I was reading the May 16 issue of The Post and Courier when I came to an article explaining why GM felt the need to cut 1,100 dealerships from its network. I quote: “While GM doesn’t own the dealers, the company says its network is too big, causing dealers to compete with each other and giving shoppers too much leverage to talk down prices and hurt future sales.” It is quite obvious that the person making this statement just came from another planet and has not heard of the Internet.

I am not sure if you are aware, but the auto manufacturers, not the dealers, post the dealer invoice of every new vehicle on the Internet. I have tried numerous times to find the dealer cost of many items on the Internet, such as a John Deere tractor, Rolex watch and even a Maytag dishwasher to no avail. So I would like someone to please explain to me how having too many dealers hurts GM. You don’t have to leave your La-Z-Boy to find the cost of every vehicle on my lot.

I think it is time for GM to stand up and face the mistakes it made and not blame it on the dealers by saying there are too many. I do not receive ONE dime from GM to keep my dealership open. Every car and truck I order is paid for by me. Every part I order from GM is paid by me. Everything in my dealership to keep the doors open is paid by me, not GM. I for one do not think that closing my Chevrolet dealership and putting good, hardworking people out of work helps our national economic crisis.

In April, I received a plaque from GM congratulating me on my hard work and loyalty for being a Chevrolet dealer for 25 years. And in May I received a letter saying GM would not renew my contract with them in October 2010. I gave GM my loyalty, where is theirs? If the closing of my Chevrolet store goes through, I cannot imagine me, my employees and our families going to a GM store to buy our next vehicle.

— Al Bilton, President Bilton-Behr Chevrolet, Inc., Holly Hill

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