C5s these days it would take the profit from just a few new SUVs to break even.

 

[Harley1@coiinc.com]

I too sent nice note to dealership. This is getting national attention now. I'm sure they are getting flooded with e-mail. I pointed out that the sooner they satisfy you the better for their reputation and in the long run it would be cheaper than litigation. I feel your pain. like if it were my vette. Goodyear dropped my custom 4-wheel drive van off rack installing new tires--IT DOES HAPPEN--You deserve nothing but satisfaction. Just look at the growing number of replies to your original post. Good luck and let us know what happens.

 

[theblackvette]

Give the dealer a chance! This doesn't happen everyday!

This is not a good thing that happened to both the dealer and barnetdh!

The dealer did not intentionally do this and it isn't something that happens often. I would imagine that this was the first time this particular dealer had something like this to happen. I am thankful that their service man was not killed during the accident.

The dealer perhaps originally thought that it was just a car and was no big deal and at first decided to just repair it.

They are now obviously aware of the numbers of Corvette owners that know about this and I believe they are beginning to understand that Corvette owners don't just look at their cars as a piece of metal. Owning a corvette is a way of life. We wave to each other on the road, we go to local cruise ins, heck we even have NATIONAL cruise ins. The corvette is more than just a car.

It appears that they are indeed working to find barnetdh a suitable replacement. I think we should give the dealer time and cut them a break at this time. I recommended a 1998 Black Convertible for barnetdh. I am hoping they are finding something like this. I know that this will make him very satisfied and impress us. Early year C5's do not grow on trees, especially ones with low miles like barnetdh's 1997 C5.

I do not think it helps anyone discuss this in the negative at this time. I truly do believe that the dealer is cooperating. The last updates that barnetdh gave were positive. If they were not he would tell us.

I am confident StewartCars will do the right thing!

I am looking forward to hopefully seeing barnetdh posting a picture here on CAC of his 1998 black convertble C5!!!!!!

StewartCars we are all counting on you to make this happen for our Corvette pal!!!!!!!!!!!! I know you can do it!!!!!!!!!!!

What really makes me sad about this whole issue, (Other than the fact that it happened at all) is that how easy it would be for the dealer to do the right thing and restore your faith.

It would cost them less to get you a low mileage late model C5 than GM spends on coffee in half an afternoon. It was obviously a tragic mistake, and with the reduced prices on C5s these days it would take the profit from just a few new SUVs to break even.

 

[theblackvette]

Thank you!

Thank you so much to you and all for helping making your voice known.

Letters of support can only help!

I am confident everyone will be happy in the end. Just be patient.

I too sent nice note to dealership. This is getting national attention now. I'm sure they are getting flooded with e-mail. I pointed out that the sooner they satisfy you the better for their reputation and in the long run it would be cheaper than litigation. I feel your pain. like if it were my vette. Goodyear dropped my custom 4-wheel drive van off rack installing new tires--IT DOES HAPPEN--You deserve nothing but satisfaction. Just look at the growing number of replies to your original post. Good luck and let us know what happens.

 

[Bob_K]

Bob - Actually I have the complete maintenance record. I know every oil change and shop visit back to the day it rolled off the factory floor. I have been thinking about the problem you describe though. How do I know if a new C5 is in good shape? Should I take a warranty from Stewart? I'm thinking that I would need to have a thorough inspection by another dealer with a 'vette specialist. (I know one that's about 50 miles from here.) I expect that I will have to be very careful.

- Dave

I've heard good things about CARFAX for car histories. Not entirely sure what they will and will not have for a car's history since I've not bought a used car that was new enough for them to know anything about. I know they do report on accidents. Their website may give more details.

 

[theblackvette]

My recent note to StewartCars

I felt I should sent them a second personal note from me. I have decided to post my note here:

Dear Service Department,

This is the Blackvette from www.corvetteactioncenter.com I am the person trying to gain support for BOTH you and your customer that had his C5 accidently damaged.

I am delighted from what I have heard in the past day about how you may be locating a suitable replacement vehicle. I recommended perhaps a 1998 C5 Convertible on the CAC (corvette action center) website. I think this will make your customer very satisfied and will make prove your dedication to your customers.

I know you did not do this intentionally and I am glad no one was hurt of killed. There will always be some comments that are not as supportive from some people, however, I would suspect if you handle this right, even those folks will realize that you are of high class. I can tell you are a dealership of high class just from your website. I am confident you will resolve this and everyone will be happy.

Best regards,
theblackvette

 

[MM-C5]

TBV, you've done one heck of a job leading this campaign! The vast majority of comments have provided excellent advice and I am sure that many of us have done what we can behind the scenes to alert other clubs in the SF Bay area.

Barnetdh has provided only a little feedback that things are moving in a hopefully good direction, but the tone of your postings has changd dramatically toward Stewart. Did you get some response from them that I missed?

Again, great job! If I ever have a problem with the folks who service my baby, you can expect a PM

Tom

I felt I should sent them a second personal note from me. I have decided to post my note here:

Dear Service Department,

This is the Blackvette from www.corvetteactioncenter.com I am the person trying to gain support for BOTH you and your customer that had his C5 accidently damaged.

I am delighted from what I have heard in the past day about how you may be locating a suitable replacement vehicle. I recommended perhaps a 1998 C5 Convertible on the CAC (corvette action center) website. I think this will make your customer very satisfied and will make prove your dedication to your customers.

I know you did not do this intentionally and I am glad no one was hurt of killed. There will always be some comments that are not as supportive from some people, however, I would suspect if you handle this right, even those folks will realize that you are of high class. I can tell you are a dealership of high class just from your website. I am confident you will resolve this and everyone will be happy.

Best regards,
theblackvette

 

[theblackvette]

I have not received any communication from Stewart!

However, not hearing any negative updates from barnetdh is promising!

Additionally, hearing that the report that GM said that Stewart was going to find a replacement rather than fix the wreck was very encouraging.

Also, the report that if this campaign did not take place, Barnetdh stated that he would only have received a repaired vehicle.

All of these points, in my mind, convinces me that StewartCars is making a good faith effort in resolving this matter. If they were not, they would not have changed their tune from making a wrecked C-5 into "good as new" in three weeks to finding a replacement vehicle.

Like everyone, I was very upset what happened to barenetdh and did not put myself in the dealer's shoes.I have now realized that the dealer has feelings too! The dealer could have lost their service person. I realized that the dealer did not do this on purpose and at first and felt the easiest way was to fix the car. However, with their investigation of the condition of the car, and the number of e-mails, and posts here on CAC and think they will come through.

Also, keep in mind I did not discover their website until later. Their website is most impressive and quite organized. They have pictures of their shop and they have all the signs of a reputable dealer.

That being said, and from the recent reports, and my discoveries, I think the dealership has earned a lot of respect. Barnetdh seems to be pleased with the progress so far, as there have been no negative comments in his last few postings.

Let's keep a postive mind set here! It can only help!

TBV, you've done one heck of a job leading this campaign! The vast majority of comments have provided excellent advice and I am sure that many of us have done what we can behind the scenes to aleart other clubs in the SF Bay area.

Barnetdh has provided only a little feedback that things are moving in a hopefully good direction, but the tone of your postings has changd dramatically toward Stewart. Did you get some response from them that I missed?

Again, great job! If I ever have a problem with the folks who service my baby, you can expect a PM

Tom

 

[MM-C5]

"Let's keep a postive mind set here! It can only help!"

Yep, I agree with that! BTW, what is the link you are using for thier website? The only one I've come up with isn't giving me the pictures you've shown.

T

 

[theblackvette]

You mean pictures like this one?????? :L

"Let's keep a postive mind set here! It can only help!"

Yep, I agree with that! BTW, what is the link you are using for thier website? The only one I've come up with isn't giving me the pictures you've shown.

T

 

[theblackvette]

Or, do you mean pictures like this one??????

Hey, I betcha barnetdh has seen this person before and knows him real well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tell him "Hi" from theblackvette and that I have high confidence in Stewart!

 

[theblackvette]

As I said, the website is a class act. Well organized and shows several shots of the dealership.

As for finding the pics, you have to slide your mouse all over to get the links. It is all with the mouse!!!!!

 

[MM-C5]

As I said, the website is a class act. Well organized and shows several shots of the dealership.

As for finding the pics, you have to slide your mouse all over to get the links. It is all with the mouse!!!!!

Where's that "I'm With Stupid" icon?

 

[theblackvette]

You mean this one?????

Where's that "I'm With Stupid" icon?