Forcing the Love

The Olympics are in full-swing and celebrity endorsements are commonplace, which reminds me of a recent “guerilla endorsement” I got to make. 

My Volkswagen has ongoing issues, including a sun roof and electronic mirrors that move on their own, which scares me since I don’t know what else will do the same.  I was dreading another appointment, more inconvenience, and the dealership’s denial of my issues, until I was told I would be given a loaner.  “Hooray,” I thought!  “What a nice, unexpected gesture!”

The loaner had the dealership’s name all over it, looked like a Smart Car, and said “Peace and Love, My Friends” on the back, reinforcing a cheesy and obnoxious ad that makes my skin crawl.

I didn’t have an alternate means of transportation, so I took the loaner.  I would have preferred a root canal.

What initially looked like an act of goodwill quickly became an embarrassment and offense.

Thankfully, my car was back that afternoon (issues still an issue) and that love-mobile was returned to Volkswagen.

Certainly, we all want people to love our business.  But forced promotion under the guise of goodwill made a bad situation worse. It felt crummy to drive around town advertising and promoting a car and dealership that have continued to let me down and let issues with my car go unresolved. 

I don’t love them.  I don’t like them.  And yet, I was forced to promote them.

Next time, I’ll pass on the loaner... and on purchasing a Volkswagen.