Dealer Wrecks Customer’s 2012 ZL1 Camaro

Kevins89notch

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Summary, employ enters dealership while it's closed, steals a customers car for a joy ride and totals it. The dealership's latest offer was a similar car but with unwanted options, prior damaged, and higher mileage.


RIP 2012 ZL1 #1635 - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums - Camaro5.com

OP's start of his first post: On Sunday, December 15, 2013, my prized 2012 Camaro ZL1 took its last breath at 4:47 pm. The car was at the dealer in Georgetown, DE for paint issues (under warranty). It had been locked in the service bay over the weekend. On Sunday afternoon, an employee of the dealership (service writer) entered the locked building, removed the keys to my car from the service department, and went on a joyride. The car was totaled when he lost control and sheared off a telephone pole.


Most recent update:

RIP 2012 ZL1 #1635 UPDATE 1/8/2014 The latest in the saga of the totaled ZL1 #1635...
The dealer was supposed to be finding me a 2013 ZL1 new. They agreed (or so I thought) that it would be for the best since buying a used one (yes, ME BUYING from them) could only lead to problems down the road.

I have been patient. I finally got a call on Monday (1/6) to come over to look at the car they "found" for me. They were sure I would be pleased. Imagine my surprise when the car they "found" turned out to be a trade-in on a new Stingray. The car was a 2012 ZL1, black like mine, but with a sunroof (which I do not want), 34% more miles than mine, new tires (why did it need new tires at 13,588 miles?), different wheels than mine, non-Chevrolet emblems front and back, and tinted windows. Also absolutely NO documentation on the car, even though I was told the car had more documentation than mine.

I was not even told the mileage on the car until I went out and sat in it for myself. Amazing that we had to go over all the figures first. And yes, I was to buy this car from them. They did offer $4K "feel good" (their words, not mine) money to buy the correct emblems and rims. However, nothing was mentioned about a lower price for the higher mileage.

My wife and I just were not that happy with the car. We offered a counter-offer and let the dealership for them to discuss our proposal.

When we got home last night, we discovered through this forum (thanks, guys) that the car was a TWO owner car, not a one-owner car like we were told. We also found out that the car was hit 3 days after the original owner purchased the car. WE paid $55 for a CarFax report--the dealer didn't even offer that for us. They did have some other report, but it wasn't a CarFax.
So they were basically trying to SELL us a 2-owner vehicle that had previous body damage, along with tinted windows, incorrect emblems, more mileage, the apparent need for new tires, and heaven only knows what else.

They called today to tell us that their original offer to buy THAT car from them was ALL they were going to (or willing to) offer. Take it or leave it. We really did not want a twice-used car with no documentation and do not feel it was a reasonable replacement for our show-winning, pristine, fully documented car with much less mileage.

So folks, almost a month later, I am still making payments on a car I do not have, and certainly cannot drive. And the dealer is unwilling to step up and "do the right thing."

I have retained an attorney, but really, why should I have to pay attorney fees when I am the innocent party in all of this. I did not ask for my car to be stolen by a dealer's employee.

The dealer is upset about the negative press they have received, yet they seem unwilling to do anything to remedy the situation. I guess they will get what they deserve, even if I do not get what I fully deserve (my car replaced at no expense to me).

If this hadn't actually happened to me, I don't think I would have believed it.
The story has now been covered in the local newspaper (Cape Gazette), the local news station (WBOC), and a Philadelphia station (NBC10). Simply amazing...



It's also been posted here: http://www.lsxtv.com/news/dealer-wrecks-customers-2012-zl1-camaro/
and here: http://gmauthority.com/blog/2014/01/dealer-wrecks-customer-owned-camaro-zl1-accident-watch/



The dealership:

First State Chevrolet - Georgetown Chevrolet, Millsboro Chevrolet, Seaford Chevrolet, Delaware Chevrolet

ALREADY DELETED: https://www.facebook.com/firststatechevrolet

https://twitter.com/1ststatechevy

http://instagram.com/1ststatechevy

https://plus.google.com/104918506907097870137/about?gl=us&hl=en


Contacts:
Sales: (800) 646-4158
Text Msg.: (302) 265-8099
Service: (877) 336-0994
Parts: (800) 646-4158

Anyone bored tomorrow, have at it. I think this dealership it about to learn what happens when you piss off the internet. :mj:
 
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Serpent

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I've read numerous stories like this (dealership totaling customer car) with joy rides/"test drives" of Vipers. :nonono:
 

UncleSAm

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Kevins89notch;13807329. I think this dealership it about to learn what happens when you piss off the internet. :mj:[/QUOTE said:
This had me laughing cause it's so true.
 

TBCobra

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Wow, I would be calling every news station and putting these guys all over the place.

I would be beyond pissed if someone did that to my old as mustang let alone a new zl1.
 

thekanezzi

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This really is horrible. I hope this guy gets more than taken care of even if that's not likely. Did he press criminal charges on the joy rider?
 

Serpent

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Just clicked on that dealership website, they have a '13 ZL1, auto, vert selling for 63k, thats on sale from the 66k original price!!!
lol **** that dealership
 

Para81

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That dealership should offer them a brand new ZL1. This person should write Chevrolet about the experience also.
 

thomas91169

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I'd just make the dealership pay my deductible and have Flo total it out, then whatever I owed on the car I'd make them put down on a GT500 from whichever dealership had one. Then do massive burnouts in their parking lot.
 

Kevins89notch

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This had me laughing cause it's so true.

Just tonight they posted the paragraph on their home page and deleted their FB. I can picture some store manager telling the owner, "Don't worry, I fixed everything."

Tomorrow they have 400 new tweets, 250 instagram comments, 1400 text messages, and their phone is getting 100 prank calls for every legit one.

...and that's before Jalopnik picks up on the story. :lol:
 

TBCobra

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This is on their homepage. lol

Recently 1st State Chevrolet had an employee enter the dealership on Sunday December 15th and take a customer’s Camaro without authorization and subsequently totaled the customer’s car in an accident. Our business is closed on Sundays and was locked as is usual procedure. The employee acted on his own in this unfortunate event. This is an awful situation for both the customer and the dealership to deal with. We have been in contact with the customer and apologized for this situation at length. Both parties’ insurance companies are working to handle this claim in a satisfactory manner. Hopefully this situation will be settled in the very near future.

-Robert L. Hansen

President 1st State Chevrolet
 

The Piper

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This is on their homepage. lol

Recently 1st State Chevrolet had an employee enter the dealership on Sunday December 15th and take a customer’s Camaro without authorization and subsequently totaled the customer’s car in an accident. Our business is closed on Sundays and was locked as is usual procedure. The employee acted on his own in this unfortunate event. This is an awful situation for both the customer and the dealership to deal with. We have been in contact with the customer and apologized for this situation at length. Both parties’ insurance companies are working to handle this claim in a satisfactory manner. Hopefully this situation will be settled in the very near future.

-Robert L. Hansen

President 1st State Chevrolet

I really dislike when people say "satisfactory" which means on average or at best a C grade. Bullshit.
 

Alejandro5.0

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Woooowwwww!!!!! You have patience!
Tomorrow I will call and rant, and I will get all my employees as well to call haha!

Off topic, but earlier some prick called my business trying to scam me by sending him 500 dollars or my electricity was gunna be disconnected.
Long story short I called my electric company and they told me it was a scam. So then me and all my staff kept calling the prick talking shit, he received about 15 shit calls then he just turned off his phone, so we are already in the mood for those calls

Hope they resolve the issue though
 

01GTB

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Huge mistake on this dealer's part. This is going to bite them in the ass in the long run. They could have resolved this for about $55k out of their pocket, and likely their insurance would have ended up paying a fair amount of it. Not to mention some judgement and recovery against the guy who did it. And even if their insurance never paid and never could get a dime out of the service writer, the totaled car still has a lot of salvage value. Now what they thought they were going to save is going to look like chump change compared to what it costs them in the end.

A billboard in town with a picture of the car would do wonders. Full page ad in the paper would too. I'd be happy to chip in a few bucks.
 
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Tiko433

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It would be nice if you could park your totaled car across from the dealership with a big sign stating " This is the kind of service you can get too"
 

UncleSAm

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haha was reading over on Dealer totals customer's ZL1 Camaro - Yellow Bullet Forums



Just call the Media, and start blackballing the crap out of that dealership.
This will make for an AWESOME evening headline news story that will crush that dealerships reputation.
Then hire some people who are unemployed to picket outside with signs about the ordeal.
That will REALLY get under their ass.

They had full possession of the vehicle, it was stolen off their property.
They are liable. Don't even have to get into the whole (ex)employee getting access illegally part,
but obviously that will only make their defense even worse.
 

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