My Greatest Professional Compliment

My name is Elizabeth, and my husband, Isaac, and I purchased a new 2021 Ford F-150 from your dealership on 11/29/21.  I am writing because i wanted to inform you of our experience, and also ensure that Caleb Struck receives the credit he deserves.  

 My husband has always loved Ford F-150 trucks.  It has been his dream for years to own a new truck, and it always seemed like that dream was out of reach for us.  Unfortunately, approximately 20 years ago, I had a horrible experience at a Boucher dealership when looking for a vehicle.  I was prejudged, and had things said to me that I would never expect anyone in customer service to say to a person.  I was told by a manager to go back to school, pursue a better education, and earn more money in order to buy one of their vehicles.  His comments and insults were overheard by everyone in the showroom.  At the time, I had just graduated from Marquette University with a degree in Criminology and Law.  I was also only 21 years old.  Unfortunately, I left the dealership in tears, and vowed never to attempt purchasing a vehicle at a dealership again.  When I complained to Boucher, their owner actually called me personally and tried everything he could to earn my trust back as a customer.  He even went as far as offering his time to help me find a vehicle, and stated he would sell it to me personally with a deep discount.  I declined because I could not bring myself to set foot into a dealership again.   

 From that day forward, my husband and I have always purchased vehicles from private sellers and/or paid for those vehicles in cash.  After many years of driving old vehicles and repairing them time and time again, we finally decided we would begin to look at a used Ford F-150. By now, my experience at Boucher had been well over 20 years ago, but the feeling of walking into a dealership was not something I wanted to do.  However, I wanted my husband to have his dream truck, and I also knew my credit score was in the 800's, so there was no way I would be humiliated again.  

  When we entered the Griffin Ford Dealership, none of the used car salesman approached us or even looked up from their computers/cell phones with the exception of Caleb.  From the beginning, he made us feel like we mattered - like our presence mattered.  He treated us as if we were VIP customers from the start, and understood why I wouldn't be able to sit at his desk while he went to "speak to his manager,"  about pricing. I politely explained that I could not participate in the typical car sales practices, and again, he understood.  He made accommodations, and easily adapted to my situation to make sure I was comfortable.

  After several weeks, Caleb met all of our customer needs.  He allowed us to test drive vehicles while taking our time, he did not pressure us or use fear tactics, he exhibited patience as well as understanding, and was sensitive to our situation.  He also spent the time to find us the perfect vehicle, and most importantly, did not give up on us when we expressed our desire to "shop around," and look at various other dealerships in the area

 From beginning to end, Caleb was attentive, polite, and made us feel comfortable purchasing/financing a brand new vehicle in a very non-popular time in which to do so.  Caleb was exactly the opposite of what I had experienced in the past, and for that I am very grateful to him for changing my mind as well as my view of dealerships.  After meeting Caleb initially, we always knew we were going to buy from him, and there was no doubt in our minds because he did exactly what he was supposed to do to earn our business.  In addition, he has made us loyal customers in the future, and we will recommend him to any of our friends who are seeking to purchase a vehicle.  

 My hope in writing this email is that Caleb will be viewed as an asset to Griffin Ford, and that the type of salesman he is, is used as a model for other salesmen and women in your business.  We had a great experience because of Caleb, and no one else.  I hope that this type of experience can be duplicated in the future for the many people who may have had negative experiences like myself. What Caleb demonstrated is not hard to do, but it is hard to find nowadays.  He was genuine, honest, and kind in a situation where I needed those traits the most. We absolutely love our new truck, and thank Caleb tremendously for making our dream come true.