Directory
The termination doesn't matter; just reimburse us
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the dealer rights bill with hopes, from my understanding, that the manufacturers will work with the dealer body in resolving the pending issues before the bill makes it to the Senate.
From my many discussions with other dealers of terminated franchises, I think we are all singing the same song. Our concerns lie not in our desires to be somewhere where we are not wanted. We just want a reinstatement of our dealer rights as per our signed dealer agreement.
Let's face it: As a franchised dealer, you can be profitable and have stellar customer service scores, but if the manufacturer doesn't want you, there are enough contract clauses to allow the company to terminate you with enough notice. Likewise, the dealer benefits from those contract clauses as well. But if a manufacturer chooses not to keep a dealer, it needs to properly reimburse that dealer for the equipment and supplies and pa ... Continue reading "The termination doesn't matter; just reimburse us" »
Jul 21 12:27 pm U.S. ET
What Congress should enact
Recently in the news is word of a dealer rights bill gaining significant momentum in congress. If passed, this law would strengthen and reinforce the rights of all dealers.
This IS a good thing and definitely needed. However, what it doesn't address -- nor should it in its current form -- are the rules that give manufacturers latitude enough to ignore such laws while in bankruptcy.
I say this from experience, having lost not only my Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge franchises but also my Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac and GMC franchises, in two separate locations.
As reflected earlier, GM deserves kudos for doing the right thing -- even in bankruptcy -- by not completely alienating their dealers who are losing their franchises. Chrysler, on the other hand, used bankruptcy to shield themselves from liability and leave 789 dealers hanging in the wind.
Many who did not have other CJD franchises now have parts inventory with a signifi ... Continue reading "What Congress should enact" »
Jul 14 9:34 am U.S. ET
Closing dealerships an all-American problem
Our GM wind-down has been nothing less than challenging. As I mentioned in earlier blogs, we have elected to shut down our GM point completely, as we joined GM in having concerns of the market viability in the area that we represent. (This differs from our strategy with the CJD point, which we are continuing as a used-vehicle store.)
Our largest challenge has been the inventory sell down. As we have worked diligently to retail all our remaining inventory, we worked with other dealers to reassign some as well. That was harder than expected, and it made me truly realize the impact of what is going on in the franchised automotive world.
I came to understand this challenge even more as I took a mini-vacation over this past weekend. I had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta with my family to visit a few of my relatives as we took all of our children to Six Flags and Stone Mountain. Most of my several-hour drive to Atlanta was on the i ... Continue reading "Closing dealerships an all-American problem" »
Jun 29 12:35 pm U.S. ET
Posted 12:27 pm U.S. ET, July 21
 |
From my many discussions with other dealers of terminated franchises, I think we are all singing the same song. Our concerns lie not in our desires to be somewhere where we are not wanted. We just want a reinstatement of our dealer rights as per our signed dealer agreement.
Let's face it: As a franchised dealer, you can be profitable and have stellar customer service scores, but if the manufacturer doesn't want you, there are enough contract clauses to allow the company to terminate you with enough notice. Likewise, the dealer benefits from those contract clauses as well. But if a manufacturer chooses not to keep a dealer, it needs to properly reimburse that dealer for the equipment and supplies and pa ... Continue reading "The termination doesn't matter; just reimburse us" »
Jul 21 12:27 pm U.S. ET
| Post Comment | Permalink |
What Congress should enact
Posted 9:34 am U.S. ET, July 14
|
This IS a good thing and definitely needed. However, what it doesn't address -- nor should it in its current form -- are the rules that give manufacturers latitude enough to ignore such laws while in bankruptcy.
I say this from experience, having lost not only my Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge franchises but also my Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac and GMC franchises, in two separate locations.
As reflected earlier, GM deserves kudos for doing the right thing -- even in bankruptcy -- by not completely alienating their dealers who are losing their franchises. Chrysler, on the other hand, used bankruptcy to shield themselves from liability and leave 789 dealers hanging in the wind.
Many who did not have other CJD franchises now have parts inventory with a signifi ... Continue reading "What Congress should enact" »
Jul 14 9:34 am U.S. ET
| Post Comment | Permalink |
Closing dealerships an all-American problem
Posted 12:35 pm U.S. ET, June 29
|
Our largest challenge has been the inventory sell down. As we have worked diligently to retail all our remaining inventory, we worked with other dealers to reassign some as well. That was harder than expected, and it made me truly realize the impact of what is going on in the franchised automotive world.
I came to understand this challenge even more as I took a mini-vacation over this past weekend. I had the opportunity to travel to Atlanta with my family to visit a few of my relatives as we took all of our children to Six Flags and Stone Mountain. Most of my several-hour drive to Atlanta was on the i ... Continue reading "Closing dealerships an all-American problem" »
Jun 29 12:35 pm U.S. ET
| Post Comment | Permalink |
