Chevrolet Dealer Group Closes All 14 Dealerships (will affect about 2,700 employees)

Source: Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ga. – One of the leading sellers of Chevrolet vehicles in the country has closed all 14 of its dealerships.

In a statement released Wednesday, Bill Heard Enterprises says the closures will affect about 2,700 employees.

The statement says the company did not have the resources to continue operating. It cites factors including rising fuel prices, an inventory dominated by trucks and SUVs, economic recession, unfavorable market conditions and the current banking and financial crises.

Read more: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20080924-1358-dealershipcloses.html

there is a huge Bill Heard dealership in Sugar Land.

how the hell do you go from America's #1 Chevy Dealer to No Longer In Business in a WEEK?

I'm not surprised that he planned on cheap gas lasting forever and stocked his showrooms with monster gas-wasting trucks.

I'm sorry for the 2700 employees though.

Not just Bill Heard Chevrolet in Sugarland - they also own Landmark Chevrolet on the north side. They're both HUGE overall, very big players not only in car sales, but also in the parts business. I used to work in parts sales at a couple of their competitors. I've been out of that business for quite a while, but they were probably doing more than a millon dollars per month at each dealer in parts sales alone.

the "fuck 'em, let 'em crash" people would like to respond.....

Bill Heard was one of the dirtiest dealers in the country, they actually sold a car to a guy once then decided he got too good of a deal and stole the car back. Glad they are gone.

it's not even funny.

The dealer ship didn't like the deal they made and signed, so they called the guy the next day and told him they wanted another $10,000. He said no so they came and took it back. Read the link.

http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?s=5419376

If all they want to produce is SUVs and Pick um ups I am not interested..

And they've gotten alot better than before. Take a look at the new Malibu's. There higher rated in fuel effeciency than the Toyota Camry.

because if defaults on car loans get included in the bailout the US government will become the biggest second hand car dealers on the planet. Obviously the defaulters will then go straight out and get new vehicles...........

I guess the foreclosed (former) homeowners are just going to trot right out and buy another house with another sub-prime mortgage, too?

Do you really think they'll be able to get loans in either case?

In other words, your comment was a cheap shot.

Bake

http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2008/aug/27/practices/

State says Bill Heard used deceptive practices

AP
Wednesday, August 27, 2008

ATLANTA (AP) _ A state watchdog agency is claiming that Bill Heard Enterprises, one of the leading sellers of Chevrolet vehicles in the country, has participated in deceptive and misleading business practices.

...The filing Friday came as the company is dealing with significant financial problems. GMAC Financial Services has discontinued credit for new inventory for some of the company's 14 dealerships.

...The Office of Consumer Affairs has been investigating Bill Heard Enterprises since 2003, Cloud said. From July 1, 2005 through April 5, 2007, there were 113 complaints against Bill Heard and a total of 10 against five other dealerships, he said.

for using deceptive practices, the economy really is in the shitter. Good thing McCain cancelled the debate to work on this.

Using deceptive practices should automatically qualify them to get their bailout money in Euro's

:rofl:

I didn't know Bill Heard had locations in other states. They've backed out of talks again this week. Maybe they're hoping for a cut of the bailout.

Here's a Consumer Affairs webpage listing complaints:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/bill_heard.html

They deserve it.

BTW, they were still advertising for salespeople last week.

Their Landmark dealership is referred to as Landshark

Free market and all that.

Volume per dealer is way lower than Toyota or Honda. Their dealer networks were set up when they had 50% of the market and when cars needed maintenance every 1000 miles.

Parts business? Why should a car ever need parts in routine operation? Not until 100,000 miles.

by LEAPS AND BOUNDS over the last couple of years with the meteoric rise in the price of gas!

Someone who gets it. I was just reading through the thread and about to post the same thing. Way over saturated.

I do feel bad for the people losing their jobs, but Bill Heard has been synonymous with crooked car dealers for years.

The TV stations here in Houston have done stories on Bill Heard for years. They do things like add a bunch of fees that ups the payment after the buyer signs and won't let the buy return the vehicle when they figure it out. Or, people think they are buying the car outright, then find out they signed a lease. Here are links to news stories done in the past:

http://www.click2houston.com/news/14585531/detail.html

http://www.click2houston.com/news/15980885/detail.html

http://www.click2houston.com/news/15980885/detail.html

http://www.click2houston.com/news/14669879/detail.html



And here is a quote from the Houston Better Business Bureau::

Dan Parsons with the Houston Better Business Bureau calls it like he sees it.

"People are getting screwed," said Parsons about the Sugar Land Chevy dealer he said has earned its self-proclaimed title, "Mr. Big Volume."

"It's the volume of complaints, the nature of complaints," said Parsons, rattling off a long list of reasons the Houston BBB would not allow Bill Heard to be a member.

Bill Heard Chevrolet and Landmark Chevrolet, both owned by Bill Heard, have racked up a total of 189 consumer complaints in three years. That's more than any other car group in the Houston area.

"If there's a selling practice to do wrong in the car industry, they have figured how to do it and embellish upon it," said Parsons.

corrupt companies and owners. Of course it's always the employee that get screwed in all of this.

for employees who usually always know how they're screwing over the customers, and come to depend on always being able to do so. The free ride just came to an end, that's all.

Either the American people must have more sense and foresight than the average corporation
or these companies had a death wish OR they saw it and were in total denial...OR perhaps they expect
to be bailed out too.

I think Obama mentioned helping the auto companies in his acceptance speech at the DNC.

On the early news this morning, the station reported that angry customers were at Landmark Chevrolet (part of Bill Heard) yesterday. Seems that the dealership didn't pay off their trade-ins, so the customers are now being contacted about making THAT payment also. They are also having trouble getting permanent plates for the vehicles they bought from Landmark.

http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/consumer&id=6378220