I have to step in as well. Im not interested in arguing hypotheticals about why the market is the way it is, or what should be free in an 'ideal' world.
I would like to go on record and say that we use DealerRater and I feel that it's worth every penny.
Put it this way, everyone has writing paper at their office that is free to them, but business men still buy $50-$100 day planners every year to keep themselves organized and working effectively. Network television is free, but families still pay $100-$200/month for cable tv.
People on this thread are making the point that "YOU ALREADY HAVE PAPER! ITS STUPID TO PAY MONEY FOR A DAY PLANNER!"
"TV is free! It's stupid to pay for directv"
This is the same concept as DealerRater. Sure the reviews are free everywhere else, But DealerRater isnt offering just reviews. They offer a way to harness the power of said reviews, then give you the tools to easily collect, market and display the reviews to help your online image.
If a dealership has a way to do this effectively for free , then don't use dealerRater. I personally do not have a way to do this by myself, nor would I want to. That's why I use DealerRater.
It's really as simple as that. DealerRater is the review equivalent of Directv or a FranklinCopy planner. If you've never used them I don't feel your view is an accurate representation of what they offer. Plus DealerRater is the only company of my vendors that I can call anytime of the day and get an answer right away. I want to say that their support line is open until 9pm? I don't want a ticket number or email back in two days If I have a problem or question; I want answers or a solution.
p.s. The founder of this forum is the #4 MD dealer on dealerRater. He decided to implement a process well enough to collect almost 700 reviews on his DealerRater page. That's got to count for something.
I don't care if this sounds like advertising. I'm not going to sit here and let one of the good guys get bashed by people who have never used the service. Their are plenty of vendors that you could have chose to gang up on AND been correct in your justifications. DealerRater isn't one of them.
