Don’t Like Your New Chevy? Return It — Dollars and Sense
General Motors announced a first-of-its-kind policy on Thursday: if you buy a Chevrolet and don’t like it, you’ll be able to return most models to the dealership within two months for a full cash refund of the purchase price.
The move recalls the novel sales techniques of Saturn, which offered a 30-day return policy, and Hyundai’s more recent policy of allowing customers who’ve lost their jobs to return cars if they need to.
Still, there are conditions to the Chevy deal: the car has to be owned for at least 30 days, and must have no damage and fewer than 4,000 miles when it’s returned. There are also mileage, registration and other fees that would vary by dealer and model.
Fellow automaker Chrysler announced its own deal on Tuesday that said buyers can delay monthly payments on Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram Truck and Fiat-brand vehicles financed through Ally Financial for up to 90 days as part of a national promotion.
Frost & Sullivan automotive analyst Matthew Scruggs said all the promotions imply that incentive-based marketing may have again become paramount as the American economy lags.
“Certainly we’re in a better position now than we were in 2009, 2010, but…when you see one manufacturer offering really impressive incentive programs, there’s pressure on the others to come up with their own solution,” he said. “I would expect incentives to increase.”