While social distancing and isolation have been hard on all of us Floridians during the COVID-19 outbreak, I think it’s safe to say that it’s been incredibly hard on families with young children at home. Many Central Florida parents are now tasked with trying to teach while working remotely, a lack of access to childcare if you do work for an essential business, and children are bored because they haven’t been able to go to school, see their friends, or do most of the things they normally do.
At the Kelley Automotive Group, it is important for us to be here for our local Polk County community, and a lot of our efforts go back to supporting children and families in our community. While many of those endeavors including donating $100,000 to the Polk County Youth Fair, sponsoring local youth sports teams, or supporting existing community events like Full Moon Howl that help support children and families, right now we’re hoping to be able to shed some light on some free resources available to families during these trying times.
Here are ten resources available to families and students to help:
- Reading Rainbow is back! Ok, not really, but LeVar Burton will be hosting a livestream story hour three times a week on Twitter. Story time for children will be at 12 p.m. ET on Mondays, and the Young Adult story time will be at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesdays. He’s even hosting one for adults at 9 p.m. on Fridays!
- Nike is helping your student athlete keep a routine. All Nike members (and signing up for the Nike Training app is free, so anyone can be a member) will have free access to Nike Training Club Premium until further notice. Not only does the app have free workouts that are perfect for athletes who want to stay on top of their game for next season, but there are workouts for a variety of skill levels to help get the family moving while we don’t have access to all our favorite activities. Just search “Nike Training Club” in the app store.
- Learn a new language … for free. If you or your child has ever wanted to learn another language, now is a great time to get started. Rosetta Stone is offering their tool free for students for the next 90 days.
- Is your child missing Disney? They have an opportunity to learn how the magic happens (for free) with Khan Academy’s online Imagineering in a Box class. This class could help jumpstart their imagination and help them create their own stories, which will certainly keep them plenty occupied while their stuck at home!
- America’s Test Kitchen is offering free options to help you cook. While it’s important to support local restaurants during the pandemic, eating out every day isn’t feasible for most of us. America’s Test Kitchen is stepping in to help with 50 of their all-time favorite recipes for free (they normally charge a monthly subscription fee).
- Free HBO. I know it may not be ideal to think of your (probably older) child spending more time in front of a screen during the pandemic, but sometimes you have to pick your battles (and do you really want to hear more live updates about Animal Crossing?!). In order to help keep us all entertained, HBO made 500 hours of programming available, no subscription required. Content ranges from series like “The Wire” to movies like “Detective Pikachu.”
- AT&T is funding free access to Caribu. Caribu is a video-calling app that integrates children’s books, coloring activities, and games, and it will now be free until May 24, 2020. It bills itself as both a learning and social tool, and it could be vital in helping families maintain connections while they can’t actually be together. With popular titles like Thomas & Friends and Barbie, Caribu may be a great way to help young kids and grandparents stay connected!
- Samsung is offering a 30-day free trial of Samsung Kids+. Anyone with a Samsung phone or tablet can sign up for a 30-day trial of kid-friendly, parent-controlled fun and educational service, which hosts popular titles like “My Little Pony” and “The Cat in the Hat.”
- Spectrum is offering free internet and WiFi. For 60 days, Spectrum is offering free access for new accounts for students and teachers. Households with Pre-K to 12th grade or college students-and households with teachers-who don’t already have an account will be able to sign up for free to help students stay connected. They’re also waiving installation fees for these new accounts.
- Sesame Street is offering free eBooks for little ones. In addition to offering resources on home learning for young children, they’re offering access to hundreds of Sesame Street eBooks for free. The website is also offering ideas and videos for activities that can be done at home to help keep your little one engaged!
Whether you’re near our stores in Lakeland, Bartow, Winter Haven, Auburndale, or Chiefland, or just stumbled upon this by accident, we hope this helps add a little joy to your family life in these unprecedented times.
If you and you children are in need of food assistance during this time, please keep in mind that Polk County Public Schools has resumed providing children with school breakfasts and lunches as of March 30th. You can see the pick up hours and locations at polkschoolsfl.com. Big Brother Big Sisters of Tampa Bay has additional resources listed on their website.
Essential Businesses in Polk County
As we’re all figuring out how to get accustomed to the stay-at-home order that began at 12:01 p.m. this morning, many people are wondering what constitutes an essential business in Florida, and what does not. Conveniently, the Polk County government has made a useful flier that should clear things up (the guidelines are the same across the state, including in Polk County). According to the executive order signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, the following businesses are listed as essential:
Of course, many of the businesses that are deemed essential are taking many extra precautions. As a car dealership, we’ve been deemed essential so that other essential businesses and personnel can get back and forth as needed. As an automotive group that’s taking this seriously, we’ve added extra precautions to ensure social distancing, and increased cleaning.
For example, we’ve revved up our mobile service unit so that many service procedures can now be done without you ever having to leave your house. If the service might take a while and you have essential errands to run, we can bring you a loaner that has been completely sanitized using Permasafe Protective Coatings. If you do need to come to the dealership for service, we’re taking extra precautions to keep you safe as you wait, and when you leave in your serviced vehicle.
What’s more is that customers who need to purchase a vehicle during April have multiple ways that they can do that safely. We’re offering a “No Contact Purchase Program” to allow our Central Florida and Chiefland customers access to our home delivery option, which includes virtual test drives, a secure online credit application, and free home delivery (this option has and continues to be available in all other parts of Florida). You can still even come to the dealership, although appointments will be staggered to ensure that every can safely maintain a 6 foot distance.
As we all wait out the month of April, we hope this helps clear up what’s considered an essential business and what’s not, and we hope you and your family stay safe. As always, the Kelley Automotive Group is here for you!
Keeping You Safe During COVID-19
On April 1, 2020, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a stay-at-home order for the entire state of Florida for the next 30 days. Car dealerships are considered essential businesses during this time, so we can still help you meet your vehicle needs, whether that means service or to make a purchase! However, our sales process is moving online, and we will either delivery the vehicle to you, or you can pick it up at one of our locations (by appointment only).
Here is an overview of the online sales process:
- Call or submit an online form to request more information on the vehicle you’re interested in. Not only do we have a great selection of used cars, SUVs, and trucks (including work trucks for those other essential businesses!), but we also have special programs to help you finance vehicles at better-than-ever prices and rates. These prices include supplier pricing for first responders and medical professional, deferred payments for 120 days, and 0% APR for 84 months (all for those who qualify. Please reach out for details).
- We will text you over a link to our secure, online credit application. Please let us know when it’s complete to we can process it immediately.
- While your application is processing, help us value your trade through the secure form on our website. We use Tradepending, which we’ve found to be most effective on giving you a range based on our current local market. Once you’ve decided on a vehicle and your credit application has been processed, we will follow this up with a request for detailed pictures and any additional information that’s needed to we can give you an accurate, remote appraisal.The trade appraisal is dependent on the vehicle being accurately presented to us. If we show up and there’s a big dent that we weren’t told about … well, that’s obviously going to change things.
- Once you’ve decided on a vehicle or two, you have two options:
a. If you’re interested in more than one vehicle, you can still come to the store for a test drive, but by appointment ONLY. Once you’ve narrowed down your options and completed the credit application and trade appraisal processes, we will schedule you a one-on-one appointment to make your final selection.We are not accepting walk-ins at this time, and we’re only booking one appointment per hour to help keep everyone safe. We will sanitize before and after your appointment, and we will be following the CDC’s social distancing guidelines!
b. If you’ve already decided on the vehicle you want, we offer home delivery. We will sanitize the vehicle and bring it to you at your work (for essential businesses) or home. We will also bring all necessary paperwork (and tag and title work will be done), and we’ll verify your trade appraisal. Once you test drive the vehicle and sign, the vehicle is yours, just as if you’d visited the dealership! Purchases do come with our standard seven-day-buyback guarantee.
While COVID-19 is causing a lot of changes in our lives, we’re still here to support our community in these difficult times. Whether you need to purchase another vehicle or need to service your vehicle (and we have a mobile service truck available now too), the Kelley Automotive Group is here to help meet your essential needs during these unprecedented times.
Mobile Service at Kelley Buick GMC in Bartow, FL
We have been working hard for the last several months on a mobile service unit that will operate out of our Bartow, FL location. The unit will be able to travel to your home or office to complete certain types of vehicle maintenance like battery replacements, recall work, and parts replacements or upgrades that don’t require a lift. This service is also available to our fleet customers, as well as customers of our Lakeland, Winter Haven, and Auburndale stores.
While we can’t currently offer oil changes through this program, we are working on putting together options for our fleet customers (many HOAs will not allow us to complete an oil change at a customer’s home).
While battery replacements are a quick process, some recall and parts replacement can take longer. That doesn’t mean you’re going to be trapped at home though! Not only can we come to your house to do the work, but we can also provide you with a free loaner vehicle to use while the work is done. Most of these loaners are high-end models like Denalis, and we sanitize them between each and every use.
The mobile service unit is a project Kelley Automotive Group has been diligently working on in order to provide a higher level of service to our local, Polk County customers. We understand that you have busy lives, and waiting in a crowded waiting room while you have other things to do is not your favorite way to spend your time. We were all very excited when we received our final order of our last needed tools at the end of February, right before the COVID-19 outbreak came to the forefront of all of our minds.
Kelley Buick GMC is proud to now be able to offer these services between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday to anyone living in the limits of Polk County, FL. You can easily schedule an appointment by calling our service department at (866) 606-9319.
COVID-19 Customer Update
COVID-19 Customer Update
Our customers’ health and safety are our top priorities. Here at Kelley Automotive Group, we are taking the necessary preventative measures to ensure that you and your family stay safe if you need to purchase a vehicle or bring in your current vehicle for service in Polk County during this time. Currently, our dealership is open for business at all of our locations in Bartow, Lakeland, Winter Haven, Auburndale, and Chiefland. We are taking the necessary precautions, and are confident that each of our Polk County and Chiefland locations are a safe environment because of this. We’re keeping a watchful eye on COVID-19 developments, and will continue to update you via our website as needed.
Preventative Measures We Are Taking
We have taken the necessary precautions to create a safe, healthy environment for our customers, and will continue to apply the preventative measures outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Please read on to learn about the steps we are taking to ensure your safety:
- Cleaning crews are working hard to disinfect our dealerships multiple times a day.
- We have tasked an employee with increased cleaning of high-touch points like door knobs, handles, and countertops.
- Hand sanitizer stations can be found throughout our dealership
- All employees have been coached on the correct CDC guidelines for hand washing and sanitizing their stations, and will be required to follow those guidelines
- After each service, service technicians will fully wipe down your vehicle
- We are using Permasafe Protective Coatings to disinfect loaner vehicles between usages
- We will avoid unnecessary contact like handshakes by using other forms of greeting and following social distancing guidelines
- We will enforce procedures that encourage staff to stay home if they are feeling unwell or have been in contact with someone who is feeling unwell
- Staff will be kept up-to-date with any COVID-19 updates to ensure we’re doing our part to minimize its impact
- We are offering a mobile service unit to come to your home for recall work, battery replacement, or other work that does not require a lift
- We are offering a “No Contact Purchase Program” to allow our Central Florida and Chiefland customers access to our home delivery option, which includes virtual test drives, a secure online credit application, and free home delivery (this option has and continues to be available in all other parts of Florida)
Take Advantage of Digital Retailing
Thanks to advancements in the automotive industry, you can all but buy a car from the comfort of your own home. Our staff would be happy to facilitate your vehicle purchase online so you don’t even need to visit our dealership to buy a new car. Feel free to browse our new and used vehicle inventory online, shop our current vehicle specials, value your trade, and even secure financing online from your computer or mobile device.
To make the process even simpler, we are also happy to provide at-home test drives and home vehicle delivery. We are committed to working with our customers during this difficult time, and are more than willing to adjust our typical car-buying experience for you.
Thank You For Your Support & Patience
We’d like to personally thank each and every customer for their support and patience during this challenging time. If you have any questions or concerns regarding purchasing or servicing a vehicle during this time, please don’t hesitate to contact us online or via phone at (844) 885-6132. If you would like to stay informed on COVID-19 updates or learn more about preventative measures you can take to keep you and your family safe, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
For Immediate Release March 19, 2020
Polk County, Fla. – The Kelley Automotive Group has been working on a virtual test drive and home delivery program behind-the-scenes for the past couple of months in an effort to increase customer service. In light of the Coronavirus outbreak, the Polk County-based automotive group (four locations in Polk County and one in Chiefland) has decided to make the program public early.
Customers are now able to request a virtual test drive as a contact-free way to buy a car. They will pick out the vehicles (or vehicles) of their choice, and their sales specialist will take the vehicle on a test drive, with someone recording them to show how the vehicle drives as they explain the key features.
From there, the customer will be able to submit a secure, online credit app through www.kelleyautomotivegroup.com so that a manager will be able to put together a deal package for them. The automotive group will also be able to conduct off-site trade appraisals instead of the customer having to come into a busy dealership.
Once the process is all said and done, the dealership will then sanitize the truck and deliver it to the customer at their home (and it’s free of charge for customers in the state of Florida).
About the Kelley Automotive Group The Kelley Automotive Group includes four locations in Polk County and one location in Chiefland, FL. In addition to Kelley Buick GMC in Bartow, the group includes Kelley Lakeland Truck Store near downtown Lakeland, Kelley’s Used Cars in Auburndale, Kelley of Winter Haven at the intersection of Cypress Gardens Blvd. and Highway 17 in Winter Haven, and Big Bend Chevrolet Buick in Chiefland. The Kelley family has been serving Polk County’s automotive needs for 50 years.
To learn more about the Kelley Automotive Group, please visit www.kelleyautomotivegroup.com.
For Immediate Release March 9, 2020
Bartow, Fla. – For the past several years, Kelley Buick GMC of Bartow, FL has sponsored Bustin’ Clays with Sheriff Grady Judd, and this year was no exception. The event was held on March 7, 2020 at Tenoroc Sporting Clays in Lakeland, FL, and it was the twelfth annual event.
Bustin’ Clays with Sheriff Grady Judd supports Polk Sheriff Charities, Inc. in their mission to support the Polk County community’s needs through opportunities identified by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. The Kelley Automotive Group believes that Sheriff Judd is in the best position to fully understand the needs of the community, so they are committed to supporting Polk Sheriff Charities, Inc.
As a registered not-for-profit organization, the charity provides support to members who are facing unexpected tragedies. The charity also supports need identified in the community, including purchasing Christmas gifts for underprivileged children and supporting organizations dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence.
Kelley Buick GMC also recently donated the Cheep Jeep that was raffled off in support of Polk Sheriff Charities, Inc. at the annual Jeepin’ with Judd event in Bartow.
About the Kelley Automotive Group The Kelley Automotive Group includes four locations in Polk County and one location in Chiefland, FL. In addition to Kelley Buick GMC in Bartow, the group includes Kelley Lakeland Truck Store near downtown Lakeland, Kelley’s Used Cars in Auburndale, Kelley of Winter Haven at the intersection of Cypress Gardens Blvd. and Highway 17 in Winter Haven, and Big Bend Chevrolet Buick in Chiefland. The Kelley family has been serving Polk County’s automotive needs for 50 years.
To learn more about the Kelley Automotive Group, please visit www.kelleyautomotivegroup.com .
For Immediate Release March 9, 2020
Bartow, Fla. – The Kelley Automotive Group has received a 2020 CarGurus Top Rated Dealer award. The award is given to dealerships that have received the highest average review ratings on the CarGurus website. CarGurus focuses on using reviews from verified shoppers to help shoppers make a better decision when shopping for a vehicle.
The Kelley Automotive Group has CarGurus accounts for both Kelley Buick GMC and Kelley Lakeland, and both stores received the award.
“We are thrilled to recognize the Kelley Automotive Group as a 2020 Top Rated Dealer,” Ashley Karr, Vice President of B2B Marketing at CarGurus. “Customer reviews are at the core of CarGurus’ transparent shopping experience, and is a part of why shoppers have come to trust us. The Top Rated Dealer program gives dealerships like the Kelley Automotive Group the opportunity to showcase their customer service excellence, and we applaud their high standards.”
This award comes right after Kelley Buick GMC announced that they were named Florida’s only GMC Dealer of the Year by General Motors.
About the Kelley Automotive Group
The Kelley Automotive Group includes four locations in Polk County and one location in Chiefland, FL. In addition to Kelley Buick GMC in Bartow, the group includes Kelley Lakeland Truck Store near downtown Lakeland, Kelley’s Used Cars in Auburndale, Kelley of Winter Haven at the intersection of Cypress Gardens Blvd. and Highway 17 in Winter Haven, and Big Bend Chevrolet Buick in Chiefland. The Kelley family has been serving Polk County’s automotive needs for 50 years.
To learn more about the Kelley Automotive Group, please visit www.kelleyautomotivegroup.com.
For Immediate Release: March 5, 2020
Polk County, Fla. – Kelley Buick GMC has been awarded the designation of a 2019 GMC Dealer of the Year by General Motors. This award is given to only twenty dealers throughout the United States, and Kelley Buick GMC received the only award in the state of Florida.
Kelley Buick GMC received the award for achieving the “highest level of performance in every area of your business,” per a letter from Duncan Aldred, the VP of Global Buick and GMC Sales, Service and Marketing for General Motors. The areas measured included sales performance and customer service retention. The award comes as the Kelley family enter their fiftieth year of serving Polk County’s automotive needs, and it’s on the heels of their biggest season of charitable giving yet. These community outreach efforts range from donating the Cheep Jeep each year for Jeepin’ with Judd to giving the Polk County Youth Fair a check for $100,000 just last month.
Kelley Buick GMC is part of the Kelley Automotive Group, which includes four locations in Polk County and one location in Chiefland, FL. In addition to Kelley Buick GMC in Bartow, the group includes Kelley Lakeland Truck Store near downtown Lakeland, Kelley’s Used Cars in Auburndale, Kelley of Winter Haven at the intersection of Cypress Gardens Blvd. and Highway 17 in Winter Haven, and Big Bend Chevrolet Buick in Chiefland.
To learn more about the Kelley Automotive Group, please visit www.kelleyautomotivegroup.com.
For Immediate Release: March 5, 2020
Polk County, Fla. – Kelley Buick GMC has kicked off their charitable giving for 2020 with a bang with a $100,000 check given to the Polk County Youth Fair. The company also donated to youth participating in the Hardee County Youth Fair, and they donated a brand new, custom GMC Sierra to Warrior Beach Retreat, Inc. to be raffled off in support of our local youth involved in agrictulture.
These donations are in addition to their donation of a 2013 4-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport 4WD V6 for the 2020 “Cheep” Jeep Raffle at Jeepin’ with Judd and their sponsorship of Bustin’ Clays with Sheriff Grady Judd. Both events support Polk Sheriff’s Charities, Inc. which has a mission of supporting needs identified in our Polk County community.
Kelley Buick GMC also recently sponsored Full Moon Howl in support of Peace River Center.
As the Kelley family enter their fiftieth year of serving Polk County’s automotive needs, they’re grateful to their loyal customers and supporting businesses for giving them the opportunity to give back.
Kelley Buick GMC is part of the Kelley Automotive Group, which includes four locations in Polk County and one location in Chiefland, FL. In addition to Kelley Buick GMC in Bartow, the group includes Kelley Lakeland Truck Store near downtown Lakeland, Kelley’s Used Cars in Auburndale, Kelley of Winter Haven at the intersection of Cypress Gardens Blvd. and Highway 17 in Winter Haven, and Big Bend Chevrolet Buick in Chiefland.
To learn more about the Kelley Automotive Group, please visit www.kelleyautomotivegroup.com.
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