How to disrespect the dead and lose a customer
I’ve never been a customer at Penske Chevrolet of Indianapolis, and now I know I never will be thanks to the complete disregard shown to me by the finance office and their F&I Manager, Alan.
My mother purchased a used vehicle from this dealership several years ago. For about the last two years they had been calling and bugging her about trading it in (it’s a late-model, totally clean history, very low mileage).
Mom died last December, and I obviously needed the title to her car. Her records were in disarray and I was not able to find the documentation relating to the remaining amount of the lien on the car or even who the lien holder was.
At the suggestion of a good, old friend who’s spent 20+ years in the automotive finance industry, I called the dealership and left a voicemail for the finance manager briefly explaining the situation and requesting a call back.
That call never came, so I left another voicemail explaining that I have all the required documentation to get a title trace and I was ready to get that info, pay it off, and then sell the car back to them as they’d been asking for. This could all theoretically happen in one visit.
Once again, the call never came.
They had the chance to make money from my mother twice, but Alan and Penske Chevrolet didn’t seem interested—never mind that the second opportunity came as a result of her death. Roger Penske already has enough money, so his dealerships don’t have to worry about things like basic customer service as they’re likely just tax shelters anyway.
So potential buyer beware. Contrary to all automotive sales logic and training, Penske Chevrolet seems focused solely on turning over their inventory rather than building actual books of business. There is no shortage of dealerships around, so if you value being cared for after initial purchase then I urge you to go elsewhere.
21 May 2025
Unprompted review