July the fourth

Uncategorized No Responses »
Jul 022010

What does the 4th of July mean to you? You should think about it.

When I think of the 4th of July, it’s obviously in a patriotic vein. I think about how we became a country, and also it reminds me of the pride I have in our country. With all of our faults (which we air on our sleeve for the world to see) we are still the beacon of hope to the world. Outsiders can find fault with us, but often because they, deep down, are envious of us. All people everywhere can have reasons to love and be proud of their countries. However, the fact remains, the United States of America is by far the most desired place to live when others are asked, “If you had to choose a different country to live in, which would it be?” We are diverse, we are strong, but at the same time, compassionate and willing to help others in need. As best we can, we’ve tried always to help police the world and protect and help others.

I often think of the veterans who served in our military, many of which also fought for the cause of freedom. Consider this, how often, especially in the last 100 years, has America taken land from those that we were at war with? Consider how many Americans have died while forcibly removing tyrants, dictators, and those that employ genocide, from power.

So as you have the day off, watch fireworks, go and do what you wish, enjoying good food at the same time, remember what made us great, what makes us great, and think of how we can continue to make America the beacon of hope and the greatest nation now, or ever, on earth.



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Credit Problems

Purchasing a vehicle No Responses »
Apr 212010

Do you know what your credit score is? It’s very important. Have you heard the ads to repair your credit, to make credit card debt disappear?

I’ve been in the auto business for over 35 years and have to chuckle at those ads. I’d suggest the idea that, since the first thing they ask for when you call is money, you should avoid them. Only in circumstances where the credit card company thinks that they’ll lose everything will they negotiate with you. The key point there being, they’ll negotiate with YOU. What I’ve seen of the credit repair companies is that they either suggest things that are illegal, or they put you on a path that you can get the same advice for, for free.

First of all, the one thing that lenders dislike the most are debtors that won’t communicate with them. If you are unable to make your payment, or the whole payment, contact the lender. The second  thing to do is first learn what your score is and also get a copy of your credit report. If your score is less than 650 you need to work on it. Things you can do is pay your bills on time. Especially your loans, credit cards, and rent or house payment. If you have any judgements against you, you should contact the holder of the judgement and try to work out a settlement, or payments if they’ll indicate that on your credit report. You not only need to make your credit card payments, you need to try to whittle the principal down.  Another thing that I’ve seen that’s helped folks with poor credit is to get a car loan somehow. (bear in mind, I’m an auto dealer, that’s where my experience comes from) You can get that loan by saving a large downpayment, or getting a co-signer to the loan, or in some cases the dealer might help you. If you can secure that loan, make the payments exactly as agreed. And, of course, you have to have a plan to fix the other problems you have on your credit report.

In summary, your credit score and history are really important.  It can cause you a lot of extra expense on future car loans, home loans, and in many cases cause you to not qualify for any loan at all.

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Where Oh Where do I get my warranty work done?

Maintaining your car No Responses »
Jan 312010

Often when visiting with friends and customers the subject of service and warranty comes up regarding different makes of vehicles. It’s important to consider your time and convenience when purchasing a vehicle. If you buy a vehicle that requires you to take it 35 miles for service, does that fit your lifestyle? Many times I’ve had people tell me that they do their own service, or their vehicle never needs warranty repair. I agree, a majority of vehicles never need anything except for routine maintenance which can be done many places. However, vehicles are complicated; they have over 20,000 parts on average. Most parts are designed to last the life of your vehicle, but sometimes things go wrong.

So, here are some things to consider:

Does the dealer offer free loaners? The Birdnow Dealerships do for as long as you own a vehicle that was purchased from us. A customer told me the other day that he had to rent a vehicle while he had his vehicle serviced at a metro dealer. The rent was $175.00 for the four days his car was in the shop.

What happens if there’s a recall? The average vehicle needs to be checked at a dealership four times and those numbers are basically the same for American brands as is for foreign brands. Most customers only hear of safety recalls such as is the case right now with millions of Toyota models. Many times there are what are called “campaigns” where the manufacturer sends you a card asking you to stop so a dealer can check something that might be a problem, that is different than a recall.

How much is the dealers labor rate? The Birdnow Dealerships offer just as good of service, with technicians that have the same levels of training, if not more, for a fraction of the labor charged by many other dealers.

In conclusion, here’s a story that I think will really drive home what I’m describing. One day a customer came in with a GMC truck that was a year old and still under warranty. He wanted to trade for a new Chevy. Trading every year isn’t unusual, but his reason was a bit unusual. He’d become angry at the treatment he’d received at the GMC dealer he’d bought his truck from. He left angry, telling them he’d never be back. When he got home, he opened the phone book to look in the yellow page for another GMC dealer. He was unpleasantly surprised to see that the closest one was 45 miles away!

2/1/2010 UPDATE:

WOW! I just listened to the president of Toyota beat around the bush for ten minutes on the Today Show about the problems that over half the Toyotas have with accelerators that stick. This problem has been happening for around ten years. He wouldn’t guarantee that the repair they’ve come up with would fix the problem. Also, does anyone else wonder how a problem they’ve been aware of for ten years can all of a sudden be fixed with a washer under the pedal and that they’ve come up with this in less than a week? He referred to this as a rare problem….I hope no one I know experiences that rare problem!

Posted by admin at 4:23 pm Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Something really new from the Birdnow Dealerships!

Uncategorized No Responses »
Nov 272009

The Birdnow Dealerships are going to launch a first of its kind 24/7 emergency message service for our customers. All of our customers will begin receiving a card with a toll free 24/7 emergency contact number on it. We are calling this card our VIC (Very Important Customer) cars. Only our customers will have access to this number. When calling, a live operator will ask which of our locations you normally do business with, or which one of our locations you’re closest to, and, at your choice, will call a specific manager, or the emergency contact managers of that store. If no one answers, if you wish, an email will be sent to all emergency contact managers at all of our locations. As soon as possible one of our emergency contact managers will call you back and see how we can help. Each of our managers will have a complete list of contact numbers for all staff in the entire Birdnow Dealerships organization. So, for example, if you normally do business with our Oelwein location, but it’s the middle of the night, you call our VIC emergency operator, and our emergency operator isn’t getting an answer to their phone call, an email will be sent to all emergency contact managers. Early the next morning, the first emergency contact manager that sees the message will call you, find out how we can help you, and will use our master list of all employees to call the appropriate person from the store location that can help you. Our 24/7 operator will have contact information for after hours towing, etc. to help you, but our purpose is not to replace emergency services or roadside assistance. Examples of what we would be able to help with is a loaner on the weekend, or advice on where to have a damaged vehicle towed.

This is just one of many things that make our dealerships unique. We like to say that we have all the benefits of a large dealership (a lot of vehicles to choose from, many sources of lenders to get you the best possible deal, better trained technicians and equipment) but not the negative things big dealerships can have. (high service labor rates, turnover in sales staff, high pressure to buy today, don’t care attitude once you’ve purchased from them, etc.) The Birdnow Dealerships are one big family, spread across NE Iowa, if you’re a Birdnow Customer you’ll be at home at any of our locations.

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