First to have a dented Volt

[Cari]

WOW...just wow. Glad to hear you love your new Volt. It doesn't sound like you got the best deal though. Please don't take this wrong, but I am concerned your desire to get it over with and take delivery took over any pause you should have had with $1100 more in price and a non-working center screen.

I do thank you very much for keeping us updated. It is too easy to just want to go play with the Volt and forget our forum buds.

Paul (Cari's husband)

[ClarksonCote]

Thanks Paul,

My problem was that I was a long distance purchaser and walking away at that moment would have been a lot of hassle for me. I do plan to make a little more noise with them though, and if they're not responsive I will take it up a notch.

I hope you and your family (and everyone on the forums) have a Merry Christmas

[volt11]

I'm glad you finally got your car. Slight ripples at the door edges can be normal just from the way metal behaves when it's formed, although I haven't gone out to check mine by comparison.

I have to say that I'm a little stunned that the dealer tacked on extra profit after all of the issues with the dents, and now the center display. Good thing it wasn't the driver display!

The problem here, as always, is that GM cannot force a dealer, which is an independent business, to sell its cars for a particular price, because there are price fixing laws that prohibit it. However, I would do everything I could to make GM corporate aware of what happened, deal and all, because there are other ways to skin that cat. It is my understanding that GM is not happy with the idea that dealers will go for a quick profit on the Volt at the expense of longer term customer satisfaction for the brand. Without marking it up at all, they'll make about 3 grand in the end just on the sale of the car. Let's say GM finds that particular dealers are gouging customers on Volt deals, all kinds of other legitimate reasons might be present to restrict Volt allocations to them, perfectly legal and not related to pricing. In the end you might not get any financial benefit from sharing your experience up the chain, but there might be some justice. You can also share the dealer name here, so others will know to avoid them. Finally, you will get a satisfaction survey from GM. Do NOT give it to the dealer to fill out (some actually have the balls to offer like a free tank of gas in exchange for your survey.) Give them realistic marks. It does matter to them, AND their CSI (Customer Satisfaction Index) score matters to their direct GM sales and service reps, because their performance ratings can be affected.

Regarding your extended warranty, why would you give that up? It has value when you go to sell the car, as those warranties are transferable to the next owner.

[Cari]

Thanks Paul,

My problem was that I was a long distance purchaser and walking away at that moment would have been a lot of hassle for me. I do plan to make a little more noise with them though, and if they're not responsive I will take it up a notch.

I hope you and your family (and everyone on the forums) have a Merry Christmas

I understand the long distance issue and the hassle. I think most people understand why you completed the deal. We are buying semi-long distance ourselves (Austin purchase, Fort Worth home). We are unsure if we are going to drive there and drive two cars back, do a one way car rental, or short plane trip. We don't want to be without an exit plan if there is an issue with the car or paperwork/lease terms. There are enough risks buying a car you haven't seen, but adding long distance to that can really be a hassle.

That being said, WORTH IT though right??

Paul (Cari's husband)