Nissan dealer GM left retaliatory review on customer's business — then apologised

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A Florida couple says their new van developed serious issues almost at once.

They say the dealer’s general manager retaliated after a one-star Google review.

The GM and the dealership’s parent company have both apologized publicly.

Dealerships have a gnarly reputation among most car buyers. When things go wrong, dealers often have the upper hand. One of the few things customers can do is to leave a review. When a couple in Florida did exactly that after a sour experience, things somehow got worse. The general manager decided to leave a similar review of that customer’s business. Now, the dealer and Nissan itself have each issued an apology.

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Tiffany and Robert Maillet say the van they purchased from Nissan of Cape Coral developed serious problems almost immediately, including what they describe as a faulty transmission. According to the couple, they struggled to get satisfactory help from the dealership, leading Tiffany to post a negative review on Google detailing their experience.

Read: Volkswagen Dealer Apologizes After Racial Slur Shows Up On Oil Change Stickers

Rather than ending there, Tiffany says the dealership’s response spilled into her family’s livelihood, reports Autonews . In a TikTok video that’s now been viewed roughly 1.4 million times (though the video was removed at the time of publishing), she alleges General Manager Blake Varnadoe retaliated by posting negative reviews of the couple’s upholstery business and encouraging others to do the same.

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“Not only does he come attacking my business, he’s sending his friends to attack my business as well,” Tiffany said in the video. “They’re coming after our livelihood.” Viewers didn’t take things lightly.

The Apologies Roll In

Screenshot from the TikTok video

Following the backlash, Nissan of Cape Coral’s parent company, Krause Auto Group, issued a formal statement acknowledging “an inappropriate online response by a member of dealership management to a customer’s review.” The company said it had personally contacted the customer to apologize, was taking “appropriate corrective action,” and would reinforce professional-conduct training across the organization.

Also: Woman Celebrating Purchase Of First Car Kicks Gong Onto New Nissan Maxima

The company added that the response “did not reflect our values or the professional standards we expect from our team.” However, it did not specify what disciplinary action had been taken against Varnadoe. For all we know, he’s still employed and faced zero formal discipline. Krause also emphasized that the family-owned dealership group remains “committed to accountability, learning from this experience and upholding the standards our customers, employees and communities expect from us.”

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Varnadoe apologized as well on the dealer’s Facebook page, saying, “I accept responsibility for the embarrassment and disruption my actions caused. I will use my time away from the dealership to complete professional conduct training, reflect on my decisions and ensure this behavior is never repeated.”

The Internet Returns Fire

Ironically, after Tiffany’s TikTok went viral, Nissan of Cape Coral became the target of the same kind of online review campaign she says her family experienced. The dealership’s Google listing, Yelp rating , and social media pages were flooded with negative comments, although the Maillets urged viewers not to retaliate against other dealership employees.

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Credit: Nissan Cape Coral

Lead Photo: Google Maps