The economic climate in Michigan continues to be a colossal challenge. We're listening to our clients and we are responding with new services: We now offer virtually every major brand of tire for your car, van, truck or trailer. We purchased the equipment from South Haven's OK Tire when they closed. You can be confident that our prices will be competitive. What makes us different is that your tires will be installed by a certified auto technician who will do a professional job and look over your vehicle for any necessary repairs. Just call Grant Hammock at 269 637 8788 for fast estimates and scheduling.
We have also expanded our personal watercraft winterizing services. We can winterize, shrink wrap and store your watercraft and maintain the battery! Just drop off your unit and we'll do the rest. Have a restful winter and then call us in the spring. We'll have your watercraft uncovered, battery installed, checked over and ready to ride! If you've been paying a premium for indoor storage, give us a call and I'll bet that we will save you some serious money!
Keep an eye on this blog for more updates concerning our VanBuren County Road Commission battle! It's going to get real ugly if they continue their current course! Stay tuned, folks!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
GM's 60 Day Money Back Promo is a FLOP!!
As I predicted a few weeks ago, the GM Money Back Plan has been a total FLOP. Yesterday GM's Bob Lutz announced that during the program 150,000 GM vehicles have been sold! That sounds pretty good, right? Well, the only problem is that GM actually LOST market share! Here's how the GM dealers presented the "deal of the decade": a potential GM purchaser was enticed with the huge national advertising campaign of "bring it back in 60 days if you're not happy"! What GM didn't tell you was that when you actually closed the purchase, you had a choice: sign the 60 day money back agreement OR (and this is one that most dealers wouldn't let their salespeople talk about) there was a 500.00 rebate in lieu of the Money Back deal. Bob Lutz "thought" that about 100 people signed up for the 60 day program while everybody else took the money! He claims that one person returned a Corvette to exchange his 6 speed manual for an automatic! So let's see if I understand. GM spent millions of dollars promoting a 60 day money back may the best car win program that had 100 takers? The result was 150,000 sales and LOSS OF MARKET SHARE? As Ricky Ricardo would say: "The person that came up with this winning idea has lots of SPLAINING to do!" I did hear that the guy behind the 60 Day MONEY BACK program had the confidence of GM management because his previous successful campaign was the SHAMWOW! I can't wait for the next GM promotion! I've heard rumors about buy a GM car and we'll include you in our health care program! Hey, the government owns GM so why not?
Monday, October 12, 2009
3 Year Battle With Road Commission Begs for Justice!
Any of you that have visited VanDerZee Motorplex has experienced the frustration of trying to find a way in to our parking lot! We have attempted to work with the Van Buren County Road Commission for over 3 years in an effort to get what should be a simple task: a driveway off of Phoenix Street, the 4 lane that runs in front of the Motorplex! Before we started construction in 2006, we followed the rules and applied for a driveway. Just a formality, right? After all, we are located on one of the main commercial arteries to South Haven on a 4 lane road. Our property has an EXISTING curb cut but we wanted to relocate it to a better location, further away from an intersection just to the east. Recent new construction included: Hampton Inn, Consumer's Credit Union, Wendy's, Locker Plaza, Holiday Inn Express, and Comfort Suites all of which were constructed just prior to our Motorplex. The Phoenix Road / I-196 corridor is the true gateway to South Haven. While the traffic count doesn't come close to congested retail areas like Westnedge in Kalamazoo; Pipestone in Benton Harbor; or Washington Avenue in Holland, it is the major retail center for South Haven with Wal-Mart, Menards and Lake Michigan College all choosing to locate in the area.
Just when you would think that something will be a simple task, politics enters in and the whole works gets complicated! As our completion date approached, the drive had not yet been approved. I wasn't too concerned since the existing drive could be utilized temporarily until the better location was approved. The very day we opened in September of 2006, the VanBuren County Road Commission, without any warning or discussion whatsoever, placed 3 large 2,000 pound BARRICADES across the existing driveway! Three years later, the barricades remain. At the VanBuren County Road Commissions request, we contracted for a $9,000 traffic study by Wade-Trim Engineering which substantiated our request! The Road Commission's response? NO. This is my reward for investing in my home town with an award winning facility that has been recognized nationally as one of the top 100 powersports dealerships in North America!
In future blogs I'll take you on an unbelievable journey of frustration, expense and economic damage done to our business. I've tried to go by the book, do the right thing, etc. You know what? It boils down to politics and it's truly an ugly experience. Distrust isn't limited to Washington DC. It's happening right here in VanBuren County. It is time to reveal just who, what, where, when and why this continues to go on. We're going to ask you to rally with us. Nearly 600 folks sent letters of support to the Road Commission and not one letter was ever acknowledged! The problems go deep and I owe it to my family, the employees of VanDerZee Motorplex and to anyone contemplating on investing in South Haven to make sure that this never happens to someones dream ever again. Stay tuned, winter may be coming but it's going to get real hot around here! I'm Ray VanDerZee. Call me directly at 269 637 8788 or email (sales@vanderzeemotorplex.com) with your questions or ideas on how you can help us. We're asking for your support! Thank you.
Just when you would think that something will be a simple task, politics enters in and the whole works gets complicated! As our completion date approached, the drive had not yet been approved. I wasn't too concerned since the existing drive could be utilized temporarily until the better location was approved. The very day we opened in September of 2006, the VanBuren County Road Commission, without any warning or discussion whatsoever, placed 3 large 2,000 pound BARRICADES across the existing driveway! Three years later, the barricades remain. At the VanBuren County Road Commissions request, we contracted for a $9,000 traffic study by Wade-Trim Engineering which substantiated our request! The Road Commission's response? NO. This is my reward for investing in my home town with an award winning facility that has been recognized nationally as one of the top 100 powersports dealerships in North America!
In future blogs I'll take you on an unbelievable journey of frustration, expense and economic damage done to our business. I've tried to go by the book, do the right thing, etc. You know what? It boils down to politics and it's truly an ugly experience. Distrust isn't limited to Washington DC. It's happening right here in VanBuren County. It is time to reveal just who, what, where, when and why this continues to go on. We're going to ask you to rally with us. Nearly 600 folks sent letters of support to the Road Commission and not one letter was ever acknowledged! The problems go deep and I owe it to my family, the employees of VanDerZee Motorplex and to anyone contemplating on investing in South Haven to make sure that this never happens to someones dream ever again. Stay tuned, winter may be coming but it's going to get real hot around here! I'm Ray VanDerZee. Call me directly at 269 637 8788 or email (sales@vanderzeemotorplex.com) with your questions or ideas on how you can help us. We're asking for your support! Thank you.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Harboring Hope for Saturn's Future with Penske
The announcement of Roger Penske abandoning his acquisition of Saturn is devastating news. Sources claim or hope that this is just a negotiation ploy and not the end of the road for Saturn. It just boggles my mind that GM has chosen to cut it's most client oriented dealer body. What are they thinking? Talk about value of the brand! Do you recall the THOUSANDS of happy Saturn owners driving to Spring Hill to celebrate their cars? We're not talking high performance sports car "nuts", but moms and dads and their kids all making a pilgrimage to Spring Hill just to visit the home of their little SL2's and SC1's! GM couldn't have been happier. It was a marriage of client, dealer and manufacturer the likes of which we will never see again.
Saturn quickly became the envy of all GM dealers. Chevy, Buick, Pontiac and Oldsmobile dealers were jealous. Chevy, especially wanted to be the small car division of GM. Product development and model mix suddenly caused infighting among the divisions. It reminded me of a Brady Bunch episode: Marsha, Marsha MARSHA! The result was product starvation for Saturn dealers. When management finally became concerned, warmed over Opel products were re badged as Saturn and the results were disastrous. The Aura, Sky, Vue, and Outlook completed a total revamp of Saturn giving them tremendous products that can compete head to head with all comers. Just when things were looking up.....GM says bye, bye, see ya! I can only say this is just another example of the "new" GM. I don't know if there is a true gas-in-their-veins car person left in the whole organization. Roger, don't give up just yet!! You've got an opportunity to dominate the small car segment in the USA!
Saturn quickly became the envy of all GM dealers. Chevy, Buick, Pontiac and Oldsmobile dealers were jealous. Chevy, especially wanted to be the small car division of GM. Product development and model mix suddenly caused infighting among the divisions. It reminded me of a Brady Bunch episode: Marsha, Marsha MARSHA! The result was product starvation for Saturn dealers. When management finally became concerned, warmed over Opel products were re badged as Saturn and the results were disastrous. The Aura, Sky, Vue, and Outlook completed a total revamp of Saturn giving them tremendous products that can compete head to head with all comers. Just when things were looking up.....GM says bye, bye, see ya! I can only say this is just another example of the "new" GM. I don't know if there is a true gas-in-their-veins car person left in the whole organization. Roger, don't give up just yet!! You've got an opportunity to dominate the small car segment in the USA!
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