With the slimy ways of the dealers frequently make transactions, it’s always a surprise when dealers hit a win – one that’s both accurate and verifiable. You have to give credit where it’s due. In this case, a dealership’s camera system was used to catch customers as the service department damaged their vehicles. Automotive News reports.
Gjovik Ford in Plano, Illinois, opened two years ago. Given that the dealership has 11 acres of vehicle fleet, owner Todd O’Reilly knew he would need an excellent security system to cover that type of acreage. So he went with a system from a company called BTI Communications Group. The system consists of 42 dealer cameras and 28 on the premises. They record in HD and offer numerous viewing angles.
What O’Reilly did not anticipate was that the system would not only help keep dealers safe, but would also help when customers claimed its service technicians had damaged their vehicles. O’Reilly told Automotive News“You would be surprised how many people say we scratched or dented their car, and many times they just don’t want to argue.â€
O’Reilly says the system allows them to review videos to determine whether the damage was already present on a customer’s vehicle when it arrived at the dealership, or how the damage happened in the unfortunate event the dealership did damage caused . The system even helps with theft claims. The dealer has a camera system specifically for large work trucks that helps when customers claim someone has stolen something from their vehicle.
While the $100,000 scheme helps the trader save money – between $3,000 and $4,000 a month, it also helps with trader revenue because at the end of the day, a trader will be a trader. O’Reilly says the camera system helps customers sell repairs for the damage they see with the camera system. “No one can hide with the camera system,” O’Reilly said.
