“I was a biller at a Chevy dealership…”
A woman says she recently learned something that put her off car dealerships forever. Now she’s determined to “buy private” from now on.
Tessa (@tessa420_) begins her tale with a blunt takeaway. She says she’s done going to dealerships and no longer wants to share her personal information with them.
“What do you mean car dealerships keep files on people who literally don’t buy from them?” she asks in a TikTok about her revelation. “What do you mean car dealerships just have my social security number in an [expletive] file when I’ve never bought a car from them?”
She also took issue with what she described as persistent follow-up from dealerships, even after brief visits. “That is predatory,” Tessa says of the practice.
At one point, she wonders whether the dealerships she visited as a teenager could still have her information on file. She also suggests that sales staff are expected to keep reaching out to anyone who has ever walked through the door.
That realization, she says, pushed her toward a different approach. Because of this alleged practice, Tessa says she’s now planning to “save up to buy private.”
By the end of the video, she says she’s calling every dealership she remembers visiting but didn’t buy a car from and asking them to remove her information.
“I’m telling them to blacklist me or something,” she says. As of this writing, her TikTok had more than 17,400 views.
Whether what Tessa is describing actually happens depends on what information you give a dealership in the first place. But in general, yes—dealerships do keep records on people who come through, even if they don’t end up buying a car.
If you’ve given them your driver’s license for a test drive, filled out a credit application, or signed any paperwork, that information usually gets entered into their system. That can include your name or a soft credit pull.
A lot of that is standard practice, though. Dealers use it to track potential customers, follow up later, and, in some cases, meet record-keeping requirements. Even when a sale doesn’t happen, those records can stick around for a while, especially in today’s day and age, given that most of it is stored digitally.
That’s also why people sometimes hear from dealerships long after a visit. Contact information is often used for follow-ups, service reminders, or marketing unless, of course, you opt out.
How long the data is kept can vary. Some states require certain records to be held for years, though those rules tend to focus on completed transactions. In practice, though, storing information is easy, so dealerships may keep it longer than strictly required.
There are some limits. Dealers are supposed to follow federal rules around privacy and data security, and they’re generally required to provide a privacy notice explaining how your information is used. In many cases, you can ask not to be contacted or request that your information be removed from marketing lists.
That said, even if you opt out of contact, it’s possible a record of your visit may still exist in their system.
Viewers who had recently been to a dealership said Tessa’s video hit a nerve, with many reacting to how much information dealers retain after even a brief visit. Some shared their own experiences, saying their data had been used in ways they didn’t expect.
“I had a Harley Davidson dealer run my credit without my permission or anything,” one woman alleged.
Others said the practice isn’t limited to car lots and that businesses routinely keep customer information.
“I was a biller at a Chevy dealership, and this is 100% accurate!! My sales guy HATES making the cold calls,” one viewer wrote.
“They got everything you gave them ever,” another added.
“Most phone centers do this,” someone else said. “They also never take you off the call list.”
A few commenters drew comparisons to other industries that rely heavily on follow-ups.
“Used to work for debt collectors, and it sounds the same as the car dealership lol,” one person shared.
“My sister was just curious what commercial properties are available around our town, they’ve called her so many times now. She literally only looked at some [listings] online,” another alleged.
Others said situations like this have changed how they shop altogether.
“I’m being completely [honest]. It’s why I do not buy from dealerships anymore,” one commenter said. “I buy used only from a private person.”
Motor1 has reached out to Tessa via direct message on TikTok. We’ll update this story if we hear back.
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