Why I'm Done Owning Chevrolets

My family has always loved their Chevrolet vehicles. For almost sixty years (maybe even longer, because I don't know what my grandparents owned back in their heyday), we have been some Chevy/GMC lovin' people. I'm ending that tradition when I purchase my next vehicle though.

Why? Why after almost a sixty year family tradition did I decide to jump ship? Simple. I recently received an 'Important Safety Recall' notice from General Motors that states my beloved Malibu Maxx has some safety issues that may "increase the risk of a crash". However, there are no repairs available at this time and I will be alerted as soon as they can fix it. Okay, thanks for the warning.

Since my vehicle is the main means of transportation for my family (my husband has a Chevy truck with not enough room for four), I depend on my car to be the safe, reliable, and trustworthy automotive to transport my family around in. Grocery getter as it may be, I love my car. I put my kids in that car and trust that their safety is in good hands.

When I decided to purchase my Malibu Maxx I reviewed everything. Safety features, passenger room, and dependability. It met all of my standards. That was, until I received the recall notice. When I read the items affected by the recall (power steering function loss, brake lamps possibly not illuminating, and a few other mechanical malfunctions) I decided to contact the Chevrolet Customer Assistance Center number that was listed on back of the recall notice I received. I spoke with a nice gentleman named Dan.

Malibu Maxx

I informed him that  I would like  a rental car until my car's 'safety' issues were repaired. I do not feel comfortable transporting my children around in a vehicle that may malfunction. Dan put me on hold. When he returned he asked a few questions about my car. I mentioned I was in an auto accident in January 2013. I was rear-ended by another car. The other driver claimed I slammed to a stop and she didn't see my brake lights. I had been stopped for half a minute before she slammed into me. I know this, because I was letting a fellow Malibu owner back out of a parking spot and I was admiring that car when I was struck. Seems odd, there's a recall for just that sort of mechanical behavior and my car experienced it.

After Dan recorded everything he needed he put me on hold again. When he returned he asked what I wanted, "compensation or what?" were his words. I told him I wanted a safe alternative until my vehicle was repaired. On hold again. This time he returned and stated that my local Chevy dealer's Customer Experience Manager would be contacting me in the next twenty-four hours. I asked what that was going to do for me and Dan said they'd figure everything out and get things taken care of. Okay. I fell for that.

The next day (just so happens this all took place today), the Customer Experience Manager from my local Chevy dealer called me. He informed me that the recall did not pertain to my vehicle (weird, the notice I received states otherwise, as does the government website, the news, and my insurance website), but there were two other recalls out on my vehicle. One of which hasn't been released yet. Oh, how wonderful! I asked him why I was dealing with him and he said he wasn't really sure. He told me again how the recall means that there MAY be an issue, but I won't "crash and die", as he so kindly put it.  So, now he's a fortune teller! How exciting, the car brand I trusted and loved for the last twenty years and the brand my family has supported for sixty plus years just told me that even though there is a safety recall that I'm safe from death. I feel better. Don't you?

Right. This is when I started to get upset. I don't appreciate being handled, especially by salespeople. They use the lines they've been taught to reply with to make the customer shut-up. Well, I'm not the customer you need to use those lines on. It takes a lot to get me going, but once I'm gone there's no happy Nicole anymore. I asked the gentleman on the phone if he'd put his kids in a car that may be a safety hazard? He said he understood where I was coming from and reiterated his previous statement about it being simply a warning. I don't care if it's a warning. It was obviously an important one to alert consumers about. I asked him for a rental car until my vehicle can be fixed. It seems fair enough. Make the customer happy, right? Nope, not Chevrolet. They transfer you to someone else to get the run-around from. You invest thousands of dollars in backing them and supporting their brand and this is how you're treated when something happens. Sad, really.

I couldn't take one more sales pitch excuse from the Customer Experience Manager (by the way, his name was Gary). I wasn't asking for money, I was asking for peace of mind. I want what any parent wants, their children to be a little safer in a world that holds so many dangers already. I informed him that since my husband already works for HONDA (that's right...and we still chose to drive Chevrolet), I have decided to end a long standing tradition my family has carried on and I will never be purchasing a Chevrolet/GMC vehicle ever again. I deserve to be taken care of the way I've taken care of my Chevrolets over the years. Very well. I put my hard earned money into their product and I chose them over many other vehicles. I don't owe them anything and I won't stand by their side any longer. Chevrolet doesn't care about me.

So, farewell Chevrolet. I know you will succeed just fine without my family's support. I just hope the other GM owners who have been faithful customers over the years do not get treated in this same manner.

If you are interested in checking the recall or warning status of your vehicle you can visit SaferCar.gov .

As always, thanks for reading.

Take care,
NB