State Dealer Complaint Forms

Remember, the main focus of this business is to keep your customers happy. If you have an unhappy customer, most states make very easy to log an official complaint against dealers. Most states provide a toll free number to make complaints against dealers. They can also sometimes send an anonymous complaint via email. Almost every state in the country also has a “Dealer Complaint Form” that is free and downloadable, or can be mailed as per request. Most states investigate every dealer complaint meticulously. If you have an unhappy customer that logs a complaint, you can expect to be contacted by your state dealer license bureau. They may call you, they may mail you a response letter, or more likely, they will visit your dealership unannounced to do an official record’s inspection.

If you have a lot of unhappy customers, you can expect to hear from your state dealer license bureau quite often. If you have enough complaints on a regular basis, you will probably end up having your dealer license revoked.

I cannot stress the importance of keeping your customers happy. If I sell a vehicle to a person and they come back the next day complaining that the vehicle needs an alignment, I will have the vehicle aligned. If a customer comes back the next day complaining that the exhaust is making lots of noise, I will have the exhaust repaired. If a customer complains about an engine missing out, I will have the engine tuned up.

I would rather lose part of my profits than have a customer file a complaint against my dealership. When you have a dealer license, you do not want your dealership’s name popping up over and over again at your state dealer license bureau. If they receive multiple complaints against the same dealer, they will realize there is an obvious problem with the dealer and may choose to revoke the license.

A couple years ago I sold a motorcycle to a gentleman on eBay. The motorcycle was in near mint condition and I advertised it as such. When the gentleman took the delivery, he immediately called me to make several complaints. He said a small one half inch wire was hanging out from the rear of the fairing. He also stated that one of the blinkers was blinking faster than the other one. He then continued to complain that the motorcycle did not get the gas mileage he was expecting. He also complained that the bike sat lower to the ground that he wanted. As I spoke with this customer, in the back of my mind I was thinking “This is the guy that is going to make a complaint against my dealership!” As I spoke with this customer I kept stating that I wanted him to be happy. Over and over again, I told him I wanted him to be happy. I also think he just wanted to make sure I was listening to his complaint. Over the course of several phone calls, I always kept calm, was very empathetic, and kept repeating “I want you to be happy.” He never requested any type of refund and he eventually stopped calling.

You can obtain your Texas Dealers License at https://texasdealers.com

I have found that this type of customer is rare and that most customers will share your ethical standards but you need to be ready for this type of customer
When you have an unhappy customer, remember to keep saying, “I want you to be happy” and do everything you can to keep your dealership compliant.

Most state make it very easy to make complaints against your dealership. Alway keep your customers happy.