Is GM's Money-Back Guarantee Good News?

Last week General Motors (GM) announced their new program that further attempts to boost consumer confidence in their vehicles. The money-back guarantee states that you can return the vehicle for any reason, no questions asked, up to 60 days after purchase.

A quote from GM's press release reads like this:

General Motors announced today that it will offer a Satisfaction Guarantee to eligible buyers of new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac vehicles. The guarantee allows customers to return their vehicle to their dealer between 31 and 60 days of purchase and receive a refund of the purchase price for the vehicle.

GM's idea is that the program will prove that their vehicles are just as good as their competition. That might be, but there is likely even better consumer news just around the corner and that just might translated to further good news for the auto industry.

As most entrepreneurs will attest it is almost always a good idea to offer a money back guarantee. And so it is extremely likely that several other major car makers will follow suit quickly offering very similar programs for their 2009 and 2010 models. The result? More hesitant consumers will see this as just one more reason to move from a very conservative fiscal stance to one that takes a bit more risk on a big ticket purchase. Why not? There will be nothing financially to lose for up to 60 days.

For GM, there is no guarantee that the program will only boost interest in their vehicles, but it does seem clear that if other automakers follow suit, the auto industry (and the economy as a whole), will likely benefit by this increased second half activity.