Smedley's Chevrolet Sales, INC. — Local services in Vandalia

First experience: went to get a discontinued part for my G8. There were two on the shelf at a dealership in Washington state; i know this because i called that dealer, however, they would not sell them to me over the phone and ship. I went to Smedleys parts to see about doing a dealer to dealer transfer; standard practice as I came from working for car dealers. Smedleys parts said they were not available. After telling them where the parts were and supplying the dealers information in WA, they said the part is not available and can not be ordered l. I went to White Allen Chevrolet, supplied the WA dealer information, and they got them to me no problem. White Allen was dumbfounded as to why Smedleys would lose a sale like that.

Second experience: my mom's car got hit and Smedleys did the repairs. They had panels not aligned, clips broken, broken window belt molding (was not broken going into the body shop as the door was not involved in the accident; they needed to blend the paint into the door which is whybit was removed), the damaged and deformed wheel liner damaged from the accident was not replaced, the headlamp tab on the drivers headlight was still broken (hit on the right front corner). The grill has a gap on the right between the headlamp and is touching the left headlamp (reson why the headlamp tab is broken; front end is shifted) and this also indicated the front is shifted, even just slightly. The guy that came out who was dealing with the car (service advisor, i guess) was rude and needed to be put in his place, I just didn't want to have cops called. If he makes comments like he did yo me, someone will lose it and knock him down, figuratively and literally. He also said that the manager wouldn't call me since I'm not the owner of the car but I have all the information on the poor repairs, as well as pictures.

I have 18 years working for dealers as a technician before leaving the industry. Flat rate and watching people produce poor repairs like this taking advantage of people who don't know any better got me to leave.

If you do use their services (don't), be careful, do full walk around with pictures, and stand your ground

EDIT: They ended up making some adjustments (which, according to my mother, made others worse around the fender to door, I believe) and replaced the headlamp that should have been replaced, as well as the wondow belt molding. I was unable to go at that time to see the "properly finished" result. They did, magically, have two brand new Trax's on the lot in which she was wanting to update to before the accident so this vwhicle never went home as was put on their ysed car lot. All I can say now is she's in a new car that she is mostly happy with and that 10 foot 'repair' job vehicle is no longer hers.

To the service manager who told me the frame trammed out correctly: things can be "in spec" (like a frame) but biased from one side to the other causing gaps to be incorrect. Multiply a bunch of biased specs and gaps like on that Trax are exaggerated. You were very nice and a pleasure to deal with, unlike your service writer, but the repair shop needs either better pay so the techs will care about the work they do our better quality techs need to be hired. This is definitely another case of trying to...

We started the afternoon not even thinking about an automobile purchase. My wife and I talked about replacing my vehicle with a new one. I already knew I wanted a Chevy, and I'd been focused on the Malibu. Over lunch, we decided that we'd visit a dealership as I'd never even sat in one, much less driven one. Maybe I should find out if that's what I really wanted. Smedley's Chevrolet was the closest to home, so we thought we'd start there. We arrived and noted the strange lack of sedans in the lot. Still, we parked and started walking around. Almost immediately, we were met by Billy Kessler. He was very helpful and eager to answer questions and provide information. He was certainly not the "pushy sales guy" most people expect at car dealerships. He explained how sedans have basically been phased out and that the Malibu has now been relegated to fleet vehicle status. It answered the question as to why they're barely even featured on Chevy websites. When I explained the features I was looking for in my next vehicle, Billy guided us toward a Chevy Trax. It was as if he was psychic. First, the color and appearance were striking. I've wanted a white vehicle with black accents for decades, but never quite got it. I've been buying used for many years, as my last new vehicle purchase was back in 1989. As a crossover, it's smaller than an SUV. I did not want an SUV. My wife already owns one, so it seemed redundant. Second, sitting in the Trax, it was roomier and more comfortable than I'd imagined. Suddenly, I could see going on road trips in it! After a test drive, it wasn't difficult to make the jump to "I like this vehicle very much!" Billy suggested we run the numbers and see what's possible. Again, no commitment and it can't hurt to see what I'd need to put down versus what monthly payments will be like. Billy presented those numbers up front, including multiple options for a down payment, payment terms (number of months) and what the approximate monthly payment might be. Based upon this information, it was possible to make an educated decision as to whether or not we should pull the trigger right there. My wife and I discussed it. The trade-in value of my old car wasn't going to go up... and the price of a new car wasn't going to go down... and there were clear choices in the payment options that we could afford right now! At that point, we decided that, yes, we were going to do this. It was the right vehicle, at the right price, at the right time, with the right sales guy. Billy was very upfront, personable and likeable. I would happily buy a vehicle from him again. Moreover, I would recommend to anyone who was in the market for a new vehicle to go see Billy. If the rest of Smedley's sales staff is and has been like Billy, then it's no wonder this dealership has been in business for nearly a century! I knew I didn't need to look any further. It was a very, very pleasurable...

I really don't know where to begin. I guess I will with the positive. Jackie who took care of my loan was beyond amazing and helpful. In fact she made me feel so much better about purchasing my vehicle. Also Justin checked out my vehicle and he was very professional. I had worked with Byron through this process. At first I thought maybe this was just how he communicated. But the farther along we got in the process I realized a few things. I have managed people in sales my entire life and one very important good practice in sales is that you have to get to know the person sitting across from you. You have to build trust and make that person feel like you are there to help-not just sell them to make your commission. He never even asked anything about me. In fact I had told him I was taking the weekend to think about this purchase. On Monday I received a text, "Jeep's still here". I would have thought he would have picked up the phone and asked if I had any questions he could answer or what I was thinking. I had had my husband go out on a different day to test drive the vehicle and let me know his thoughts but this purchase was mine. I really think he thought my husband was making the purchase not me the "female". I had also voiced my concerns when it came to the pricing and what it was blue booked for and he went on how they don't use that like I was not informed. Well your consumer does use it as well as banks so you can not discredit it. I could go on and on over the communication but each time he was condescending and I never felt like this was the person I wanted to purchase from. Unfortunately for me I really wanted this vehicle and in the end I decided I wasn't going to let him stand in the way of me purchasing this vehicle. If you are a female I would not suggest Smedleys or I guess I should specify not working with Byron. He also made a comment his Sales Manager "was a little funny if you know what I mean". Yes I heard you loud and clear. I know exactly what you meant! How unprofessional! My husband was even put off by him and told me I should not...