[C4 Fan]

I can't believe, A -that they did this, and B that anyone believed it. I haven't seen the flyer but I imagine that it looked too offical. :surprised


ATLANTA (AP) - A consumer protection agency has filed a lawsuit against a car dealer, claiming the dealer sent out phony recall notices in a bid to increase sales.

The lawsuit was filed Friday by the Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs against Bill Heard Chevrolet and is the first lawsuit the agency has filed against a car dealer since 1975.

Last fall, 10,000 Georgia car owners received what appeared to be a flier from General Motors announcing an "Urgent Potential Recall Notice."

In fact, there was no recall and the flier was NOT from General Motors. State regulators say it was the latest in a 16-year pattern of deceptive sales pitches by Bill Heard Chevrolet, the largest car dealer based in Georgia.

The lawsuit says the October mailings were meant to trick car owners into thinking their vehicles were unsafe. Instead, the dealership was simply trying to sell new vehicles or service plans.

But J. Matthew Maguire, 1 of the dealer's lawyers, says the Columbus-based dealer disputes claims that any violation was intentional. He says company executives admit the mailing was "not appropriate" but blame an advertising firm

http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6766565

 

[Patrick]

What a bunch of crooks. :down:

 

[iburke]

Like I'm going to go out and hire an ad firm and not theck what they are doing...:crazy:

 

[Loggins]

Greed is a great thing isnt it.:lookinup:

 

[The Torch]

Always has been, always will be

 

[mykal]

What a bunch of crooks. :down:

:agree: :agree: :agree:

 

[H82BSLO]

Bill Heard dealerships have always had a reputation for being shady. Check out this story from their Nashville store about a year ago. Its a dupe but still interesting reading:

http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=5419376

By the way, since the above story first broke, it grabbed national coverage almost immediately. The Nashville store's sales plummeted so sharply after the above story broke, Bill Heard basically closed that dealer. Another owner now owns that Chevy store under a different name and seems to be doing okay. He cleaned house of the old staff. The new owner seems like a decent fellow. He gives out his home and cell phone numbers to customers to call for any problems/ complaints. He's still a car dealer though so we'll have to see.......

I've never understood that mentality. Its almost as if these guys have no choice but to fit into the mold of the stereotype. Even the "honest" ones still have some pirhanna DNA in them. I guess its the personality defect of the guys that go into the business. Its usually those "get rich quick through some scheme" kind of guys that get into the business. We all know the type. We've all had friends or friend's dads that were that guy. They've always got that one "business" that they're starting up thats going to be "it".