Beware of Ferrari Maserati of Vancouver | FerrariChat

Beware of Ferrari Maserati of Vancouver

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by Dr. Lawrence Miller, Dec 20, 2013.

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  1. Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Dr. Lawrence Miller Formula Junior

    Jul 11, 2011
    383
    Vancouver BC Canada
    Full Name:
    Dr. Lawrence Miller
    #1 Dr. Lawrence Miller, Dec 20, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    A Ferrari Owner’s Review of his Experience Dealing with Ferrari Maserati of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    As someone who is part of the Ferrari ownership community, I felt it was important for me to advise others in the community of an experience I had with Ferrari Maserati of Vancouver.
    The Ferrari Maserati of Vancouver dealership’s stated “mission” is to provide the highest level of customer service and satisfaction, and boasts that they are “renowned for the individual customer care and service that is provided to each and every client”. Sadly, I remain extremely disappointed with the dealership.

    Before leaving for a business trip on May 22, 2013, I left my beautiful 2005 Ferrari F430F1 with Ferrari Maserati of Vancouver (owned by Brian Ross Motorsports Corp.) for a $2,200 scheduled servicing. During my trip, I anticipated a fun-filled summer of driving my Ferrari.
    On May 29, 2013, on my way back to Vancouver, I called the dealership to see if the servicing had been completed. I was appalled to hear that my Ferrari had been damaged. I understood that the damage was minor, just a “scratch”.

    When I arrived at the Ferrari dealership, I was surprised to learn my Ferrari was not there, and the dealership had taken it to a local non-Ferrari factory authorized auto body shop without my knowledge or permission. I was completed shocked when I saw the condition of my Ferrari! This was no mere “scratch”. My Ferrari was significantly damaged from end to end on the passenger’s side, and the panel in front of the passenger’s door was so torn and twisted that the door would not open!

    Once the initial shock diminished somewhat, I attempted to resolve the matter in an amicable manner. Given what had taken place and the dealership’s stated mission, I expected the dealership would resolve the problem in short order. Sadly, that did not come to pass and it appeared to me that the dealership avoided my calls. So I sued the dealership. In the lawsuit, the dealership admitted its negligence in damaging my Ferrari while in its care and yet they still have not resolved the problem.

    On July 23, 2013, to add insult to injury, the dealership sent me an invoice for $3147.48 (for the earlier “$2,200 service”), and refused to release my Ferrari until the invoice was paid! They only released my damaged Ferrari this past week; I missed out on using my Ferrari for the entire summer of 2013 (one of the sunniest Vancouver summers on record)!
    If the Ferrari Vancouver dealership had handled the situation differently, they would have had me as a loyal customer for life. Instead, I started a lawsuit and they have lost this customer for life. This is not the service I expect from anyone associated with the Ferrari name.

    If this letter prevents even one person from going through this kind of experience with Ferrari Maserati of Vancouver, then I will have contributed in some way to the positive experience of Ferrari enthusiasts everywhere. I wish you all the best.

    * * * * *

    Update: Post #249

    Some of these pictures were taken when I first saw the damage and some were taken later (e.g., those with the bumpers off and in the rain) at the non-Ferrari-authorized autobody place where FMoV had initially taken my Ferrari without my knowledge or permission.​
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  2. texasmr2

    texasmr2 Two Time F1 World Champ
    BANNED

    Oct 22, 2007
    22,232
    Houston
    Full Name:
    Gregg
    Since they are a factory authorized dealer I wonder how Ferrari S.p.A. would feel about knowing the poor representation and shady dealings of one of their dealers??
     
  3. vvvmd

    vvvmd F1 Rookie
    Rossa Subscribed

    Dec 23, 2003
    4,615
    close to the Hub
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    Victor Villarreal
    Good luck with the rapair. I had a "minor" fender bender where the R side of my car was damaged. Took 6 months to fix due to lack of availability of parts. The car then sat for another 5 months waiting for parts to fix a transmission rattle. Dealer and FNA were actually nice. They comped me for the cost of the fluid service and FNA extended the power train warranty for a year. Doesn't quite make up for being out of the car for close to a year
     
  4. Nospinzone

    Nospinzone F1 Veteran

    Jul 1, 2013
    7,346
    Weston, MA
    Full Name:
    Paul
    It's too bad you weren't in Massachusetts. Here you would simply take the car and have it repaired at a place of your choosing. Your insurance company would pay for the repairs and then they would be the ones to chase FV for the money.

    How does it work with Canadian insurance companies?
     
  5. BT ZR1

    BT ZR1 Karting

    Nov 22, 2013
    122
    Toronto
    Op's deductable is probably 5k hence he did not put it through his insurer. Dealer handled it all wrong. Now where do you go for service?. How many ferrari dealers in BC?.
     
  6. texasmr2

    texasmr2 Two Time F1 World Champ
    BANNED

    Oct 22, 2007
    22,232
    Houston
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    Gregg
    #6 texasmr2, Dec 21, 2013
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2013
    Only one and it is the dealer in question.
     
  7. toggie

    toggie F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Nov 30, 2003
    19,036
    Virginia
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    Toggie (Ron)
    #7 toggie, Dec 21, 2013
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2013
    A couple of observations:

    - sorry to hear that a nice 430 was damaged and took a few months to get fixed.

    - dealership should have called you the day the car got damaged and sent you a picture of the car's damage via email. You should not have had to wait until you called in for a status update.

    - I suspect the repair costs for the car's body damage was a lot of money, probably more than $20k. And it sounds like the dealership picked up these costs.

    - a Ferrari major service estimate of $2200 growing to $3147.48 is NOT unusual at all. Many of us have had major services turn into $5k - $7k endeavors.

    - there are ALWAYS two sides to every story. I hope someone from the dealership posts in this thread some of their side of the story.

    - seems to me that nobody really "wins" in lawsuits except the lawyers. Not sure in Canada, but here in the U.S. each side typically pays their own legal costs regardless if you win or lose the case. And those legal costs can easily reach $20k - $80k for a simple lawsuit once all the letter writing, court filings, depositions, and trial days are added up.

    Also, it would be helpful if the good Doctor would post the VIN of his car in this thread (for Carbon's sake).
    .
     
  8. amenasce

    amenasce Three Time F1 World Champ
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    Oct 17, 2001
    33,014
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    Joe Mansion
    This would piss me off so much. I would expect this type of scumbag service by at&t or fedex but not a Ferrari dealer.

    You had to sue them for your car to be repaired? They were simply avoiding your calls? Did you ever just showed up there and ask about your car?

    How can they still send you an invoice after all of that?

    I would write to FNA and explain it all.
     
  9. BT ZR1

    BT ZR1 Karting

    Nov 22, 2013
    122
    Toronto
    i figured as much. Not a good spot for the OP to be in.
     
  10. V-TWELVE

    V-TWELVE Formula 3

    Jan 1, 2007
    1,800
    Vancouver, BC
    #10 V-TWELVE, Dec 21, 2013
    Last edited: Dec 21, 2013
    What a bunch of clowns! The car world is a small one and this sort of thing probably means the beginning of the end for the management or dealership itself. I will never understand this kind of underhanded business. If they did do that to somebodies car, they should just cover the cost and give the poor guy a deal on the work that was to be performed. Accidents will always happen but it is what you do about it that matters most. You need a dealership that supports this automotive lifestyle and doesn't see their customers as suckers opening their wallets. There is another thread in the Canada section with some shadiness as well. Very sad to see this from FoV, perhaps some new ownership is needed or at least a visit from the Motor Vehicle Sales Authority.
     
  11. VisualHomage

    VisualHomage F1 Veteran

    Aug 30, 2006
    5,611
    San Antonio
    Wow that is an appalling account. The negligence is layers deep on count of the dealership. Someone must have taken your car out for a joyride and attempted to downplay it.
     
  12. MS250

    MS250 Two Time F1 World Champ
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    Dec 10, 2003
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    Avvocato
  13. rmani

    rmani F1 Veteran
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Nov 1, 2003
    7,299
    NJ
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    RMani
    Horrible I'm so sorry you are going through this.
     
  14. ferrarilover

    ferrarilover F1 Rookie

    Nov 5, 2003
    2,558
    Barrie, ON, Canada
    Full Name:
    Christopher Bailey
    This is why some well established independents do well in the prairies and BC.

    ZR Auto Performance Tuning and Exotic Cars - ZR Auto

    KULU Motorcar Inc.

    when the F dealers screw people over.

    I'm not sure how well Ferrari of Alberta in Calgary (opened 2008) is doing, but with ZR and Kulu well established, I would think they would have a hard time penetrating the market.

    Chris
     
  15. samsaprunoff

    samsaprunoff F1 Rookie
    Silver Subscribed

    Jun 8, 2004
    4,160
    Edmonton, AB Canada
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    Sam Saprunoff
    Good day Ron,

    I do not know the particulars to this case, but here in Canada the "winner" of a suit is typically awarded their litigation costs (Court and Legal) in addition to the damages. Given how this unfolded the owner could also be entitled to "loss of use" amount as well as a valuation loss based upon the car having such a substantial repair. Regardless this does not reflect well on the Dealership...

    Cheers,

    Sam
     
  16. YVR_Schumi

    YVR_Schumi Karting

    May 20, 2012
    103
    British Columbia
    I'll just add that this is unfortunately not an uncommon account (or general sentiment) regarding this particular dealer.

    To another poster's point, though, the factory dealer's reputation in the community has spawned quite an extensive network of high-end specialty independents, so that's nice :)

    @ Dr. Miller, have you considered Joseph Philipovich (Prancing Horse Motors) for repairs & maintenance? He's the mechanic for most of the best-kept Ferraris in the lower mainland. His standards are high (for vehicles and owners) but if you're committed to keeping your car mechanically perfect, he's your guy.
     
  17. rmani

    rmani F1 Veteran
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Nov 1, 2003
    7,299
    NJ
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    RMani
    has anyone ever considered writing google reviews on this dealer? it's all out there rather than just being on fchat. i've done this when i've had a bad dealer experience at non-ferrari dealers and usually the dealer attempts to contact me to make it right (though they've never been able to do what it takes to make me come back).
     
  18. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Feb 11, 2008
    98,534
    Vegas baby
    My only question is what does "attempted to resolve this matter" mean? Did they not fix the car? What's the area of disagreement?
     
  19. YVR_Schumi

    YVR_Schumi Karting

    May 20, 2012
    103
    British Columbia
    A pure guess would be some form of additional compensation to the OP for (1) missing the enjoyment of an entire (dry!) summer in Vancouver with his car (it really was dryer than ever), and (2) the declaration on insurance (claim over $2k) that he'll have to formally make when he sells the car, thereby reducing its value.

    Again - just a guess. But this is what my beef would be if I ended up getting the car back, put together correctly and all that.
     
  20. TheMayor

    TheMayor Nine Time F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Feb 11, 2008
    98,534
    Vegas baby

    Agreed... but what if the OP wants 50% of the value of the car as compensation? Or, a complete buy back at MSRP? I'm not saying he does but by not clearly stating what he wants to solve this problem makes it difficult to truly evaluate the situation.
     
  21. YVR_Schumi

    YVR_Schumi Karting

    May 20, 2012
    103
    British Columbia
    Understood. Might be best for him to keep it off the boards though at this point, given legal proceedings underway.

    If I'm the dealer and this happens, I'd have delivered the car back to him along with a settlement agreement - free labour at our shop for the next 2 years, in exchange for you signing away your right to sue / claim any other damages arising out of the occasion. A nice compromise and you might even turn an unhappy client into a champion.
     
  22. WJGESQ

    WJGESQ Formula 3

    Dec 30, 2004
    1,477
    "Dimunition of value"
     
  23. starboy444

    starboy444 F1 Veteran

    Oct 7, 2006
    7,265
    Toronto, Canada
    Full Name:
    Lucas

    Why would he want to post his VIN ?? Especially after this bad incident?
     
  24. mik458spider

    mik458spider Formula 3

    Jan 13, 2013
    1,386
    Reporting the dealer to the BBB could be a smarter way rather than suing them. Because it was an accident, they didn't refuse to repair it, and you just can't sue people for refusing to answer your phone calls. The lawyer was the guy who enjoyed the best summer.
    And the invoice jumped from 2k to 3k, what was the additional?
    I also had a plan to leave the car there for the maintenance, and pick up after few weeks. But after reading this, I come to a decision to either wait there or pick up the first thing tomorrow morning.
     
  25. ferrarisun

    ferrarisun Formula Junior

    Feb 13, 2011
    960
    The poster should definitely go after that crappy dealer for diminished value. He stated it was a very nice car, so assuming no prior paintwork, and now, lots of repainted/non original paint on the car. Probably needs to get a certified appraiser involved, to determine the amount of value loss. And I just cringe when I go in places with some big fancy sign that says mission statement, and do they really give a damn about the customer? Nothing but pr/bs. What kind of sorry people run that Ferrari dealership? If they constantly treat customer's like they did the poster, their franchise should be pulled.
     

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