Dice Auto Sales
Only Deals, No Drama at Dice Auto Sales

Do you know Jeff Dice? The man behind the jingle on your radio stations in Lansing? You know the one, “Dice has the best price, Dice Auto Sales, Dice Auto Sales.com, Dice Auto Sales.com”. I know it. Even my little cousin sings it at random, and a friend’s kid asks her to play the Dice Auto Sales song, like it’s something she can just pull up with Alexa. Either way, if you’ve seen the barrage of stories on WLNS, or the Inside Edition episode, you might be thinking Dice Auto Sales shouldn’t be at the top on your list for your next used car, but I’d have to disagree. Will you take a little journey with me?

As a daughter of a mother who ran her own small business and saw the trials and tribulations that come along with working for the public, this story took on a human-interest piece to me. I wondered when I saw the folks on camera lamenting about their poor experiences, what the owners’ thoughts were. What type of businessman is he? And was this a case of the customer is always right? Or a case of the customer laments to those who will listen and likes the attention of hearing themselves complain?

For reference, I’m a published award-winning writer, have served as the editor-in-chief of a popular magazine, and I’m professionally certified in my industry. I currently run a successful referral business on top of my 40+ hour a week director job, being a full-time mom, and an active volunteer in my community. I’m writing this article anonymously as I’ve seen the personal attacks to Dice on social and in the news, and I simply don’t have the time to deal with the angry mob mentality. However, I’m making the time to write this article as I feel extremely passionate after my research that this is a witch hunt gone wrong, and I feel compelled to set the story straight. Why? Cause you may not believe it if it comes from Dice directly, so as a fellow Lansing local, I bring you my findings after months of digging for details, interviews of clients, staff, inspectors, and researching public records.

If you’ve heard the commercials, you know that Dice offers $100 cash for referrals, so I thought I’d see if I wanted to add them to my referral community, given my connections and business model. A friend of mine happened to know Jeff personally (Lansing’s a small town!) and noted how kind, considerate, and big hearted she’d always known him to be and that he’s helped her numerous times with car trouble. I refuse to work with businesses or send referrals to organizations that don’t align with my values. It’s my reputation, so I ensure businesses that I do business with pass the ethical and operational tests I need to recommend them to the people I know that trust me.

Upon entering Dice Auto Sales for the first time, I was greeted warmly by Barbara Jean. She asked what had brought me in, and I told her my name and about a friend of mine that knows Jeff, and I was hoping to get a word with him. She rounded the corner and a few moments later she and Jeff came out of his office together. He firmly shook my hand, looked me directly in the eyes and smiled broadly, saying, “Hi there, I’m Jeff, nice to meet you. How can I help?” I explained that I was there to learn more about his business, his customers, the situations I had seen play out on the news, and how my referral business model works.

Over the next few months, Jeff allowed me time to watch him work, learn about his history, and ask poignant and personal questions on the details of the recent complaints. When it came to watching him work it became apparent that Jeff was there six days a week, open to close, when not out finding vehicles that work for his customers or parts for project cars. He quite literally runs when getting a customer something, or to get to the phone in time. When Barbara Jean calls him to discuss a scenario, he is thoughtful, kind, concise and says “that’s what I do, I solve people’s problems all day”. He ends the call with “thanks so much, honey, great work, love you!” (Which is when I learned that Barbara Jean is his niece, and his right-hand guru, Heather Dice, is his sister.) This business is a family affair. And actually, it always has been.

You see, Jeff and Heather were raised by Ron and Judy Dice. Ron created and co-owned a large Michigan auto dealer and grew it into a multi-unit used car kingdom. Jeff worked for his dad for 28+ years while being molded to take on ownership responsibilities one day when his dad retired. He worked seven days a week for over a decade. He poured his heart and soul into it to make his dad proud. He wasn’t ever your typical 20-something. He never watched TV or movies or played video games and knows almost NO typical pop culture references. He’s spent his life working, sleeping and learning the business inside and out to then move cities to manage one of his dads’ new lots in 2006. But, in 2018, tragedy struck when Jeff’s dad could no longer handle the pressure of used car sales and took his own life. Everything in Jeff’s world began to crumble. After trying to align with his dad’s business partner on future partnerships and priorities, it became clear to Jeff and his family that the plan had changed without his dad’s presence, and his lifelong aspirations were no longer to be a reality. His dad’s business partner even modified Jeff’s dad’s will and trust to positively line his own pockets and decimate Ron’s dreams and desires of having Jeff carry on his legacy.

So, he ventured out on his own. In the middle of a pandemic. With only his grit, determination, and a family friend of his fathers who was willing to assist financially given knowing Jeff’s work-ethic, know-how, and can-do attitude. And he did it. He opened Dice Auto Sales. And many of his and his father’s former customers have found him and purchased vehicles from him. One such person was the first of WLNS’ interviews Nathan McGee. What Nathan failed to mention during his interview is that this was the seventh car he’s purchased from Jeff. In fact, Jeff has him in his phone as “Pops” and considered him a friend. When I asked Jeff about that particular situation, he noted that he’s known this man for 15 years, has helped him previously with discounts and car fixes when he was down on his luck, and even after everything Pops said to the news, without coming to Jeff first, (which Jeff noted was very surprising), Jeff still fixed his car, and paid the deductible. Here’s the letter Pops wrote afterwards:

“Hi my name is Nathan McGee and I purchased (sic) a truck from Dice Auto Sales that had some trouble but, Jeff and his car lot repaired my vehicle and I’m so happy about it now. Thank you so much for the work that you’ve (sic) done on my truck that I would tell others about your service. Thank you so much for that good work. In the future, I would buy another vehicle from Dice Auto Sales. Sign (sic), Nate McGee”

But did Pops send what he wrote to WLNS? Or any other outlets that could have shown Jeff’s character and willingness to help? I don’t believe so.

Let’s address the Inside Edition episode, shall we? The one regarding the 2013 Charger.

Dice bought that car from another used dealer in the beginning of March 2022 with 73,000 miles and then sold it at the end of March with 75,000 miles. The other used dealer had purchased it from a lawyer on FB Marketplace. The person who purchased it turned Dice into the state. The inspector came out, reviewed all paperwork trails, and verified that Dice Auto Sales was not responsible for any wrongdoing, and they closed the case (the issue occurred between the FB seller and the initial dealer’s car purchase). Has Inside Edition reported that? They haven’t. But they sure led us to believe that Dice was fraudulent and was capable of odometer fraud. They also led you to believe that a used car dealer could sell a car that the bumper just falls off of when you touch it. In speaking to others in the car industry, they noted that a situation like that is simply impossible. They made comments like, “Anyone who ‘believes’ what they saw in that segment doesn’t have a brain.” And “Wow, people are really desperate for a story that has no merit. Had they done their research they would know that the issue started with the first sale, and Dice wouldn’t be in business if any of these accusations were found to be true.”

In 2023, Shamir at WLNS has written two more stories slandering this business, once again without all of the details. Matt Jackson’s story was posted on January 20. He states that he bought the car “as is” but is now upset due to fixes generally needed on a vehicle over a decade old. He then claims he took it into the dealer and they simply drove it and said it was fine. But if you look at Jeff’s records, they DID do what they could to fix the car – again, free of charge. Matt further details that the car was claimed as a “total loss” in August. Again, this is not true. The car had a green title, not a repossessed or rebuilt title. For us non-car people, that means that most likely it was owned by an insurance company, and if the repairs needed to the vehicle are less than approximately 40%, the vehicle is not a total loss and still comes with a green title. Why hadn’t Matt done his due consumer diligence and take the car to a mechanic prior to purchase? Why didn’t he pull the CarFax before paying for the vehicle? Again, to me, it seems like someone that is upset they didn’t do their due diligence and now wants to blame it on others.

Then, on January 25^th, Shamir shared yet another news story regarding Angel Naranjo’s claimed issues of missing lugnuts with her vehicle purchase, later causing an issue. Which, is false, you can’t sell a car with missing lugnuts, but more on that later. What isn’t mentioned in this article is how hard Dice’s team worked to even be able to get her into a vehicle. Her low credit score, limited cash access, and the high miles on the car she selected made financing difficult. But she needed something ASAP to get back and forth in, and as a acquaintance of Heather’s, they did everything they could to help. Did you know that she drives for DoorDash and other delivery services? Could a year of excessive driving have an impact on an old car? Did you know that the first car she bought from Dice, she “drove it straight into the ground”? I didn’t either, but Heather did, and her records show that they had to fully scrap her old car, given the way it had been driven. And as Angel notes herself, she doesn’t have ANY funds. So, does that mean she didn’t have the funds to replace the lugnuts on the tires she now says are missing? Cause there’s pictures proving that the vehicle had ALL lugnuts when sold. Again, a licensed dealer can’t sell a car that’s missing almost all of its lugnuts. It’s not how it works. And Shamir should know that.

Do I feel bad that Angel has had difficult times? Absolutely. But do I feel as though that’s Dice’s fault? Not at all. I’ll tell you why. It’s a different issue…a class issue. An issue of those who have the funds and resources (credit, insurance, stable income) needed for larger purchases and maintenance, and those who have not. And whether it’s because you’re a teenager, or because of the difficult situations life can hand to us, or from sheer laziness, or because of the poor financial decisions made in life, the consequences are similar. Including, in this case, maybe not being able to buy a new car, or needing help with financing at a higher rate, or having to purchase a cheaper/older car, which invariably means things will need to be fixed/maintained probably sooner rather than later. Is this not common knowledge anymore? Would she have called the news if her used 10-year-old couch with 150,000 sitting hours on it had a broken piece? Would she call the person who sold it to her a year later and demand a refund or that they fix it for free? No. ALL cars at Dice are sold “as is” and typically come with a warranty through the borrower’s lender. If these cars that are being reported to the news were all sold “as is” and the person still decided to buy, with or without a third party inspecting it (which you should ALWAYS do with a big purchase if you’re not mechanically inclined), then that’s on the purchaser. Not on the dealer that sold it. And maybe Angel’s issue came from the abuse Michigan’s roads gives to our cars. Maybe Shamir should write about that…how our lower income areas have the worst streets in the state which causes numerous extra dollars in car repairs each year. I talked to one lady, who works as a bartender in Michigan, and she’s had to replace three tires alone this year. She noted she felt lucky that the tire shop “beat up her rims” so she didn’t have to buy those too.

And you may be wondering, as I was, why hasn’t Dice defended himself? Why hasn’t he called Shamir Owens at WLNS, why did he decline an interview with Inside Edition? After asking some tough questions, it became clear to me that it was how Jeff was raised. His father always told him “don’t talk to the press – if you don’t say anything, they can’t twist your words to fit their narrative. Let your hard work and helpfulness speak for itself.” But unfortunately, the world has changed a lot since the 90’s. Given social media, and the news always looking for their next “gotcha” headline, if you remain silent in this day and age, it’s somehow automatically seen as an admittance of guilt. That doesn’t make sense to Jeff – he would tell you, “If you know the car industry and you see these stories, you know it’s all a fallacy. You can’t sell a car that the bumper falls off when you touch it…it’s simply not real. I have NEVER sold a car without all of its lugnuts. Nor would I ever sell a car that could be dangerous for a customer. That’s never who I’ve been, and there’s so many that would tell you that. I have no control over what happens to these cars after they leave the lot. But you should see some of these cars when they’re brought in to be fixed, or need to be repossessed, it’s…not real pretty.”

But the news needs to share the negative stories, as that gets more clicks. One outlet even went out to find vehicles with Dice stickers on them to ask steering questions to get the answers they wanted. Many called Jeff to let him know. I get it. They’re the news. And while this could appear to be a consumer concern issue, I believe they should be beholden to conducting more research before essentially trying to dismantle a small business, and the livelihoods of their staff. Did they call the state inspector that inspects Dice when there’s complaints to learn that they’ve NEVER been written up for any of their car sales? Did they get feedback from those who have had great experiences at Dice to ensure both sides of the business were fairly shown? If you’ve seen the news, you know the answers.

So, if I may, can I have you put yourself in the shoes of a small business owner for just a moment like reporters (and all of us) should do? Are you aware that selling used cars isn’t an easy task? Have you considered that even with inspections and repairs, there’s no crystal ball to know if/when a vehicle may have an issue down the road? Do you know that it’s harder for any business to succeed when your primary customers are from lower income areas whose credit scores range from poor to fair, and don’t have much “buying power”? Typical clientele at Dice unfortunately have less resources and need more assistance than most in obtaining a working vehicle. These are customers who cannot buy new cars and need a lower price tag to make it work in their budget. They also often need to work through “buy here pay here” deals in order to acquire the ability to be behind a wheel. I’ve seen Dice give more for a trade-in than it’s worth to be helpful, or taken a loss on a car to help out those in his community. Do you think this clientele is one that is able to then easily fix a used vehicle that is bound to eventually have issues as all older cars do?  Or even do the typical maintenance needed for a cars longevity? Do you think they’re prone to leaving positive reviews when they’ve been helped, or would they be more typically ready to complain when it’s convenient or they think there’s something in it for them?

I’ll give you an example. Once when at the Dice office, a customer called and screamed at him for half an hour as their alternator went bad on the car they purchased a year and a half ago from Dice. You and I may know that alternators go bad sometimes and need to be replaced. Is it the car dealer’s responsibility to fix it a year and a half later? Nope. But they sure thought it was his fault and threatened him with everything under the sun given his recent publicity. I could hear them yelling even with the phone up to his ear. Jeff apologized for their inconvenience, looked up a parts store by where they were located, called the store and had them charge the alternator to his account for this client to pick up in order to assist them. Did he have to do that? No. Was it wonderful that he did? Yes. Will you hear about how he helped in the news, or will you hear about how a car was broken when he sold it, but never hear the additional details surrounding the incident that clears his name? Probably not.

And that’s why I’m writing today. That’s why I hope Jeff forwards and posts this article where relevant. Dice is like many other small business owners in our community that takes any savings they have from their own pocket to keep their businesses and their employees afloat when needed. One who donates his time and resources to the community through supporting organizations like Toys for Tots, the Church he attends, dog rescues, suicide awareness events, and many others. I’ve heard from his employees (to their own distain, and yet with knowing chuckles and head shakes) of him fixing customers’ cars at cost, or occasionally free if he has the part and/or he doesn’t have much on the docket that day! I’ve seen him hold a car for someone who hadn’t made a payment in four months, didn’t repo it, and allowed the customer to make weekly payments till they were only a month behind, and he let them have the car again on good faith. There are so many little stories like this that I’ve heard over the past year. I’ve seen the man wear his heart on his sleeve. I’ve seen him cry over sharing the stories in the news. I’ve seen online reviews from numerous individuals who have never personally dealt with Dice Auto Sales but felt the need to jump on a bandwagon and leave a poor review simply from a one-sided, misleading news story. How do you keep your business running if you’re constantly being attacked by your own local news stations and non-customers, and don’t necessarily have the PR background needed to fight the good fight? How do you get the word out that 8 out of 10 cars you sell are to happy repeat customers, yet the odd-ones-out get their stories on the news, and you lose potential further customers or your business altogether?

You probably can’t. You simply hope and pray that those that know the truth will spread it by word of mouth or a 5-Star Google review. You grit your teeth (and in his case, he states he’s in consistent daily prayer) and cross your fingers that the bad press doesn’t wipe out your business and you keep running forward. Or you recall that almost all used car dealerships have had their fair share of bad press over the years, and they either had the cash to buy their way out, or had to state certain things in every.single.commercial. Have you seen the vitriol spewed on Facebook in any Lansing group when someone is looking to buy a car under a certain price, and they mention JD Byrider and Sundance? They’ll ask who’s better and invariably you receive numerous responses, both for and against honestly. But people LOVE to hate used car dealerships and you can feel it in the responses, plus cars are expensive right now! So the complaints are rampant everywhere, especially dealerships that have cheaper options, but that clearly also comes with consumer cost.

New car dealerships can do it all the time – overcharge a customer – large amounts over MSRP. But the news doesn’t pick on them. And it’s awful when you think what they make per car and what is made on used vehicles – especially if you’re Jeff Dice and you sell on volume and not overhead per vehicle.

So, after watching this team at Dice Auto Sales, learning the ins and outs of what’s happened over the past few years, and speaking to their inspector, their business partners, and members of the community, I couldn’t stay silent. I had to stand up for this business here in my own hometown….as small businesses really do make the world go round and employ more people than large corporations do in the United States. It truly benefits us all when they’re successful, and Dice deserves all the successes in the world. As do many of our used car dealers in the state. Targeting these dealerships doesn’t make sense to me, when it’s the new car dealers that are selling cars for $10-$15K above MSRP. And yet somehow the news is worried about a man that’s often making only $500 a car. Almost all used car dealers have their bad reviews, or customer complaints. It’s part of the business. But to be repetitively accused, smeared, and defamed is heart breaking, especially when you work so hard to be helpful.

I asked Jeff to give me a personal quote to include. He states:

“I’ve been in this business my whole life. I love it, and I love those I have the opportunity to work with. Many of my customers have been turned down from other establishments, and we are at times their last stop shop, and we work hard to assist them the best we can with the parameters we’re given. We’re committed to changing the narrative that’s out there. I wish I had spoken to Shamir sooner. I’m not the most technical person, or educated in PR, and honestly, it simply made me nervous. Would she believe me when showing her the facts on my side? Would she produce another story if I became passionate when speaking about how the lies are hurting me, my employees, my personal life, and my reputation? No excuses, yet with working 70+ hours a week and trying to maintain and build my business, it leaves me with little time for much else. I’m sorry, Shamir. I’m sorry for the non-responsiveness, I’m sorry we haven’t had the chance to get to know each other better, and I’m sorry that a few of my customers have made you feel as though I’m not an honest businessman. I’m hopeful this article will help. I’m hopeful you’ll re-post this article and give me this opportunity to defend my position. I can promise I will continue to learn and grow and do better each year. I’ve hired new mechanics at DAS to ensure any/all repairs warranted are taken care of. I’ve hired new and experienced sales staff to ensure we exceed our customers’ expectations, and I’m in the process of updating my building. Being a new business is hard, being a small business is hard, and being in used car sales is hard. Add that all together with the bad publicity, and the last few years have been nearly impossible. I pray people will read this and understand us a little bit better and still give us a shot to earn their business.”

I’ll leave you with this. Jeff is probably the hardest working business owner I’ve met and had the pleasure to work with, and I work with a lot. He is fully dedicated to his business and those he serves. He is honest, smart, caring, empathetic, and wants to see people succeed. As of this writing, he hasn’t had a vacation in five years, has only taken three sick days in 15 years, and is always on the move. I’ve seen him help countless individuals without proper resources at his own expense because it gives him great joy to be as helpful as he can. He takes great care of his employees, his family, and would give you the shirt off your back if you needed it. (He gave a potential customer a Dice sweatshirt from his personal stock the other day when they weren’t dressed warm enough to walk the lot!) That all said, I hope when you’re in the market for a “new-to-you” used car, you give Dice a chance. He’ll work to earn your business or find the specific car you’ve been looking for – and keep you as a client for life.

And if he doesn’t? It’s probably because you think the $3,500 used car you bought should run like new, or are irrationally upset or abusive when it doesn’t, or you’re irate that you have to replace the brakes after a few months. Remember when I told you how much he works? He simply doesn’t have the time to educate everyone in Lansing on what normal expectations should be for a vehicle that’s over a decade old – nor should he have to.