Dealerships contend with bad reviews all the time, and how they respond to those reviews can tell you a lot about how that store operates. In an all-but-unprecedented and horrifying response to dealership criticism, a shop in Georgia allegedly threatened to post nude photos of a customer after she posted negative feedback on social media.
According to the Miami Herald, a woman and her husband are suing Jeff Smith Chevrolet in Georgia after a deal went sour. The couple alleges the dealership escalated the situation by threatening to release nude photos of her, and they claim the dealership is liable for intentionally inflicting emotional distress and publicly disclosing “embarrassing private facts.”
It all started when plaintiff Amy D. Graham and her husband went to Jeff Smith Chevrolet to trade their own vehicles and purchase two others. The lawsuit states that on Dec. 31, 2015, Graham and her husband traded in a Buick Enclave and a Chevrolet Silverado for two new cars.
The dealership signed a document indicating that leather seats would be installed on the new cars. Sometime in January, Graham’s husband contacted the dealership to discuss the installation of the leather seats. He was then told that the dealer would not be putting leather in because it wasn’t getting a good deal on the Silverado trade.
The Herald reports that in response, Amy Graham posted a negative comment on social media on Jan. 20. She spoke to the dealership again regarding the leather seats and was told that the installation would not happen until the comment was taken down.
At some point in time, Graham revealed that the conversation was being recorded, and that is when a dealership employee claimed he was in possession of nude photos of her. From the Herald:
“The employee said the dealership would share the photos with Graham’s husband if she didn’t remove the negative comment. He went on to say he knew she was a teacher, a statement she took as a threat that the photos would be revealed to her school.”
It’s not clear from the story if said photos existed or not, or how the dealer employee allegedly got ahold of them. After receiving the threat Graham contacted an attorney who subsequently filed a suit in Bibb County Superior Court.
Jalopnik has reached out to Jeff Smith Chevrolet for comment, and will update the story when we receive a response.·
This post has been updated to reflect that the dealership is in Georgia, not Florida. We’re too used to writing about Florida here!