Bob Caldwell Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM

Bob Caldwell Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM responded

Thanks Brandi. No surprise Tim leads the board on reviews. After getting to know Tim, it's not hard to recognize he is pure. No greed or motives. He is a people person and salt of the earth that makes Columbus (and even Ohio) a great place to live. Type of folks we want representing Bob Caldwell. Means a lot for customers like yourself Brandi to spend the extra 5 minutes to endorse the efforts from Tim. Thank you for your business and thank you for your review! -Justin Harmon (General Manager)

Bob Caldwell Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM responded

Ya, there are infinite configurations of vehicles and no dealer has everything. Being able to find or build the particular vehicle a customer wants is critical for all dealers. Glad the staff (Aaron and Tyler) were able to make the process comfortable and get you what you want. Thank you for the business and review. -Justin Harmon (General Manager)

Bob Caldwell Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM responded

I'm sorry Steve you feel this way. Review sites are vital and meant to keep businesses and customers honest and see a lot of value in them. It's also where these platforms fail is business's have 3rd parties answer of throw out canned responses or no responses at all. Certainly a response is needed here. Steve is right on his review for the most part but too many variables left out. 1st- this was a 2005 BMW sold As-Is. Vehicle was inspected prior to sales and customer test drove vehicle. This was by no means a high pressure sale nor misrepresented sale. Customer had issues within the week- check engine light and convertible top issue. 2nd point- Despite not having a service contract or any coverage on the purchase contractually, we provided goodwill by taking the vehicle to the local BMW franchise (unrelated to Caldwell). BMW franchise stated check engine light came from battery being undercharged, reset the light and said vehicle was ok. Customer has a copy of the repair order from the BMW franchise. 3rd- We also (as a goodwill) provided customer with $500 to assist with the convertible top. This is where I disagree with all of the legacy, other reviews, bad dealer....you bought a vehicle as-is, we spent over $800 as a goodwill on a 20 year old $12k vehicle. We goodwill not hundreds, not thousands, but tens of thousands of dollars per month on average to our customers. The bigger issue is a customer feeling entitled that we should do more. Why is the dealer required to do more and why would we treat a customer without contractual coverage the same as a customer that spends money to protect their asset? I felt it required to draw a line and this is where we drew a line. Weeks later I received an email that a check engine light was on and yes, I mentioned that we will not take responsibility at this time for the vehicle due to a check engine light. Make no mistake the e-check fail was not from tampered emissions that had been falsely claimed. The e-check did not fail because there were no catalytic converters as falsely claimed. The e-check automatically fails when their is a check engine light on which the customer refused to take accountability for. For those not familiar with E-check it is an emissions test required in 7 of the 88 counties in Ohio, one particular county that this customer lives in. After several requests (and denials) to purchase the vehicle back, customer emailed demanding the vehicle bought back with an array of email addresses CC'd including news stations, lawyers, Attorney general staff members, EPA, etc....again falsely claiming that I'm legally bound to purchase the vehicle back which stands to remain. When you do that, goodwill is over (at least here it is), we have to get our attorneys involved, and then we go back to having a transaction relationship. Unfortunately this is part of the business and only increasing. We have to deal with claims and (what I feel) are frivolous threats and lawsuits. We are not a corporate store and we try to make decisions that mutually benefit the customer and our business. I stand by our efforts that we have made here. We are never proud of these scenarios but they are more common throughout the industry. Because the amount of technology within a vehicle continues increase and become more complex, because the average age of a vehicle on the road continues to increase, and because the higher percentage of the vehicles on the road have no manufacture coverage and no coverage from a parts and service agreement customers are more likely to run into these problems. Car dealerships mess up! Just like every other business mistakes will happen. We own our mistakes. There are "Chargebacks" in the Sales Department, "Policy" in the Fixed Op departments, and "Other Deductions" within what is determined to be Overhead. More often than not, when the responsibility is inconclusive, we take the high road and pay for the issue or at least contribute. Sometimes we do not feel like we made a mistake but we still contribute. No different with this issue, we contributed by means of goodwill for the initial issues but we are not taking responsibility for all of the issues. Lastly and speaking of Legacy, I'm very proud of what Bob Caldwell and Connie Caldwell have done and my devotion is in honor of the legacy at Bob Caldwell. I'm very proud of the people that work here and sacrifices they make each and everyday to support their families. The reason I respond to every review on all sites is because not only is it good information for the customer that left the review, general public, and potential Caldwell customers; it's vital I provide a long lasting representation for those employees that work here that suffer the most when a 1 star review hits. It's what separates the organized vs unorganized and shows that there are people that care. When my time is done, the final task will be to have the next fortunate individual have the same ethics, integrity, worth ethic and smarts that Bob Caldwell had himself and continue the legacy. I apologize that your vehicle was not a reliable as you assumed it would be. I'm sorry you don't see through the same lens as us Steve. I hope everything turns out ok in the end. -Justin Harmon (General Manager, Dealer Principal, Owner)

Bob Caldwell Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM responded

Thank you. It really comes from the folks you have mentioned that makes it a good work environment. Has not always been like that and won't always be like that. Takes a team that can shrug off the bad and embrace the comradery. Fortunate to have the staff we do. Thanks for recognizing and thank you for providing them/ us an opportunity to earn your business. -Justin Harmon (General Manager)

Bob Caldwell Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM responded

Thank you for the kind review. Erik is no stranger to the business and constantly receives praise from his efforts. Happy to see the reviews continue to be consistent. Thank you for taking the time to review and giving Erik and Bob Caldwell an opportunity to earn your business! -Justin Harmon (General Manager)

Bob Caldwell Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM responded

Lot of years experience between these two hitters and appreciate you highlighting their efforts Joel. Always nice to hear when a deal goes smooth. Have a great weekend and holiday! -Justin Harmon (General Manager)

Bob Caldwell Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM responded

Marci, my name is Justin Harmon and happy to assist you with any issues you maybe currently experiencing. I can be reached at 614-880-2824 or justin@caldwellchrysler.com. I'm sorry you are having any problems, let alone multiple. I looked into the tag issue and yes, this was our mistake. Our office clerk placed the paperwork on the wrong pile. The mistake was found Friday (22nd) and expedited. We received the tags Monday and they were shipped out immediately. You should have them today but if not, please feel free to use my contact information and I'll jump on it. I do not see an open repair item or anything that has been completed in service since purchase but I'm happy to what I can help with there. Again sorry for any and all communication issues and will try my best to make it right for you. Thanks. -Justin Harmon (General Manager)