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How/Why am I getting this lead

sryan

Desk Monkey
Aug 18, 2012
59
8
First Name
S
I get a lead from Cars.com on a specific used car. I respond to the lead thinking the customer click on the used car listing on Cars.com. I respond to it.

Then the customer responded to me this:

Thanks for the prompt reply. I’m not quite sure why CarsDirect added you to my contact list, since this particular car was a little way down my list and I didn’t I’d queried your listing. Bottom line for now as far as you’re concerned: I’m not yet ready to swing by for a test-drive.
If the vehicles I want look at first don’t pan out, I’ll be back in contact. Your listing is still within my current parameters.
Sincerely,


I am not signed up with CarsDirect and I have no idea how I would have gotten this lead. If Carsdirect has our online inventory showing up in their feed, which I did not authorize, shouldn't our dealership get some sort of royalty for it (lol) ?
 

✨ AI Highlights

A dealer received a Cars.com lead for a specific used vehicle but discovered the customer was actually sourced from CarsDirect, which the dealer had never authorized. The thread reveals that Cars.com purchases leads from third-party sources like CarsDirect and CarGurus without dealers' explicit knowledge, then redistributes them under the Cars.com brand, creating confusion about lead origin and dealer agreements.

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