I am BEYOND frustrated with Dealer.com

[Alex Snyder]

Why wouldn't a dealer not want to post to YouTube? I think its very important for dealers to post their walk arounds and inventory.

I think Matt Murray already explained why broadcasting your inventory videos to YouTube is not a good idea, so I'm not going to address what it seems you are asking about.

What is REALLY going on here is a competitor taking a stab at Dealer.com. I doubt all the viewers of this thread saw Joe's tweets this week. He is definitely trying his best to make Dealer.com look bad. I can appreciate that as it is one tactic of competition.

However, I want to ask a simple question:

Joe, you finally signed-up and posted on DealerRefresh to poke a finger at a competitor, but where were you when VinSolutions was under fire: http://forum.dealerrefresh.com/f6/vinsolutions-issues-1436.html


Edit: This is a tough thread for me personally because I have to wear two hats here. 1) My DealerRefresh hat and 2) My Dealer.com employee hat. Speaking for DealerRefresh and Dealer.com, I find this thread to be very healthy. DR is a fantastic resource for getting all sorts of problems solved and/or issues resolved. I am a big advocate of transparency. DDC, like any company, is not perfect. We're going to have issues from time to time. Matt Watson pointed the same thing out about VinSolutions when they were under fire and I respect him for displaying that honesty. We can all grow from the airing of dirty laundry and I hope that the DealerRefresh community realizes that, at the end of the day, we all care and want to help our clients succeed. We can work through anything :thumbup:

 

[Matt Murray]

Why wouldn't a dealer not want to post to YouTube?http://EzineArticles.com/1884558

Hey Joe. It's not that a dealer shouldn't want to, but expectations need to be set correctly.

- People MAY find an inventory video at YouTube. What's the next step though? No lead submission form and many other suggested videos make conversion a rarity. Yes there are ways to customize your page to support your brand etc... however your best lead generator is still your dealership website, no matter who built it.

I'm not suggesting that folks should abandon their quest to post at YouTube, however more than 90% of dealers have a laundry list of more effective changes they can make before putting vids on a site that is not intended to convert visitors into leads.

Just like dealers get sales pitches from vendors all the time, the list of points you have posted reads like the sales pitch I get from Google all the time. Let's just be sure that we're prioritizing our efforts.

@Jake L: It's extremely important that you work directly with the team here to make sure that they know what you would like left untouched etc...

I have to say that DealerRefresh provides a unique opportunity to connect the vendor with the customer. However if this is your only avenue for airing concerns then you are guaranteeing your own frustration. Working with your vendor is the best way to get any of your concerns addressed and resolved, regardless of who that vendor is.

While we have all been going round and round on this thread, the month has come to an end. I hope that each of your had a fruitful month, regardless of your gripes with vendors . On to the next one.

 

[Jake L]

It is fine to stop the automated uploads to Youtube.com, however, a notice would be nice!

It is fine to change my content, however, a notice would be nice!

 

[Jake L]

Just sent you an email Matt.

 

[ArtMorris]

So far, our new D.com account manager seems much more competent than our previous one. My initial post in this thread was gripes about things that have happened in the past, and I can't really blame Brian for them. Having a responsive account manager can make a world of difference and our early impressions indicate Brian is on top of things.

 

[andwrig]

Andy - you know you can always call me. Has anything come-up since we last went over your analytics?

Not really. Just less than desirable service from our account rep. Not very responsive. Difficult to get changes made, etc.

 

[mbmotorsports]

Same issues here with us. Reps have always been extremely nice but can't get things done, some haven't even understood the platform, etc. Although our new rep is better and seems to be on it. But these reps are servicing hundreds of accts. At this point I'm thinking DDC might just be too big for a used car guy like me.

 

[Blake Arbogast]

Let me start by saying Dealer.com is in no way perfect but they are still amazing. I currently have 5 sites with DDC and have been pleased with there performance and attention to detail. I've been with three other companies prior to DDC and none of them came close.

I think its extremely important to find an account manager who shares your same goals. A good account manager can make all the difference in the world. Don't be scared to ask for someone new! You're paying them!

I do agree with some of the things written above however, some of DDC's limitations are perfectly understandable. If you're looking for complete control, create a wordpress microsite. You have to remember not everyone is as talented or informed as the individuals within this forum.

 

[Matt Murray]

Thanks for sharing some positive info Blake, really appreciate that.

 

[kcar]

I Hate Dealer.com, for many reasons. Very limited customization, and if you want something done or re-designed they will always tell you it's not possible or it's not dealer compliant. Both of which are not true, they just don't want to change it. Also if you want something simple done, enjoy paying $100+ an hour for a simple modification. They simply just want you to run the website, change the text, and leave it be. I'm not like many dealers, I want my website to be fully custom, to be unique.. They way it should be. Also the new dealer center is horrible, they make it look fancy with the new gauges and charts, but in reality it's a clutter mess. It's no upgrade, it's simply a re-skinned version of the last one with new link placements. So nonfunctional..

Support is decent, someone always there to answer.. unless you ask about customizing something. In order to do a custom website, with the dealer.com template, I spoke to eight, people about trying to figure it out. And they kept avoiding the real answer of what they can and can't do. As far as everything else goes, if you're a dealer with no idea how websites work it's perfect for you then. If you are a smart dealer, who knows how important a website is, and how it cannot be limited to the same template everyone else uses.. you'll stay away from dealer.com

As well, they nickle and dime you to death. Want a data feed that's an extra $$$, need e-mails sent out for leads and extra $$$ package, need this or that, an extra $$$, it adds up so fast. And they don't even offer any good packages like marketing to other sites, etc. Dealer.com is just not up to speed, they are just sitting back waiting for dealers who don't know anything to buy in and forget about it. I'm sure there's a few of us out there, who can't stand the way they do business.