General Motors $100 Bait and Switch Cadillac Promo

**MichiganMan** · April-25-14, 08:07 AM

My letter that is being sent to GM:

Dear General Motor’s,
I was highly disappointed in your most recent Cadillac promotion. Yesterday, April 24, 2014, I decided to drive to Les Stanford Cadillac in Dearborn to test drive a Caddy. To be honest, I am a Ford guy, and have been since the early 90’s. Due to amount of driving I do, I always purchase rather than lease my vehicles. Since 1992 I have purchased new, a 1992 Ford Aerostar Sport, a 1995 Ford Econoline Conversion Van, a 2002 Ford F-150 SuperCrew, a 2007 Ford Expedition and most recently a 2013 Ford Edge SEL. I live in the heart of Ford Country only a ½ Mile from Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant. My neighbors to the right and left of me work for Ford as does the neighbor behind me, so for me to try out a G.M product would have been really something. Your promotion states that it will run to April 30 or while supplies last. What a scam. I was lured into the showroom by this promotion just as you wanted. I was promptly met by a salesperson who asked if I need assistance. I said I there to take advantage of the $100 promotion and to test drive a Cadillac that would be similar in style and size as my Edge. The salesperson said they were out of the Visa certificates and no other dealer had any left. Really! This salesperson ‘s nickname must have been “Carnac the Magnificent” to know that all Cadillac dealerships were out of the promotions. He said since I was there he would love to have me still test drive the car. That, right there turned me off. The old “bait and switch” routine at its best! “We don’t have any more promos left but we can still sell you a car”. For a promotion to run out of certificates at least a week early is some definite bad planning on your part.
You get all the networks to promote it on their newscasts to get new buyers in the showroom, then you tell the potential buyers, oops we don’t have the Visa cards but since you drove all the way here, can we sell you a car? I hope you put a little more thought into your next promotion.

Thank you for my time not well spent,

**MizMotown** · April-25-14, 08:16 AM

Good for you! I don't think GM has had it together for a long time! What difference does it make when you make millions in profits, bailouts, etc... What comes around...goes around!

**Hermod** · April-25-14, 08:25 AM

Car dealerships have the business ethics of an Arabian souk stall owner combined with a horse trader.

**313WX** · April-25-14, 08:29 AM

You have to realize the dealerships are independently owned and operated.

I understand that you didn't appreciate the bait and switch the folks at Les Stanford Cadillac pulled on you, and there's nothing wrong with bringing this up to the attention of corporate, but not everything these dealers do is dictated by the folks at corporate. If anything, the issue should be taken up with the Dealer Principal or General Manager of Les Stanford Cadillac.

Basically, don't automatically assume what dealership employees or management does represents GM as a whole.

**DetroitPlanner** · April-25-14, 08:53 AM

Why would you even bother wasting your time if you have a 2013 Edge and are happy with Fords? Would you have seriously been interested in taking a big hit on the resale market? If you liked luxury cars, then why on earth have your previous cars [[while nice) not been Lincolns?

My brother owned dealerships when he was still alive and he would prey on people. They want to get folks in the door, but they also want buyers. You were sized up to be an un-buyer the second you walked in.

I suspect that you are unhappy with yourself and kind of embarrassed for being so cheap.

**bailey** · April-25-14, 08:57 AM

Originally Posted by MichiganMan

For a promotion to run out of certificates at least a week early is some definite bad planning on your part.

Clearly it MUST have been bad planning or a scam because it couldn't be an indication of a successful promotion that beat expectations right?

I mean you might have a point if it was the first week of the promotion, but you went in there at the end.

**SWMAP** · April-25-14, 09:12 AM

You should try to spell General Motors correctly when you write to the company.

**Scottathew** · April-25-14, 09:25 AM

If it's too good to be true, it probably isn't true!

**Hermod** · April-25-14, 09:38 AM

Sort of like the magazines with the multiple motel coupons you get at the fast food places at the interstate exits. Hampton Inns always have coupons, but when you show the coupon at a Hampton Inn, you are told "We already rented out all of the rooms at that rate. You have to pay full rate." The other motels seem to honor the coupons.

**One Shot** · April-25-14, 09:39 AM

Are you surprised?
This is how most businesses are today. Lure you in with a sweetheart deal then give you crappy service/product. Nobody cares anymore!

**Cincinnati_Kid** · April-25-14, 09:43 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Why would you even bother wasting your time if you have a 2013 Edge and are happy with Fords? Would you have seriously been interested in taking a big hit on the resale market? If you liked luxury cars, then why on earth have your previous cars [[while nice) not been Lincolns?

My brother owned dealerships when he was still alive and he would prey on people. They want to get folks in the door, but they also want buyers. You were sized up to be an un-buyer the second you walked in.

I suspect that you are unhappy with yourself and kind of embarrassed for being so cheap.

Maybe he just wanted the $100.00, and said I might as well test drive it while I'm here.

**MizMotown** · April-25-14, 09:43 AM

This is the orginal promotion posted on the GENERAL MOTORS website. They are doing whatever to save their reputation lately... notice the billion commercials and news stories?

General Motors is hoping to attract more conquest buyers to the Cadillac brand with a promotion that pays drivers $100 to take a test drive. The nationwide campaign began in March and runs until the end of the month.
Bill Peffer, U.S. vice president for Cadillac sales and service, told The Detroit News thousands of people have come in to take a new Cadillac for a spin and receive their $100.
“This is our way of way of trying to reach out and get people,” he said. “The way to conquest in that super competitive market is to get people’s seats in seats.”
To be eligible for the payout, which comes in the form of a $100 pre-paid Visa card, motorists must be 21 or older, have a valid driver’s license and proof of insurance and own a 2004 or newer non-GM vehicle. Additionally, if consumers opt to buy a new Cadillac and they don’t own or lease a GM vehicle, they will receive an extra $1,500 incentive toward the vehicle.
Last year Cadillac posted U.S. sales gains of nearly 22 percent, but sales have slid 7.3-percent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2014. The brand is looking for the promotion to help get more customers in showrooms, particularly those that have not driven or owned a Cadillac before.
Giving away $100 for a test drive may seem costly and a little risky, but industry analysts say it is a relatively affordable promotion.
“It’s actually a pretty inexpensive marketing campaign,” said Larry Dominique, president of ALG, an automotive consulting firm.
The first shipments of the 2015 Escalade left GM’s assembly plant in Arlington, Texas last week. Peffer said they have thousands of unfulfilled orders for the SUV. Ads for the redesigned and overhauled SUV will begin to air next month.
“As a brand that’s growing, we know we have to do a job of maintaining our loyal owner base,” Peffer told Detroit News. “But, frankly, we have to [[win buyers who currently drive other brands) at a higher rate in order to achieve our sales goals. This car will help us do that.”

— Sam McEachern
Sam is GM Authority's staff writer providing coverage of General Motors news.

Read more: http://gmauthority.com/blog/2014/04/...#ixzz2zuR3eBtx

**Honky Tonk** · April-25-14, 10:12 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Why would you even bother wasting your time if you have a 2013 Edge and are happy with Fords? Would you have seriously been interested in taking a big hit on the resale market? If you liked luxury cars, then why on earth have your previous cars [[while nice) not been Lincolns?

My brother owned dealerships when he was still alive and he would prey on people. They want to get folks in the door, but they also want buyers. You were sized up to be an un-buyer the second you walked in.

I suspect that you are unhappy with yourself and kind of embarrassed for being so cheap.

Though you're right, the idea is to sell cars, but that's NOT what was advertised. It read "take a test drive and get paid $100". If that's not what GM intended, then it should have read "BUY a Cadillac, and we'll give you $100". MichiganMan did exactly what GM encouraged him to do. That being said, the salesman was up front with him, and told him flat out "sorry, we're out". That happens in any promotion. As far as being "cheap", I can't believe GM sat around the Boardroom seriously thinking they would sell a Cadillac to everyone who walked in. They must have suspected people would come in for the $100 and split.

**hotwheels** · April-25-14, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

My brother owned dealerships when he was still alive and he would prey on people. They want to get folks in the door, but they also want buyers. You were sized up to be an un-buyer the second you walked in.

I suspect that you are unhappy with yourself and kind of embarrassed for being so cheap.

As someone who has been in the car business in the past, the above is likely what happened. You pre qualify a prospect before moving forward. In this case you make sure the guy is a buyer and not just someone coming in to get $100 for a 5 minute test drive. If they gave these out to everyone that came in they would be gone in the first week. Or less.

If a guy comes in and says right off "I want to go on a $100 test drive" the likelihood of that happening is low as it's obvious what he is there for.

And judging by the OP's post, that is exactly why he was there with no intention of buying a car.

edit-Also, each dealer is given a set number of cards. This dealer may in fact have been out, while the guy across town that screens better still has them.

**Scottathew** · April-25-14, 10:33 AM

They probably had a set amount of $100 gift cards to get away, which who cares, it's money gone. They knew that it would get the attention of folks and get them into the showrooms regardless of whether or not they had the gift cards left.

I don't like all the advertising that assumes that you get the employee discount AND that you're a veteran.

**313WX** · April-25-14, 11:01 AM

Originally Posted by hotwheels

As someone who has been in the car business in the past, the above is likely what happened. You pre qualify a prospect before moving forward. In this case you make sure the guy is a buyer and not just someone coming in to get $100 for a 5 minute test drive. If they gave these out to everyone that came in they would be gone in the first week. Or less.

If a guy comes in and says right off "I want to go on a $100 test drive" the likelihood of that happening is low as it's obvious what he is there for.

And judging by the OP's post, that is exactly why he was there with no intention of buying a car.

edit-Also, each dealer is given a set number of cards. This dealer may in fact have been out, while the guy across town that screens better still has them.

From the horses' mouth:

To be eligible for the payout, which comes in the form of a $100 pre-paid Visa card, motorists must be 21 or older, have a valid driver’s license and proof of insurance and own a 2004 or newer non-GM vehicle

So basically, anyone [[who gets wind of this) that owns a 2004 or newer competitive make vehicle who also legally drinks/drives qualifies for the test drive incentives, regardless of their intentions to buy.

I'm assuming how it works is that the customer would receive a form or voucher after completing the test drive that they would submit it to corporate GM to receive their $100.

As it's nothing coming out of the dealerships' pocket, I don't see what benefit the dealerships would have in filtering who does and doesn't participate in the test drive. And I'm sure the last thing management wants to have is some trainer or manager from corporate paying a visit to them to wave a finger in their faces.

I work with Ford, so I have some familiarity on how these things work as well. Ford has something similar where, if customers call in to the corporate marketing line and specifically request it, they can schedule a test drive at Ford/Lincoln dealer for a vehicle they're interested in purchasing. They don't filter whether or not the person has any intention to buy a car, as long as those customers are coming through the doors. It's the job of the salesperson hired by the dealership to convince the customer to buy the car.

**aj3647** · April-25-14, 12:10 PM

The ad DID say "while supplies last." Caveat emptor. A savvy moocher would have known that this promotion would be a popular one and gone on the first few days to get their "free money."

You went in there with one week left in the promotion with no intention of even thinking about buying a car because you wanted to get something for nothing and you left empty handed and you're upset about it? You could have called beforehand and saved yourself a trip.

**Scottathew** · April-25-14, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by aj3647

You went in there with one week left in the promotion with no intention of even thinking about buying a car because you wanted to get something for nothing and you left empty handed and you're upset about it? You could have called beforehand and saved yourself a trip.

The purpose of the promotion wasn't to give a $100 to people that would have test-driven Cadillacs anyway. The purpose was to get people who wouldn't think about buying GM or Cadillac, get them in the car, and let them experience it.

MichiganMan was the target audience they wanted. Imagine if they could convert him into a lifelong Cadillac buyer based off of a test drive where he falls in love with the quality, luxury, etc...

For me, I always buy used. I've got a 2007 Saturn Ion and a 2009 Chrysler Town and Country.

I'll never buy new or lease ever again. You save so much money buying used.

**DetroitPlanner** · April-25-14, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by 48307

For me, I always buy used. I've got a 2007 Saturn Ion and a 2009 Chrysler Town and Country.

I'll never buy new or lease ever again. You save so much money buying used.

This was my brother's feeling as well. Even though he sold cars and had interests in several smaller Ford dealerships he drive a 12 year old Explorer. Cars are just hunks of metal he would often say. My current car is a 12 year old Sable. It don't get the babes but it is roomy, good on gas, cheap to insure, and gets me to where I need to go.

Its true too. It don't matter if you drive a brand new Aston Martin or a Toyota Corrolla, they all have the same basic purpose. Of course you can't tell that to a Sneech. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sne..._Other_Stories

**motz** · April-25-14, 01:56 PM

Yeah, I get really upset when I can't take advantage of promotions intended to drum up sales, especially when I have absolutely no intention of buying things.

Also, I swear to god if you have ever bitched about people's "entitlements" from the government, I will find you and smack you upside the head. The mentality of "I deserve a free gift card for driving a vehicle with no intention of buying it" is just a less severe case of "I should get money because kids". Except the kids are alive. And human beings.

**Honky Tonk** · April-25-14, 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by motz

Yeah, I get really upset when I can't take advantage of promotions intended to drum up sales, especially when I have absolutely no intention of buying things.

Also, I swear to god if you have ever bitched about people's "entitlements" from the government, I will find you and smack you upside the head. The mentality of "I deserve a free gift card for driving a vehicle with no intention of buying it" is just a less severe case of "I should get money because kids". Except the kids are alive. And human beings.

Sorry, no sale. Read the fine print, "get $100 to test drive a car". He didn't walk in to the dealership demanding $100 because he wanted to test drive a car. This was an offer made by GM. The only issue I have is if they're out, they're out. No where I could see it was indefinite.

**jcole** · April-25-14, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

Sorry, no sale. Read the fine print, "get $100 to test drive a car". He didn't walk in to the dealership demanding $100 because he wanted to test drive a car. This was an offer made by GM. The only issue I have is if they're out, they're out. No where I could see it was indefinite.

It also says "While supplies last". They didn't last. If he thinks this is a "bait and switch" ala Best Buy or Circuit City's practice of advertising items and then never getting them in stock or getting 1 of the advertised items, he needs to contact the Attorney General, not to GM. They popped both of the above mentioned companies for bait and switch; but you need to be able to prove it was a dishonest practice. Did others who attempted to do a test drive for the $100 get to do it or were there never any cards? That makes all the difference. They advertised an either/or finite number of gifts; either until the end of April or until supplies ran out.

**canuck** · April-25-14, 03:32 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

This was my brother's feeling as well. Even though he sold cars and had interests in several smaller Ford dealerships he drive a 12 year old Explorer. Cars are just hunks of metal he would often say. My current car is a 12 year old Sable. It don't get the babes but it is roomy, good on gas, cheap to insure, and gets me to where I need to go.

Its true too. It don't matter if you drive a brand new Aston Martin or a Toyota Corrolla, they all have the same basic purpose. Of course you can't tell that to a Sneech. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sne..._Other_Stories

I really like how Ford swiped the front grille design off the Aston Martins.

The thing about getting a new car is that you are constantly worried about getting a scratch, the first one is like the end of a cycle.

So many worries, like the fact they are worth 5,000$ less as you drive them out of the showroom. It is like watching the six o'clock news; if the news dont kill you with worry, the damned commercial for every ailment prescription will...

**motz** · April-25-14, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by Honky Tonk

Sorry, no sale. Read the fine print, "get $100 to test drive a car". He didn't walk in to the dealership demanding $100 because he wanted to test drive a car. This was an offer made by GM. The only issue I have is if they're out, they're out. No where I could see it was indefinite.

So does "While supplies last" mean "While supplies last except for MichiganMan"? Because saying its bait and switch that the dealership, who's promotion specifically states "WHILE SUPPLIES LAST", did not have any of the $100 pre-paid gift cards left is, well, kind of disingenuous. Its blatantly ignoring the fine print because you didn't get your way. I have never, and will never, go to one of these promotions because a) I don't expect to get a free $100 gift card, no strings attached, for driving a car b) I understand that often times, these offers run out very quickly c) I'd reckon myself to be a reasonable human being.

**MotorCityTrikes** · April-25-14, 03:55 PM

AW that's nothin' my Fiance' drives a black Impala and I drive a white F-150. On the weekends she always offers to drive places we go. She said it was to save gas because her lil' car gets better mileage. So I feel obliged to always pay for dinner.

Then it dawned on me ...... Hey this is costing me more than gas would !!! Good thing she's a cute blonde or I'd find myself a Ford girl ....... just can't trust those GM people............ LOL