September 21st, 2012Top StoryHow A Ferrari Dealer Scared A Small Canadian Blog Into SubmissionBy Travis Okulski
A negative post on Canadian blog Double Clutch about a dealer experience went viral and was posted on Jalopnik, and instead of getting the Ferrari dealer to recognize a small flaw and correct it, it has become another case of Ferrari — in this case, their dealer — stomping the little guy into submission with scare tactics and the threat of major lawsuits. Recently, our friends at Canadian blog Double Clutch went to shop for a Ferrari and had a less than pleasant experience. The dealer didn't pay them the time of day, even though he has shopped and bought cars there before. But when a trip across the street to the new McLaren dealer was an overwhelmingly positive experience, blogger Robert Maduri wanted to show the disparity between the two. The post garnered a lot attention throughout the internet car world. But then it was mysteriously removed from their site, and it was requested that Jalopnik take it down as well. We didn't comply. After the post was taken down, Double Clutch had basically two options:
And that's it. There was no further comment offered. So what could Ferrari of Ontario threaten to do to the little guys from Canada that would make them stay silent forever? We have a couple of ideas. For one, Mr. Maduri is a Ferrari owner. If he were to stand up to Ferrari of Ontario, it is feasible that the dealer and corporate in Maranello would find ways to blacklist from having his car serviced or let him buy Ferraris in the future if he wanted a new one. That is pretty much what happened when Chris Harris exposed Ferrari's practices here on Jalopnik. He will likely never be testing a car from Maranello again, other than the one he bought with his own money. The part that's more vexing is the quashing of any negative press. A blog with five car fans sharing their experiences doesn't have a great chance against a team of lawyers and a company that spends so much time removing negative press from the internet, and Ferrari of Ontario knows that. We've reached out to Ferrari of Ontario for a comment. Double Clutch seems to have been placed in a no-win situation. If they go against Ferrari and the dealer there are numerous levers that could be used against them. In the end, this is just another frustrating chapter in the saga of How Ferrari Spins. |
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