People Last

Please don't take this as a nasty remark, but Saturn and your boss are not responsible to have you get to work. That is your responsibility. I don't think others here have to rely on their boss to get them to work unless its in a car pool.

Now having said that I would like to touch on the $3,000.00 auto and how you got screwed out of it. Question? Did you place a retainer or binder on the vehicle he (The manager) offered you. Would you not expected the dealership to do the same to any customer that came in and wanted that vehicle? I would have. You could have placed a few bucks on the car to hold it and then worked out the details later which would have been the smart thing to do.

I am glad to hear that you can still type in the group after such a crazy accident. Does not your insurance have "Uninsured Motorist Coverage" or similar coverage's as they do in New York? (We have that stupid No Fault) and if the car was stolen as you said I can hazard a guess that the cars owners insurance still is held responsible for your damages since many times the loser of the car left the keys in the ignition. Then we have that "what are lawyers for" and they can sue the people and insurance company since it was not your fault.

I had many years ago a similar situation with a tire on I-90 which as a miracle to just roll over the car from the hood on back. But it scared the hell out of me so I am as I said glad you survived.

You could also take a rental car with your company (dealership) as a work around, since people obviously don't come first and money and profits do, I am sure they can give you a good rate and maybe cheaper than regular customers if your such the great salesman you claim and they need you. Put a positive spin on the situation and see if you can rise to the top of a bad situation and I would remember the attitude of the dealership and look for another job.

Elector

Isn't it amazing how quickly your life can change? I am glad you are physically okay, now you have the fun (not) process of getting over all the emotional stuff - I was surprised how much loosing my SL-2 affected me.

The only bit of anything in the way of positive energy I can offer, is that when you feel like getting upset (doesn't matter if it's your boss, the unfairness of it all, or the price of hamburger), it is really this other stuff (the accident) that is bleeding into whatever you're current dealing with. So when your boss, or situation (or price of hamburger) makes you nuts, just take a second to acknowledge you are still basically under-the-weather over the accident. And if you can't process or deal with the BS at the moment, then don't. Don't react, don't get angry and don't unload on someone else. If you still feel the same way the next day, then decide what you'll say and to who.

And when you cool down some, I think you'll realize your dealer is not the face of all of Saturn. And, Saturn is a business, and currently business (IMO) is very much all about bottom line. Remember, the purpose of a business is to make money.

So enjoy and appreciate your wife and family, look around you and see the cup really is more full than empty, and just 'go around' the nonsense and people who don't share your values. I don't mean to sound preachy - I just hear how pissed and frustrated you are with the whole thing and am trying to help.

Let us know how you make out.

PS: I signed up with Costco's car buying program and am looking at a pickup (which Saturn doesn't make) this week. Things change, eh? (grin)

Was that "unsafe used car" from your lot and supposed to be sold to the general public?

That sucks. My father in law sells saturns and right now he is trying to help us get a car. Ours dies this weekend. My hubby and I dont have the best credit and yesterday my husband heard his dad telling my mother in law that his boss was giving him a hard time. I feel bad and if his place is anything like yours then I would hate to see him get in trouble. Most people in our family drive saturns too actually were the only ones who don't. I'm sorry your work situation sucks and hope it improves soon. Also glad you weren't seriously hurt in that accident.

Good luck,

Hmm, wonder if some or one of the respondents are or were car salesmen? ;-) Anyways, its more than one issue that brought me to this, thats just the tip of the iceburg. Lots too much to say and some I wont and perhaps shouldnt while I am still there. I have always had employers that showed thier appreciation, and they had already promised that they would help me, then didnt. Accountability. If you promise me to do something, youd damn well better do it or lose my respect. What my boss said was disgusting and appalling to hear, althouth considering the source, true.

Well, on a brighter note, went to a regional meeting this week and met lots of other Saturn ppl, and they are different. Some actually do live up to "People First". If I do decide to stay, then it will be me that makes the difference with my customers.

marx404

Wow, your story sounds familiar. 4 years ago, I was on the highway when somone ahead of me in a Jeep ran over a hammer lying on the road, and kicked it into the air. It hit the front fascia and hood of my SC2 and did around $1200.00 of damage. You obviously had a lot more damage, but the one thing that will make it sting a little less is imagining what could have happened if that tire had hit the driver's side of your windshield. Just one of life's little reminders of how quickly it can all end.

And I can sympathize with you on the work front as well. I used to work at an auto group (auto mall, kind of ) that owned a Saturn dealership, among others. They were really quite ruthless when it came to dealing with employees, particularly sales people (I worked in parts). Sales consultants who hit a slump got fired,

plain and simple. The dealership owner is a decamillionaire (at least) who lives in a mansion built and formerly owned by one of the members of the Dupont family. Hope things start looking up. Good news is, if you can handle auto sales, you could probably move into a more lucrative sales line when you've had enough of the dealership treatment.

DT

marx404 wrote:

Marx if you know how to look a car over and inspect it for defects and problem areas I think your best bet for a "deal" is to goto a Repo Auction. I have never owned a car that came from anywhere else. If you hit the right auction you can get a good car for less than half the blue book value. I see good decent Saturns bring next to nothing at times. I've also seen one saturn that had all the motor oil caked onto the dipstick... The most honest car salesman is your own eyes, hands, and ears. At a repo auction things are seldom cleaned up or covered up so you can pretty much tell the cars history. But be prepared to put money into fixing a unseen problem. I've also seen a few cars go through with no oil on the dip stick.

Around here even the car washers get a demo vehicle to drive for personal use.

i'm glad you are o.k.

you are in a bad situation and have to find a way out of it.

i don't understand why the anger at saturn, do they own your store, or simply provide the product you sell?

you need to get a grip and focus on finding your own solution.

This is one of the reason I am glad to work in a small town dealership. If I need a car to use on the weekend I can ask my manager and he says take one just put gas in it. Last week my old Tracker went down with a broke clutch pedal. The Tow driver charged me a base call fee $25 for a

5 mile tow. The sh> As most of you here know, I work at a Saturn dealership. I think you might

Glad to here things might be looking up.......I got some good news, I was approved for a 2004 ION sedan and I picked it up yeaterday. This car is my husbands new baby....lol It is Black with grey interior.....as I'm sure you already know....lol. I bet you have sold 50 of these this year alone. I never realized how beautiful the ION 3 was when it is all decked out in leather and all the luxury options....... Mine is just a ION 2 but I love it.

I hope things get better, let us know how things are going,

Thanks for your post. If more victims like you would take the time to post their stories on the internet- a great thing might have happened. Saturn would be out of business and all their potential customers would go buy a quality car from a reputable car company and all of Saturn's employees would have jobs with that reputable car company!

To "Marx 404": Pay no attention to all the people saying it's your fault, that the dealer isn't "Saturn", etc (it's all one big Saturn family in the advertising, so you have a legitimate right to expect to be treated like a member of that family -- otherwise it's all just hype and Saturn's no different than any other big car company). I could tell you similar horror stories about my local Saturn dealer. I left my 99 SC2 to be repaired, and it was stolen overnight from their storage lot. They didn't want to spend the money to install a security system AFTER THE PREVIOUS STRING OF ON-LOT ROBBERIES, so the thieves were easily able to get into the building and pick my keys off the board. Then after it was recovered there was marijuana residue on the dash and in the seat crevices, burnholes everywhere in the interior, but it took a lot of arm-twisting to get the dealer (who never admitted liability) to so anything at all. Their solution: Wash it down and air it out. Forget the seats, forget the back carpets, "it's all we're gonna do so take it or leave it". Luckily (???) the car was subsequently demolished by an idiot on the highway last summer, so I'm free of the whole problem.

Then there's the "courtesy car wash" that's not used for customers anymore (not for free anyway) located, I kid you not, directly in front of the walk-up parts window so you're guaranteed to get wet if you try to buy parts and do your own work instead of letting them do it. I could go on with similar experiences, but why bother? Marx404, your employer sounds exactly like the dealers around here. Quit! Life's too short to enrich people like that.

I'd buy another 99 SC2 3-door coupe in a heartbeat (they're not exactly thick on the ground around here) but I wouldn't take anything, ever, to a Saturn dealership for service.

Well, heres the silver lining on this dark cloud. I have been missing much work and personal time trying to find a new car on a shoestring budget. Had a talk with my GM again and told him what I was going thru. I am one of the top salesmen there and when I am not there, sales go down and I make no money, both bad things for them and me. The GM got involved and talked with the manager about helping me out. Then I think a higher power stepped in ...

Tues afternoon an older guy with an '02 SC2 w/ 18k miles traded in. I approached my boss. He sold me the car for 1k over what he took it in (still not the 10% the employee handbook says I can buy for, but darn close enough). It is still under warranty and almost mint except for a very minor scratch.

Im sure you guys can understand my being so upset, any thinking man would be. IMHO, Saturn is a great car, always has been. Just Saturn Corp. needs to be made aware and to put under the microscope their retailers and start strictly enforcing thier set policies on all dealerships so that both employees and customers are treated fairly as was originally intended in the beginning. What happened to me should have never happened nor should I have been forced to take such a recourse to get this resolved ever. Yet at this moment, I am content with the outcome.

marx404

Good news! Best wishes with the new acquisition.

I've always said that there is no fringe benefit from a job like being appreciated (and rewarded) for a job well done. Sure, base pay plus commission pay the bills (hopefully at least) but respect is good for the soul. Not to mention that being a team player is easier when you are looking toward a goal rather than avoiding a penalty.

Oppie

A serendipitous event - way to go. What color?

2002 Silver SC2 Level 3 package with every toy except TC. Grey Leather, roof, enhanced audio, fog lamps, etc... All my mod SL parts fit too!

marx404

As the old said goes:

Everything is OK in the end. If it's not OK, then it's not the end.

Encapuchado please fix the date on your pc. For some reason your post are coming up a day or two fast.